Cowboy Dinner

I love Melanie's food blog and if you haven't checked her out you really need go look and cook her dishes. I love the fact we seem to have very similar tastes in food. It's a great relationship because I can usually find on any given night about 10 to 15 choices in a dinner. She posted this recipe a few weeks ago. I love dishes so of course I had to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed in the least. I made a few changes mainly because I was short on ground chuck and I'm really not a fan of "ground" meat. I used half the meat and doubled the beans on top of using my favorite recipe for pinto beans. Overall not one person noticed I added more beans and less meat. Plus the flavor was so good. I can't wait to make this again.

Cowboy Dinner
adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Beef Mixture:1 pounds lean ground chuck
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups salsa (jarred or homemade)
3 cups pinto beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cornbread Topping:
½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large 12-inch skillet, brown the ground chuck and onion, adding the salt and pepper, over medium-high heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the pan. Stir in the corn, salsa, and beans. Pour the beef mixture into the prepared 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.

For the cornbread, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, beaten eggs and milk. Whisk together until just moistened and no dry spots remain.

Sprinkle the cheese over the beef mixture and pour the cornbread batter over the cheese and beef mixture. Gently spread the cornbread to the edges of the pan, evening it out over the top of the casserole.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges are bubbly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Vietnamese Pho with Beef

I've been wanting to make this soup for several years.  I probably have hundreds of magazines and cookbooks with the recipe for this dish yet I always had some reason why I didn't make it.  Well I finally gave it a try.  I have to say I like the soup.  It's probably not authentic but for someone who until about 15 years ago wouldn't touch anything that was American cooking I found it pleasantly good.  After smelling the 5 spice powder I had my doubts cause it didn't really smell good. Tip on the 5 spice powder look for it at a local Asian store.  I paid $1.99 for a nice size bottle for it there.  The local grocery store wanted $8.99 for a 2 oz. bottle. Nice thing is the soup didn't taste like the smell of the spice at all.  I'll admit I chickened out on using the fish sauce.  I bought the fish sauce and planned on using it but after opening the container I just couldn't do it.  If you know me you know I don't like fish or things that smell like fish.  I used soy sauce and my sweet husband swears you couldn't tell I had used soy sauce.   Overall this was a very fast dish to put together and made it to the table in less than 25 minutes.  Not bad for a night you really want take out.

Vietnamese Pho with Beef
The Best Simple Recipes America's Test Kitchen

8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, halved lengthwise, and smashed
3 2 1/2 inch strips zest and 1 tablespoon juice from one lime
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
8 ounces thick rice noodles
1 pound sirloin steak tips, sliced thin
3 tablespoons fish sauce (note I used low sodium soy sauce)
1 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce
4 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh whole cilantro leaves

Bring broth, ginger, lime zest, and five spice powder to boil in dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add noodles and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in beef and simmer until cooked through and noodles are completely tender, about 2 minutes.

Off heat, stir in fish (soy) sauce, chili garlic sauce, and lime juice.  Remove ginger and zest with slotted spoon.  Stir in scallions and cilantro.  Serves 4.

Beefy Nacho Soup

I'll be honest here I usually snub any recipes I find on websites that are the makers of processed foods. The goal in my house is to not eat much, if any, processed food. However I was "gifted" a can of nacho cheese soup and since we were running really low on grocery money last month I googled looking for decent recipes calling for the nacho cheese soup. I ended up choosing this one and to be honest we loved it. It was a perfect blend of flavors. I topped the soup with some cubed avocado, green onions, and fresh tomatoes. This would have been even better with some freshly made tortilla strips. Overall this was a winner in our family and I guess I'll be buying more of the nacho cheese soup in the future. This was a very simple and really quick to make dish. Perfect for those nights when time is low and yet money is too tight for take out. Also I should point out this barely fed 3 adults with no extras. Two of the adults complained about needing more. You would need to double or triple this recipe for large families.

