Lemon Chicken soup.

For the Stock:
1 Chicken - whole
16 cups cold water
2 tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp mustard seeds
4 large bay leaves
1 carrot (only for the stock)
2 celery stalks broken into thirds (only for the stock)
1 onion - quartered (only for the stock)

For the Soup:
2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks thinly sliced for the soup
1 onion - finely chopped
1 cup rice. (Or alternately, 1 cups of Orzo, which is a pasta in the shape of large rice grains.)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tsp Salt
1.5 tsp pepper
1 tsp Poultry seasoning

1. Place all the stock items into the pot, and bring it to a slow simmer on medium low heat. Allow to simmer 4-5 hours.

2. Remove chicken, set aside to cool slightly. Strain the stock to remove large particles and vegetable chunks (discard strained material). Place the strained stock back on the stove and add the sliced carrots, celery, onion, and rice. Continue to simmer until the vegetables and rice are cooked, approximately 30 minutes.

3. Take the skin off the chicken, and strip the meat from the bones. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and place it back in the soup.

4. 5-10 minutes prior to finishing, add the lemon juice.

*NOTE; this is a "from scratch" recipe, so expect to put in some time with it.

Duck Breast with a Blueberry Port Sauce

6 duck breast (skin on)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blueberry Port Sauce;
2 cups blueberries
1 cup port wine (I used a Late Bottled Vintage, as it was a little sweeter)
1 tbsp Apricot jelly
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 tbsp Honey

1. Duck Breast: Score the duck breast fat in a criss cross fashion.

2. To Cook: Place a large frying pan over a moderate-high heat. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper, being sure to rub plenty of salt into the scored fat. Place the duck breast in the hot frying pan fat side down. Cook the breast for 3-4 minutes on the skin side, then turn them over and cook them for a further 4-5 minutes (a little longer if you like the meat well cooked). Remove the duck breast from the heat and allow them to rest in a warm place for 3-5 minutes before serving.

3. Blueberry Port Sauce: Place half the blueberries in a saucepan with the port and jelly. Place the pan over a high heat and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces to a thin sauce consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Dijon mustard and the remaining blueberries. Keep the sauce hot until ready to serve.

4. To Serve: Place the duck breast on serving plates, pour the blueberry and port sauce around the breast.

I served this with Pan roasted potatoes and carrots, and balsamic braised Bok Choy.
I kept both side dishes with basic seasoning (Salt and pepper); but I drizzled a nice Balsamic Vinegar over the  halved Bok Choy, then in a small roasting dish I cooked it in the oven at 425 till it was fork tender (about 15-20 minutes depending on how big they are.)

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (3.2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 4 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Tips
Caution;
Duck is easily overdone, so monitor the internal temp to arrive at 140 (remembering that as it rests it will continue to cook some.)

Lasagna Soup

2 tsp. olive oil
1.5 lbs. Italian sausage ( I used links, and cut them into thin slices.)
3 c.      Chopped onions
3 tbsp   Roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning
2 tsp.    Dried oregano
2 tbsp   Dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp   Tomato paste
2 cans   Diced tomatoes
2           Bay leaves
6 c.       Chicken stock
1 cup.    Fusilli pasta (or any flour abased pasta like Macaroni)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add Stock, seasonings, tomatoes, and tomato paste, stir to combine. 

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Slow cooker Beef Stroganoff.

Ingredient lists;
#1.
1/3 C      All purpose flour
1 tsp       Salt
1/2 tsp    Pepper
1/2 tbsp  Paprika

900g       Lean beef stewing meat
2 C         Fresh Mushrooms

#2.
1             chopped Onion
1/4 tsp    Garlic Powder
14 oz      Tomatoes
2 tsp       Beef Bouillon Powder
2 tbsp     Sherry
2 tbsp     Worcestershire  Sauce

#3.
1 C         Sour cream

Combine list 1 in a large ziplock bag.  Coat the beef by adding small amounts to the bag and shaking, until all the beef is coated.
Brown the beef in a saute pan with some olive oil. This is not necessary, but I find that it adds a richer flavour and some colour to the finished product.
Place the beef in the bottom of the slow cooker,Add the onion and the mushrooms on top.

Mix together list #2, and pour it into the slow cooker over the beef, onions and mushrooms.
Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or an low for 7-9 hours.

Add the 1 Cup of sour cream a 1/2 hour before the end of the cooking time.

Serves 6.

Iced lemonade

Ingredients;
Goodhost Lemonade crystals (for convenience)
Ice.

Procedure;
Take 3 cups hot water, dissolve 1 cup Lemonade mix, stir and let cool to use as a "syrup".
Take 1 cup "syrup" and blend with 4-5 cups of ice (I used 4, but I thought it was a little strong. Next time I will use 5cups of ice.)

Makes 2 large glasses.

Enjoy!

Bobs Chili 2.0

Ingredients;


1 lb Ground beef
2 tsp Olive oil

1 Onion
1/4 cup (to taste) Chili powder
1tbsp Garlic (minced)
1/4 can chipotles in adobo sauce (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (or as needed)
8tbsp Brown sugar (or to taste)
2 - 540ml 19oz - Cans tomatoes
2 - 540 ml 19oz - Cans of Kidney beans
1 - 540ml Can of 6 bean blend
2 - 398ml 14oz -Cans pork and beans
2 cups Corn (frozen)
1oz Lime juice

Directions;

Open all cans, rinsing the kidney and 6 bean blend thoroughly.
Dice the Onion.
Brown the ground beef and drain.
Bloom the chili powder in residual fat and Olive oil, for 30- 60 seconds on medium heat (watch so it doesn't scorch and leave a burnt taste).
Add tomatoes, and onions, and garlic to the chili powder.
Add everything else.
Bring to boil.
turn to lowest setting and simmer for 1-2 hours (no chance of overcooking) to let the flavours marry throughout.

Be sure to let it cool at least 15 minutes prior to serving. Make APPROXIMATELY 5 litres. (Never actually measured.) LOL

Bob Klassen.

Simple Sweet and Sour sauce.

Ingredients;
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups water
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp corn starch
4 tbsp cold water for corn starch
1 can pineapple, juice removed

Procedure;
1. Add water, vinegar, brown sugar, and ketchup to a saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil while whisking to dissolve and incorporate everything.

3. Mix together the corn starch and the 4 tbsps of corn starch into a slurry.

4. Add the pineapple to the mixture.

5. Slowly add the corn starch slurry, stirring constantly, until it reaches the desired consistency.

6. simmer for 1 more minute.

7. Serve.

Servings: 6-8
Yield: 3 cups

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes
Inactive Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 9 minutes

Beef and Veggie Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound stewing beef
• 500ml beef stock
• 250ml red wine
• 1 cup quartered mushrooms
• 1 diced onion
• 1-2 coarsely chopped leek
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 coarsely chopped carrot
• ½ tsp thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 coarsely chopped celery sticks
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• olive oil
• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  

Instructions

1. OPTIONAL; in a saute pan using the heated olive oil, brown the stewing beef prior to putting in the slow cooker. Use the wine to deglaze the pan, and then add it to the rest of the liquids.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients, spices, and flour. Pour a small amount of the liquid in the bottom of the cooker, the place “optionally browned” beef in bottom, veggies on top of that, and pour the remainder of the liquid mix over the top of it all.
3. Cover and let cook for 5-7 hours on low, or 4-6 on medium/high.
4. Serve with you favorite side dish, or you can add 4 or 5 peeled potatoes in with the vegetables for a complete slow cooker meal. (Make sure to adequately salt and pepper the potatoes, as they absorb those flavours.)