Super Bean Burritos

Source: melskitchencafe.com

Ingredients:

1 cup brown or white rice (or 2 cups already cooked rice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced (can substitute 1 can of green chiles)
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or use 1 can pinto beans, 1 can black beans)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

16 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Cook rice; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (a potato masher or fork works great here). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.

Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.

Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/4 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.

Serve warm immediately, with salsa and sour cream if desired — or, to freeze for later consumption, put the baking sheet of burritos into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until very cold so that they don’t come apart in the wrapping process. Remove them from the freezer and wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped burritos in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze up to three months.

To reheat from frozen:
Remove plastic wrap from the burrito. Poke holes in the top several times with a fork. Microwave on high for two minutes. Gently poke a few more holes in the burrito and microwave for another minute. Be careful as the burrito will be piping hot!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

Source: melskitchencafe.com

Ingredients:

Base:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup caramel sauce (homemade recipe below)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust.

Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.

Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).

Caramel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cups half-and-half or cream
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold. If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on bars.

Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli, and Smoked Mozzerella

Source: melskitchencafe.com
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients: 

Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your own)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.

Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

*The casserole can be prepared in advance with the following steps: after the broccoli is removed from the boiling water, plunge it into a bowl of ice water and cool completely. Assemble the casserole following the directions in the recipe. After the casserole is spread in the prepared baking pan, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for up to 8 hours. To bake, preheat the oven to 375 and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Sweet Corn Muffins

Source: side of the cornmeal box

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or paper-line 18-20 muffin cups.

Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared muffin cups filling 2/3 full.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Notes:
We had these with our chili - they taste really great with some butter melted in and a slurp of honey.  They're yummy cold the next morning, too!

Super Thick 'n' Hearty Chili

Source: My friend Katie's cooking blog, with some tweaks by me

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or pressed in your handy dandy garlic press!)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can water (I used the stewed tomatoes can)
1/2 cup salsa
2 Tablespoons chili seasoning mix (Katie suggested this recipe which I used with a few tweaks shown below)
2 cans beans of your choice, rinsed and drained (I used light kidney and pinto)

Chili Seasoning Mix:
(Mix together and store the extra in an airtight container)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 - 3/4 Tablespoon onion powder
1/2 - 3/4 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef, onion and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.

Add the ground black pepper, tomato sauce, tomatoes, salsa, water, chili seasoning mix and beans.

Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.  Serve with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Notes:
This is super yummy and really hit the spot on a cool, dreary Sunday afternoon.  We had ours with sweet cornbread muffins.  Delightful.  P.S. Gregg came up with the name ... he said that's what it would be called if it came in a can on the store shelves.  And it was very thick, so if you want, you can add a little water to thin it out.

Simple Sweet and Sour Chicken

Source: mostly here, but a little bit of creative liberty taken by Gregg

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 green pepper, cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped in large chunks

pineapple tidbits, to taste

1/3 cup white or rice vinegar
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Directions:

Saute the chicken in a little bit of oil till cooked and slightly browned.  Set aside.  Saute onion and pepper in the same pan.

While the vegetables cook, make the sauce: Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

Add the chicken back to the pan with peppers and onions.  Add pineapple tidbits as desired.  Pour sauce over chicken, peppers, onions and pineapple and stir to coat.  Serve over warm rice.

Notes:
On Valentine's Day I came home to the wonderful aroma of sweet and sour chicken being cooked by my dishy husband.  It has since become a regular item on our dinner rotation.  Gregg likes things pretty "saucy" so we always double the recipe for the sauce (ingredients above make about 1/2 cup).  Quick.  Easy.  Yummy.  Enjoy!

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

Source: the back of the Stove Top box
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 pkg (16 oz) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bag (14 oz) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.  Mix chicken and broccoli in 13x9-inch baking dish.  Stir in soup, milk and cheese; top with the prepared stuffing.  Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

Notes:
We were out of ideas and wanted something fairly quick for dinner one night when Gregg suggested stuffing.  Lo and behold we discovered a treasure trove of recipes on the stuffing box.  This was one of those comfort foods - kind of a broccoli cheese soup meets chicken pot pie.  We used fresh broccoli florets we had in the fridge (about 1 stalk because that's all we had left) and that didn't look like enough green to me, so we added in some frozen peas (just sprinkled some till it looked good).  In Gregg's words, this dish was "delicious!"  And it also made a nice lunch the next day.

Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

Source: justapinch.com

Ingredients:
(French Toast)
12 slices of bread (I suggest thick "Texas Toast" slices)
2 packages cream cheese, room temp
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
12 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

(Blueberry Sauce)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp butter

Directions:
(French Toast)
1. Butter 9x13 inch casserole dish. Cut or tear bread into cubes and arrange in the bottom of dish.
2. Cut up cream cheese into 1 inch cubes. Drop the cubes over the top of the bread. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the top.
3. In mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the bread, cream cheese, and blueberries. Cover with fol and refrigerate overnight.

