Stroganoff

original recipe ~ allrecipes.com

I just started asking each person in the family to request one dinner per week.  That way I don't have to think about it as much.  The first thing Devin requested was stroganoff.  Oh Stroganoff, I love you.  I'm sorry I never think to make you.  Why is that?

1 lb (or less) beef (preferably cubed steak or stew meat, but regular old ground beef will do if necessary)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp beef base
2 c water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 c egg noodles (or whatever)
3/4 c sour cream (or more)

Brown beef in olive oil (or not if it's ground beef - just brown & drain).  Add everything but sour cream.  Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until noodles are done.  Add sour cream and heat through.

The recipe originally calls for only 1/2 c sour cream, but we just kept adding more.  I guess if you're trying to be healthier, you could use less.

UPDATE 11/24/15: I made this tonight with leftover steaks that Devin grilled last night.  Since the steak was already cooked I set it aside until the noodles were done so it wouldn't be tough.  Yay!  I would recommend doing that all the time, in fact.  Brown it, & keep cooking until you're satisfied with its doneness, then pull it out & hold it until the noodles are done.  Usually every time I make this the meat is tough.  Also, DOUBLE IT next time!  Everybody loves it and we always barely have enough and no leftovers.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

allrecipes.com

This has been my go-to meatball sauce for a while now.  Ben LOVES it and requests sweet & sour meatballs all the time.  I never knew how easy it was until I tried this recipe.  Hurray!

3/4 c white sugar
1/3 c white vinegar
2/3 c water
1/4 c soy sauce
1 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs cornstarch

Bring to a boil & stir continuously until thickened.  Be careful not to let it simmer too long or it will be super thick and you won't have enough.

Wassail

allrecipes.com

I love wassail!  The smell alone is so welcoming and comforting and makes me think of Fall and sweaters and holidays and warming up after playing in the snow.  And it tastes great, too.  I've been using this recipe since probably 2006 (maybe '07) and I have no desire to change it.

2 qts apple cider
2 c orange juice
1/2 c lemon juice
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
pinch of ginger
pinch of nutmeg

Simmer all day in the crock pot and enjoy the smell throughout your whole house!

Italian Chicken

Lexye Thiele

I make this all the time, but for some reason I've had a hard time remembering the recipe.  At first I couldn't remember if it was 1 can of soup or 2, then I couldn't remember if the chicken goes in frozen or thawed.  Today I couldn't remember how long to cook it, so I looked it up and decided it's finally going on the blog.  And now I have to hurry to get it in on time.

1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix (I buy in bulk and use... some.  I think a package is about an ounce.  I mostly just guess but maybe I'll measure one day and update this)
3-5 frozen chicken breasts (or desired amount)

Soften cream cheese.  Mix with soup and dressing mix.  Place frozen chicken in crock pot.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours.  It's nice to cut or shred it a little while before serving.  Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Corn Chowder

Jolene/Molly D/America's Test Kitchen

This picture does not do the soup justice.  It is so good.  I first had this at the Davenports' place in Midway at Christmas time (2011 I think).  This was my first time making it and I didn't even cheat.  I actually cooked the bacon and I actually chopped up a real onion and put the whole thing in the soup as called for.

4 1/2 c corn (sliced off the cob if possible - I did this and 6 ears did the job)
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 1/2 Tbs flour
4 1/2 c water
1 1/2 Tbs chicken base/bouillon
3 c milk
4 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 bay leaves (I used broken-up pieces and then I couldn't remove them.  Mistake.)
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 c cream
parsley
salt and pepper

Cook bacon.  Stir in onion and cook until softened.  Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute.  Slowly stir in broth and milk, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in potatoes, spices and corn.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 mins.

Add cream and simmer 5 mins without boiling.  Discard bay leaves.  Stir in parsley, salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Garnish with grated cheddar if desired (I don't think it needs it).

Pizza Sauce

allrecipes.com

We recently adopted the weekly tradition of pizza and a movie on Fridays.  For our first time making pizza, I just bought dough in a bag at Winco, and it was really good.  Devin found this sauce recipe and made it in the blender.  The whole thing turned out splendidly.  Since then I've been making my own dough from a Vitamix recipe, which I think is better.

1 (6-oz) can tomato paste

1 1/2 c water

1/3 c olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 Tbs oregano

1/2 Tbs basil

1/2 tsp rosemary

Combine all in blender and blend until smooth.  Makes enough for 2-3 15" pizzas.

Biscuits and Gravy

Anna Cash

This originally calls for a whole pound of sausage, but I've found that 1/2 is PLENTY.  We just had this for dinner (it's a little heavy for breakfast) and everyone ate it!

1/2 lb ground sausage, browned and drained
1 1/2 c milk
2 c cream
1/2 c milk
2 Tbs cornstarch

Combine sausage, 1 1/2 c milk, and cream in a saucepan.  Separately, mix remaining milk and cornstarch.  Before sausage mixture boils, add cornstarch mixture.  Boil 15 minutes and serve over biscuits.

Courtside Caramel Corn

Gommy


This stuff is awesome.  I make it every year for the Ogden Pioneer Days fireworks.

2 c packed brown sugar
1 c butter
1/2 c corn syrup
1 tsp salt

1 Tbs vanilla
1/2 tsp soda

6 qts popped popcorn (2 air-poppers full for me - I put 1/2 c in the popper) GREASE THE BOWL!*

Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a pretty big saucepan (it bubbles up quite a bit).  Boil 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and soda.  Mix well and pour over popcorn.


Optional: Bake 45 minutes at 250 on greased cookie sheets, stirring every 15 minutes.


*I always forget.  Including 20 minutes ago when I made this.

Lemon Bars

Becky Lindsay

I bought one of these at the Lindsays' bake sale and it was awesome.  Within days I called Becky for the recipe and made them for Ben's Joy School graduation the next week.  Hers were thinner than mine, which I liked, but everybody raved about mine anyway.

Crust:

1 c butter
2 c flour
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Mix and press in the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 pan (Maybe using a bigger pan would make them thinner).  Bake 15-20 mins at 350.  Cool at least 10 mins.

Meanwhile, prepare filling:

4 eggs
2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 Tbs lemon juice (bottled - I bet fresh would be even better)
1 Tbs grated lemon peel (optional - I didn't have any and neither did Becky)

Mix & pour over cooled crust.  Bake 20-25 mins at 350.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

UPDATE 11/24/15:  I love these so much.  By now I've taken them to a few events and have always gotten rave reviews - people especially freaked out about them at Elderpalooza this summer.