Oven Baked Stew

I love Stew, and this is one of the best that I have tried.  I love it for Sundays because it is so easy to throw together before church.  I usually half the recipe and it still makes plenty for my family of four.  Just decrease cooking time to two hours.  It makes the house smell amazing!  It is really good with rolls and a green salad.

Oven Baked Stew

8 servings

2 (1 oz) packages of Dry Onion Soup mix

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

2 pounds lean Beef Stew Meat (cut up into bite sized pieces)

5 medium Potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces

6 large Carrots, peeled and diced

1 small Onion, chopped

2 cans Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup Ketchup

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large plastic bag, combine the dry onion soup mix and paprika. Add in meat and shake the bag to coat meat with the seasonings. (You may have to do that step in two batches, for all the meat to fit) Once meat is coated, spread it out evenly into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Top meat evenly with diced potatoes, carrots and onion.

Mix the cream of celery soup and ketchup in a small bowl. Pour all over the meat and vegetables. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 2 1/2 hours

Brownie Batter Dip

Yummy, is all I have to say about this delicious dessert/snack.  We especially like it with Strawberries.

Brownie Batter Dip

1 (8 ounce) block of Cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup Butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups Powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Milk
5 Tablespoons All-Purpose flour
5 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips for garnish (optional)

Directions: In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter, until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes)

Slowly beat in the 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons of milk, until creamy. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy and smooth, or until it reaches your desired consistency. (You can add 1 more Tablespoon of milk, if needed)

Serve dip with strawberries, vanilla wafers, pretzels, marshmallows, or whatever your heart desires! Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti

Halle's favorite foods are Spaghetti and Lasagna.  So I am always looking for creative ways of making them.  Well, this Baked Spaghetti is number one on Halle's list of favorites.  It is Kim's favorite dinner too.  They are always begging me to make it so I make every week and they still love it.  It is a perfect combination of Spaghetti and Lasagna.  Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti

12 oz Spaghetti Noodles

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1-2 (24 oz) jars of Spaghetti Sauce ( I use Ragu)

1 (8 oz) package Cream Cheese

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried Basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain grease. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Remove from heat. *NOTE*( I use two full jars and really like it that way. I suggest using 1 1/2 to 2 jars if you like saucy spaghetti)

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti noodles in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain water and place hot noodles in a large bowl. Add cream cheese and italian seasoning to noodles. Stir until cream cheese has melted and noodles are coated. 

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a small amount of meat sauce mixture in the bottom of the dish. Pour noodles over the top and spread out evenly. Pour the meat sauce mixture over the noodles and sprinkle evenly with both cheeses. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with dried basil. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 8-10