Old Fashioned Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced celery
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
4 cups water
Directions
1. Coat mean with flour; set excess flour aside.  In large skilled heat oil. Brown meat on all sides.
2. In slow cooker, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, chopped onion, bouillon cubes, pepper, salt, sugar and vegetables.
3.  Pour water over all (almost to the top of the slow cooker.)
4.  Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.
5. Turn control on high. Thicken with flour left over from coating (about 1/4 cup) dissolved in a small amount of warm water.
6.  Cover and cook on high 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

found recipe at http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
10-12 fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2.  In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine the flower, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined.  Add most of the diced strawberries and most of the chocolate chips, then gently mix them into the batter.
4.  Spoon the batter evenly into each  muffin tin.  Place the remaining strawberries and chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
5.  Place into the oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
6.  Let the muffins cool on a rack. Slather with butter and enjoy.

found recipe at http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Mushroom and Turkey Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
5 links of turkey italian sausage, removed from casings
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15 oz low fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded (plus extra for garnish)
1/2 cup of fresh spinach, chopped
5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
3 cups of mushroom marinara (or store bought sauce)
12 jumbo pasta shells, cooked per instructions (I had left over filling so I cooked for shells)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium heat.
3. Once hot, add the turkey italian sausage, and cook until crumbled.  Add the mushrooms and onions then saute until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
4.  Add the minced garlic and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.
5.  In a large bowl combine the ricotta, the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, spinach, fresh basil, nutmeg, salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
6.  Mix thoroughly then add the sausage, mushroom, and onion saute then combine.  Taste mixture and re-season if needed.
7.  Pour 1 1/2 cups of marinara in the bottom of a baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.
8.  Place the 12 cooked shells in the pan.  Stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture.
9.  Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells.
10.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. Top with fresh chopped basil and parmesan.

Found at: http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Barbecue Chicken Pizza Braid

Ingredients: 
Cornmeal
Pizza dough
Barbecue sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Roasted chicken, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Red onion, sliced thinly

Directions:
1. Place the pizza dough onto a floured surface and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place a silpat mat (or large baking tray) on the counter and coat with cooking spray and sprinkle the top with a bit of cornmeal. Roll (or spread) the dough out on top of the silpat mat into a rectangle. Drizzle a bit of sauce on top of the chicken and mix until evenly coated. Spoon some of the barbecue sauce down the center of the pizza dough, add slices of chopped mozzarella to the sauce followed by the chicken, cilantro, and red onion. Note: Don't use too much sauce or your pizza braid will be a bit soggy.

4. Cut even slits on both sides of the filling with a pizza cutter. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling.

5. Once you have completed the braid, carefully place the slip mat onto a baking sheet.
6. Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Found at: http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:
8 hard-cooked eggs, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp paprika
Bread

Directions:
1. In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, onion, celery, garlic powder, pepper, dill weed, mustard powder, and paprika.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
3. To serve, spread equal amounts on a slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread to make sandwiches.

Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients:
32 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cups finely crushed corn flakes
2 Tbsp butter/margarine melted

Directions:
1. Grease 9 x 13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350
2. In large bowl combine soups, sour cream, cheese, onions, and the 1/2 cup of melted butter.
3.  Gently fold hash browns into mixture.
4.  Pour mixture into pan
5. Combine crushed corn flakes and the 2 Tbs of melted butter and sprinkle on top of potato mixture.
6.  Bake for 30 minutes.

If wanting to, you can use cubed potatoes instead of hash browns but you will need to 

increase time to 55 minutes.

Cherry Bars

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 TBS milk
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Cherry pie filling

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350 and grease a sheet cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, margarine, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Combine the flower and baking powder and stir into the creamed mixture. Reserve 1/3 of the dough and spread the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover this layer evenly with cherry pie filling. Drop the rest of the dough by spoonfuls on top of the cherry layer and spread to cover the best you can.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until top is golden. Let cool slightly and drizzle with the glaze mixture. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.