Beef Stroganoff-Crock Pot

I didn't get a picture of this dish. Most nights lately I feel lucky if I can get dinner on the table by 6 or 6:30. Life with the baby is good and normal as far as babies go. What is not normal in our lives at this point is how little we see of our daddy. (I always love having extra help with the kids while I am cooking...a grown-ups help that is!) Because it takes me so long to prepare and cook dinner with one hand while trying to keep my composure during the chaos with kids running, playing, or hanging out under my feet crying that they are hungry I am grateful to have recipes like this one for the crock pot my sister-in-law Echo gave me. It earned 5 stars at her house. Jack and I really liked it, the boys ate it but didn't love the sauce. It all worked out great because I am off dairy for Daisy right now so I kept the sauce separate to we could add it to our liking. (I had to snitch one bite so I would know how a complete bite would taste. ;-))

This makes a huge roast so I use the shredded leftover beef )because the sauce wasn't mixed in to make my easy beef pot pie-1 for dinner and 1 for freezer. I thought about beef enchiladas too but the cheese took it off the list for now.

Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs Beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin slices (about 1/2 inch think and 3 inches long) [I just put the roast in whole and mine was about 3 1/2 lbs)

1 Large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 lb White mushrooms, trimmed and halfed. Quarter if they are large [I used 8 oz package]

Course salt and black pepper

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Cooked thin Egg noodles

Chopped fresh dill, for garnish, (optional) [I didn't use]

In 5-to-6 quart slow cooker, toss beef, onion, and mushrooms with 1 1/2 teaspoons course salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, about 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, whisk cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons water. Ladle 1 cup liquid that has cooked off your beef into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. With slow cooker turned off, stir in cornstarch mixture, then sour cream and mustard. Serve beef over noodles; sprinkle with dill if desired. [I just mixed the sauce all in my small sauce pan so we could serve it separately. It reminds me a little of a hollandaise sauce in its flavor.)

If you prefer you can make this in the OVEN: Preheat oven to 350. Follow steps for the crock pot using a 5-quart oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid instead of slow cooker. Add 2 cups water, and cover. Transfer to oven; cook until beef is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Proceed with the sauce instructions as listed above.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

This recipe comes from Stan and Lindsay's kitchen. Mom raved about it. I look forward to trying it. I always love having a good crock-pot recipe from someone else that is tried and true. Thought I would take the liberty of posting it for mom. Hope to one day help her get her family cookbook all uploaded on here, but we all that cookbook continues to grow because we have such wonderful cook's in our family and even better tasters! Thanks for any and all contributions made to the family cooking blog.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken pieces

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup chicken broth

2 bay leaves

Use a 4-quart slow cooker.

Put the chicken into the stoneware and toss with the onion, garlic, thyme, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard.

Place the sweet potatoes on top of the chicken.

Pour in the broth and add the bay leaves.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, or on high for 3 to 5 hours.

The chicken is done when it is cooked through and the vegetables reached the desired tenderness.

* Courtesy of

"Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking."

Just one picking!

Just thought there should be a picture of one days picking from the master gardeners garden,

Parrish Family Salsa 2010

Parrish Family Salsa 2010

8 quarts Tomatoes, peeled, chopped, and cored

5 cups onions, chopped for chunky or grind if desired

2-3 cups Green Bell Peppers

2-3 cups Mixed Peppers Chopped

(7 Anaheim peppers, 1-2 yellow, red, and/or orange bell peppers to equal the three cups)

3 Tablespoons Jalapeno pepper, finely chopped or grind

1/4 cup Salt (pickling salt or table salt can be used)

1/3 cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, peel, core, and chop to desired size and place in a large stockpot. Chop onions, all peppers add to the tomatoes. Add all sugar, spices, and vinegar. Stir well and bring contents to a boil. Turn down to a simmer to desired consistency, roughly 1 1/2-2 hours. May take longer depending on desired consistency. As it thickens remember it must be stirred more often. Put in hot jars with a lid and ring. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

** Water Bath Processing notes: Hot jars must go in hot water. Cold jars need to go in cold water bath and warm as it heats up. If you put a hot jar in cold water the jar can break (destroying your hard work and efforts).