31st Ward Blog

Beef Stew by Heidi Howcroft  

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 to 1 cup diced onion
4-5 diced potatoes
4-5 diced carrots
1 1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 to 1 cup frozen peas
1 can beef broth
1-2 cups water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package soup mix (beefy mushroom, beefy onion or mushroom)
1 can stewed tomatoes

Brown meat and drain; rinse off fat. Add raw vegetables, broth and water. Cook until vegetables are tender. Then add rest of ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add other spices if desired (thyme, salt, pepper, etc.).

Shortbread
Cooking spray or butter
½ cup slivered blanched almonds
½ cup white or whole-wheat flour
¼ cup unsifted powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 8 chunks

Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ c unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 lemons
2 limes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Additional powdered sugar and 1 lime, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F and lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish or pan with cooking spray.

To make the shortbread, put almonds in a food processor and process for 30 seconds or until coarsely ground. Add flour, powdered sugar and salt and pulse 5 times to mix. Add butter and process for 10 to 15 seconds or until no large chunks remain and mixture is loose and sandy. Transfer to baking dish and press firmly into base and edges until even. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the filling:
Combine sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. Finely zest lemons (about 2 teaspoons) and one lime (about 1 teaspoon) into bowl. Squeeze 1/4 cup juice from lemons and ¼ cup juice from two limes and add to bowl along with eggs; whisk until smooth. Pour filling over crust; return dish to oven and bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack or in the dish. (Citrus squares can be made one day ahead and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.) Sift powdered sugar over squares.

1 can pumpkin or 3 cups cooked pumpkin
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 can evaporated milk
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix (dry)
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. melted butter

Mix together first six ingredients in bowl and then pour into a 9-x-13-inch glass pan. Sprinkle cake mix and walnuts on top. Dribble melted butter over the dry cake mix and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes until golden brown.

We had Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Herbology,
Halloween Treats, a Thriller dance and More!

Here are photos and a video from that night.

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These are all also on Facebook: The Facebook album

The event page with video

In a frying pan cook chicken, onions, bell pepper and black beans. Mix in corn, Mexican seasoning, cooked rice and salsa. Mix until all is cooked and warmed. Turn off stove then mix in cheese. Makes 1-2 servings.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl. Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.

Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 8 fries per serving. Use this technique with any summer squash or eggplant. It also works great with thick-cut onion rings or even green tomatoes.

For extra crispy fries, increase the oven temperature to 500ºF and knock 2 minutes off the cooking time.

Cook 5 medium potatoes in salted water and mash to a creamy consistency. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg (beaten), and a dash of salt and pepper.

Spoon potatoes over hamburger in mounds (an ice cream scoop works well).

Top with paprika and dried parsley. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Fast version:
Cook 1 lb. hamburger in microwave. Sprinkle with dried onion flakes and salt while cooking. Drain off fat and then place hamburger in large frying pan and break into small pieces. Add one can green beans and 1 can tomato soup. Heat until boiling. Place in greased casserole pan. Cover with mashed potatoes from 5 regular potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the pan.

Blend butter, sugar, eggs and bananas. Combine dry ingredients; add to other ingredients, mixing well. Add chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes.

1 microwave bag of natural popcorn (no butter, no salt)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter (melted)

Pop the popcorn like normal; while its popping, get a large brown paper bag, put the brown sugar and cinnamon in the bottom, add the warm popcorn, drizzle the butter over it, stirring occasionally to ensure good coverage. When all the butter is in, close the top of the bag and shake, shake, shake.

3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approximately 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Twirl the cake with a butter knife or icing knife until it looks like a honey bun (or whatever design you want to make).

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Frost cake while it is still fairly hot. Serve warm.

To make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.