(Blueberry Sauce which you can make ahead of time and refrigerate, then warm up before serving)
4. Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a medium sauce pan. Add water and stir until smooth. Stir well so cornstarch won't be lumpy. Heat to boiling and stir 2-3 minutes until thickened.
5. Add blueberries, simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until blueberries start to burst. (Don't let them all burst, just some.)
6. Turn heat off the blueberry sauce and stir in butter. Store in plastic or glass container and refrigerate until ready to use.

(Combination)
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take casserole out of refrigerator. Place covered casserole in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until top is a golden brown and the center is set.
8. While the casserole is baking, you can heat up the blueberry sauce on top of the oven or microwave until warm. Serve over top of casserole.

Notes: Warning: this is NOT a figure-friendly breakfast but it is oh so delicious. We had a peach version of this decadent dish at a friends house and I've been dreaming about it since. Today I stumbled across this recipe and had to record it for future generations. The only difference was that they made their syrup creamy by adding half-and-half or whipping cream - yum! It would also be good with strawberries, blackberries, etc.

Sweet & Spicy Ribs

Source: 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Servings: 10
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 8 hrs.
Total Time: 8 hrs.

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs. boneless beef (we used pork) country-style ribs


• 3/4 c. brown sugar


• 5 c. barbeque sauce


• 2 T. Cajun seasoning


• 1 T. garlic powder


• 1 T. onion powder

Directions:

1. Stir together barbecue sauce, brown sugar, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder in medium bowl. Remove 1 cup of mixture; refrigerate and reserve for dipping sauce.


2. Place ribs in large slow cooker. Pour barbecue sauce mixture over ribs. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until meat is tender.


3. Uncover; remove ribs. Skim fat from sauce and serve with reserved sauce.

Comments:

These ribs were fantastic, although not all that spicy; I'm sure that all depends on which barbeque sauce you use in the first place! Like many CrockPot recipes, it was also incredibly easy. We didn't make the full 6 lbs. of ribs; 4 (two 2-lb. packages) was plenty for me and Scott, plus Mum and Kasey, who joined us for Sunday dinner (and we each had multiple pieces). I love ribs (as does Scott, obviously), but not all the work it takes to both cook and eat them. . .this recipe solved both problems!

Coleslaw

Source: mostly my mom, Peggy, but a little bit of inspiration from browsing tons of coleslaw recipes on Tasty Kitchen and adding a bit of experimentation of my own

Ingredients:
1/2 head cabbage, chopped finely
2-3 carrots, grated
1 glop miracle whip (like the completely accurate measurement? it was probably about a cup)
milk (I don't even know how much ... enough to make it creamy and smooth ... I just kept adding a splash at a time)
1 tsp sugar
black pepper, celery seed, garlic powder, seasoned salt to taste

Directions:
Chop up the cabbage and peel and grate the carrots.  Throw these in a big bowl and toss together.  Mix the miracle whip and milk (a splash at a time) till smooth and creamy and the consistency of salad dressing.  Add the sugar and seasonings till it tastes good to you.  Pour the dressing on the cabbage/carrots and mix well.

Notes: I signed up to bring a salad to my ward's Relief Society Birthday Dinner.  And I had a half a head of cabbage left over from the funky noodles a week or so ago that needed to be used.  So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and whip up some coleslaw to share.  Maybe it's not the most ideal salad to go with the chicken cordon bleu menu they announced, but hey, it's a pot-luck salad night, too, so hopefully it will get eaten.  And if not by the ladies at the church, then I'm sure Gregg will help me out.  :)

Peach and Mango Salsa

Source: about.com (found via a google search for "easy peach mango salsa")

Ingredients:
2 mangos, peeled and chopped
2 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
juice of one lime
dash salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and chill.

Comments:
This was a delicious preview to our upcoming spring/summer menus. Last night we topped some turkey burgers with some jamacian jerk sauce and this fresh salsa - so delicious! It's not quite sweet enough to stand alone with tortilla chips, so I would suggest serving with something or as a part of a dish.

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice

Source: a compilation of a few different recipes from my mom, my rice cooker instruction manual, and this place on the great internet

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cups rice, uncooked
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can Mexican style stewed tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup salsa
1 4 oz small can diced green chiles
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
shredded cheese, to top with if desired

Directions:
Brown hamburger and onion (if you have a fancy-dancy "saute-then-simmer" mode on your rice cooker, you can do it right in the rice cooker.  If not, just use a frying pan on the stove) and season with garlic powder.  Then add rest of ingredients.  Stir.  Then let your rice cooker do it's magic (just set it to run as you would normally cook your rice).  If it's not quite done when the cycle is through, add more water and let it cook a little longer.  (We started with 1 cup, but had to add an additional cup and let the machine do another "white rice" cycle.)

Notes:
This is the first thing I've attempted to make in my brand new birthday rice cooker (even before just regular rice!) and I thought it would be kind of fun.  I love how super easy it is to just throw it all in the pot and leave it, but we found that it does take longer than just one cycle on our "white rice" setting (~ 1 hour cook time ... we're also still experimenting with the "saute-then-simmer" setting on this new machine).  But it sure smells heavenly while it's cooking (the young men who came to the door while we were putting it together commented on it) and (my favorite part) there's no boiling over on the stove!  Oh, and it tastes pretty darn good, too.

