Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew

This is my first post to the kitchen, yeahhh! I made this today, and it is very yummy - just throw it all in the slow cooker and its ready in 8 hours. It is from WW so very low fat and calories.
This is also known as Tzimmes, a classic Jewish recipe.

2 Cups chopped onions
3 pound lean beef chuck shoulder, or brisket, or pot roast boneless, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large garlic cloves (I used 5-we like garlic)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 pound baby carrots, cut in half if large
8 small uncooked new (i used small baby red) potatoes cut in half
16 prunes or dried apricots
4 TBS fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons)
5 tsp honey, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup beef broth or beef stock

Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 TBSP of honey in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth: stir well.

Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in 2 tsp honey and 2 TBSP lemon juice, cover and cook on low for 5 minutes.

For a thicker gravy, spoon 1 TBSP of flour into a cup and stir in 1/4 cup of the liquid from stew until it is lump free. Add the flour mixture to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.

8 serving

Zucchini Bread = yum!

Zucchini Bread
+1 cup sugar
+1 cup brown sugar
+3 eggs, beaten
+1 cup oil
+2 cups zucchini, grated
+3 tablespoons vanilla
+1 teaspoons baking soda
+1 teaspoon baking powder
+1 teaspoon cinnamon
+3 cups flour
*optional - 1/2 cup chopped nuts or milk chocolate chips

Combine the sugars, oil and eggs. Beat well. Add the zucchini (I squeeze mine a bit to get some of the juice out) and the vanilla. sift the dry ingredients and stir into the creamed mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes ... check with a toothpick before taking out of the oven.

makes: 2 large or 3 smaller loaves.

Cheesy Potato Spoon Bread

ingredients:
-4 cups mashed potatoes (leftovers and even instant work great)
-1 cup boining water
-1 cup flour
-3 Tablespoons butter
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder (garlic is fine too)
salt
-1/2 teaspoon white pepper (black works too, they don't taste that much different)
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
-4 beaten eggs
Filling
-1/4 cup minced parsley (I use about 2 Tbsp. dry)
-10 ounces cream cheese
-6 ounces (3/4 cup) pepper jack cheese (any cheese is yummy)
Preheat oven 425 degrees
In a large bowl mix flour, butter, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour boing water over mixture for 1 minute. Add potatoes. Beat again. Add eggs. In seperate bowl, mix ingredients for the filling. Pour half of the potato mixture into a casserole dish (about 2 quart size or larger, I use a pyrex 2 quart covered baking dish but i don't use the lid, with this size I couldn't quite fit all the potato mixture in.) Make a well in the center and spoon in the cream cheese mixture. Pour the remaining potato mixture on top.
Bake for 1 hour
NOTE: Don't be fooled by the name Potato Spoon Bread its more like yummy mashed potatoes than bread.

Easy Taco Meat

Sorry my last recipe wasn't Quick and Easy!
I've been trying to do a lot of things in the crockpot lately and I've been looking for some good ideas for sauces to cook chicken in. Lately I have just been putting chicken in the crockpot and covering it with salsa - it cooks pretty fast so I just keep checking it - and then I shred it up and use it with mexican dishes. This last time I just did burritos but Ken and I like to put in quesadillas with beans and cheese and bake it in the oven so its golden and toasty, then we top it with lettuce, tomato and sour cream!

Spooky Eyeball Tacos

K we are getting in the 'fall' mode and definately have some Halloween on the mind ... Bay talks about dressing up as Dorothy EVERY day! So I found this really cute, quick and easy recipe on Kraft foods and thought I'd share :)

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix
12 Taco Shells
3/4 cup Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1 can (2-1/4 oz.) sliced pitted ripe olives

MIX meat and seasoning mix. Shape into 36 (1-inch) balls; place in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

BAKE at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through. Fill each taco shell with 1 meatball; drizzle with salsa. Top with 2 meatballs dipped in sour cream. Garnish with olives to make "eyeballs."

Fruit Salsa

This is just kind of a light snack, and Way yummy!

2 granny smith apples
2 kiwis
10 strawberries
tortillas
1 c cinnamon/sugar mixture
olive oil

Salsa: Finely chop the apples, kiwis, and strawberries (a 'quick chop' or something along those lines works perfect) so that the consistency when mixed together resembles salsa. Add a little sugar if it's too tangy.
Chips: Brush the tortillas with olive oil on both sides and cut into chip-size pieces. Put the pieces into a larger tupperware container with the cinnamon/sugar mixture and coat the chips. Put on a tray and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.

Egg/Biscuit Bake

So this is a really easy breakfast or brunch idea, and it's delicious!
I don't have exact measurements, but it doesn't really matter with this recipe. Probably the more cheese you put in the tastier it will be.

9 x 13 pan
Shredded cheese
Eggs
Pillsbury biscuits (the refrigerated kind in the tube)
half n half or milk


Lay out the uncooked biscuits in the pan after spraying it with pam, probably 4 length wise and 3 width ( so there will be 12). Then mix the half n half and eggs (anywhere from 8 to 12 will be good) and shredded cheese and pour it over the biscuits.
Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes.
Also, you can add whatever you'd like, such as small pieces of bacon to add flavor.
You may want to add salt as well!
Enjoy!