Beefy Nacho Soup
Pillsbury.com

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (from 1 oz package) or make your own like I do
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 oz)

In 2-quart saucepan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.

Reduce heat to medium. Stir in remaining ingredients except shredded cheese. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Top individual servings with shredded cheese.

Cooking Light Lunch #1Open-Faced Beef Sandwiches with Greens and Horseradish Cream

This sandwich turned out really tasty. At first I was a little worried as my husband picked this one but there was no need to worry. I did do a few things differently then the original recipe (which I'll post). I used spinach instead of arugula as every store in my local area was out of arugula the day I did my shopping. Second I left the creme fraiche out of the horseradish creme. And the last thing I did different was used thinly sliced deli meat instead of flank steak. Mainly I used the deli meat because the local store wanted $9.99 lb for flank steak and I felt that was way too pricey. My big mistake was not warming the deli meat up, which the next time I would do, because the sandwich was a little cold. Overall this recipe makes it to the make it again pile.


Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Every time you leave a comment on a recipe during my cooking light challenge you will be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Feel free to mention it on your blog, websites you visit, and/or facebook. LMK that you did in a comment and I will give you an extra chance in the drawing.


Open-Faced Beef Sandwiches with Greens and Horseradish Cream
Cooking Light October 2008

Horseradish Cream:
2 1/2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons light sour cream
2 tablespoons creme fraiche

Sandwich:
3 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 (1 lb) flank steak, trimmed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups trimmed arugula
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 (1 1/2 oz) slices Texas toast, lightly toasted

To prepare cream, combine horseradish, sour cream, and creme fraiche in a small bowl; cover and chill.

Preheat broiler.

To prepare sandwich, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Uncover and cook 10 minutes or until onion is golden brown.

Sprinkle steak with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Combine steak and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, and toss to coat.

Combine arugula, oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl; toss gently. Spread 2 tablespoons horseradish cream over each bread slice; top each with about 1/3 cup onion, 1/2 cup arugula mixture, and 3 ounces of steak. Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 open-faced sandwich).


Calories: 383
Fat: 12.8 g (5.8 g sat, 4.6 g mono, 0.7 g poly)
Protein: 29.5 g
Carb: 36.5 g
Fiber: 4 g
Chol: 47 mg
Iron: 3.1 mg
Sodium: 543 mg
Calc: 186 mg

Mongolian Beef

This was a great meal that was loved by all who ate it. Not only was it super quick to make but it was a healthy meal to boot. Including prep time this recipe took about 25 minutes to cook. I served this dish over wide rice noodle but rice or regular noodles would work too.

Mongolian Beef
Cooking Light December 2009

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons dry sherry (didn't have so I just used beef broth)
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons peanut oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
16 medium green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; saute for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; saute 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

This makes 4 servings. A serving size is 1 cup.

Thai Beef Salad

Don loves this salad and given his years spent in Thailand loves Thai food. Me, I've sampled it a few times but I haven't really eaten it. I decided to give it a try and although Don had his doubts over my ability to make this dish it turned out pretty dang close to an original. Honestly you can make this as spicy or as mild as you like. I made it a little spicier than I would have preferred but it was so tasty. This will be a regular on our menu plan. I love how quickly it cooked and it was easy to make.

Thai Beef salad
adapted from here




Ingredients

1 lb beef. Any beef can be used.

Salad

1/4 cup sliced onions, separated
2 tomatoes, wedged
1/4 cup sliced cucumber
1/4 cup thinly sliced Thai chile peppers

Sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce, I left this out and according to my husband you don't notice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (spring onions)
1/4 cup chopped shallots (small red or purple onions)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Chili Garlic sauce

Barbeque the beef, and thinly slice it into bite sized pieces. Combine with the salad ingredients, and mix
the sauce and toss the whole.

Serving

Serve with sticky rice and lettuce.

