Humiston Family Favorites

Some of my girlfriends have decided to do a recipe exchange. We are posting five of our favorite recipes to share. I can't wait to get new recipes!! Here are a few of the easy things I make that my family loves.

Mini-Meatloafs

These are super easy and my kids LOVE them. Way faster and easier than traditional meatloaf.

Preheat oven to 375.

-Mix 1 lb. ground beef,1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix (any kind you like), and 1 tsp. garlic powder.

-Press evenly into 12 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Make a whole in center of each.

-Fill the hole you made with ketchup or BBQ Sauce (I usually do a few of each)

-Bake 30 minutes or until meat loaves are cooked through. Top with shredded cheddar cheese & bake till cheese is melted.

-Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

You can also change it up with the following:

Italian- use italian seasoning, spaghetti sauce, & mozzarella cheese

Fiesta-us chili powder or taco seasoning, salsa, & mexican blend cheese

Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This is a very simple pot pie recipe, and you don't have to buy the expensive pre-made pie crust to put on top so you can make it with stuff you have on hand. Its not as fancy but we like it.

2 cups. chopped or shredded cooked chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 can of chicken broth

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables

Mix & put in 9x13 pan. (sometimes I split and freeze half)

Crust:

1 c. flour

1 c. milk

Mix together. Add 1 stick melted margarine or butter. Can add flour if needed to thicken. Spoon and spread over above mixture.

Bake at 350 for an hour.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This is a newer recipe. Jeremy doesn't like sour cream, so I've never made traditional stroganoff. This recipe calls for cream cheese so he likes it. Its a great way to use round steak which can be tough.

1 c. beef stock

1 can cream of mushroom soup

onion (i used dried minced onion)

garlic powder

1 T. worcestershire sauce

1 1/2-2 lbs. Round Steak, cut into strips (I've also used sirloin steak)

2 T. Oil

1 pkg. Cream Cheese (8 oz.)

Cooked Noodles ( I usually use fettuccine noodles, but anything will work)

Brown beef in oil in skillet. Put in crockpot and add stock, soup, onion, garlic, & worcestershire sauce. Cook and cover 7-8 hours on low. Before serving stir in cream cheese and heat till warm. (maybe 15 minutes). Serve over cooked noodles of your choice.

White Chicken Chili

I make A LOT of different types of soup in the winter, but I thought this one might be one less of you already make. You can adjust how "hot" it is by adding more red pepper.

2 c. water

1 c. chicken broth

1 t. lemon pepper

1 3/4 t. cumin

2 large chicken breasts

Bring water & broth to a boil. Add chicken & return to boil. Add seasonings. Turn to low and simmer 20 minutes.

Cut or shred chicken and return to pot.

1 1/2 t. garlic

2 T. minced onion

1 t. red pepper

1 1/2 t. seasoned salt

2 T. lime juice

2 cans white corn (or i use yellow when i don't have white)

2 cans green chilies

2 cans great northern beans

Add all and then cook another 45 minutes or longer till flavors combine.

Ranch Potatoes

These are very unhealthy, but super yummy. So we only have them occasionally. I make them with BBQ meatballs, porkchops, etc.

6-8 med. red potatoes (or I use regular if I don't have red)

1/2 c. ranch dressing

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. bacon bits

2 T. minced parsley (optional)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 c. crushed cornflakes

1/4 c. butter

Boil and quarter potatoes. (If they aren't red ones I peel them) While potatoes are boiling mix together ranch, sour cream, bacon bits, parsley, and cheese. Potatoes don't have to be super done just soft. Place them in a 9x13 pan and toss lightly with mixture. Sprinkle additional 1/4 c. cheese on top if desired. Mix butter with cornflakes and sprinkle over all. (sometimes I skip this if I'm in a hurry) Bake 40 minutes at 350.

*Bonus*

Cooked Chicken for Casseroles

This is something I do sometimes after I go to the grocery store. Then I have cooked chicken ready for Enchiladas, chicken & noodles, casseroles, etc.

1 bag boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 t. garlic powder

4 cups. water

1 T. dried minced onion

2 -4 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)

Place all ingredients in Crock Pot. Cover and cook on high heat 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shred or chop for use in casseroles, soups, etc. Can be frozen in individual freezer bags and used as needed. If I put in the bouillon I will use the liquid as "stock" for chicken & noodles or a recipe that calls for chicken stock.

