Cheeseburger Soup

In a 3 quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 Tbsp butter until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter.  Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.  Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts.  Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream.  Yield: 8 servings

Janet Lully’s Cheeseburger Soup

  • 1 lb ground beef

  • ¾ cup chopped onion

  • ¾ cup shredded carrots

  • ¾ cup diced celery

  • 1 tsp dried basil

  • 1 tsp dried parsley flakes

  • 4 Tlbs butter or margarine, divided

  • 3-4 cups chicken broth

  • 4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1 ¾ lbs)

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed (2 cups)

  • 1 ½ cups milk

  • ¾ tsp salt

  • ¼ to ½ tsp pepper

  • ¼ cup sour cream

Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

Terri Rucevice’s Pico de Gallo

Roughly chop the tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions. Be careful while handling the chili peppers. Use a plastic baggie or disposable gloves to handle them or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours.

Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn't hot enough, you can add a few for more heat. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse only a few times, just enough to finely dice the ingredients and not enough to puree. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely dice by hand.

Place in a serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the chilis make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If it's not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilis, or add a little more ground cumin.

If you like, let the salsa sit for an hour (room temperature or chilled) for the flavors to combine.

  • 2 to 3 medium fresh tomatoes
    (1 to 1 1 /2 pounds}, stems removed

  • 1/2 medium red onion or vedalia onion

  • 1 jalapeiio pepper, stems, ribs, and seeds removed
    (less or more to taste)

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • 1 /2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 1 pinch dried oregano
    (crumble in your fingers before adding), or more to taste

  • 1 large pinch of fresh Cilantro a/k/a coriander
    - This ads incredible brightness

  • 1 pinch ground cumin, or more to taste

Easy German
Pancake

Terri Rucevice’s Easy German Pancakes

Preheat the oven to 450° F (232°C).

In a blender, combine the flour, eggs, milk, and salt. Blend until smooth with no lumps, 20 seconds.

In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons melted butter over high heat until foamy. Add the batter and immediately put the skillet in the oven. Bake until the pancake is golden brown in color and puffed up, about 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven, add the strawberries, blueberries and banana slices in the center of the German pancake and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup or honey, and melted butter (if using).

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 3 large eggs

  • 3/4 cup whole milk

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/ 4 teaspoon saIt

  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting

  • 1 cup strawberries, sliced into halves

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries

  • 2 banana's sliced

  • maple syrup or honey

  • 2 tablespoons melted butter, for serving, optional

Savory Bacon
Meatloaf

Alexandra Fabian’s Savory Bacon Meatloaf

  • 1 1/2pounds lean ground beef

  • 1cup milk

  • 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage leaves

  • 1/2teaspoon salt

  • 1/2teaspoon ground mustard

  • 1/4teaspoon pepper

  • 1garlic clove, finely chopped or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1egg

  • 3 slices bread, torn into small pieces

  • 1small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

  • 1/2 cup ketchup

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 6 slices thick cut bacon

Heat oven to 350°F.

Mix all ingredients except ketchup, brown sugar, and bacon. Spread mixture in ungreased loaf pan, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 or 9x5x3 inches, or shape into 9x5-inch loaf in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 160°F.

Cook and crumble bacon. Mix ketchup with brown sugar and spread mixture over top of cooked meatloaf. Pop back into the oven for 10 mins and then ENJOY!

Peanut Butter
Fudge

Susan Greely’s Peanut Butter Fudge

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 2 cups brown sugar

  • 3/4 cup milk

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 1 8 oz jar Jif peanut butter

  • 1 7 oz jar marshmallow cream

In a sauce pan mix together the sugars and milk, bring to a boil on medium until you just start to see bubbles in middle, boil 3 1/2 min.

Remove from heat. Add in the vanilla, peanut butter, and marshmellow cream. Mix well and put in 8x8 butterd pan.

Cool and enjoy!

Crock Pot
Beef Stew

Emily Benecke’s Crock Pot Beef Stew

  • 1.5-2lbs Stew Beef

  • 1 cup Quick Cook Barley

  • 1 Onion(diced)

  • 1 bag baby carrots

  • 1 small bag green beans

  • 1 mesh bag small yellow potatoes

  • 96 ounces Beef Broth (3 Containers-32 oz each)

1 1/2  to 2 pounds of stew beef cut up to smaller pieces (usually getting at least 4 small pieces out of one bug piece).  Put meat in crock pot on high.

Dice or chop one onion. Cut up small mesh bag of small potatoes into half inch squares.Dice up as many baby carrots you want in it.Cut ends if of string beans and cut up into bite size pieces from a small bag of green beans. Add all vegetables to crock pot on top of meat.

Take 32-ounce container of beef broth pour some into a container and stir in a package of beef stew mix. Pour all of that and remaining beef broth onto of vegetables.

Add about one cup of quick cook barley.  Add more beef broth to make sure everything is covered.

The barley will soak up a-lot of the beef broth so make sure you have at least 3 containers of it in case you need more.

After cooking for a few hours stir everything and add more broth if needed. You can then turn down timer from 4 hours on high to 8 hours on low.

Blueberry Crisp

Julie Steiner’s Blueberry Crisp

Filling:

  • 3 cups of blueberries

  • 1 lemon

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar

  • ½ rolled oats

  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1 stick butter cut into small cubes chilled

Preheat oven to 375 butter 9x13 baking dish

Filling:Place blueberries in a bowl sprinkle with lemon juice-mix. In another bowl stir together lemon zest, brown sugar and cinnamon Mix into blueberry bowl and mix to coat evenly and place in baking dish.

Topping: whisk together flour, baking powder, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Work in butter with blender or your fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Place in freezer until butter is firm. Sprinkle evenly over blueberry mixture.

Bake until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbling, 35-45 minutes, let cool for 30 minutes before serving. Great served over ice cream!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Julie Steiner’s Pumpkin Pie Dip

  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature

  • 1 can 15 oz pumpkin pie filling

  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar- sifted

  • Cookies, apple slices, pear slices for serving

In a bowl with a blender beat the cream cheese, pie filling and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Change speed to slow add powdered sugar to give the mixture consistency of a soft dip.

Cover and place in fridge until chilled at least four hours. Serve with cookies and fruit.

Chicken Pot Pie

Danielle Jacques Chicken Pot Pie

  • Rotisserie chicken

  • One can of green beans

  • One can of carrots

  • One can of corn

  • Two cans of cream of potato soup

  • Little bit of milk

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 Pillsbury pie crusts

Preheat oven on 450

Peel apart your rotisserie chicken and put in mixing bowl.Pour all the canned veggies in the mixing bowl plus salt and pepper. Lay out your bottom crust in your pie dish and pour in contents and put top crust on. Cut a couple slices in the top crust and put in oven.

Cook at 450 for 35 mins.

Apple Brownies

Michelle Johnson’s Apple Brownies

  • 1 ¾ cup sugar

  • 3 eggs

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 cup nuts (if wanted)

  • 2 cups thinly sliced apples

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 cup oil

Preheat oven on 350

Beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Slowly, add in the sugar. Then add the remaining dry ingendients, mix well. Lastly, add the oil and vanilla.

Pour into 9x13 baking pan and cook for 30-40 minutes.

Oreo Dip

Christine Devine’s Oreo Dip

  • 18 Oreo cookies

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 cups whipped cream thawed (Cool Whip or homemade)

Place the Oreo cookies in a zip top bag and use a rolling pin to crush the cookies into small pieces.  In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Use a spatula to gently fold in the whipped cream. Fold in the crushed Oreos. Serve with strawberries, apple slices, Nilla wafers, graham crackers, pretzels, or Oreos. Enjoy!