Crispy Taco Wraps

My sister left a comment on Melanie's (My Kitchen Cafe) blog about switching the Crispy Chicken Wraps into a taco wrap. I finally decided to give it a try and it worked pretty well. As you can tell from my picture I really filled the wraps and in the future I think I'd not put quite as much stuff in the wraps. However these wraps were a hit and a nice change from the typical taco dinner. Mix it up and add your favorite taco fillings. I think the chicken from the easy chicken tacos would work well here too.

taco flavored ground beef (you could also use chicken or beef or pork or beans)
cheddar cheese
guacamole
shredded lettuce
tomatoes
salsa or taco sauce
sour cream
and any other toppings you like on your tacos

Lay a tortilla on a cutting board or counter. Spread with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Nest sprinkle some lettuce and tomatoes. Add some cheese and spread your taco flavored protein item. Roll the tortilla up and seal at the seam, leaving ends open. Spray with cooking spray.
Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Beef Stroganoff

My husband dislikes this dish usually. And usually I make this with ground beef and in a past life from a box. There are thousands of recipes on how to make this dish and I've tried probably 999 of them. This one time I struck gold as my stroganoff hating husband loved this dish and asked for me to make it again. The flavors were quite good and melded together nicely. The recipe originally called for beef tenderloin but that's too pricey for me so I used round steak that I cut against the grain to make it more tender.

Beef Stroganoff
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

salt
8 ounces egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and halved
12 ounces round steak, cut into 1/8 inch strips against the grain
pepper
3/4 cup beef broth
1 onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup sour cream

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the noodles and cook, stirring often, until they are almost tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the noodles, then return to the pot and toss with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium high heat until just smoking. Brown the beef, about 5 minutes, then transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Add 1/4 cup beef broth to the skillet and return to medium heat. Simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until syrupy, about 1 minute. Transfer the broth to the bowl with the mushrooms and beef.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the onion, brown sugar, and tomatoe paste and cook until the onion is slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and remaining 1/2 cup beef broth and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Add any accumulated juices from the mushrooms and beef. Stir about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the sour cream, then stir the sour cream mixture into the sauce. Add the mushrooms and beef and warm through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over the warmed buttered egg noodles.

Beef and Vegetable Soup plus a Giveaway Winners announced

First the giveaway. I've discovered this really package of tomato paste that is great for those recipes that only call for a teaspoon or tablespoon of tomato paste. You just store in the fridge after opening and its good for a few months. No more opening a can of tomato paste and then forgetting to use the rest of the can. This is made by Amore products and has become a favorite of mine. I hope you'll enjoy using it too. Just leave a comment if you'd like a chance to win one of two packages. If your a follower leave two comments for an extra chance and if your not a follower yet become one and let me know in a separate comment for two chances to win. You have until Friday at 5pm (MST) to enter and winners will be announced Saturday.
Winners are:

he winners of the tomato paste tubes:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

13 6 

Timestamp: 2009-10-24 15:18:57 UTC

Number 6 is Frieda

Number 13 is Charmed

If you'd email your address at n_baron@msn.com I'll get them in the mail next week.

Now on to the soup. This had great flavor and was a favorite amongst everyone in our house. The depth of flavor was unbelievable. This is not a quick soup dish but not as long as some soup recipes. Next time I plan on adding some barely to the soup as I think that would really add to the dish.

Beef and Vegetable Soup
Cooks Country Dec./Jan. 2006

Broth
3 pounds beef blade steaks
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups low sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1 garlic head, top third cut off and discarded, loose outer skins removed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Soup
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch half moons
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley

For the broth
Season blade steaks with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Add half of steaks and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Set steaks aside on plate. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and steaks.

Pour fat from dutch oven and return to medium high heat. Add tomato paste and cook, mashing paste with wooden spoon for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and water, and scrape browned bits from bottom of pot with wooden spoon. Return steaks and any accumulated juices to pot. Add garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and bring to a simmer, using a wide, shallow spoon to skim off foam or fat that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until meat is tender, about 2 hours.

