Grandma Anderson's Goulash

This is my Great Grandma's recipe that my mom use to make for us growing up. Shortly after I moved away from home, I asked my mom if I could have this and her Spanish Rice recipe to share with my own family. I now have a hand written letter from my mom with both of these recipes on it, which is something that I'll cherish for the rest of my life - I lost my mom to Cancer a few years back.
The amount of ingredients is basically up to you, the cook, so I took pictures along the way to help show what I used and how much - please feel free to modify to better fit your family likes.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
15 oz can Tomato Sauce (my mom use to use a small can but I like it w/more sauce)
3 - 4 stalks of celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced (I only used half of the below pictured onion)
Salt & pepper to taste (I also add my Garlic Garlic from Tastefully Simple and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning when browning the hamburger)
16 oz bag of elbow macaroni (I used half of the bag)

Cook hamburger over mid-high heat in a large skillet. Salt and pepper to taste.


While hamburger is cooking, add onion, bell pepper and celery.


Cook until hamburger is done


Add diced tomatoes with the juice and tomato sauce - my mom use to can her own tomatoes, so you can use whole tomatoes instead, you'll just want to chop them up with the spatula.


Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Start water for pasta and continue to simmer tomato mixture until pasta is done, stirring occasionally.


Cook pasta according to package, drain and return back to pot. Add tomato mixture from skillet and stir well.


We also like to add some grated Colby Jack Cheese to the top of our individual servings and eat it with french bread and butter. Enjoy!

Onion-Bacon Baby Carrots

I was having a carrot/bacon craving last month and came across this recipe and had to try it! The girls and I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too!

Ingredients:
2 large sweet onions, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds fresh baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup french-fried onions
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped green onions

In a large skillet, cook onions in oil over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.


In a large bowl, combine the onions, carrots, salt and pepper; toss to combine.


Transfer to a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 400º for 40-45 minutes or until tender. Stir in the syrup and butter.


Sprinkle with french-friend onions and bacon.


Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer or until fried onions are browned.


Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with a slotted spoon.


Yield: 8 servings. Enjoy!

Warm Ham 'n' Swiss Wraps

As a stay-at-home mom, I tend to eat what the girls are eating for lunch. Which means I end up eating A LOT of sandwiches! This afternoon I was looking for something that was still along the same lines as our traditional sandwiches but something that "mommy" could enjoy a bit more. I found this and I had everything on hand, minus the tomatoes. It didn't take long to whip up and I only made what I needed for two wraps (but I'll include the compete recipe below) and it was super yummy. Again, Little Princess Guinea Pig loved it but Princess Guinea Pig did not. She took her required 3 bites before I made her something else but I'm just glad she tried it.

Ingredients:
6 flour tortillas (10 inches)
1 pound thinly sliced deli ham
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
3 cups chopped lettuce
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced cucumber
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 green onions, chopped

Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed.


On each tortilla, layer four slices of ham and 1/3 cup cheese;

roll up and secure with toothpicks.

Place in an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Cover and bake at 350º for 14-16 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Meanwhile combine the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green pepper and onions.

In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients.

Unroll tortillas halfway; top each with 1/3 cup lettuce mixture and 1 tablespoon dressing.

Roll up again; serve immediately.


Enjoy! Serves 6

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Okay, you have to admit, this just sounds good, right? I saw this and just HAD to try it and I think I may have a new favorite soup!! Well, almost, my Roasted Potato Soup is still my all time favorite soup!! :D

Ingredients:
6 slices of cooked bacon; chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoon butter or margarine, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces processed American cheese, cubed (2 cups)
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cups sour cream

In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, bacon 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.
Enjoy!! Serves 8

** I know, not the best picture but I almost forgot to take one ;)

Sweet Cherry Pork Chops

While looking through my recipes last week, I came across this and it sounded so yummy but I wasn't sure if I would be able to find the cherries to make it. I got lucky and found some at the store that day. I was super excited to make this and I thought for sure my girls would love it. Little Princess Guinea Pig said it was "Yummy!", while Princess Guinea Pig picked at it and said she didn't like the cherries in the sauce, so she picked them out and ate it without the cherries. Daddy Guinea Pig and I both loved the sweetness of this dish and went back for seconds!

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops (1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup pitted sweet cherries, halved
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup cherry preserves
4 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil on both sides; drain.

Add the orange juice, cherries and onions to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160º, turning the chops twice.

Remove chops and keep warm. Stir preserves into pan juices.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into pan juices.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Serve over pork and rice.

Enjoy! Serves 4

Meat Loaf

I remember as a child I would CRINGE when my mom would make Meat Loaf (and I consider her an excellent cook), I've never really cared for hamburger but several months back I had this overwhelming craving for Meat Loaf, so I went on a search to find a good Meat Loaf recipe. I found this one tucked away in my recipe box and thought I would give it a try. What caught my eye was the topping - as I remember drowning mine with ketchup as a kid, just so I could eat it. I first made this for the girls and I and they LOVED it and so did I. So last week, I again had a craving for Meat Loaf (and no, I am not pregnant, lol) so I made it for the whole family and I'm happy to report, this recipe was a complete success! I hope your family enjoys it, too!

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

Topping:
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


Preheat over to 350º F. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with foil (this allows you to lift the meat loaf out easily without sticking). Spray with cooking spray.
Chop onion and bell pepper.

Combine milk and egg in a large bowl

add bread crumbs, basil, parsley and pepper. Stir until blended.

Add onion and bell pepper; mix well.

Add beef; mix by hand just to combine ingredients.

Shape beef mixture in prepared loaf pan. Do not pack.

For topping, combine ketchup, honey and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Mix well. Spread evenly over top of meat loaf.
**We liked the topping so much last time that I double it this go around. ;)

Bake meat loaf until cooked through, about 1 hour. Place pan on wire rack; let stand for 5 minutes. Lift meat loaf out of pan and place on a serving platter. Remove foil. Serve immediately.
Serves 6

Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

The kids made these for an after dinner Thanksgiving treat. They turned out super cute and were delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pkg (16.5 oz) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
3/4 prepared chocolate frosting
1/3 cup sliced almonds (we used candy corns instead)
48 premier white morsels
48 semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels
24 candy corns
48 pretzel twist pieces for feet

Prepare cookies as directed on package. Cool completely.
Frost cookies with chocolate frosting. Insert 8 to 10 almond slices into frosting for feathers on each cookie (candy corn can be used for feathers as well). Place two white morsels upside down on each as eyes. Adhere mini morsels pupils to white morsels with frosting. Place candy corns as nose and two pretzel pieces for feet on each. Enjoy!