Loose Meat Sandwiches

This was the first recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking that I wasn't impressed with. They sounded INCREDIBLE to me with all the tang from the mustard and the vinegar but honestly, I thought they needed something more.

The husband on the other hand LOVED them. He had 3 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey (the lean is more imp. than the type)

1 onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups beef broth

8 hamburger buns (I used gluten free bread, toasted)

traditional hamburger fixen's (pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, etc)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Crumble in the ground meat (it needs to be thawed, or it'll cook in a big clump). Add onion, sugar, spices, mustard, and vinegar. Pour in the beef broth. Mix well until everything is fully incorporated---you may want to use your hands. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Stir well before serving by scooping with a slotted spoons onto hamburger buns. Top with your desired fixings.

Chili Cheese Dog Casserol

Aaaah, Chili Cheese Dogs. One of my favorite foods to eat in the summer time. When I saw this recipe on A Taste of Home, I knew I had to try it. Who doesn't love all the yummy goodness of summertime wrapped up in the comfort of a casserole in the middle of winter & subzero temperatures?

This was a HUGE hit with all 3 of us. Even the baby had seconds & had a little more for lunch the next day!!

I actually made a couple changes which are in blue.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix I actually used 2 mixes, one on the top and one on the bottom of the casserole
  
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package (1 pound) hot dogs, halved lengthwise and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 can (15 ounces) chili with beans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided I always use waaay more cheese
  

Directions:

• Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions. Spread half the batter into a greased 8-in. square baking dish; set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and celery in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in hot dogs; saute 3-4 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Stir in the chili, brown sugar, garlic powder and chili powder; heat through. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese. Spoon over prepared corn bread. Spread remaining batter onto hot dog mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

American Chop Suey

There's nothing better in the winter time than comfort food and to me, this American Chop Suey is the epitome of comfort food. I mean really, who doesn't LOVE a dish with ground beef, tomatoes, all kinds of other fresh veggies, noodles, and cheese? My little guy absolutely LOVES this too.

The Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained

5 bacon strips, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced (I used 1 green and 1 yellow pepper!)

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes --- any flavor, or plain

1 can water (empty tomato can)

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce

1 (16-ounce) package elbow macaroni

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. In a large skillet, brown the beef, bacon and onion all together until the meat is no longer pink. Drain well and plop into your slow cooker. Add everything else into the pot except for the pasta and cheese.

Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for about 4. Stir in the raw pasta and cook on high for approximately 30 minutes, or until pasta is bite-tender. Serve in a wide-mouthed bowl with a handful of cheese on each serving.

Java Roast

This was AMAZING!!! I am SO addicted to the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking" that I can't help but use my slow cooker 5 times a week. (Click recipe title for the link)

I was a little skeptical with the coffee and cream cheese but seriously, it was unbelievable. Even the toddler enjoyed it :-)

Ingredients

--3 lb chuck roast, trimmed of fat
--3/4 cup brewed coffee
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow)
--8 oz sliced mushrooms
--1 t garlic powder, or 4-5 chopped cloves
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/4 black pepper
--1 T Worcestershire sauce
--3 T red wine vinegar
--4 oz cream cheese (to add at the end)

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart or larger crockpot.

I opted to not brown the meat and onions, and instead plopped everything in to the crockpot. I put the vegetables on the bottom, and then the meat.

Add the coffee, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, and spices.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. I cooked our meat on low for exactly 8 hours, and then it was on warm for another 3.

Carefully remove the meat from the pot, and stir in the cream cheese. I'd cut the cream cheese in slices and add it one at a time, if you can, to help it from separating in little white dots the way mine did. I got impatient. If you do get a bunch of little white dots, they will taste fine, but annoy you.

French Dip Sandwiches

This is another hit at my house! SUPER yummy and SUPER easy! I found this in KellyCooks blog! SOOO amazing!

2lb beef roast
1packet dry onion soup mix
1 can french onion soup (i use the reduced sodium)
2 beef bullion cubes

Provolone Cheese for topping
Rolls for makin' the samiches!

