EASY CHICKEN STROGANOF

1 Medium Onion (finely minced)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Chicken Breast (small chopped)

8 Ounces White Button Mushrooms (thinly sliced)

16 Ounces Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Cup Frozen Peas (pre boiled in hot water)

3/4 Package Precooked Egg Noodles

Saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add chicken and mushrooms cook till chicken is lightly golden and mushrooms are soft about 3- 4 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Add peas then salt and pepper to taste simmer 2-3 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Toss with prepared egg noodles. Enjoy!

* I like to use "Pennsylvania Dutch Homestyle Egg Noodles" in this recipe.

FAST CHICKEN CURRY

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Chicken Breast (small chopped)

2 Chicken Bullion Cubes (dissolved in 3/4 cup hot water)

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder (I use mild)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4-1/2 cup light cream

1/4 cup Flour blended with 1/4 cup Water (wisk into thin paste consistency)

1 - Cup Frozen Peas (precooked)

4 Cups Cooked Brown or White Rice

Saute chopped chicken in olive oil and butter til light golden brown. Drain excess oil. Add dissolved billion cubes. Stir in curry powder and sugar let simmer 1-2 minutes. Add flour/water mix till sauce starts to thicken. Simmer 1-2 minutes more then stir in light cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over and mix into prepared brown or white rice and peas. Enjoy!

P.S. I also like to serve this meal with steamed broccoli or green beans instead of peas.

Spanish Rice and Beans

1 ounce anchiote oil (recipe follows)
1/4 cup minced onion
3 ounces sofrito (recipe follows)
2 1/2 cup water
1 15 ounce can drained black beans
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups white rice
14-16 manzanilla stuffed olives
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
pinch of black pepper
pinch of oregano
2 beef bouillon cubes
(optional ingredient) cubed pork chop, cubed kielbasa or cubed ham

On medium flame bring anchiote oil and optional meat ingredient to a simmer in large size pot.
Simmer until meat gets a golden color. Add minced onion simmer till translucent. Add sofrito and cook until thickened 3-10 minutes. Add rest of ingredients starting with water. Simmer while scraping rice from bottom of pot to prevent sticking. Allow liquid to evaporate enough to form bubbling craters to form on top of rice. Turn rice and scrape away from sides of pot. Lower heat to simmer cover and time for 20 minutes. Lift lid turn rice again and cover once more for an additional 20 minutes if rice is sticky cook uncover for an additional 5-10 minutes more.

Anchiote Oil Recipe:
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons anchiote seeds

Bring oil and seeds to simmer in small pan until bubbles and color start to release from seeds in pan, remove from heat. Let cool drain oil from pan into glass jar (this will keep for 2 to 3 weeks).

Sofrito Recipe:
1 green pepper (seeded)
1 red pepper (seeded)
4 garlic cloves chopped
3 whole peeled tomatoes

Grind all ingredients in food processor until finely minced and store excess in ice cube tray until needed.

Corned Beef Hash

1 1/2 -2 cups chopped cooked corned beef or ham
2 cups chopped boiled potatoes
1 small onion, chopped fine sauted in butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter

Mix beef, potatoes, sauted onions, salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter in a 10 inch skillet (I like to use an iron skillet). Spread the beef mixture over bottom of skillet and lightly press down with spatula. Fry over medium/low heat until golden brown , turn hash over and continue frying until browned again. Break up hash, turning and browning until all bits are crispy and golden. Enjoy!

Serving suggestion*
Serve with poached eggs and a dash of cayenne pepper, scrambled eggs, omelets or any of your favorite breakfast fare. You can also replace corned beef with chopped ham, pork roll or bacon.

Keep Healthy Juice Drink

5-6 carrots
4-5 apples
5 stalks celery
2 small beets
1 small head broccoli
6 leaves romaine lettuce

1-2 cups fresh spinach
1 20 ounce can chunk or sliced pineapple in juice


Blend all ingredients in whatever amounts of each vegetable you like. Refrigerate excess juice. This amount of ingredients will make enough for two -3 days serving. (about a half gallon)

* When you start juicing try the basic combination of apple, carrot and celery. Once you have the amounts of each you like then start adding more vegetables. If you want beets but don’t like the taste add more apple or pineapple till you find the right flavor combination that satisfies your tastebuds.