Strawberry White Cake

Source: My aunt, Nikie Elwood 

Directions:
1 white cake mix– cook according to box instructions on jelly roll pan.

Icing:
Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 packages cream cheese, and 1- 8 oz container Cool Whip.  Spread on cake.

Topping:
Cook 2 Danish desserts and 3 cups water.  Cool (~ 45 min to 1 hour in the fridge) and add sliced strawberries (as many as you want ... the more the merrier!).  Pour/spread over iced cake.

Notes:
Every year (for the last decade probably) I have chosen for my birthday dessert something that included strawberries.  (They're just coming into season in March and they're on sale and delicious.)  This is always one of my top picks.  Super easy and oh-so yummy!

Oreo Truffles

Source: My friend Shirleen Burkinshaw, also at Kraftfoods.com


Servings: 4 dozen or 48 servings (1 truffle each)
Prep Time: 30 min.
Total Time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg. (16.6 oz.) Oreo cookies, finely crushed
• dipping chocolate

Directions:

1. Prepare cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
2. Crush Oreos in food processor.
3. Add cream cheese until it forms a dough ball.
4. Roll small amounts into balls.
5. Refrigerate balls until they are tempered.
6. Dip Oreo balls in dipping chocolate and chill.

Comments:

I discovered these truffles at our faculty's annual Days o' Feasting back in December. I had quickly grabbed a small plate of treats and went back to my classroom. I had just expected this truffle to be some kind of homemade hand-dipped chocolate, like with a caramel or coconut center. I about died! The center tasted just like Oreos, but it had a consistency somewhere between a very moist brownie and creamy fudge. Insane! I immediately ran back to the faculty room and grabbed about three more!

So, I have always been addicted to Oreos, so I HAD to get this recipe. I finally tracked down who made this treat this past week: my friend Shirleen, who is the secretary in the counseling department. She was embarrassed to admit it was her because she said they weren't dipped very beautifully. (Pshh. . .like I cared!) Anyway, she said they were SO easy and brought the recipe for me the next day.

I cannot wait to make these! I'm also thinking they would make a great dipping item (minus the chocolate shells) next time I pull out the chocolate fountain!

Cross Rib Roast

Source: Food.com

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 40-60 min.
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs cross-rib roasts
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Brush roast with balsamic vinegar.
2. Make a paste with remaining ingredients and apply to meat.
3. Roast meat at 450 for 15 minutes Reduce heat to 350 and cook for 40 o 60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 125.
4. Remove from oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand 15 to 25 minutes.

Comments:

All right, folks. . .another meat recipe from the Wihongis. As is typical for me and my carnivore husband, we found a great deal on beef at Smith's, but we found ourselves with a cut of meat that we had no idea how to prepare or cook! So, I just Googled "beef chuck cross rib roast" (the new cut this time around) and found this recipe. It was amazing! The balsamic vinegar not only perfectly tenderized the roast, but it tasted incredible combined with the garlic, herbs, and olive oil rub. Probably one of the best seasoning combinations I've ever had. . .I'll definitely be using this on other meat in the future!

Tortellini Soup

Source: My mom, Peggy Elwood (but I think she got it from a Quick Cooking magazine back in the day?)

Ingredients:
4 cups Beef ‘n’ Bean Starter (recipe below)
2- 14.5 oz. cans beef broth (I've been known to stretch soup recipes by adding more water on top of the required broth - last time I made this I added 6 cups of water + 4 tsp beef bouillon granules instead of the canned broth; it's very forgiving, so just do what you think's best)
2 cups broccoli, chopped
a few peeled and sliced carrots
1 cup (or more) cheese tortellini, frozen or dried
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine first five ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables and tortellini are tender.  I usually make it in the crock pot - if I'm making the starter fresh, then I'll let it cook for 3-4 hours on high, then I'll add the rest of the soup ingredients except the pasta and cook it on low for another 3-4 hours, adding the tortellini for the last hour or less; if I'm making soup from frozen starter, I'll just add everything (minus the pasta) and cook on high for 4-6 hours, with the tortellini added at the end.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 8 servings.


Beef ‘n’ Bean Starter
2 ½ lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2- 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onions, undrained
1- 16 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1- 15.5 oz. can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, diced in large pieces
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours (or high for 3-4 hours) or until beef is tender. Cool. Transfer to two freezer bags or containers, 4 cups in each. May be frozen for up to 3 months. Yields 8 cups.

Notes: This is just one of my favorite winter-time soup recipes.  And it's so yummy with breadsticks to dunk in it.  I like that you can freeze half of the starter for a second batch of soup in the future, but if you've got a bigger group of mouths to feed, just use it all at once.

Also, it was fun to finally break out our "new" crock pot that Heather and Scott gave us for our wedding.  It works great!  :)