Grandma Ann's Shepard's Pie

When Toby & I first got married, I was always looking for budget friendly yet delicious meals. Funny, almost 15 years later, I'm still looking for the same thing :) Anyway, my Grandma Ann raised 7 kids (5 of which were boys) so I knew if there was anyone who could tell me how to cook on a budget it was her. This is one of the 1st recipes she gave me. I haven't made it in ages, but I came across it the other day & I think it is definitely worth sharing.

Grandma Ann's Shepard Pie

3-4 lbs. ground round (I think if I was to make this today, I'd try to cut this back to 1.5-2 lbs.)
onions
6 cans of vegetarian vegetable soup (drain 3 of the cans)

mashed potatoes

Layer in a 9 x 13 baking dish in order of:
beef
veg. soup (3 cans)
beef
veg. soup (3 cans)
put mashed potatoes on top

Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.

**I think in this original recipe the beef was uncooked as it went into the dish. If I was to make this today, I think I'd precook the meat & cut down on the baking time. I've also seen this made & topped with cheese which I would definitely give a try. I love cheese :) **

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is one I've had laying around for years. I made it a lot when Livi was littler. It's quick, easy, budget friendly & really good. I found it originally on an ad for Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup. I've seen numerous versions of it over the years, but I'm going to record it here anyway just for the sake of having  our family favorites in one place...

Chicken Pot Pie

Photo from Campbellskitchen.com

1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables (the recipe says "thawed" but I always just throw them in still frozen.)
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix

Preheat oven to 400.
In a 9" pie plate mix soup, vegetables & chicken.
Mix milk, egg, & Bisquick.
Pour over chicken mixture..
Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden.

Serves 4

Velveeta Chicken and Vegetable Stir-fry

I rarely find a Kraft Foods recipe that I like (sorry, Kraft). I love Kraft brand foods, but I generally find their recipes lacking. This recipe, however, is one of those rare finds. It is advertised as a "healthier" meal & the original recipe uses Velveeta Light. I usually use the Kroger brand version of "Velveeta" & therefore don't use a "light" version.

Velveeta Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry

Photo from KraftFoods.com

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1-1/4 lbs), cut up (You could also use the pre-cooked, frozen chicken breast strips)
2 Tblsp. Kraft Light Done Right House Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 medium red pepper, cut into strips
1 medium yellow squash, cut into slices
6 oz. of Velveeta cheese product, cut up
1 Tblsp. milk

Cook chicken in dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

Add vegetable; stir. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Simmer 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Meanwhile, mix Velveeta & milk in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes or until Velveeta is melted, stirring after 2 minutes.

Place chicken mixture on serving plate & top with Velveeta sauce.

Makes (6) 1-cup servings.
**If you make this with Light Velveeta, the Light salad dressing & fat free milk, each serving only has 200 calories!!!

Mom's Pea Salad

Mom's Pea Salad recipe has been a much requested hit at our family gatherings for years. She always made it in one of those ginormous Tupperware bowls. You can actually halve the recipe & make it in a smaller bowl.

Mom's Pea Salad

Layer the following in a large, non-metal container.

Head of lettuce (torn into pieces)
Chopped onions
Grated carrots
Celery
Green peppers
2 (16oz) bags of frozen peas, thawed
2 cups salad dressing spread over the peas (use more if needed to cover the peas entirely)
Bacon, crumbled or bacon pieces
6 hard boiled eggs
Parmesan cheese
Grated cheddar cheese

Refrigerate over night.

Stir well before serving the next day. Makes 20 servings.

**Now you'll notice that there are no measurements for many of these ingredients. You can thank my mom for that. She's one of those....the eyeballers, dash of this, pinch of that, "until it looks right" type cookers. So,  basically for this recipe you're making a layer of each item in the bowl. If you like onions, make a thicker layer. If you hate carrots, omit them or make a thinner layer. You get the picture. Sorry that's not much help when you are buying ingredients for the 1st time, is it?**

This is a pretty & delicious side dish. Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad

This recipe I got from Livi's Grandma King.  I always forget I have it, but it's one of our favorite salads.

Broccoli Salad

2 bunches of broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces

1# of bacon or 1 pkg of real bacon bits (no imitations here :) 

small pkg of shelled sunflower seeds

2 small onions (or to taste), chopped

1 cup of Miracle Whip

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

Cut bacon into small pieces & fry (if not using real bacon bits)

Combine broccoli, bacon pieces, onions, sunflower seeds; toss. 

Mix Miracle Whip, sugar & vinegar. 

Pour over combined ingredients. 

Refrigerate overnight.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

This salad is perfect for Christmas because it's red, green & white when it's made & it looks very festive!  But it's so good & so easy to make, you won't want to wait until Christmas time to eat it.  My MIL, Sharon (Grandma King to Liv), gave me this recipe a few years ago.  It's still one of Toby's faves!  

Marinated Vegetable Salad

4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped onions


Combine the following ingredients in a jar or bowl & shake or whisk until combined. Then pour the mixture over the vegetables. 


3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tblsp poppy seeds
1 Tblsp salt


Cover & chill the salad for at least 3 hours.
Makes 6-8 servings.