London Broil

This is a pretty simple, easy meal to make. The cut of meat isn't very expensive, and it feeds a decent number of people. The marinade I used was just a bunch of stuff I threw together and already had on hand. It was great.

I served this with roasted garlic asparagus and roasted herb potatoes. And rolls. Yum. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 London broil (the market usually labels it as such. If you can't find it, flank steak works too)
For marinade:
-4 tablespoons veggie oil
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
-1 tablespoon ketchup

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients.

Lightly core the meat in a large cross-hatch pattern (think tic-tac-toe board) on both sides. Place the London broil in a large plastic zip-top bag, or a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over it and massage into the meat. Place in the fridge to marinate, at least 30 minutes. Overnight would be ok too.

After it's been marinating or a while, place the meat in a slow cooker, with the excess marinade. Cover and cook on low until cooked through, about 4 hours. (I think my slow cooker cooks hot and quickly, so adjust this based on your machine's quirks)

Remove from the slow cooker and slice to serve. I made a brown gravy to supplement. Yum!

Taco Soup

This soup was really tasty. It's super thick and yummy, great for a cold night's dinner. This is also pretty easy and would be wonderful to make for a football watching party, or get together at the holidays, or whenever you need to feed a decent number of people. This recipe would easily feed four adults as a meal, I believe, so you could probably serve this for eight adults if you had a bunch of other food there.

This was the first time I have made taco soup, so, as is often the case, I will make some minor adjustments next time. Basically, I think it had too many tomatoes for my preference. I used a can of stewed tomatoes, and a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis. Next time, I would either not use the whole can of stewed tomatoes, or I would not use Rotel and just add a small can of green chilis to the stewed tomatoes. It wasn't bad the way I made it, just needs a little tweaking for me to love it. I'll give you the exact recipe I used and you can adjust as you see fit.

So, without further ado, Taco Soup!

Ingredients:
-1-1.5 lb ground beef (use more for a larger group)
-2 or 3 tablespoons garlic powder
-2 tablespoons onion powder
-2 tablespoons chili powder
-1 teaspoon paprika
-1 teaspoon cumin
-1 can stewed tomatoes
-1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilis
-1 can pinto beans
-1 can whole kernel corn, drained
-1/2 to 1 cup water (as needed)
-1 package ranch dressing mix
-sour cream and shredded cheese for topping

Directions:
In a large pot over medium high heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain and return to pot.

Reduce heat to medium.

Add in the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and paprika.

Stir it into the meat. It won't be 100% incorporated, but that's ok.

Next, add in the tomatoes and Rotel, canned liquid included.

Next add the pinto beans, liquid included.

Then the DRAINED corn.

Stir all the ingredients together until everything is well mixed.

It should be almost wet enough for soup from all the canned liquid added, but you can add some water if you need to.

I ended up adding a cup of water before I let the soup cook at all, and I was surprised how much more liquid was released from the veggies as they cooked, and probably could have gotten away with less water, but it was ok anyway.

When everything has started heating up and cooking and melding together, add in the ranch dressing mix. Stir to make sure it's well incorporated and not clumping up somewhere. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer another 10 minutes or so to let everything marry together.

Serve hot, and top with a little dollup of sour cream...and some shredded cheese. :) I also served mine with tortilla chips, which was awesome.

It was nice to have a little bit of crunch in with the soup. Enjoy!

Beef Veggie Soup

Yes, it's still cold, and yes I still want soup. Haha. This one is super simple and pretty hearty. I tossed a little orzo pasta in to get rid of it and add a little extra starch to thicken it a bit. You don't have to, I just did. I used cube steak because it is ridiculously tender and won't get tough from cooking in the soup like a lot of other cuts of beef will. I hope this warms you up on a cold winter night! :)

Ingredients:
-1 lb cube steak, cut into bite sized pieces
-1.5 cups chopped carrots
-1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped
-1 large russet potato, scrubbed and chopped
-3 cups beef broth or stock
-2 cups water
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup small pasta (optional)

Directions:
In a large pot, bring broth and water to a boil over high heat. Add in the veggies and beef.

Add in the pasta. Let boil for about 10 minutes so veggies start to get tender and meat is mostly cooked through, and pasta is almost al dente.

