Week of Oct 5, 2014

Navy Bean Soup

Sun - Pizza
Mon - Navy Bean Soup (Ham and Beans)
Tue - Chicken Fajitas
Wed - Piroshki (Russian Meat Pies)
Thur - Chicken Stir Fry Noodles
Fri - Beef-a-roni

Navy Bean Soup

1 ham bone

1 pound navy beans, rinsed, sorted, soaked overnight and drained

2 (32 oz) boxes of stock (veggie, pork or chicken)

2 carrots, diced fine

1 celery, diced fine

1/2 onion, diced fine

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tbsp olive oil

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, on medium heat saute onion, carrot, garlic and celery in oil until fragrant. Add stock, heat to a boil (high heat). Add ham bone and bay leaves. Simmer for at least 3 hours on medium-low heat, stirring and checking liquid level and skimming fat off the top often. When beans are cooked, and the meat has fallen off the bone, the soup is done. Remove bone, leaves, and any large pieces of fat or cartilage. Continue boiling on high until thickness desired is reached. Add pepper and salt to taste. Serve.

If desired, you can put all ingredients in a slow-cooker for 8 hours on low, 4-6 hours on high, instead of on the stove.

NOTE: I will be making dough for "Grandma Long's rolls", using 1/2 the recipe (12 rolls) for dinner Monday and the rest of the dough Wednesday.

Prioshki

rolls

Beef and Onion Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp butter
1 each salt and fresh cracked black pepper, + 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded provolone or swiss cheese 
Season beef with salt and pepper. Melt butter in large skillet, and onion add 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until translucent. Add beef, chop/crumble with spatula to get very small peices. mix with cheese.
Flatten dough (from Monday's rolls), and make into 12 squarges. Fill with scoop of filling and close. See video to see how to close.
OTHER FILLING OPTIONS

Beefaroni

1 lb ditalini or  macaroni

1 lb ground beef, sprinkled with seasoning salt

15 oz tomato sauce

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle ground beef with seasoning salt. Brown over medium heat. Drain. If pan is very greasy, use paper towel to clean out (about 1 tbsp of grease is okay). Return meat to pan.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package. Drain, keep warm. Mix tomato sauce, sugar and seasonings together. Stir sauce with meat in pan over medium heat. Stir in pasta. Mix until all pasta is covered and sauce is warm. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.

Stir Fry 
1 lb of your favorite stir fry meat sliced thin (chicken, pork, whole shrimp, beef, etc)
2 tbs of Asian seasoning OR 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce (found in Asian isle at grocery store)
1 tbsp honey
2 tbs oil for cooking meat
1 tbsp fresh ground ginger
1 bell pepper, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced

1/2 lb snow peas

1 can water chesnuts, drained

2 carrots,sliced

2 (3 oz) packages Ramen noodles - discard seasoning packets

Add oil into large skillet or wok. Add veggies and cook until almost done on medium heat, add meat and raise heat to medium-high, cook until cooked through. 

Meanwhile, cook noodles in boiling water from 3 mintues, drain.  

Add seasoning and noodles to meat/veggies. Stir and heat through. Serve.