Mama's Cheeseburger Soup

1/2lb ground beef
3/4c chopped onion
3/4c shredded carrots
3/4c diced celery
1tsp dried basil
1tsp dried parsley (optional)
4Tbsp butter/margarine divided
3c chicken broth
4c diced potatoes
8oz Velveeta cubed
1 1/2c milk or half n half
3/4tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2tsp pepper
1/4c sour cream
2 1/2Tbsp cornstarch

Brown ground beef; drain & set aside.
In same pan, saute' onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 Tbsp butter until veggies are tender, about 10min.
Add broth, potatoes & beef; bring to a boil,
Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.
When potatoes are tender, mix cornstarch with milk (make sure it's mixed well) and add to soup.
Cook until it starts to thicken, then add cheese, salt, pepper and sour cream.
Turn heat off and let cheese melt.
Stir well & serve.

Notes.....
 * I don't use celery in mine because no one in my family likes cooked celery.
 * I usually will use 2lbs hamburger and 16oz of Velveeta which makes a much thicker soup and fills you up better.
 * Sometimes I will use the Mexican Velveeta to spice it up a little, that's a really good variation :)    

Everything Lo Mein

Ingredients....

Sauce:
*3 rounded Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
*3 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
*3 Tbsp Water
*2 tsp Hot Sauce

Everything Lo Mein:
*1lb Spaghetti
*Salt
*1/4c vegetable oil, divided
*2 large eggs, beaten
*3 chicken breast cutlets, thinly sliced into strips
*3 thin cut pork chops, thinly sliced into strips
*Black Pepper
*2 tsp ground coriander
*4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
*6 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths then sliced lengthwise
*1/2lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped
*2c fresh bean sprouts

Directions:

1. Mix together sauce ingredients and reserve.

2. Bring pasta water to a boil, salt water and cook spaghetti to al dente.

3. While pasta cooks, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, non-stick skillet over high heat. When oil ripples, add beaten eggs and scramble them to light golden brown, remove and reserve.

4. Season the meat with salt, pepper and coriander. Heat the remaining vegetable oil to a ripple, then add meat and stir-fry 4 minutes, push meat to the side and add garlic and veggies. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes, then drain and add pasta and eggs back to skillet. Pour sauce over the spaghetti and toss to combine. Turn off pan. Toss 30 seconds and let the liquids absorb.

Recipe by: Rachel Ray

Turkey in a Pot

Ingredients:

* 1 boneless turkey breast (3 - 4lbs), halved
* 1 can (16 ozs) whole cranberry sauce
* 1/2c sugar
* 1/2c apple juice
* 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tsp ground mustard
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves
* 1/4 tsp ground allspice
* 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
* 1/4c cold water
* 1/4 tsp browning sauce, optional

1. Place the turkey skin side up in a 5qt slow cooker.

2. Combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, apple juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, cinnamon, cloves & allspice; Pour over turkey.

3. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170.

4. Remove the turkey to a cutting board; keep warm.

5. Stain cooking juices.

6. In a saucepan, combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir in strained juices.

7. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in browning sauce if desired.

8. Serve with sliced turkey.

Chunky Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

* 1 stick of butter, divided
* 2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1/2in pieces
* 1/4 c all purpose flour
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1/4 c red pepper, diced
* 1/4 c green pepper, diced
* 2c chicken stock
* 1c heavy cream
* 2 Tbsp chili powder
* 1 tsp ground coriander
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
* 1 Tbsp kosher salt
* 2 cans (14oz ea) cannelini beans, drained
* 2 cans (4oz) mild green chiles
* 1/2c sour cream


1. In a large Dutch oven, melt 4 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces until nicely colored and cooked through. Remove chicken to a large bowl and set aside.

2. Using the same Dutch oven, stir in the flour. This will create a roux. Stir in the onions and peppers. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan and stir in the heavy cream. Lower heat and cook until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and the salt. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the cannelini beans, chiles and the chicken and simmer for another 6 to 8 minutes. At the very end, mix in the sour cream.


Recipe by: Aaron McCargo Jr.

Stroganoff Casserole

Ingredients:

* 1pkg (16oz) Egg Noodles
* 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
* 1 container (8 oz) sour cream
* 1/2 c of milk or half N half
* 1lb ground beef
* 2 cans (6oz each) sliced mushrooms, undrained
* 1pkg (8oz) cream cheese
* 1 pkg gravy mix

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles according to package directions in a dutch oven. Drain and return to pan.

2. Add mushroom soup, sour cream & milk to noodles; stir to combine. Cover and keep warm.

3. Brown ground beef in skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, stirring to seperate. Drain fat from skillet.

4. Add mushrooms, cream cheese & gravy mix to ground beef; blend well. Combine with noodle mix in Dutch oven; stir until well blended. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

Country Scramble

Ingredients:

* 18 eggs

* 1 lb ground sausage

* 1 pkg frozen cubed hash browns

* 1 c milk

1. Brown sausage then remove from pan. Leave drippings in the pan.

2. Cook hash browns in the sausage drippings until browned.

3. Whisk eggs with the cup of milk. Then pour eggs over hash browns and add sausage. Cook until eggs are done.

Gravy Baked Pork Chops

Ingredients:

*4 - 5 pork chops
*salt and pepper to taste
*1 Tbsp butter
*3/4 c milk
*1/2 c water
*1/2 pkg dry onion soup mix
*1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute' the pork chops in the butter about 5 minutes per side.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, water, soup mix & soup. Place the pork chops in a 9x13in baking dish and pour the soup mixture over the chops.

4. Bake @ 350 F for 45 minutes.