May 13: Hearty Meatball Stew

Today I made this stew from the 'hearty stews and chilies' section in the winter part of the cookbook. I started it at about noon:

In a bowl I mixed up 3 pounds of ground beef, 3 eggs (should have been 4, but hubby ate one for breakfast), 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of Romano cheese, a cup of Italian bread crumbs, and 2 tsp each of salt, pepper, and garlic salt:

I formed that into 2 inch balls and browned them in a skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil:

I put the meatballs in the Crock Pot:

Then I stirred in 2 c. water, 2 c. beef broth, a can of stewed tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato paste, a cup of chopped carrots, a cup of chopped onions, 1/2 cup of chopped celery, and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning:

I cooked it on low for about 5 hours:

This soup was very delicious! Our whole family really liked it. There were only two things I would change: first, I would put the soup part in the Crock Pot first and stir it up before adding the meatballs - it was hard to stir in the tomato paste without breaking them; second, the vegetables were still crunchy, so I would cook it for maybe 8 hours instead of 4 to 6. If I make those changes, I would definitely make this one again.

May 12: Pork Meatballs in Garlicky Almond Sauce

Tonight we had these meatballs for supper. They don't take too long to cook, so I started them at about noon. I gathered up these ingredients:

I put 1/2 cup of blanched almonds in the food processor and ground them up:

To that I added a cup of chicken broth, 1/3 cup of roasted red peppers, 2 tsp. minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp of salt:

I processed that until smooth and put the sauce in the crock pot. Then I stirred in 1/4 cup of bread crumbs:

In a bowl I put 3/4 cup of bread crumbs and stirred in 1/4 c. of white wine. To that I added a pound of ground pork, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 2 tsp minced garlic, an egg, and 3 tbsp. parsley:

I formed that into 26 meatballs and browned them in two batches in a skillet:

I transferred the meatballs to the Crock Pot and cooked them on high for 4 hours:

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. They really didn't look that spectacular, but they tasted good. I was just glad to have a low carb dinner for a change. I served these meatballs with sliced red bell pepper.

May 11: Homestyle Apple Brown Betty

Today was Mother's Day, and this was the perfect recipe for today. My kids and hubby took me out to eat after church, and he grilled sausage dogs for supper. I had this recipe for us when we got back from the evening service. It worked out great. I started it at about 4:45. Here are the ingredients:

I peeled, cored, and cut 6 apples into 8ths. I used granny Smith. I spread them into the bottom of the Crock Pot:

In a bowl I stirred together a cup of bread crumbs, a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, 1/8 tsp of salt, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of melted butter, and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts:

I layered that on top of the apples:

And I cooked it on low for 3 or 4 hours:

I served it warm with vanilla ice cream:

This was really good. I've never had this before, and I wasn't sure I'd like the bread crumb mixture, but I did. I especially like the chewiness of the walnuts. I had this helping, then an extra-big helping after I cleaned up and washed the dishes (happy Mother's Day to me!). It's a keeper!

May 10: Double Corn Chowder

Tonight I made this recipe from the 'soup for supper' section of the cookbook. First I gathered up these ingredients. It was about noon when I started:

In the Crock Pot, I put 2 chopped celery stalks, 6 ounces chopped Canadian bacon, a small onion, a diced serrano pepper, a cup of frozen corn, a cup of canned hominy, some salt, pepper, and thyme, then a cup of chicken broth. I cooked that on low for about 6 hours:

I stirred together a tablespoon of flour with 2 tbsp of milk:

I stirred that into the chowder, then stirred in 1 1/2 cups of half-and-half:

I cooked it for about 20 minutes longer, then served it:

This chowder was pretty good. The Canadian bacon kicked up the flavor. I had to tell myself it would taste like grits because of the hominy. That way I'm not caught off guard expecting just sweet corn. I didn't used to like hominy, but I'm getting used to it. The kids like grits, so they liked the soup when I told them it would taste like grits.

May 9: French Lentil Rice Soup

Today I made the Greek Rice from April 16, not the French Lentil Rice Soup. You can go check out my meal here. I might make this recipe next year.

ETA: 5/9/14

I made this lentil soup for supper tonight. I started it pretty early, before 8:00 so it would be ready by 4:00. Here are the ingredients:

In the Crock Pot I put 6 c. of chicken broth, a cup of lentils, 2 peeled & chopped carrots, 2 chopped stalks celery, a chopped small onion, 2 tbsp. minced garlic, 3 tbsp. rice, a tsp. of dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. white pepper:

I let it cook on low for 8 hours:

I scooped out 1 1/2 cups of the soup and pureed it with my immersion blender, then stirred it back in to the soup:

I served it with a tbsp. of cream and some chopped parsley:

This soup is very good. I like how the blended soup thickens it up, but still keeps the chunks. I also like how the cream makes it taste. It's not better than my go-to lentil soup recipe, but it's a contender!

May 8: Asian Short Ribs

I have not made this recipe due to being behind and being on a diet. I'm going to Florida in June, and I'd love to get down to my goal weight by then!

ETA: 5/8/14

I made this recipe for dinner tonight. It had to cook 7-8 hours, so I started it at about 8 this morning so it would be ready for dinner at 4. First, here are the ingredients:

In the crock pot I mixed up 1/2 c. beef broth, 1/4 c. soy sauce, 1/4 c. sherry, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 tsp. ground ginger, and 2 tsp. minced garlic:

I seasoned 3 lbs. boneless beef short ribs with salt and pepper, then coated them in the sauce:

Then I cooked them on low for 8 hours. I served them with leftover Paella and grape tomatoes:

These short ribs were very tasty, but also very fatty. I think it would have been helpful to let the fat harden and scrape it off the top before eating. I will try that with the leftovers tomorrow.

May 7: Fresh Berry Compote

I am a little behind, so I have not made this compote.

ETA: 5/8/14

I made this compote yesterday and we ate it for dessert for lunch. First I gathered up the ingredients:

I put 2 cups of blueberries in the crock pot and let them cook on high for 45 minutes to soften them:

To the blueberries I added 4 cups of sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp of orange juice, a cinnamon stick, and a tbsp of lemon juice (the recipe calls for 4 lemon peel slices, but I didn't have a chance to buy a lemon, so I used the juice instead):

I served it warm for lunch, then refrigerated it and had it chilled for an afternoon snack:

This compote is very tasty and just the right sweetness. I was grateful that the strawberries and blueberries were on sale this week, too! I really enjoyed the freshness of this treat.