Transfer steaks and garlic head to a rimmed plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle shred meat into bite sized pieces, discarding any fat. Using tongs, squeeze garlic cloves into small bowl. Mash with fork until paste forms. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer. Return shredded beef and garlic paste to broth. Broth can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 2 months.

For the Soup
Melt butter in clean dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and carrots. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

To serve, adjust servings with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.

You can add other veggies or replace the veggies listed with others. Just adjust cooking times as needed.

Steak Tips Au Poivre

Quick and easy dish for a busy night. Start to finish this recipe took me 20 minutes. The meat was tender and delicious. Next time I think I'd serve this over rice or with buttered noodles but its great on its own. The original recipe calls for 1/2 red wine but I used chicken broth in place of the red wine.

Steak Tips Au Poivre
adapted from Cooks Country April/May 2009

1 1/2 pounds steak tips, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Pat steak tips dry with paper towels. Rub all over with pepper and season with salt. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steak tips until browned all over and cooked to desired doneness, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Add 1 tablespoon butter and shallot to empty skillet and cook until softened, about one minute. Add both broths and thyme to skillet. Simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, whisk in any accumulated steak juice and remaining butter and season with salt. Spoon sauce over steaks. Serve.

Dressed Up French Dip

I usually make a French dip as a quick and easy dinner. Sometimes though I love to make a dressed up version or a grown up version. While this one requires a little more time most of it is in the cooking of the meat. You can choose to cook your meat in the crockpot if you desire but I prefer mine in the oven. If your using your crockpot brown your meat and then cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Dressed Up French Dip

3-4 lb chuck roast
Brown the roast on all sides. Place in a dutch oven with about 2 cups of water and place in a 325 degree oven, covered with foil. Cook 3-4 hours or tender. Check for water and don't let it run dry.

2 medium onions, sliced thin
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced or 2 4 ounce cans of mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
Melt butter in pan. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until a golden brown color. Stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

After roast is done shred the beef into bite size pieces. Cover with foil and make the au jus sauce. You can you a packaged aujus sauce with the drippings or just water or you can make your own. I prefer to make my own.

1 (10-1/2 ounce) can French Onion soup
1 (10-1/2 ounce) can Beef Broth
1 can cold water
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bring ingredients to a boil in saucepan; serve hot.

Next assemble the sandwich. I like to pile the meat onto my roll or bread, I used my Cuban bread for this recipe in the picture, and top with the cooked onions and mushrooms. I also like to put Gruyère cheese on top and melt the cheese under the broiler. Serve with the aujus sauce and enjoy.

Brian's Awesome Steak Marinade

Yummy! The smell and the taste of these steaks were just plain yummy! I made 6 steaks with this marinade and I should have made more. The kids ate one steak each which is almost a miracle these days. My husband ate his steak and said don't even think about ever trying another marinade this has topped any recipe I had tried before. The recipe calls for an overnight marinade but I did not catch that so my steaks only marinaded for about 6 hours but they still had great flavor. You might want to give this recipe a try before grilling season is over.


Brian's Awesome Steak Marinade
Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe


1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 garlic cloves crushed or finely minced

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and use as marinade. If marinading steaks, I marinade the meat overnight (about 12-14 hours) before grilling.

Quick and Easy Hamburger Steak

This is another of those go to recipes for busy days. It's quick and simple to make and requires just a handful of ingredients. We prefer having the mushrooms and onions with the gravy but its easy to leave those out of your family does not like them. You can cook the hamburger any way you want. Sometimes we grill it, broil it, or fry it in the pan. You can also use packaged gravy mix if desired but I make my own.

Quick and Easy Hamburger steaks

4-6 hamburger patties
salt
pepper
Cook hamburger anyway you'd prefer and season to your taste. While cooking the burgers:

melt 2 tablespoons butter in pan over medium high heat
add one can of mushrooms
one onion, sliced
Cook, stirring occasionally until onions start to brown.

