Old Fashioned Beef Stew

This winter has been way too long here for me. The only thing making the whole situation any better is warm, comforting food like this stew. Luckily it is almost the end of February so a few more weeks and this cold long winter nightmare will be over and gone.  My mother-in-law has been making stew similar to this for years but she adds sweet potatoes as well.  I forgot to pick them up at the food store so there is none in this batch.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2-1/2 lbs chuck round cubes
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 can tomato paste
6 cups low sodium beef broth
6 carrots peeled and diced
8 small potatoes peeled and diced
1 8 oz. package frozen peas
salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:
Heat the butter and olive oil in a big sturdy pot.  Sprinkle the meat with some salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 of the meat to the pot and brown on all sides.  Remove the meat and put in the rest of the meat in a single layer.  Remove this meat when browned.

Reduce heat and add onions and garlic.  Stir a little bit and get it nice and brown.

Add tomato paste and stir.

Add beef stock, the meat adding the plate juices as you go.  Mix it around a little bit.  Add more salt and pepper if desired.  Bring to a boil and then put the lid on and turn down to low.  Cook for at least 2 hours.

While the meat is cooking chop your potatoes and carrots.  Add to stew and cook 30 minutes or so.  Add peas and cook another 15 minutes.  You can add more beef broth at this time if it doesn't look like you have enough liquid for a gravy.

Here is the finished product.  Yummy!

Enjoy!!

Pepper Steak with Rice Noodles

It's time for another round of Secret Recipe Club and this month we were assigned Adventures in all things Food. Andrea actually had us a few months ago and made my mom's Blueberry Pie Bars so it's great we can blog one of her recipes in return. She's very creative and has lot of different posts making food using fresh ingredients her family grows on their farm. She also reviews new products from frozen Mexican entrees and granola bars to dog biscuits and sippy cups. After looking through many interesting and delicious looking posts I decided to try her version of Beef & Peppers over Rice Noodles. This recipe makes a lot of food, definitely enough for a family of 4 or 5 because John and I had left overs of this for lunch two days in a row.

Ingredients:
1 lb Rice Noodles
1 1/2 lbs Beef Round Strips
1 Bunch of Green Onions - Diced
5-6 small Sweet Red & Yellow Peppers - Sliced
8 oz Brown Mushrooms - Sliced
1 Cup Lite Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
4 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Ginger - Minced
3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1 Lime - Juiced
4 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 Tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
Couple of Dashes of Sesame Oil

Start by making the marinade for the meat in a large bowl by whisking together the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, lime juice, Thai red curry paste and rice wine vinegar. Make a slurry with the corn starch by mixing it with a little water in a separate bowl before adding it to the marinade, this will keep it from clumping up.

Break apart the beef and add all of it to the marinade. Cover the bowl and allow the meat to marinade in the fridge for a few hours.

When it's time to start cooking get your noodles in some hot water and follow the directions on the packaging to soften them. Then prep your vegetables and put your wok or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and then saute the peppers and green onions a few minutes. Add your mushrooms, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. Set them aside.

Add a tiny more oil and then add the beef and brown it for a few minutes on each side.  When it is partially cooked add back in all the vegetables.

Pour the sauce into the wok and add the noodles along with a little bit of the water they soaked in. Using your tongs toss the noodles into the sauce until they are completely coated and the vegetables and beef have spread throughout them. Allow the sauce to thicken until it bubbles stirring constantly so it doesn't stick and burn.

Drizzle some sesame oil over of the wok and top it with some more green onions. Portion into bowls and serve immediately. If you have left overs and you are going to reheat this meal in the microwave, I suggest adding a little bit of water to reconstitute the sauce.

Enjoy!!

Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/

An InLinkz Link-up

Slow Cooker Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

I love Greek food and it's a shame we don't get to enjoy it more often. We have a Greek Orthodox church in our neighborhood that has a festival twice a year and I always am excited to get myself a gyro or any of their other delicious foods. I found this recipe to make Gyros in a slow cooker and I have to say it comes pretty close to the real thing. I haven't done it yet but I'm sure the same recipe would be adaptable to chicken as well. Give it a try as an easy weeknight dinner with some oven roasted potatoes!!

We are back from our vacation to Disney World!! As expected it was full of memories and I am so glad we got to share Owen's first trip with my parents!! We were so lucky to have some beautiful warm weather, Owen loved meeting the characters and Samantha and I had ran an impressive 1st Half Marathon!! We couldn't have asked for a better week :) I couldn't resist sharing a few of my favorite pictures with all of you!!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Chuck Roast - Cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Large Onion - Thinly Sliced

1 Clove of Garlic - Minced

1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tsp Oregano

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Pepper

Whole Wheat Pitas

Iceberg Lettuce

Diced Tomato

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 Container Plain Greek Yogurt

1/4 Cup Cucumber - Peeled & Finely Diced 

1 Garlic Clove - Minced

1 Tsp Oregano

1/2 Tsp Dill

1/4 Tsp Salt

Pepper

Adapted from: http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/

In a large skillet warm 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil over medium-high heat. Slice the beef into 1/2 inch cubes and pat them dry to remove any moisture. Brown the beef in the skillet in a single layer for about 7 minutes each side, using tongs to move the cubes around. You may need to do this in two shifts or use two separate pans. Transfer the browned beef cubes to a plate with paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Add the beef and your sliced onion into the slow cooker bowl.