Reduce heat to low and let simmer for another 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the veggies are tender.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Cheater Shepherd's Pie

I made this the other day, kind of out of the leftover food I had at my house. I wanted something hearty but not overly dramatic. This fit the bill. I've made Shepherd's Pie before, but this was just slightly easier in method, so it worked for me. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground beef
-3 tablespoons flour
-3/4 cup heavy cream
-1/2 cup milk
-1.5 teaspoons onion powder
-1/2 cup veggies (I used peas and carrots), chopped small
-2 russet potatoes, for mashing
-2 tablespoons butter
-1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Scrub the potatoes, leaving the skin on, then cube them and add them to the boiling water. Cook the potatoes until fork-tender, then drain the water. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. Add the butter and milk to smooth it out just a bit.

You can also season it with a little salt and pepper if you want. Set the potatoes aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the ground beef over medium high heat in a skillet until no longer pink.

Drain the meat, reserving the fat from cooking (the "grease"). Set the meat aside for later. Return the grease to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium/medium low. Whisk in the flour to make a roux.

Cook the roux for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cream and whisk to combine. The sauce should begin to thicken up a bit.

Add the milk to thin it out slightly, and whisk to incorporate. Add the onion powder and stir to combine. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently.

It will thicken up a little bit again. Add the veggies to the sauce

and stir to combine. Add the meat to the sauce and stir to coat.

Serve the mashed potatoes on the plate, and top with the beef mixture.

Enjoy the yummy goodness!

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

I was craving comfort food, and for some reason, it occurred to me to make Chicken Fried Steak. I've never made it before. But, I've made fried chicken, so I figured it couldn't be too terribly hard. Haha.

It wasn't really very difficult, but I will make some improvements next time around. This time I used a sirloin, pounded thin. Next time I think I'll use cube steak. I also think I might have overcooked the meat just slightly. It happens occasionally. Haha. But overall, this was really good, and I will make it again sometime.

I also made the gravy from scratch, and will give you the recipe. But don't feel like you have to make it from scratch...using one of those mixes will work fine too. There are some that are pretty tasty, so don't worry about that part. :)

Ingredients:
-Steak, either sirloin or cube, enough to feed everyone
-1/2 cup flour, for dredging
-egg wash, for dredging (1 or 2 eggs, whisked together with a splash of water or milk)
-any seasonings you'd care to add to the flour for flavor in the "breading" (at least salt and pepper)
-veggie oil, for frying (I think I used about 1/4 cup; enough to cover the bottom of your skillet)

For gravy:
-reserved drippings from frying pan
-3 tablespoons flour
-1 cup milk
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In two shallow dishes, spread out your flour and egg wash. Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium/medium high heat. Let the oil completely heat up before trying to fry the steak.

Pound out the steak to a thin sheet (approximately 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick). Cut into individual serving sizes before dredging. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Lay the steak into the flour and coat evenly on both sides. Move the steak from the flour to the egg wash, coating evenly on both sides. Return the steak to the flour once again and coat evenly. If your oil is already hot, go ahead and place the steak in the hot oil. If it's not hot yet set it aside on a plate until the oil is hot.

Let the steak get brown on one side, then flip it over to brown the other side. The thin-ness of the steak will make sure it cooks all the way through by the time both sides are browned. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Repeat this process for all the steak.

You should have some oil left in the skillet, with some brown bits from the steak frying process.

Perfect. Reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk in the 3 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Cook the rue for a few minutes, then add in the milk, a little at a time, and whisk to incorporate.

Add the salt and pepper for seasoning. Cook the gravy for another several minutes, stirring frequently, letting it thicken up and get yummy.

If the gravy gets too thick, just add a little more milk, a tablespoon or so at a time, to thin it out until it's the desired consistency. It's amazing over the steak, and over mashed potatoes, which I made to accompany this meal. Yum.

Plate the steak and anything else you're serving with it (I did mashed potatoes and green bean casserole). Spoon the yummy gravy over the steak and enjoy!

Taco Dip

Can I just say that some days, I just want to snack all day? Meals are no fun, and I just want to munch. That was why this ended up on the menu. However, it is full of such great stuff it could totally make a meal. Haha. My husband and I were totally satisfied eating this for dinner. Cause we're cool like that.

