Mun's Dutch Oven Classic Beef Stew

 

Image from Here

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 TBS butter
1 pounds boneless sirloin tip, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 medium sliced red or yellow onions
3 sliced medium carrots
2 medium parsnips peeled and sliced
4 large red new potatoes unpeeled, cut lengthwise into 4, then cut in half lengthwise,
10 ounces frozen pearl onions (about 1 3/4 cups)
6 small garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup cooking masala wine
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour (omit for gluten free version)
1 quart beef stock, divided
1 herb bundle tied with kitchen twine: 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried thyme) and 4 large sprigs of parsley, and 2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Sprinkle beef with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until well browned on 2 sides, 4 minutes per side. Transfer browned beef to a plate or bowl and set aside.

2. Add butter and mushrooms to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl. Add sliced onions and cook until begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add masala wine; cook until liquid has almost evaporated, 6 to 7 minutes, stirring and scraping to loosen browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven.

3. Whisk together flour and 1 cup of the stock in a small bowl; whisk into mixture in Dutch oven until incorporated. Stir in carrots, potatoes, parsnips, mushrooms, beef, herb bundle, bay leaves, pearl onions, remaining 3 cups stock, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil.

4. Stir in mustard and red wine vinegar into beef mixture. Cover and bake in 350-degree oven for 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove from oven; discard herb bundle and bay leaves. Ladle stew into soup bowls and sprinkle with chives.

Chicken Marsala

Picture and original recipe from Here.

My Italian food loving husband has perfected this recipe.  This is the recipe that gave him a change of heart toward mushrooms (which he previously thought were an unnecessary food)!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into desired thickness
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup Marsala wine
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Fresh Chopped Parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken and lightly salt and pepper. Cook until lightly brown and cooked throughout. Remove chicken and set aside on plate.
2. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes. Add marsala wine and bring to a boil over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes. This allows the alcohol to burn out. Add the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, ground mustard, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Place chicken back in the sauce and continue to simmer for about 1-2 minutes.

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is a throw back to my husband's days working at a small deli in high school called Hickory Kist. They made delicious soups and this was one of his favorites!

Picture Credit:  Cooking Classy

Serves 7-8

7 C. chicken broth

2 C. slices carrots

1 C. sliced celery

1-2 C. wild rice, cooked

2/3 C. sliced green onions

Mushrooms (optional)

1 zucchini, diced (optional)

1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

Freshly ground pepper

salt to taste

Garlic

2 C. half-and-half or 1 c. cream

3 C. chopped cooked chicken (I like to use a Costco rotisserie chicken)

FOR THICKER SOUP--ROUX option

¼ C. butter

6 Tbs. all-purpose flour

-In a pan mix broth, carrots, celery, green onion (or leek), thyme, freshly ground pepper, and garlic.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until vegetables tender.  

-Add cooked wild rice, cooked chicken, mushrooms/zucchini, and half and half ; heat through then serve.

-**NOTE for thicker soup option, for your first step: In large soup pan combine butter, flour, carrots, celery, green onion, thyme, freshly ground pepper, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth.  Then continue recipe as outlined above.

Rigatoni D

This recipe evolved from a recipe of a family friend.  I turned "Steve's Chicken" into a pasta dish that reminded my husband and I of a favorite dish from the restaurant Maggianos.  This is simple and delicious!  The sauce is on the "runny" side, so I suggest serving it in a bowl.

In Crock pot place:
1 small package white/button mushrooms, sliced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
6 chicken breasts (NOT frozen...adds too much extra water)
1 c. chicken broth
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
-Cook on low 6-8 hours.  
-Shred chicken and add 1 c. heavy cream and 1 lb Rigatoni (cooked al dente).
-Dish into bowls and serve.   Pasta will absorb cream and juices over time if you want to let it sit for awhile before serving, that works too.

Crockpot Italian Chicken Stew

This makes a great one dish dinner.   This is simple, hearty, and healthy!  The recipe is flexible so feel free to add more or less of anything. 

In large crockpot, layer in the following order:
6-8 frozen chicken breasts (if using fresh breasts, add 1 1/2 cups water for moisture to the stew)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing seasoning packet
6 large red potatoes, cut in large chunks
2 cups carrots, cut in large chunks (or use baby carrots)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 sweet onion, cut in large chunks
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
--Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and add 1-2 cups frozen peas (add just before serving)

Chinese Chicken Salad

Another great salad recipe---one of the few of mine that doesn't have cheese! This recipe is from my sister-in-law Jenny, and I think of her every time I make it. You don't have to use all of the toppings, they are merely suggestions for what goes well with the dressing.

Lettuce mixture (red leaf, spinach, etc)
shredded cabbage
green onions
red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
canned mandarin oranges, drained
shredded carrots
mushrooms
slivered almonds
sesame seeds
water chestnuts
rice noodles or crushed uncooked ramen noodles
cooked chicken (I like to cook mine in pan with a bit of braggs aminos and basil)

Dressing:
1/2 c. light olive oil
6 TBS seasoned rice vinegar
2 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS braggs aminos or soy sauce
3-4 TBS sugar
1 tsp dry mustard

Mock Steak Sandwiches

Normally your steak sandwich is mostly meat. I prefer to go heavy on the veggies and light on the meat. Using a high vegetable to meat ratio, you get this delicious sandwich which you can serve closed or open-faced. My whole family loves this recipe. Below are approx. ratios...

1-2 bell peppers, diced (red, yellow, green)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
4-8 mushrooms, sliced
1 c. browned hamburger meat (browned and seasoned with garlic salt)
mozzarella or Swiss cheese
salt/fresh pepper to taste
-Caramelize the onion in 1 TBS olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the peppers and cook 3 more minutes. Then add the tomatoes and mushrooms if desired and cook 2 more minutes. Add browned hamburger meat and mix together. Serve on top of whole grain bread (picture on whole grain ciabatta bread) sprinkling grated mozzarella or swiss cheese over warmed filling. You can also toast the sandwich (or broil) if you like your bread crunchy (which of course I ALWAYS DO!).