Now either use a brown gravy packet, added to the mushrooms and onions, and add water according to the packet. Or follow this recipe for gravy:

3 tbsp. flour
2 c. water
2 tbsp. catsup
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Stir flour into the mushrooms and onions. Stir until brown. Add water, catsup, black pepper. When gravy thickens, pour over meat

Grandma Wooly's Beef Barbecue

I after reading the ingredient list I thought there was no way this dish could really taste all that great. The ingredient list was way too short and contained some strange ingredients for bbq'd beef. However I was wrong. This dish was really quite tasty and was quite easy to make. The smell of this cooking made me very hungry long before it was done cooking. This is going on our to make again list!

Grandma Wooly's Beef Barbecue
Cooks Country Magazine October/November 2009

1 tablespoon pickling spice
2 pounds boneless chuck eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
8 hamburger buns, toasted

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Tie pickling spice in cheesecloth to make sachet. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef, turning occasionally, until well browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining oil and beef.

Stir water into pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add beef, along with any accumulated juices, to pot and bring to boil. Transfer pot to oven and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is nearly tender, about 1 hour. Stir ketchup, vinegar, and mustard into pot. Add pickling spice sachet and continue to cook, covered, until meat is fork tender, about one hour longer.

Discard sachet. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to plate. When cool enough to handle, shred beef into bite sized pieces. Return beef to pot and stir until coated with sauce and warmed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on hamburger buns.

Skillet Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chilies

Sometimes I long for the old days of using hamburger helper for dinner. However my tastes have changed and hamburger helper is just gross to me these days. This dish brings back the easy meal making that the boxed stuff offers but it tastes nothing like the boxed stuff. The flavors mingled together perfectly and it was simple and quick to make. I was worried about adding the green chilies and almost skipped using them. I am so glad I did not since they really added to the dish. Give this simple and quick dish a try, you won't be disappointed.

Skillet Mac with Corn and Green Chilies
Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe

Serves 6

**If you want a traditional chili mac, omit the corn, chiles and cilantro**

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, minced
3/4 tablespoon chili powder (add more if you want more heat)
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander (substitute ground cumin for a smokier flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen corn
1 4.5-oz can chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of cheddar and monterey jack but you can use pepper jack or a mexican shredded cheese blend)

Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, coriander, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat or grease (the amount will depend on how lean your beef is). Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 12-12 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, frozen corn, green chiles and cilantro and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Barbecue Sirloin and Blue Cheese Salad with Garlic-Olive Bread

This was an easy meal that I had on the table from start to finish in about 30 minutes. We loved the salad and the flavors were good together. I used a mild flavored Gorgonzola blue cheese but if you want a more assertive taste I like Maytag blue cheese.

Barbecue Sirloin and Blue Cheese Salad with Garlic-Olive Bread
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine September 2009

1 pound lean sirloin steak, seasoned with your favorite steak seasoning
Cook on grill to your desired temperature. Cut against grain in thin slices.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 garlic powder
Mix all ingredients together. Double this if you'd prefer more dressing.

6 cups torn butter or Boston lettuce
3/4 cup thinly sliced peeled cucumber
1 cup red pepper strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tomatoes, cut into slices
Build your salad in individual bowls. Start from the first ingredient, lettuce, and end with blue cheese. Top with steak and salad dressing. Serve.


Bread
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice 2 Italian style hoagie rolls in half horizontally. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon garlic powder; brush evenly over cut sides of rolls. Bake at 425 degrees for 7 minutes or until toasted.

Corned Beef Hash

We love corned beef hash in our house. I don't know what it is that draws us to it but we just really like it. As such whenever the corned beef gets marked down after St. Patrick's day we stock up on it to use for corned beef hash and Reuben sandwiches. This has been one of the easiest recipes I have tried for corned beef hash and one of the best tasting. I hope you like it as much as we did.

