Curried Pumpkin Soup, from Stephanie

Curried Pumpkin Soup

4 tbsp butter

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 c. pumpkin puree (the regular sized can, not the big can)

4 c. chicken stock (swanson's natural goodness is good)

1 bay leaf

pinch of sugar
1/3 tsp curry powder, to taste

1/3 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 c. light cream

1/3 c. toasted coconut for garnish

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook until translucent - about 8 minutes. Add pumpkin and stock, stir well. Add rest of ingredients except cream and coconut. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Blend if desired. Remove from heat and add cream. Return to heat and heat just to hot, do not allow soup to boil! (this is when I transferred it to the crock pot). Serve with toasted coconut as a garnish.

Thai Squash Soup, from the internet

Thai squash soup~feeds about 6

1 good sized butternut squash~prick with a fork a few time and roast it in the oven on a cookie sheet. It takes 45 min-1 hour depending on squash

In a big soup pot:
1 onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated

Add the above to pot with 2 TBS butter.

4 medium potates, cubed - add to onions, cook until onions are clear
4-6 cups veggie broth
cover and cook until potatoes are done

With a hand blender/food processor/blender puree potatoe mixture
Seed/peel squash and puree~ add to potatoes mixture

Add 1 can coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste and curry paste to taste. (some like it spicey others not so much) If you don't have curry paste you can always do your favorite curry blend.

reduce temp to low and let simmer 15 min or so to let the flavors mingle.

Enjoy with naan or crusty bread....sourdough is good too!
Freeze in freezer bags/lay them flat for easier storage

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese, from Mel

Crock pot Macaroni & Cheese, per Shauna's request...


1 package elbow macaroni
1 stick butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cheddar cheese soup, condensed
1 cup milk
1 egg
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Boil the pasta for 3-4 minutes, drain. Mix all of the ingredients together, except one cup of shredded cheese. [I think my husband mixed all of the ingredients together and THEN added the pasta.] Pour into crock pot. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. Put crock pot on high for 30 minutes, and then low for another hour and a half; until bubbly.

This is from memory, and I didn't even make it. That's how easy it is. Haha. We're going to make it again in a night or two, so I'll double check everything. This can be prepared and put in the fridge overnight, and then cooked the next day. That's what we did.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, from Carrie

I made this for dinner the night before last. It only took about 20 minutes to make and was sooooo good!

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

3 Packages (6 oz each) grilled chicken breast strips, Tysons
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
1/4 cup chili sauce, Heinz
2 teaspoons shredded lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice, Real Lime
1 tablespoon of soy sauce, Kikkoman
1 1/2 teaspoon Thai seasoning, Spice Islands
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 head of Boston or Bibb lettuce, separated into leaves

1. In food processor fitted with a metal blade (or a blender using pulse mode in very small batches) combine chicken strips, cilantro, red onion, and chopped mint. Pulse until coarsely minced.

2. Transfer chicken mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in chili sauce, lime zest, lime juice, Thai seasoning, and garlic.

3. Serve with lettuce leaves for cup or wrappers. Garnish with fresh mint or cilantro sprig (optional)

Standing Rib Roast, from Betsy

Seasoning blend:

2 tablespoons kosher salt
1-2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard

Mix together.

Allow the roast to stand at room temperature for about an hour before roasting.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat the seasoning blend onto all sides of the roast liberally. Place the roast in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325, and roast until the internal temperature reaches the desired level of doneness (115 for rare). Remove from the oven and allow to stand 15 minutes in a warm place. Slice thinly, and serve with the following yummy accompaniments:



Wine Sauce for Beef

2 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1/2 cup red wine
Salt to taste

Bring the stock and wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups. Add salt to taste. Serve with beef.


Horseradish Sauce

1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 mayonnaise

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Serve with beef. This can be done in advance and kept in the fridge until time to serve. It gets tastier if it has time for the horseradish to develop a bit.

Stirfry, from Teresa

Here's the stirfry I cooked Sunday night:

Saute 2 big cloves of garlic and 1/2 lb beef strips in 2 Tbps oil, remove from
pan. Add ~equal amounts of frozen orange juice concentrate & oyster sauce, plus 1 rounded
tsp minced ginger. Add sliced mushrooms. cover and cook 3 minutes. Add 1/2 package broccoli slaw. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Return beef & garlic. cover and cook 1 minute. Scoop out food to drain. Return juice to pan; add a few shakes of teriyaki
sauce and cornstarch solution; cook to thicken, return food.

Chicken Enchiladas, from Michelle

Tonight I'm making chicken enchiladas:

½ stick butter
1 med. Onion, chopped
4-oz. can green chilies, drained and chopped
1 lb. chicken strips
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. red pepper
4 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese, cubed
8 (9-inch) flour tortillas
8-oz. pkg. cheddar/Jack Cheese, shredded
½ pt. heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add green chilies, sauté 1 minute. Add chicken, salt, red pepper and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, stirring constantly until melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cheese and drizzle with whipping cream. Bake 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.