Beef Noodle Soup

March 12th, 2007
Dine Without Whine's Weekly Newsletter
An Extension of our Menu Planning Service
www.dinewithoutwhine.com
Publisher ~ Christine Steendahl
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This Issue:

A Personal Note
Beef Noodle Soup
How to Choose Good Pots and Pans

A Personal Note

It has been 60 degrees out the last three days. I am soooo happy to be able to send the kids out to play for a little bit. (We won’t talk about the mud they are covered in when they return..) I always feel a burst of energy when the warmer weather comes around as well. I really like having Daylight Savings Time earlier too. Unfortunately, we also have caught the spring cold. I think the kids are all starting to get better, but of course now I’m catching it.

For those with inquiring minds… yes, I did get the wallpaper border down. I got one of those scoring tools, a scraper, and some kind of spray solution that I think is basically watered down Downy Fabric softener (which is what a lot of you recommended) and it worked like a charm! Dane’s room is just about decked out in race cars now, couple more things to do, but it is looking really cute.

Tomorrow we are off to Chicago to the Home and Housewares Tradeshow. I am really looking forward to it and hoping I am not totally sick. I think I will end here and go mop the kitchen floor, organize a couple last minute things and jump into bed since we are leaving early in the morning. I’ll let you know how it was next week!

Have a great week!

Christine

“The Menu Mom”

www.themenumom.com

Recipe of the Week

Exerted from this week's family friendly menu plan and convenient grocery shopping list.

Have you tried our sample menu?

Beef Noodle Soup
Makes 6 servings

     1 pound ground beef
     1/2 cup chopped onions
     2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans Italian stewed tomatoes
     2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans beef broth
     1 (16-ounce) can mixed vegetables, drained
     1 teaspoon dried oregano
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/4 teaspoon pepper
     1 cup uncooked medium egg noodles

1. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, brown beef and onion; drain.

2. Add tomatoes, broth, vegetables and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

3. Add noodles. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the noodles are done.

Serve with Dinner Rolls

This Weeks Top Five Referring Sites
(These sites have a link to DWW somewhere on their site and have sent the most visitors to www.dinewithoutwhine.com this week)

http://www.homemakingcottage.com/mother/dr_suess.htm
http://www.catholicmom.com/main
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/dr_seuss_recipes.htm
http://www.ihomemaker.com/blog/
http://www.christian-homemaking.com/healthyasterbasket.html

Kitchen and Cooking Tips, Articles, And Product Reviews

How to Choose Good Pots and Pans

If you enjoy cooking or cook for your family each night, good pots and pans are extremely important. A good pot and pan can make sure your food is cooked evenly and that clean up is a breeze.

Each pot and pan usually serves a specific purpose. For instance, a frying pan is obviously made for frying so it should be easy to use on top of your stove, the handle should be cool to the touch and the non stick surface should be high quality so that foods don’t stick and that clean up is easy. Look for frying pans that are made from aluminum with titanium based non stick surface. Usually titanium based non stick surfaces are much harder than stainless steel surfaces (up to 40X stronger).

Saucepans are also another important kitchen pan to use. With saucepans you will most likely be cooking liquids and thick sauces. Many have a non stick surface and cool to the touch handle. Because saucepans require you to simmer or boil liquids, they have a lid; make sure this lid fits snuggly. A transparent lid is a plus, so you can see the contents of the pan without opening it.

Roasting pans are another popular pan to use in the kitchen. Roasting pans are made for oven use and require strong materials that won’t warp when over heated. Roasting pans should also enable evenly cooked meals. Many roasting pans include a non stick surface, which makes it easy to clean. Some of the better roasting pans are made from ceramic materials which make clean up simple and easy.

Obviously, the more you are willing to spend, the higher the quality you will get, however, there are many mid priced pot and pan sets that are above average in quality and will help you create delicious meals by giving you excellent tools to work and cook with.