*Have every day as a meal replacement and you will feel the difference. My husband prefers this for breakfast. Enjoy!

Best Ever Moist Meatballs (Made with Ground Turkey)

1 1/2 pound ground turkey (Shadybrook or Shoprite brand)

1 large egg

1 cup panko bread crumbs (Progresso Italian Style)

3/4 cup milk

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

olive oil for frying

home made pasta sauce (check my recipe for sauce)

Combine egg, bread crumbs, milk, grated cheese, parsley and pepper together then add to ground turkey (This mixture should be on the wet side). Form mixture into golf ball size balls. Heat large skillet over medium/low heat, add oil wait till oil starts to glissen in pan then add enough turkey balls so not to overcrowd pan. Fry until browned on one side then flip. When Turkey balls are browned add to pot of simmering sauce. I like to cook in sauce for at least 1-2 hours. Remove, cool and freeze in gallon size freezer bags. Enjoy!


*These meat balls come out really moist as long as you transfer them right into sauce after browning. You can make this recipe with ground meat if you prefer but I have found as long as you use the Shadybrook ground turkey and Italian Style Panko breadcrumbs no one will be able to tell the difference between these and real meatballs. They are great to pull out of freezer heat in sauce and make quick sub sandwiches or sometimes I will chop up a few when I am making pizza and use them as a great topping. Enjoy!

Pasta Sauce (Sunday Gravy)

8 (28 ounce cans) Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce can) Tuttorosso tomatoe sauce

1 (12 ounce can) Tomato paste

1/2 cup red or burgundy wine

1/2 cup freshly graded parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

28 ounces water

2 boneless browned pork chops

1 1/2 pound meatballs

On medium heat using very large pot add all ingredients mix and bring to a low simmer. Cover pot with mesh splash guard instead of pot cover (this will allow liquid in sauce to evaporate and thicken sauce more quickly). Stir continually every 15 to 20 minutes so not to burn bottom. This is a long cooking process of 6-8 or more hours depending on how thick you want your sauce. While sauce is cooking I usually add meat balls (ground turkey), browned boneless pork chops and or browned sweet italian sausage. Adding meat adds flavor as well as thickening sauce faster. When done to the consistency that you like separate meats from sauce cool and place into freezer containers. Enjoy!

*When I cook I prefer to make large quantities and freeze as much as I can. It makes life easier when you can come home and know you always have something available if you are running late. I would rather take one day out of the week and cook a lot and just thaw out fresh meals the rest of the week. After I remove all meats from sauce before freezing I separate and shred pork chops then add your favorite barbecue sauce for yummy pulled pork sandwiches. I use onion and garlic powder in this recipe but you can take the time and saute finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. Enjoy!

I’m a busy mom just like the rest of you and I don’t have a whole lot of time to prepare dinner so I thought “What can I make that is easy and quick and yet tastes good too”.

I know that I could easily go to the supermarket and buy some quick frozen food and that would be the end of it. But I started to think about my health when we had our daughter, plus my husband has high blood pressure and I don’t want to add to his condition.

So...I went thru some of my mother’s recipe books and decided to cook my own food...but I wanted to make great tasting food rather quickly...food that doesn’t take up my whole entire night to create. I started out with small items like homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce for dinner.

I know what your thinking...how hard is it to make meatballs and spaghetti just buy them right? Again I’m trying to make food that is tasty AND healthy without all the preservatives and added salt to my husbands diet.

The first recipe for meatballs tasted very plain...my picky husband (who is italian) hated them so the I tried different seasonings, herbs, spices but nothing seemed to work. Then I said to myself what about different meat? I tried the ground meat, then I tried ground meat with pork and then I tried ground turkey YES ground turkey makes the greatest meatballs in my opinion. I bought some ground turkey from my local supermarket (Italian style) and I guarantee you that your family will not know the difference. And by the way you can make moist flavorful meatballs with ground turkey!

Give this recipe a try...I can almost guarantee that you and your family will love them just as much as my family does. Just don't tell them they are made with ground turkey. ENJOY!

