Beef Stew

On these rainy, cold, dreary days I can't think of too many ways to feel warm and cozy than good old fashioned Beef Stew!

This is a classic, easy comfort meal.

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Recipe rundown:

beef stew meat

potatoes

onion

carrots

beef stock/broth

bay leaf

sage

salt and pepper

I like to brown up the stew meat in a little olive oil.

Slowly start adding in the broth and water

cut up potatoes, onions, carrots-throw 'em in

add seasonings and bay leaf

and put a lid on it:)

Serve with your favorite bread.

Enjoy!!!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

This soup was creamy with a little kick of spice in the background.

In hind sight we thought it would be even better with a light, flaky biscuit baked on top:)

I highly recommend this one if you love Chicken Cordon Bleu and even if you don't love it or have never had it!

First melt butter and add chopped onion-cook until tender

add in flour

add half and half

Meanwhile cook chicken

once browned add to the above mixture along with some chicken broth

the round-up of spices^

*not pictured* yellow mustard

and throw in some fresh broccoli

then throw in cubed ham

Pour into ramekins

Grate some good cheese:)

lots of it!!

top soup with as much cheese as you think you should;)

then top the whole thing with a pie crust-cut just a little bigger than ramekin

brush with egg wash

cut slits

then, just go ahead, break into this crispy crust to get to that creamy goodness!!

Hope you enjoy our take on the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu:)

Enjoy!

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French Onion Soup and Grilled Cheese

Not alot of thing better than grilled cheese sandwiches and soup!

My grandma made grilled cheese and tomato-Yum my favorite:)

This soup was very rich so you don't need much.

The French bread with all the melty yummy cheese on top was DE-vine!

I was surprised at how filling it was considering it's just onions and beef stock and seasonings!

Since we were just trying it out we followed the recipe to a T and as far as we could tell it turned out perfectly and we thought it looked really nice too;)

The grilled cheese was made from aged white cheddar and swiss, both of which we picked up from a cheese shop in pikes market in Seattle-so yummy!!

Enjoy!!

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~ {Part Two} ~

Well let's chalk it up to experience:) Since it was their last year in business O'Brady's had a record turn out! It was soo busy and very festive-all the employees dress up sportin' green;)

Below is the stuff I used for decorating the cupcakes: Green flaky sprinkles, gold pearl dust, tiny heart cut-out, letter cut-outs, and fondant. Everything except the letters came from Michaels, the letters I got from Wal*mart. I didn't end up using the gold coins-they just didn't look quite right. Fondant is actually not nearly as hard as I thought it was. I can't wait to use it again:)

I used the tiny hearts to make the shamrocks.

Green velvet cake-so good, and another first for me:)

O'Brady's is on an intersection where the county decided to put in a big 4 lane Hi-way therefore causing O'Brady's to close:(

Some more fondant:)

Green ice cream!!

Some of the window art.

Face painting! They had some awesome face painters:)

As promised O'Brady's Potato Soup

1 lg.can {or 4 small cans} potato soup

5 c. half and half

1-1/2 c. potatoes diced

1 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped bacon or more if ya like;)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large pot til nice and hot:) The longer you leave it the thicker it gets.

Top with cheddar cheese and more bacon if desired.

Hope y'all had a fun St. Patrick's Day!

Enjoy!

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The Neely's Famous Beef and Pork Chili

Chili has not really been my favorite but after trying this recipe, it has definitely moved up quite a few notches!! The chili is a little time consuming but worth the effort...

Ingredients:
6 slices thick-cut apple wood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chipotle chili powder
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 cup beer (recommended: Budweiser)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (24-ounce) can dices tomatoes, with juice
Lime wedges, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions:

In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally.


The fresh peppers add so much color and pizazz!

Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, oregano and smoke paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes.

Stir in the beer and beans. Toss together, then add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Turn the heat down and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the chili to serving bowls and garnish with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced scallions.



The final pot!! Hope you take the time to make it and enjoy!

Note: We added chives to our chili! Also, i would like to change the recipe up a little... i will let you know how that goes!

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