Low-Fat Ground Beef

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. 
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 

30 Minute Meal

From Mom:
Here is a dinner you can whip up in 30 minutes, if you have the ingredients.
Normally we have everything for it, except the walnuts - but I had some left over from Christmas as I didn't do as much holiday baking as I thought I would.

Shepherds Pie Grandma Lindeman Style

1 lb. hamburger browned w/ seasoning salt or salt & pepper
1/2 onion chopped - brown with the hamburger
add 1 can drained green beans
add 1 small can tomato soup

While the hamburger is cooking,
boil 2 cups water - when it comes to a boil add
1 cup mil
2 tb butter and turn off heat
2 c. instant mashed potatos - we use our food storage ones

Pour hamburger mixture into small brown pan
top with mashed potatoes and grated cheese
Heat in the oven until cheese is melted and sauce bubbly.

While the Shepherds pie is baking, you can make the salad


Waldorf Salad

1 stalk of celery per adult person - so I used 3
1 apple per person (adult) - so I used 3
wash and dice
1/3 c. chopped wallnuts
1/3 c raisins
combine all these together
1/2 c. miracle whip
1/4 c sugar
1tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
mix the dressing together and pour over the salad and then stir the salad until coated.

YUM!
All done in 30 minutes

Pork Chops to Drool Over

This recipe makes the best pork chops I have ever had. I can't get enough of it when I make them and always wish I had prepared more. They are finger lick'n good!

Ingredients: Pork Chops, Salt N Pepper, Oil, Rosemary, Beef Broth (1 boullion cube and 1 cup of water), Butter

- Thaw your chops prior to cooking if they are frozen by running them under cold water.
- Use a heavy pan (not a non-stick)
- Heat the pan on med-high heat
- Season the chops with salt and pepper (I dislike pepper and it tastes great w/o too)
- Once the pan is hot add cooking oil
- Once the oil is hot, gently add the chops (be careful not to splatter)
- Let them cook for 3-5 minutes
- Just prior to flipping them, take some rosemary leaves and rub them in your hands over the pan then sprinkle them (this releases the oils)
- When the edges begin to curl up, carefully flip them using tongs or a metal spatula (not forks)
(do not turn too early or the chops will be stuck and tear)
- Let them cook until the sides begin curl up again
- Add rosemary to this side and then flip again
- Remove the pork chops to a warm plate to wait while you make the yummy gravy
- Add Beef Broth to the pan (I use one cup) the liquid will soon boil and reduce
- Wait until the liquid is almost all gone and the sound will change
- Quickly add a few pats of butter and swirl them in the pan until melted and mixed
- Now add the chops back in with all the liquid that collected in the plate and flip to coat both sides
- Once they are nice and warm again, your done! Enjoy!

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

This is a wonderful 'comfort food' recipe that uses the shredded chicken from my previous post.

1 package stuffing mix for chicken
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream

Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions and set aside. Lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish; place the chicken in the prepared dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the soup and the sour cream. Combine well. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken in the baking dish. Spoon the stuffing evenly over all. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Shredded Chicken

I love this method for making shredded chicken. It drastically cuts down my prep time and mess when I make chicken dishes.

Put 6-8 chicken breasts in a crock pot and cover with water. Add 4 chicken bouillon cubes and salt and pepper. Cook on low over night and you will have tender chicken breasts that will practically shred themselves. Freeze in 2-cup quantities. You can also freeze the chicken broth; I usually do that in 2-cup quantities as well. You can defrost the chicken in the fridge, or it works well in the microwave as well.

Peeling Eggs

My sister told me this simple step to make peeling boiled eggs easy.

- make sure you have a rolling boil before you put the eggs in the water.

If you do this, the shells come right off. If not, the shells stick to the egg and take forever to peel.

Pork Roast

The is the easiest and best tasting roast!
Great for a Sunday afternoon meal.

- Put frozen (or fresh)pork roast in a crock pot.
- Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of water on top and 1pkg of dry Lipton onion soup mix
- Cook on high for about six or more hours
- An hour or two before you are ready to serve, cut the meat into smaller pieces and allow it to soak in the juice.

Serve this with potatoes or rice and it makes a wonderful meal.

No Stress Bacon

My family loves bacon! I had no idea there was an easy way to cook bacon until my sister-in-law shared this secret with me.

- Foil wrap a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) and lay out your bacon.
- Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 20 min and your done.

No clean up
No splatter
No burns
No time at the stove

I tried it and love it!
Who knew?