January 17, 2009

French Onion Soup - Crockpot Style

This recipe is so so so easy. I threw the ingredients in the crockpot during my lunch break on Thursday and came home to find yummy French onion soup ready and waiting. Here's what you need:

4 cups beef broth
3-4 medium onions, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 slices of cheese, Parmesan, Swiss, whatever floats your boat

Add first 4 ingredients to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours. I served the soup in bread bowls (you can get them at Wal-Mart) and placed the cheese in the bowl before pouring in the soup. This doesn't taste just like what you would get at Jason's Deli or Panera, but it is still good. Give it a try!

January 14, 2009

Easy Cheesy Mexican Casserole

Last night for dinner we had hamburger meat set out, but weren't sure what to do with it so we pulled out some cookbooks and searched for something tasty. I found a recipe and decided to tweak it a little bit and this is what I came up with. Here's what you need

1 lb hamburger meat, cooked and drained
14 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
10oz can Rotel
16oz can refried beans
10 3/4oz can cream of chicken soup
10 3/4oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 lb shredded cheese, you can use less if you like

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a large bowl mix soups, onion and Rotel. Once hamburger meat is cooked and drained mix with refried beans. Place half the meat/bean mixture in the bottom of the pan, spreading out evenly. Then place half the quartered tortillas on top, making sure to cover entire pan. Pour half of soup mixture into pan and spread evenly, top with half the shredded cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Bake, uncovered for 30-45 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like the onions to be. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.

January 2, 2009

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Tonight I made Cashew Chicken Stir Fry and it tasted just like take out! So here's the super simple recipe, give it a try! Here's what you need:

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 Cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 Tbsp oil, divided
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
2-3 small zucchini, sliced and quartered
4 green onions, sliced
1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, drained
3/4 Cup salted cashews

Start by slicing all your veggies and chicken, I sliced the zucchini into about 1/2 inch slices, then quartered them to make a nice bite sized piece. Combine cornstarch, brown sugar, chicken broth and soy sauce in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined, set aside. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok and stir fry chicken until no longer pink in the center, I added a little garlic salt to the chicken while it was cooking for more flavor. Remove and keep warm. Remove any remaining liquid from the pan and add 1 Tbsp oil. Stir fry the mushrooms, zucchini and green onions for about 5 minutes, until the zucchini and mushrooms start to soften. Stir in the chicken, water chestnuts and cashews. Stir the broth mixture and add to the pan, bring to a boil and let cook for 1-2 minutes, or until thickened. Serve with rice.