Grandma Morris' Stew

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 lrg can of tomato juice
10 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced
10 potatoes, washed and sliced
½ head of cabbage
water

Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and drain well. In a large pot, combine the ground beef and onion with everything else. After you empty the can of tomato juice, refill it with water and pour that in, too. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover it with a lid and let it simmer for 5 hours. (I haven't tried this in the slow cooker, but I think it would work well to turn it on high for an hour, then on low for the rest of the day.)

Red River Chili

3 lb ground beef
¼ cup oil
1 lrg onion
1 clove garlic, minced
35 oz tomatoes, canned, diced
4 oz green chilies, diced
1 teasp celery seed, crushed
1 teasp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 teasp salt
32 oz kidney beans, canned, drained


Brown beef in 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large kettle or dutch oven. Remove the beef as it browns.

Saute the onion an garlic in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil until tender, about 3 minutes.

Return the browned beef to the kettle and add tomatoes, beef broth, chilies, celery and cumin seeds, chili powder and salt. Bring to boiling and lower heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Add kidney beans and cook 15 minutes longer.

Easy Asparagus Soup

2 cups asparagus, cut in 1" pieces
1 cup chicken stock
¼ teasp salt, or to taste
pepper, to taste

Steam asparagus until soft and tender.
Puree cooked asparagus in a blender or food processor with enough cooking water to make a medium thick puree.
Add salt, pepper and stock to the asparagus and blend again to combine.
Return soup to the pot to reheat.

Cowboy Stew

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning
16 oz canned tomatoes, diced
15½ oz black beans, canned
10 oz Rotel Tomatoes
15½ oz hominy
15½ oz pinto beans
11 oz corn


Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, then drain the fat off. Put everything in a large pot on the stove and heat for an hour or so.
This is a very flexible recipe and you can add any vegetables that you like.

Beef Stew with Dumplings

2 lb boneless beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 teasp thyme
1 teasp marjoram
½ teasp black pepper
¼ teasp garlic powder
1 bayleaf, whole
2 tbsp parsley
3 teasp beef soup base
6 cups water
4 med potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
4 lrg carrots, peeled andto cuto into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 onion, cut in large chunks
3 cups water
4 cups biscuit mix
1⅓ cups milk
2 tbsp parsley

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, marjoram, pepper, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, beef soup base and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. Add more water if the water level falls below 1 inch.

Add the potatoes, carrots, onion and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes. Make the dumplings by combining the biscuit mix, milk and parsley in a bowl. Scoop out the batter with a tablespoon and drop in the stew. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. The dumplings should look solid and not doughy and the stew should be bubbling up around the sides of the dumplings when it's ready.

Basic Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 cup of lentils
- half an onion
- one celery stalk
- one carrot
- three garlic cloves
- oil (any kind)
- salt and pepper
- fresh thyme (optional)
- one bay leaf
- one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- one quart of vegetable broth

Rinse the lentils in a colander or strainer.
Finely chop all the vegetables.
Coat the bottom of a pot with oil and heat.
Add the vegetables and cook until they’re softened.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the thyme (if using), bay leaf, tomatoes and
their juices, lentils, and broth and simmer,
covered, for 30 minutes or until the lentils and
vegetables are soft.
If a creamier texture is desired, divide the soup in half and puree in a food processor, then return it to the other half and stir.