As you can see I tend to be a "pantry shopper" versus a "menu shopper" so I substitute stuff in my recipes a lot to work with what I have on hand. So, if you have any questions just let me know!

Here are some of our family's other favorites: homemade macaroni & cheese, BBQ meatballs & cheesey potatoes, fettucini alfredo, lasagna, home made pizza (i use my bread maker), sausage casserole, chicken enchiladas, breakfast pizza, Italian beef, spaghetti, ranch chicken salad, cheesey vegetable soup, & taco bake.

Baby, its cold outside...but come on out!

So...the weather has been freezing cold outside. And I am not even close to "ready" for the baby. But, I am so READY!!!! (that should make total sense if you've ever been pregnant before) On Monday I had a check-up and we ended up making it a family affair. It was fun getting to have Jeremy and the girls with me to hear our baby's heartbeat.

I am 34 1/2 weeks pregnant and getting very impatient. I just feel like I have been pregnant forever! At my appointment on Monday the baby was doing great and I am measuring about a week ahead (not unusual for me). I was discouraged to find out I've gained more weight with this pregnancy than any of my others, but it got me wondering if it would be a boy... Dr. Maple says the baby is head down and has dropped slightly. That really shocked me as both of the girls didn't drop a bit until labor. So, I guess we will just have to wait and see if these differences equal a boy or not?.

I was VERY relieved to hear that our hospital is still allowing sibling visits since many area hospitals have restricted any visitors under 18. The girls are getting very excited about the baby, and I'm so glad they will be able to meet their baby at the hospital. We are still working on finalizing our choices for the baby's name. I think we are pretty settled on first names but not middle names. However we did choose a "song" for the baby. The girls each have a song we sing them before they go to bed. Grace has been very concerned about what the baby's song would be. She has even made a few up, just in case we needed help. She recently drew this family picture. It was fun to see us as a family of 5-and I can't wait for everyone to meet!

Our Virtual Christmas Letter

Artwork Colored by Grace, age 3

Well, I am a little late. Usually Jeremy and I have a lot of fun thinking of a creative theme for our Christmas letter. Many of you we no longer live near and we both enjoy sharing with you about our life over the past year. However this past year has been extremely challenging. And no matter how hard I tried we just couldn’t get a traditional picture or letter put together. So my mom put together this artsy picture, and I compromised and decided to send our letter by the Internet instead. We loved hearing from many of you and the girls enjoyed opening yours cards, letters, and pictures!

Grace just keeps growing and continues to be VERY tall for her age. She will tell you she gets her beautiful curls from her daddy. But he would insist when it comes to personality she is most like me. She has strong leadership and negotiation skills that her dad and I are hoping to shape into assets for God’s kingdom. (not always an easy process for either involved parties) Recently she has been asking a million questions about Heaven. And she will proudly tell you that the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Faith is our little princess. She is much more petite and all girl. You will rarely find her without some sort of jewelry and a purse. She loves babies and cannot wait to become a big sister. She has also become quite a mommy’s girl recently, even though her personality is just like daddy! She loves scissors and is very interested in doing things Grace does. She recently started sleeping in a big girl bed.

Writing a paragraph to sum up Jeremy and I’s year is very difficult. It has probably been the biggest obstacle to completing this annual letter. In 2009 we have faced the loss of our baby, our home flooding resulting in our finished basement being gutted, our first and hopefully last experience with head lice, and most recently Jeremy’s resignation from his youth ministry position. We have seen God’s faithfulness not in abundant blessing but in his constant presence through many tears. It hasn’t been easy but we are thankful for all we have learned.

2010 promises to be a year of change. Jeremy has recently accepted a position at Reliable, a family-owned pest control company, here in Hannibal. We are still seeking God’s continued guidance for direction for our family & ministry. And of course we are all anticipating the birth of our baby in February! We can’t wait to see if it will be a boy or girl joining our family. I can honestly say I have no idea what I will be reflecting on when I sit down to write this same letter next Christmas! This year has shown us like none other the blessing of the friendship and prayers of God’s people. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to our family during a difficult year.

(for Jeremy, Grace, Faith & Baby Humiston too)