Corned Beef Hash
adapted slightly from Nook & Pantry

2 slices of bacon regular thickness or 1 slice thick cut, chopped
2 C chopped corned beef 1/2 inch cubes
2 potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
A few shakes of Tabasco

Cook the bacon in a nonstick or well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat until crisp and the fat has rendered.

Add the diced onions and potatoes. Add more oil if not enough rendered from the bacon. Shake the skillet and flip the potatoes occasionally so the potatoes can brown on all sides. Cook until the potatoes are nearly cooked through.

Add the corned beef, bell peppers, mustard, oregano, and any additional seasoning. Cook until the potatoes are fully cooked through.

Cabbage Rolls

One of my all time favorite meals from my childhood is cabbage rolls and comes from my mother's side of the family. When I mention these to friends they always turn up their nose at them. Heck even my own husband won't touch these. However they are so good.

1 head of cabbage
Drop in boiling water and slowly remove the leaves. As you remove the leaves let them drain until cook to touch. If you want, and they roll better if you do but you can skip this if you want, remove part of the thick part of the rib on the cabbage.

Meat mixture
1-2 lbs ground beef, depending on how big your head of cabbage is
1-2 cups rice, white or brown whatever your preference and the amount depends on how much ground beef you use and your personal preference
1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves minced, I like garlic if you don't use less
2-3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
salt and pepper to your taste
Mix all together.

Grab a cabbage leaf and fill with meat mixture. Roll the leaf up and remember to tuck in the sides halfway through the rolling up. I usually put about 4 ounces of tomato sauce on the bottom of the crockpot or pan. Fill the bottom of the pan and cover the rolls with tomato sauce and sauerkraut. Add another row of cabbage rolls and continue until all the cabbage leaves are used.

Cook in oven for 3-4 hours at 350 degrees or in a crockpot on low for 8 hours.

I usually fill a tomato sauce can twice with water and add that to the pot. If cooking in the oven keep an eye on the liquid and add more if needed. I usually don't add more when cooking in the crockpot. Cook on low in the crockpot for 6-8 hours.

Steak Hoagies with Mushrooms, Onions, and Peppers

Oh those were yummy and so quick and easy to make. The only thing I would do differently is use some Worcestershire sauce and use Heinz 57 instead of A1. I had these prepped and cooked in less than thirty minutes and they tasted as good as a sandwich at our favorite steak sub shop. An added bonus was I made these for less than $8 which is about $8 less than a trip to our local steak sub shop. Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.

Steak Hoagies with mushrooms, onions, and peppers
Cooks Country Magazine June/July 2008

2 strip steaks, about 1 inch thick
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6 inch) sub rolls, slit partially open lengthwise
6 ounces thinly sliced deli provolone cheese

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and let rest five minutes, then slice thin against the grain.

Meanwhile, add remaining oil, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to empty skillet and cook until vegetables are softened and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in steak sauce, oregano, and sliced steak until well combined.

Divide steak mixture among rolls and top with cheese. Arrange sandwiches on rimmed baking sheets and bake until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Porcupine Meatballs

This is a dish from my childhood. I love these meatballs. You can make these in the oven or in the crockpot but I prefer them in the pressure cooker. As I mentioned before I much prefer the pressure cooker to the crock pot these days, especially during the heat that has hit our state. I've adapted these meatballs over the years and I finally have them to what I call perfection. You may want to adjust them to fit your families tastes.

1.5 lbs ground chuck
1 cup white rice, I use regular but you can use minute rice
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 shakes of hot sauce
2 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Combine everything but the tomato sauce together. Shape into meatballs and place in pressure cooker, it's okay to stack meatballs on top of each other. Pour the tomato sauce over the top of the meatballs and close the lid. Bring the pressure cooker to pressure over medium heat. Maintain pressure and cook about 15 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing lid. Serve.