Crockpot Beef Stew

This was easy to put together and John and I both liked it.

Crockpot Beef Stew

1 lb stew meat
2 potatoes
2 celery
2 carrots
1 onion
1/2 c. corn
1/2 c. peas or green beans
1 can beef broth
1 can V-8 (11 oz)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. pepper

2 T. cornstarch
1 T. cold water

Mix everything but the cornstarch and water. I doubled the recipe and put half in the freezer.  Cook on LOW 6 hours.  Mix the cornstarch and water, stir in and cook another 1/2 hour.

5 Minute Black Bean Soup

This soup is so fast and easy to make, and amazingly, my kids all love it. It literally takes five minutes, if you have cooked rice on hand.

Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans (not drained)

1 can chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked rice

Blend the beans and chicken broth in a blender until smooth.  Add the salt and heat on the stovetop until warm.  Serve over rice in bowls.

Garnish with toppings like:

sour cream

shredded cheese

tortilla chips

avocado

diced tomatoes

sliced green onions

lime

My favorite toppings combo is tomatoes, lime, and a little cheese.

Minecraft Cake and TNT Cupcakes

On Maggie's actual birthday, I surprised her with red velvet TNT cupcakes.

For her party, we attempted a Minecraft cake with lava (red jello), water (blue jello), sand (Rice Krispie treats), and grass blocks (chocolate cake.  I made 2 large packages of each flavor jello, in a 8x8 pan. Cut up the 9x13 cake into blocks and stacked them with grass frosting. I was especially proud of the waterfall (I cut the jiggler in half so it was thinner.) However, my grass blocks were unstable and this was the best picture I got before it started slipping.

We also had a creeper figure, TNT block and Alex keychain to add to the cake.

The kids were very impressed with all the different treats, and didn't seem to notice it was toppling, so all was good!