Maria

mariasfinest.blogspot.com

Chicken Fried Steak

2 pounds beef bottom round (you can also use ground turkey patties)

salt and black pepper (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup flour

3 eggs (beaten)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 low sodium beef bullion cube

1/4 cup light cream

1/4 cup 1 or 2 % milk

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

A few drops Gravy Master (optional)

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 200 degrees

Cut meat into whatever portion size you prefer. Season meat with salt and black pepper. Place flour onto large plate sprinkle with additional salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and mix. Place eggs into pie pan or bowl. Dredge meat with seasoned flour on both sides. Tenderize with grooved mallet. (Don't tenderize if using ground turkey patties) Once tenderized, dredge meat again in seasoned flour, followed by egg then seasoned flour again. Repeat with all remaining pieces of meat. Let meat stand on plate for about 10 -15 minutes before cooking.

Place enough oil to cover large skillet on medium-high heat. Once oil starts to simmer add meat but don’t overcrowd pan, fry in batches. Cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place cooked steaks on cookie rack on top of cookie sheet in oven to stay warm.

Drain all but 1 tablespoon oil from pan add butter and melt. Whisk 3 tablespoons seasoned flour from dredge into pan. Add chicken broth and beef bullion cube to pan. Whisk until gravy comes to boil and begins to thicken. Add cream, milk and thyme leaves whisk until gravy thickens about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve gravy over steaks. Enjoy!

*Serving suggestion

Serve with side of mashed potatoes, corn or vegetable of your choice .

*My husband had always ordered this when we went out and was so happy that I could make this great tasting recipe in a way in which I could control how much salt went into it. We started becoming aware of how much sodium and partially hydrogenated oils are used in fast and frozen foods and wanted to make a change in our diet without losing out on some of our favorite foods. Enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese

9 ounces macaroni cooked

cheese sauce (recipe follows)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk (heated)

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper

Melt butter in medium saucepan, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly until it bubbles about 2 minutes. Wisk in heated milk as sauce thickens. Bring to a boil and add dijon mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Lower heat cook and wisk for an additional 2-3 minutes. Pour over cooked macaroni sprinkle top with 1/2 cup parmesan and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Place under broiler until top golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
Enjoy !

*I like my version of this classic because it is lighter and creamier than most mac and cheese recipes. I used dijon mustard instead of dry because it gives it a nice suttle flavor. You can always experiment with different cheese combos ex: fontina, gruyere, etc.

Pizzelle's (Italian Pressed Cookie)

6 medium sized eggs

2 1/2 tablespoons anise extract

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

Mix all ingredients well with blender or wooden spoon till you get a smooth consistancy . Drop teaspoon size amount of mix into center of Pizzelle grate. (Follow directions of pizzelle iron your using for cooking time) Every Pizzelle iron cooks differently so the first couple can be chocked up as learning experiences if they over cook. I like mine on the lighter side, then let cool.

This recipe yields about 6-8 dozen cookies depending on size you make them.

*This is a great holiday or anytime light crispy cookie and can be sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar or molded into a cone shape for ice cream !

P.S. Make sure to use medium sized eggs, because this is a very old recipe and large eggs will totally change taste and texture.

My very good friend Joanne gave me this recipe. It had been passed down to her from a 100 year old Italian friend of her’s. She gave me permission to share this gem of a cookie recipe with you. I have never tasted as good a recipe for pizzelle’s as this one and hope you all will enjoy these cookies as much as my family has. Enjoy!

Chicken Tenders

Preheat oven 425 degrees

Olive Oil coated cookie sheet

1 lb Chicken Tenders

2 tablespoons Mayonaise

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Mix tenders and mayonaise in bowl to lightly coat chicken. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in gallon size zip lock bag. Put 1-2 chicken tenders in crumb mix and shake till coated. Place tenders in single layer on oil coated cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes then gently flip each one so not to remove breading and bake an additional 8 minutes. Serve as is or with your favorite dipping sauce, ex: barbecue or honey dijon.