Directions:
Place the beef roast, soup mix, can of soup, and beef bullion cubes in the crockpot.
Cook on low for at least 6 hours.
Shred the meat, reserving the juices in the bottom of the crockpot.

Toast the rolls, add the meat, top with cheese! YUM

The Best Beef Stew

Yet another recipe from my Fix It Quick: Slow Cooker. Hubby is a BIG meat and potatoes guy, so beef stew is definitely a favorite of his. I'm not huge on beef stew so I wanted to try something different--this was definitely amazing!!! We will be making this again for sure.

Ingredients:
1/2c plus 2T flour, divided
2t salt
1t pepper
3lbs beef for stew, cut into 1" pieces
16oz diced tomatoes in juice, undrained (I used the Italian style with the garlic and herbs)
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2lb smoked sausage, diced (I used HOT italian per David's request)
1c. chopped leak
1c. chopped onion
1/2c chicken broth
3cloves garlic, minced
1t thyme
3T water

Directions:
Combine 1/2c flour, salt, and pepper in resealable plastic food storage bag. Add beef; shake bag to coat beef. Place beef in slowcooker. Add remaining ingredients except 2 T flour and water. Stir well. Cover; cook on LOW 8-12 hours or on HIGH 4-6 hours.

One hour before serving; turn slow cooker to high. Combine 2T flour with 3T water, stir until mixture becomes paste. Stir mixture into slowcooker; mix well. Cover and cook until thickened.

Dorito Casserole

So this is a recipe I got from "NewlyAshworth" on the WC nest board! I was slightly hesistant on trying it, but anything with doritos, cheese, and gr. beef is worth eating, right? This makes a 9x13 pan and David ate 1/2 of it himself! He said it tastes just like the enchiladas he used to get in Texas.

Ingredients
1lb ground beef, browned
1 small onion, chopped and sauteed with the beef
1 small can of diced green chiles, sauteed with the beef and onion
2 cans of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
1 small can of red enchilada sauce
1 bag of nacho cheese doritos, crushed
1 bag of finely shredded mexican cheese blend

Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and green chiles. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine soup and sauce. Add the ground beef mixture. In a 9x13 glass pan, layer doritos, meat mixture, cheese, doritos until you've used all your ingredients...be sure to END with doritos on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I covered mine for 20 minutes then took the foil off and baked the last 10 minutes. ENJOY!

Beef Bourguignon

It's been ages since I've actually updated anything in here...I just don't seem to have the time anymore but I'm going to make an effort to work on it a couple times a week.

I made this the other night when my mom had her surgery because it was quick and easy and I could just toss it all in the crockpot and it was all ready to go when I finally got home after 26 hours of being awake.

3lbs boneless beef top sirloin steaks
1/2c. all purpose flour
4 slices of bacon diced
2 medium carrots, diced
8 small new red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into quarters
8-10 mushrooms sliced
24 pearl onions
3 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1t dried marjoram leaves
1/2t dried thyme leaves
1/2t salt
black pepper to taste
21/2 cups Burgundy Wine or Beef broth (I used half and half)

1. Cut beef into 1/2inch pieces. Coat with flour and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until partially cooked. Add beef; cook until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Layer carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper, beef and bacon mixture in the slow cooker. Pour liquid over top. Cover and cook 8-9 hours on low or until beef is tender. Remove and discard bay leaf.

This recipe was adapted from "Fix it Quick: Slow Cooker"

MeatBall Subs!

I decided to make these tonight because I had a pound of ground beef that HAD to be used tonight or it was going to go bad. Meatball subs always make me think of the superbowl because when we were growing up mom always used to make these for us so we could sit and watch TV and not make a huge mess.

ENJOY!

1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 French baguette
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch salt, or to taste
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices provolone cheese


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a medium bowl, gently mix by hand the ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Shape into 12 meatballs, and place in a baking dish.
3.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half lengthwise, and remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs. Brush with olive oil, and season with garlic powder and salt. Slip the baguette into the oven during the last 5 minutes of the meatball's time, or until lightly toasted.
4.While the bread toasts, warm the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. When the meatballs are done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Spoon onto the baguette and top with slices of provolone cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Cool slightly, cut into servings, and enjoy!