Beer Bread

There is truly nothing easier to make than Beer Bread.  It only takes 4 ingredients ... one of which, shockingly, is beer.  You can buy a mix at your favorite Trader Joe's but it is a lot less expensive to make it yourself.  

How To ... 

 

4 cups Bisquick

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Bottle Beer

1/4 cup Butter, melted

Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour into a greased loaf pan.  Pour the 1/4 cup of melted butter over the top of the bread and cook for about 45 minutes at 375.  Serve plain or with butter and jam.  Enjoy! 

Easy Roll-Out Refrigerator Cookies

These roll-out refrigerator cookies are super easy to make and only need to be chilled for about 2 hours before you can roll them out and cut them into fun shapes!  Although try not to do what I did and forget to add in the baking soda.  Duh.  Thankfully, I remembered in time to add it in to the mix!

Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, softened in the microwave for about 20 seconds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl on low until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg.  Mix.  Add flour and baking soda.  Mix well - dough will be thick.  Store in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.  When chilled, divide dough in half and roll each half about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into desired shapes ... we are making Christmas cookies today!  Cook at 375 for 7 to 8 minutes and remove immediately from the cookie pan to cool. 

Frost and decorate as desired!! 

Spinach Pie

This was definitely one of the best last-minute meals I have made recently.  The kids devoured it and I fully admit to eating three slices.  We served this with some fresh fruit and it was a very satisfying weeknight meal.  I hope you like it!

SPINACH PIE

Preheat oven to 350. 

1 pie crust
1 bag frozen cut spinach, slightly thawed
1 onion, diced
2 Tablespoons butter
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Prepare a pie crust and set aside.

In a large pan, melt butter and saute the onions and mushrooms together for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the spinach and heat through.  Taste the spinach and onion mixture to see if it needs a little more salt and pepper.  Season if necessary. 

In a separate bowl, mix together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk and the 3 cups of cheese.  Mix well.  Add spinach mixture.  Mix well.  Turn mixture into prepared pie crust.  Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!     

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This is one of the easiest meals to make!  The combination of really tender meat and a lot of great veggies makes this a very family-friendly one-dish meal.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs. stew meat, about 1 inch pieces
seasoning - Montreal Steak Seasoning, garlic salt, pepper, Tony Chachere's ... whatever you have around
1 can diced tomatoes (plain or seasoned)
4 red potatoes, 1 inch chunks
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, cut in large chunks
frozen peas (optional)

Place your meat in the bottom of your crock pot and season it very well with whatever you have on hand.  I used a little bit of Montral Steak Seasoning and a lot of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning.  Make sure your meat is well coated with the seasoning.  Add in one can of diced tomatoes - as they cook throughout the day they will completely break down and create a rich sauce for the stew.  Add the remaining vegetables, stir and cook on low for about 7 hours.  If you would like to add in frozen peas, add them in about 15 minutes before you plan to eat. 

The vegetables for the stew are completely flexible.  I use red potatoes because I am too lazy to peel them and I also often just throw in baby carrots to save time on peeling the big carrots - use whatever you have around!  You could even use fresh summer veggies like squash and zucchini if you make this during the summer. 

Lasagna

Lasagna is such a fabulous comfort food item!  I think it tastes better the next day, cold, with crushed red pepper flakes sprinkled on top.  Yum!  Here is a super simple lasagna recipe.  This can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free lasagna noodles, however, cook those noodles according to the package directions - do not try to do the no-cook method. 



Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
1 1/2 to 2 jars spaghetti sauce - use something very flavorful
1 pound ground sirloin, chicken, or sausage (optional)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups (or more) of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups ricotta
1 package Stouffers spinach souffle or other spinach side, thawed
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook your meat in a large pan.  Drain the fat if necessary.  Add chopped onion and garlic, cook for another 2 minutes.  Add spaghetti sauce.  Stir well. 

In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the parmesan, spinach, and 2 eggs.  Stir to combine well.

In a 9 x 13 pan, spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom.  Layer 4 noodles in the bottom - I layer 3 lengthwise and then break one to lay it vertically.  Spread about 1/2 of the ricotta spinach mixture over the noodles and then spread about 1/3 of the sauce.  Repeat the layers - noodles, cheese and then sauce - and then place your final 4 noodles.  Cover with remaining sauce and 1 cup (or more) of the mozzarella cheese. 

Cover with foil and cook for an hour.  Take the foil off and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.  If you like your lasagna crispier, you might want to take the foil off even a little sooner.

We served ours with a little baby arugula and heirloom tomato salad.  Delicious!  Enjoy!