Serving suggestion: Great with my roasted vegetable recipe. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat oven 425 degrees

grease cookie sheet with olive oil

Chop potatoes, carrots and or sweet potatoes into sticks of similar length and width.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss chopped vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes then turn on other side and bake an additional 5-7 minutes until browned.

Drain on paper towels and serve. Enjoy!

P.S. This is one of my favorite side dishes because it's easy, tasty and everyone will love it.

Pop's Creamy Tomato Soup

4 tablespoons buttter

1 spanish onion (finely chopped)

2 carrots chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

5 tablespoons flour

4 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoons dry parsley

1 tablespoon dry thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup light cream

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons sour cream

Heat butter in large soup pot over medium/low heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook covered and stir occasionally until soft about 8 minutes. Stir in flour cook 3 minutes. Pour in broth and crush tomatoes into pot. Add parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil cover then lower heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, remove from heat and cool. IMPORTANT STEP: REMOVE BAY LEAF! Blend soup smooth then bring to a low heat. Wisk in cream add salt, pepper and sour cream.

Helpful hint: If you don't remove bay leaf you will have hard bits of grit that will spoil a wonderful soup. I know because I found out the hard way. Enjoy!

* This was my father-in-law's favorite thing to eat. We miss him but we will always remember him and how much he enjoyed this recipe. We hope you will love this soup as much as he did. Enjoy!

Manicotti (Crepe Style)

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Bake for 20 minutes using

Lasagna pan

Crepes:

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup flour

pinch of salt

Mix ingredients. Grease small nonstick saute pan. Using 1/8 cup measure pour crepe batter into pan and rotate till pan is coated evenly. Cook until edges pull away from sides of pan (about 30 seconds)

Filling:

1 egg

1 tablespoon dry parsely

1 1/2 pounds ricotta

1/3 -1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients

Topping:

Marinara sauce also called (Gravy) use your favorite brand or home made sauce

Mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Parmesan cheese (grated)

To Assemble:

Spread gravy on bottom of baking dish. Spread filling on half of crepe, fold both sides over

and roll lay seam side down on layer of gravy. Once dish is filled with crepes, top with gravy, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes untill cheese is melted. Enjoy!

When you make your own crepes for this recipe you will see what a big difference it makes. I always wanted to learn how to make crepes and in this recipe it adds such a light, creamy consistency to the manicotti that it will make you want to take that extra time. Enjoy!

Fudgey Brownies

Preheat oven 350 degrees

(Butter 13 x 9 pan)

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (cocoa)

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs blended

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts (optional) walnuts, pecans, etc

Melt butter and chocolate (cocoa) over very low heat. Stir together and remove from heat. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs a little at a time mixing quickly so not to scramble eggs. Mix well then stir in flour and salt. At this time you can either add walnuts to batter or sprinkle on top after you have poured and spread batter evenly into buttered 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven. Bake until set about 25 minutes cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Preheat oven 350 degrees

(Butter 9 1/4 x 4 1/4 loaf pan)

2 cups cake flour

2 large mashed bananas

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks melted butter)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup and 2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1/2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut

Sift cake flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium size bowl. In large bowl blend bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Pour and blend a little at a time the flour mixture into the banana mixture until smooth. Slowly blend melted butter to batter. (At this point you can add any or all of the optional ingredients.) Pour into buttered 9 1/2 x 4 1/4 loaf pan. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven until lightly brown and bread bounces back to touch about 1 hour 10 minutes. I also test with toothpick making sure when it is removed it comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack before serving. Enjoy!

Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

Bake at 375 degrees, for 25 minutes

in a greased 9 inch round or square pan

1 1/2 cups flour

2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cup fine chopped apples

Crumb Topping

1/4 sugar

1/4 brown sugar

1/4 flour

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Beat egg with milk add melted butter or shortening.Pour dry into wet mixture then add apples mix well. Pour into greased pan. Combine crumb topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly on top of batter. Bake in pre-heated oven. Enjoy.

Pineapple Carrot Cake

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes

in 13 x 9 x 2 greased and floured pan

2 cups flour (sifted)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup flaked coconut

1 can (8 1/4 ounces) crushed pineapple (drained)

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Sift 1st five ingredients into large bowl. Make a well in the center and add in order: sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat with wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut and pineapple (walnuts) until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven and cool before frosting.

