Cold Weather Dinners

I think that my favorite time to cook is winter. Things seem to taste better when it's cold outside. You may be still doing turkey leftovers, but in case you are not - here are some other ideas! This week I am thinking of a beef stew,  meatloaf, chili dogs, and a pot roast.

Of course the chili dogs will be the night that I have a meeting. I will throw some french fries in the oven while I get everything else ready. And, one night I will simmer the stew meat as the meatloaf cooks so I can save time also.  My stew recipe is a cheeter. I use the packaged mix with a couple of modifications. I use twice as much water and I simmer the meat (after browning), mix,onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper for about 3 hours. I usually throw a bit of red wine in also to simmer. If I do it the night before, I just put the meat in the fridge until the night I want to make stew. If I have time, I chop up  carrots, celery, and fresh green beans and put them in a zip lock too. Then, on stew night I just put the veggies and meat in the pan and turn it on high. I peel and chop my potatoes that night and also open a can of corn. While the stew is bioling and the veggies are getting soft, I put some canned buscuits in the oven and dinner is ready quickly. If the stew doesn't have enough liquid, I make a cup or two of beef broth (remember the kind from Costco?) and add it.

My meatloaf recipe is simple too. I use 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of breakfast sausage, 2 eggs, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup ketchup, 3/4 cup water, and 1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Just squish it all together with your hands - rings off!- and put in a large loaf pan. I usually put the pan on a cookie sheet for baking in case of spillage. I bake it for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. It's great with baked potatoes or mashed!

My pot roast recipe is simple too. This is a great crock pot meat that you can prepare for the night before to make your morning easier. A 2 -3 pound chuck roast works well for this recipe. Chop 2 pieces of celery - leaves and all -, one small yellow onion and add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 package of Lipton Onion Soup mix, 1 tablespoon of beef bullion, 1 teaspoon sage, salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix it all together. That is the part that can be done the night before. The next morning, just put the meat in the crock pot and cover with the soup mixture. Put it on low for the day and make the carrots and potatoes when you get home. Some people like to put them in the crock pot in the morning too!

Enjoy the week!