Adams favorite soup is hands down Clam Chowder, if we go to a restaurant and he has already decided on a meal, if they come and say the soup of the day is Clam Chowder he HAS to get a bowl. I don’t like it at all, and the smell alone drives me nuts. I never planned to make him homemade clam chowder… But then I saw this recipe and saw it was cooked in a crock-pot. I thought this was great as I could make it for a night when I was going out with a friend and he could come home to fresh soup.

This week was the week, he said it was really good and tasted great. I guess it was a hit.

Crock-pot Clam Chowder (From: Casual. Concoctions)

• 2 cans whole baby clams (20 oz)
• 8 pieces pre-cooked bacon- chopped
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 6 lg. potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 cups half-half

Mix first 6 ingredients into crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for about 5. During last hour of cooking, combine half and half and cornstarch, then mix into crock pot.

This is the first week in a while that I have really been in the mood to cook, and to try other things besides comfort foods. I got this Pillsbury booklet in the mail and a bunch of recipe looked simple and really yummy. We decided to go with this recipe before because we still have a bunch of beef, and we love mushrooms.

This recipe was AWESOME! I honestly cannot rave about it enough, nor wait to make it again!!! The beef we have so far has been pretty tough, I was expecting the same with this… it was not, you could barely pick it up with a fork because it just fell apart, and the flavors were just amazing. I was so hungry I forgot to put the cheese on mine, Adam had his and did and said it was also awesome. Next time I would make a little gravy with the drippings for mashed potatoes and double the stuffing because I didn’t feel it made enough.

But it was wonderful! Delicious, flavorful, and simple.

French Onion Beef (From: Pillsbury Pot Pie and Casserole Booklet)

• 1 1/4 lb. boneless beef round steak
• 1 pkg (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 lg. onion, sliced separated into rings
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed french onion soup
• 1 pkg. (6oz.) 10-minute herb stuffing mix
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray slowe cooker with cooking spray.  Cut beef into 6 serving size pieces. In cooker, layer half each of the beef, mushrooms, and onions; repeat layers. Por soup over top.

Cover; cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

In medium bowl, mix stuffing mix, butter, and 1/2 cup liquid from slow cooker; toss to mix. Place stuffing on top of mixture in cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 minutes longer or until stuffing is fluffy. Sprinkl with cheese. Cover cook until cheese is melted.

My wonderful Mom gave us almost 200 lbs of beef that she was gifted!!! Adam is a beef lover so this was very exciting to him. We now have our whole chest freezer full of beef. So look for lots of beef recipes in the future. I used to love pot roast growing up but everytime I have made it, it never turns out the same. I decided to give it another go.

I prefer mashed potatoes with my roast so I didn’t cook potatoes with it, but you easily could. I also made homemade gravy for the first time!

Beef Roast (From: My Mom)

• 1 beef roast thawed
• 2 cups beef broth
• carrots

Put roast in slow cooker, top with seasonings of choice. Pour beef broth over roast and throw carrots in.

Cook on low for 8 hours or so.

Beef Gravy (From: Myself)

• 2 cups broth from cooked roast
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 cloved crushed garlic

Melt butter in saucepan, once melted brown garlic.

Mix in flour to create a thick paste.

Slowly whisk in broth until all incorporated.

Heat until warm.

Adam went back to his summer hours this week, so he works an hour later at night, which means we eat dinner an hour later. It always takes me a few weeks to get my eating schedule on par with that. So this week we picked a lot of meals that were easy and able to reheat.

These were VERY simple to make Adam threw them in the crock-pot before leaving and then I ate about 9 hours later and these little babies just fell apart under my fork. SO delicious. I only made 2 pork chops but wish I would of made more for leftovers. Give these a try!

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes (From: Picky Palate)

• 6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
• 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
• 5 Tablespoons real butter
• 1 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 cloves roasted garlic (I didn’t have an so omitted)
• 1- 1 1/2 Cups warm milk
• 1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. Enjoy!

When asking my mom what to bring to Jakes graduation party she started out saying a salad, I said I could bring beans, and she said… “Yes you should, and you should bring your grandma’s beans.”

Well when I called my Grandma for her recipe, she said I would love to give it to you, but I don’t have a “recipe.” So I went up to her house and made the beans with her, I kind of kept mental track of the recipe. Tweak these to your tastes.

Here’s my grandma and I at the party. Thanks for helping and teaching me Grandma!

Grandma Beans (From: My Grandma)

• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can or frozen pkjg lima beans
• 1 ex. lg. Bushes Baked Beans
• 2 c. BBQ sauce
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. mustard
• 1/3 c. ketchup
• 1 lb. hamburger fried
• 1 lb. italian sausage fried
• 1 lg. onion chopped.

Pour everything in a Nesco and cook on about 250 for 2-3 hours, taste and turn down temp. Add extra BBQ, brown sugar, mustard or ketchup depending on flavor.

Chill in fridge overnight, and heat up for 2-3 hours the next day on low until warm, over cooking will result in mushy beans.