Frosting Recipe

6 ounces softened cream cheese

1/4 cup softened butter or margarine (Beat cream cheese and butter till smooth)

1-1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (Beat sugar and vanilla into above mixture)

2 teaspoons milk (add if necessary depending on amount of confectioners sugar your adding to make frosting of spreading consistency)

Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

3 cups cut broccoli

3 cups cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf (make sure to remove after soup is finished simmering)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablspoons flour

1 tespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

2-3 tablespoons sour cream (optional)

In med size covered saucepan combine chicken broth, chopped onion, broccoli, thyme, bay leaf and garlic powder. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Remove bay leaf! (This is very important to do before blending soup.)

Blend with immersion blender or you can transfer mixture half at a time to regular blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Set aside.

In small saucepan melt butter. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir flour mixture into blended vegetable mixure over medium heat and soup is thickened. At this point taste and adjust seasoning. Sour cream can be added at this point or serve aside soup . Enjoy!

P.S. Soup can be frozen in plastic containers.

Pecan Chocolate Chip Squares

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

(Grease 13x9 pan)

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cupbrown sugar

1/2 cup cold cut butter (one stick)

Filling:

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark or light corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter (melted)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

In a small bowl combine flour brown sugar and cubed butter until crumbly. Press into 13x9 greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until light brown. In a large bowl wisk eggs, sugar, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla extract until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Pour pecan mixture over crust. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until set. cool completely, cut into squares and store in airtight container.

Easy Taco Bake

1 pound ground beef

Taco Bell Taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

7 ounce package shell or elbow pasta (cooked)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (ground)

1 cup sharp cheese (shredded)

28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (hand crushed)

Place cooked pasta into small casserole. Brown gound beef in pan, drain oil. Mix taco seasoning and water into beef. Turn off heat. Add beef mixture to pasta. Add tomatoes, mix half sharp and parmesan cheese into pasta beef. Top with remaining cheddar and parmesan. Place under broiler until browned and bubbly. Enjoy!

* This dish is easy, fast and has so much flavor your family will love it.

Date Nut Coconut Squares

Date Filling:

1 lb chopped dates

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

_____________________

Crust:

1 3/4 cup oats (old fashioned not quick cooking)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Make the Filling:

Bring to boil over medium heat: dates, sugar and water until thickened. Using regular or imersion blender blend filling until smooth. Stir in chopped nuts, vanilla and butter then set aside to cool.

Prepare Crust:

Combine all ingredients except coconut with melted butter. Firmly press half the mix into lightly buttered 13x9 pan. Cover with filling by spreading carefully not to disturb crust. Combine remaining crust with coconut, top date layer and press lightly. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled then store in air tight container. Enjoy.

Beef Burgundy with Egg Noodles

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 pound chopped ham or bacon

1 large onion chopped fine

5 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

2 pounds stewing beef (cubed)

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon ground thyme

2 1/2 cups burgandy or red wine

3 1/2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)

1 beef boullion cube (low sodium)

1/2 pound thin sliced mushrooms

1 cup cooked chopped carrots

1 cup cooked quartered potatoes

1 pound cooked egg noodles

Brown ham or bacon in olive oil until crisp in large covered casserole pan, remove ham or bacon and drain on paper towel leaving oil in pot. Add finely chopped onions to oil, slowly cook over low heat until they are translucent. (Be careful not to burn the onions.) Remove and set aside. On large plate mix flour, salt and pepper coat meat in mixture by rolling then trasfer to pot six or seven pieces at a time and brown on all sides. After all beef is browned add marjoram, thyme, wine, broth and bouillion cube. Return ham or bacon along with onions to pot stir scraping bottom browned bits from pot return heat to simmer then cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 10 to 20 minutes untill mushrooms are cooked. For thicker stew combine 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup water shaken in covered container untill mixed well and not lumpy slowly stir into simmering stew untill thickness is to your liking. Cook an additional two minutes. Adjust seasoning. Add cooked carrots and potatoes. serve over cooked egg noodles and enjoy.