This would also be a great dish to take to a party, or to have at your own. It's super easy, and it's great cold or room temperature, so no worrying about keeping it warm. So I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Ingredients:
-1 can refried beans
-1 lb ground beef
-1/2 cup water
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-2 tablespoons chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-1/2-3/4 cup red enchilada sauce
-1.5 cups guacamole* (homemade recipe below)
-1.5 cups sour cream
-1 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack)
-tortilla chips, for dipping

Directions:
Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium/high heat until no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet. Add the water, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to incorporate well.

Reduce heat to medium. Let the water start to simmer, and stir occasionally. When the water has mostly evaporated and the meat has absorbed most of the flavor of the spices, it's done. Set aside.

In a square baking dish (approximately 9 by 9 inches), spread the refried beans in an even layer.

Add the ground beef as the next layer. Spoon the enchilada sauce over the beef in as even a layer as possible.

It won't be perfect, but that's ok.

Next, spread the guacamole* over the other three layers.

The next layer will be the sour cream,

and then the shredded cheese.

And you're done!

Serve with tortilla chips for dipping and dig in!

*Homemade guacamole:
Ingredients:
-2 avocados
-1 lime
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro

Directions:
Cut around the pit of each avodaco. Gently twist the two halves apart. One half should contain the pit. Insert your knife blade into the pit, and gently turn it. If you do it right and you have a good avocado, it should twist right out. Discard the pit. Using a spoon, gently remove the avocado from the skin. Rough chop the avocado and place in a food processor, or a large mixing bowl.

Sprinkle with the juice of one lime. This will help to keep the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown, as well as adding a fresh flavor to the guacamole. Pulse the avocado (or mash with a fork if you don't have a food processor) until it reaches the desired consistency. For me, that's pretty smooth with few chunks, but feel free to leave it a little chunkier if that's your thing. Add the spices and pulse or mash to combine and incorporate well.

Once that's done, your guacamole is ready for consumption. Enjoy!

Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

This is probably one of the easiest recipes of all time. No lie.

My mom used to make this occasionally for Sunday dinner. I have fond memories of coming home from church Sunday morning and having pot roast for lunch. I'm sure my mom loved it because it was so easy. Haha. I appreciated that aspect as well. :)

You will need a crock pot for this version of pot roast. You can do it in the oven, but that's not how I do it so I can't really direct you in that regard. Have fun!

Ingredients:
-Beef roast (I think mine was a pound or so, to feed two...adjust to feed your family)
-new potatoes, enough to feed everyone
-carrots (I used baby carrots...if you use regular ones, just chop them into large pieces)
-1 cup water
-any seasonings you'd like (I would at least add some salt and pepper)

Directions:
Place the roast in the crock pot. If you're adding seasoning, mix it with the water, then pour into the crock pot. Otherwise, just pour the water in. Intersperse the potatoes and carrots all around the crock pot. Cover with the lid.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. When the time's up, make sure the roast is cooked through, and the veggies are tender.

Serve and enjoy! I make brown gravy to go with mine, but the "juice" in the crock pot is good too.

Yum! See, easiest recipe of all time. :)

Make-Do Sliders

Have you heard of sliders? They're pretty popular these days, it seems. Little tiny burgers are just too fun to pass up, I suppose. Haha. I admit, I enjoy them on occasion too. So when I looked in my freezer and saw I had some frozen dinner rolls, the gears started turning. I decided to try to make my own sliders, just for fun. I also had some leftover frozen french fries from the last time we made burgers, so it was perfect. So I "made-do" with what I had and ended up with sliders. Hence the title of this post. :)

These were easy, and although the rolls took a little while to bake, that was pretty much the longest part of the process. The fries also took a little while, but it was still easy. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-frozen dinner rolls
-1 lb ground beef
-cheese slices (I used one slice for 4 sliders)
-Worcestershire sauce, to taste (I probably used just under a teaspoon)
-onion powder to taste (I used probably half a teaspoon)
-desired condiments

Directions:
Bake the rolls according to package directions.

When done, set aside.

Start the french fries. This was the second longest part of the meal, so I started them early. Bake according to package directions.

In a small bowl, mix together the beef, Worcestershire sauce, and onion powder. Shape into small patties.

Place on a grill.

Grill the patties until no longer pink.

I used my little countertop grill, so this took basically no time. When cooked through and still hot, add the cheese slices so they'll melt just slightly.

Slice the rolls in half to make a little hamburger bun. Place the meat onto the "bun" and add any desired condiments.

Serve with the hot fries and enjoy! Yum!