Now it is time to make the marinade the meat and onions are going to cook in. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt & pepper. Pour the marinade over top of the beef and onions, stir to make sure it has coated everything. 

Set your slow cooker to low and cook 6-8 hours. When it is done the meat should be very tender so you can shred it into smaller pieces if desired. You can always pick up pre-made Tzatziki sauce in the refrigerator section of your food store near where they keep the hummus but I like to make ours fresh. Mix all the Tzatziki ingredients together in a small bowl and let it sit in the fridge so the yogurt has a chance to absorb all of the flavors for a few hours.  

When you meat is done you can set up your gyros. The traditional topping are Tzatziki, raw onion, lettuce and tomato but you can obviously top them with whatever combination you'd like. I usually serve them with some oven roasted potatoes which makes a great Greek style meal without having to go to a restaurant or street fair.

Enjoy!!

Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/

Spaghetti Pie

My Aunt Millie gave me this recipe when the girls were still little and at the time all the girls loved it so we had it for dinner every few weeks.  This recipe makes two but you can definitely use 1/2 of the ingredients to make just one.  We ate one and I gave the other one to Kelly since Madelyn likes nothing better than to be held.  And who wouldn't rather hold a precious baby than make dinner?  

Ingredients:
1 box thin spaghetti
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef, 85% lean
1 45 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
15 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pie pans with PAM.  Boil water for cooking spaghetti.  While spaghetti is cooking brown the beef in a frying pan until no longer pink.  Drain grease.  Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for a few minutes to blend flavors.    

Drain spaghetti.  Let pasta cool for a few minutes.  Add eggs and parmesan cheese and stir until combined.

Take 1/2 of the pasta mixture and create a pie crust with the spaghetti.  Do the same with the second pie plate.

Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese in the middle.  Do the same with the 2nd pie.

Top with spaghetti sauce and meat mixture.  Do the same for the 2nd pie.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Spread 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese mixture on top and bake for another 5 minutes.  Do the same for the 2nd pie.

Let the pies sit for a few minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!!

This is linked to www.ourtableforseven.com

Playoff Chili

This is the perfect winter time dish. We are expecting snow this weekend so I plan on baking all weekend to keep the house extra warm and smelling delicious.  This recipe was adapted from Aunt Nubby's Kitchen who got it from Southern Living Magazine.  My husband said it was the best chili he ever had.  The addition of the sausage made the flavor a lot different than regular chili.  We had a lot left over and chili always gets better the longer it blends together.  So we enjoyed it for a few meals.  Have a great weekend!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped jalapenos
1 12 oz bottle of beer
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1-1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, cook ground beef, ground sausage, onion, red and yellow peppers and garlic until meat crumbles and is no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in diced tomatoes, jalapenos, beer, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt, red pepper, black pepper and oregano.   Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.  Add kidney beans and black beans and cover.  Cook for 15 more minutes.

Serve in bowls with shredded cheddar cheese on top.  We like to serve our chili over rice but it can also be served over corn chips.

Enjoy!!



Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/, www.foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com

Slow Cooker Beef & Cabbage Casserole

This month for Secret Recipe Club we were assigned The Bitchin Kitchin.  I was excited to be assigned Ellie because she is from New Jersey like we are. And Hoboken is where Nicole and Kathy both lived for a few years until recently.  Ellie mixes food and drink recipes with reviews and travel and all her photos are great.
I picked her Slow Cooker Turkey Cabbage Rolls because I have made Stuffed Cabbage  before and it took forever but my husband and I both loved it so I wanted to try it again. This was super easy and tasted just as good if not better than the stuffed cabbage version. I substituted the turkey for beef per my husband's request and added more rice and carrots and celery to the mix.  I also doubled the recipe so I would have lots of leftovers.  All the ingredients just fit into the slow cooker.  This dish serves 8-10 people.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 head of cabbage, core removed and cut into 6 pieces
2 28 oz cans of tomato sauce
2 slices bacon, cut into six pieces

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, brown rice and salt and pepper together until well combined.

Place one slice of bacon cut into pieces on the bottom of the crock pot.

Pour one can on tomato sauce over the bacon and then layer the first half of cabbage onto the sauce.
Add the meat and rice mixture on top.  Don't press it down too much.

Pour the second can of tomato sauce over the beef and rice layer.

Layer the remaining sliced cabbages over the sauce.  Gently press the cabbages into the sauce.  Add the remaining chopped slice of bacon on top.  Make sure the cabbage is in the sauce enough so that it cooks thoroughly.  Put the lid on and set the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours.

Once done make sure to stir everything together to incorporate all of the flavors.  This is not the most attractive dish but it is delicious.

Enjoy!!



Linked at: http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/, http://insidebrucrewlife.com, http://www.nap-timecreations.com, http://www.ducksnarow.com, http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/, http://thenymelrosefamily.com/, http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/, http://www.momstestkitchen.com/,
http://www.housewivesofriverton.com/, http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/, http://www.posedperfection.com/, http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/, www.mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com, http://happyandblessedhome.com/, http://www.notyourordinaryrecipes.com, http://www.apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/, www.4littlefergusons.wordpress.com, http://www.sixsistersstuff.com, http://www.flourmewithlove.com/, http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.ca/, http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com, http://whoneedsacape.com, http://www.simplelivingeating.com/