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In a crock pot, mix the following:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can consommé beef soup
1 envelope onion soup mix (Onion Soup Mix, 5T = 1 package)
1 can water

Make meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk, maybe a little less.

Mix it together with your hands, really well. Form into balls, roll in flour, brown well and drain.
Add to the soup mixture. Cook on low, 6-8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Holly's Note:
This is the same soup base that is used for Beef Stew. The meatballs freeze really well too. After browning the meatballs, let them cool and then freeze them. You don't even need to thaw them before putting them in the soup base.

If you don't want to spend the time or mess to brown the meatballs, place the meatballs on a jelly roll pan and bake them at 350 for about 25 minutes. Nice and easy and a lot less mess.

Sloppy Joes are just a good meal. I often wonder where the name came from, but I've never done a search. We have an old family recipe that is called Western Burgers, but is basically a sloppy joe. It cooks up nice and thick and can be eaten like chili. Your house will smell delicious, as it cooks all afternoon.

It's perfect for a cold, windy, fall day. It's also made with ingredients you probably have in your pantry. It's sweet and smoky, more than spicy. But, for true comfort food, give it a try! You can find the recipe here.

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6 T. butter, softened
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 t. vanilla

Mix it all together, adding more liquid or sugar depending on the consistency you want. Makes about 2 cups. Frost your Homemade Chocolate Cake.

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2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ cups cocoa
1 ½ t. baking powder
1 ½ t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup oil
2 t. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan (or two round pans). Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Frost with Homemade Chocolate Frosting. No canned frosting allowed.

Holly's Note:
This works well in a jelly roll pan. However, there is too much batter for a regular jelly roll pan. (Trust me, I know this from experience!) So, use about 3 to 3 1/2 cups of batter in the pan. Eyeball it: you know your pans the best. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Use the remaining batter as cupcakes or as we like, mini cupcakes. For minis bake in lined mini muffin pans at 350 for about 10 minutes-ish. With this recipe, I usually get one jelly roll pan and about 36 minis.

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2/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
3 c. flour
1 pkg. (2 cups) chocolate chips
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt

Cream shortening and butter with sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Holly’s Note:
This is a Betty Crocker recipe that we’ve had forever. My mom had a red recipe box full of Betty Crocker recipe cards, and this recipe came from that box. I know other people like Toll House Cookies or Mrs. Fields, but I’ve never found one that I like better than these. They’re really good with butterscotch chips, too.

The dough freezes really well.

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Makes ~12 muffins

1 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 cup white and 1/2 cup wheat)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake about 16-20 minutes. If I bake them for longer than 16 minutes, they get dry. Serve warm.

Holly's Note: I found the original recipe at Bake or Break and I modified it slightly. We love muffins. They freeze well. I throw them in school lunches and they're thawed by lunch. Or you can pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds.

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3 c. sugar
1 cube butter
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 can evaporated milk

Melt all in sauce pan over low heat. Do not stir. Do not boil. After it gathers, mix with mixer. Eat it with a spoon until someone catches you and reminds you to save some for everyone else.

If I ask my boys what they want for dinner and the answer isn't pizza, chances are it's this:

Pasta Rustica.

My sister gave me the original recipe and it's become a family favorite. It's not low-fat or healthy, but it's yummy and super easy. It's also a meal that I can guarantee will have no issues or complaints and will be eaten by everyone. Of course, one boy picks out the red peppers and the other boy picks out the mushrooms...

Do you ever need a quick and easy recipe that can simmer in your crock pot all day?

Here it is: BBQ Pork Chops.

This one take 5 minutes to put together and makes your house smell divine. Serve it with a baked potato and you will think you've died and gone to heaven! It's good for summer time cooking, but it's wonderful for fall and winter. True comfort food!

½ cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked beef
1 cup frozen veggies
1 cup cooked potatoes, diced or mashed
1 cup beef gravy
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 t. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 ½ cups milk
whatever seasonings you like

In a sauce pan dump the onion, beef, veggies, potatoes and gravy. Stir together until heated through. Combine flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt, seasonings and milk together. In a greased, round casserole dish, pour the batter. Pour the beef mixture on top of the batter. Do not stir. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Holly's Note:
This is a great, cobbler-type recipe. It's a great way to use up leftovers after you've made a beef roast. I always make extra potatoes and extra gravy so we can have this a day or so later.

It's cold. It's fall. Do you want a warm, comforting meal when it's cold outside? I do! How about if that warm, comforting meal was easy too? If you agree, then try this one:

Baked Beans.

This is our favorite side dish for barbeque, but it also makes a delicious, almost meatless, meal on its own. Serve it with some cornbread and enjoy! Hearty and filling and delicious.

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~2 lbs stew meat (use either stew meat or cut up a chuck roast)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can consommé beef soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can water
potatoes
carrots
corn
peas/beans

Mix soups, onion soup mix and water in crockpot. Add stew meat (roll in flour and brown it first in a little bit of oil), chopped potatoes and chopped carrots. Cook on low 6-8 hours. About 1/2 hour before serving, add 1 can corn and 1 can peas or green beans. Serve with cornbread or wheat bread rolls.

Holly’s Note:
This is mom’s original recipe. This is another of those comforting meals. Stew always makes me feel good, no matter what else is going on. It’s as if eating it calms my soul and tells me that all is right with the world. This is also the same soup base for Meatballs and Gravy.

4-5 medium-sized potatoes, or about 2-3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 beef bouillon cubes
handful of bread crumbs
1 T. cornstarch, mixed in about a 1/4 cup of cold water until dissolved
some frozen mixed veggies or leftover veggies

Cook the potatoes and mash them with butter and cream, or reheat your leftover potatoes adding some liquid if necessary. Set aside.

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add the onion, water and bouillon. Bring it to a boil and simmer gently for about 2 minutes, stirring well. Add the cornstarch-water mixture, bread crumbs and any other seasonings you would like, as well as the vegetables. Let it simmer for a few minutes (you may want to let it simmer longer to cook off some liquid if there seems to be too much). Put it into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes.

We have a yummy bbq seasoning that I add to mine. Shepherd's Pie can be a bit bland, so add your own kinds of seasonings, even if it's just salt and pepper.

Run a fork across the top of the potatoes to make some ridges. These get crusty.

Cook at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Holly's Note:
My sweet British Mother-in-Law showed me how to make Shepherd's Pie, and my Father-in-Law wrote out the original recipe for me. I've adapted it a bit for our tastes, and it's one of my favorite meals and my husband tells me that it tastes just as good as he remembers his mom's being. It's an easy recipe, but also a good use for leftovers.

Printable Recipe

1 large can pork and beans
1 small can mushrooms
5-6 bacon slices, cooked and diced
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup onions (or you can use a couple tablespoons of dried onion instead)

Mix it all together. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Holly's Note:
This is an old family recipe that came from my aunt. She made them for a recent family reunion and my husband thought I'd made them! It's an awesome side dish for barbeque. We can't have burgers unless we have beans too.

This also makes a delicious, almost meatless meal on its own. Serve it with cornbread for a comforting, down-home dinner!