Perfectly Simple Beef Roast and Gravy

I have been making this roast as long as I can remember.  It always turns out perfect. This is ultimate comfort food.  It is so flavorful and literally just melts in your mouth it's so tender.  It makes a wonderful gravy to pour over your beef and mashed potatoes.  Impressive enough to serve to guest and easy enough to make any night of the week.  Just throw everything in the slow cooker and you will come home to a wonderful meal. 

Tip:  Leftovers are wonderful in a burrito or on a sandwich roll with melted cheese.

Ingredients:

1 (3-4 ) pound beef roast (shoulder, chuck, whichever you prefer)
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Onion Dry Soup Mix
1 can Beef Broth
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker.  Generously salt and pepper roast.  Sprinkle dry soup mix over roast and then top with mushroom soup. Pour beef broth over roast.

Cook on low 8-10 hours.  Shred with a fork and pour gravy over beef.

Enjoy!

Ultimate Lasagna

This is my Ultimate Lasagna.  So if your 80 year old grandmother makes you lasagna for Christmas every year when you visit her in ITALY, please don't dispute the Ultimate part and have her make me some the next time you go. =)  This is meaty, cheesy perfection.  It is bursting with flavor.  My family loves this and everyone gobbles it up every time I make it.  I have some tips for making it more flavorful and easier to make during the week.  Perfect served with French bread and a nice green salad!

Tips:

1. I like using oven ready noodles, less work.  If you prefer using regular, there is no need to boil the noodles.  Just soak them for 20-30 minutes in very hot tap water.

2. I always make my lasagna the night before.  It allows the flavors to meld and this way there is no need to simmer the sauce for a long time.  If you work it's very hard to have time to put together and cook a lasagna after you get home.  This way it's ready to stick in the oven when you get home.  

3. The combination of ground beef and Sweet Italian sausage makes a huge difference in taste.

4. I use presliced mozzarella cheese (sold in the sliced cheese section of the grocery store), you can also use shredded Italian cheese. You will need a full bag.

So let's get started, you'll be so glad you did!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 pound Sweet Italian sausage

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can diced tomato, no salt added

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. white sugar

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

8 lasagna noodles

16 ounces Ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 ounces package sliced Mozzarella cheese 

Directions:

Noodles: If your not using oven ready, prepare noodles. See above tip or cook according to package directions.

In a large dutch oven cook ground beef, sausage, and onions until well browned; drain and return to pan.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, and next 7 ingredients.  Heat through.  This just takes a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, mix ricotta cheese, egg, and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.

In the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan ladle some two scoops of the sauce.  Then lay 4 lasagna noodles (you will need to break one to fit on the end), 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 3 slices of the mozzarella cheese, then repeat again, ending with meat mixture.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Bake covered for 25 minuted then uncover and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Rachel's Chipotle Chili

We had a very rainy Labor Day and it cooled off considerably.  It got Mark and I in the mood for a big pot of chili.  This is my recipe for chili.  So I thought I'd call it Rachel's Chili.  I'm creative like that.  This is a really good, simple chili that doesn't take a thousand ingredients and doesn't need to cook all day.  It's spicy, meaty, and has a ton of flavor.  You can really tweak this to be as spicy as you like.  My husband doesn't love tomatoes so I only use one can of Rotel, if you like them, it can definitely handle 2 cans.  Our 12 year old eats this just fine but it is too spicy for the little ones.  So I plan something fun for them.  We serve this with cheese, sour cream and crushed up Frito's.  If your really brave you can throw on some slices of pickled jalapeno.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound sausage (I use hot, you can also use mild)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 cans chili beans, undrained
1 teaspoon Chipotle Chili powder
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
Desired Toppings

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven brown ground beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Set aside. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to Dutch oven and cook onion until tender.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Return meat to pot.  Add Rotel, chili beans, tomato sauce, water, and all spices, stirring gently to combine.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Serve with desired toppings.

Enjoy!

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Mexican Beef Bake with Cilantro Lime Cream

This is a great weeknight family meal.  It comes together quickly, has great flavor, but not to much spice for kids.  It makes a big dish so it's great to freeze some for leftovers later.   The cilantro cream gives this such nice fresh flavor.  You can make this as light as you like, I list the options below.  Try this out, you will be glad you did!


Ingredients:


1 box elbow macaroni (whole wheat or regular)
1 pound ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) no salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup prepared salsa (I used mild for the kids sake)
1 can Rotel (mild)
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (reduced fat or regular)
salt and pepper to taste


For the cream:
1/3 cup light sour cream
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to hot saucepan; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook meat  until meat is brown, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat.

Stir the cooked meat into pasta in saucepan. Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, rotel,  salsa, oregano, cumin, garlic powder and chili powder. Transfer mixture to a 9 x 13 inch casserole or baking dish or 2 8 x 8 inch baking dishes if freezing one for later.

Bake, covered, about 30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

In a small bowl, stir together sour cream,, the cilantro, and lime juice. To serve, top each serving with a spoonful of the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro, if desired.

Enjoy!

Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Happy Monday Everyone!  This is going to be an exciting week!  I have my nephew here visiting this week, so I am trying to plan lots of fun things to keep all these kids busy.  4 bored kids in the house will drive everyone crazy!  The kids also start back to school in a couple of weeks so this is kind of their last hoorah!  Yes, you read that right, school starts back in a couple of weeks.  I don't know where Summer has gone.  I hate how early the kids go back to school in the South.  Anyways, I am going to indulge their sweet tooth's and mine this week and bake up some fun goodies.

This week is going to be crazy hot again, like it has been all over the country.  I have some wonderful Crock pot and Soup recipes to share with you this week.  Yes, you read right again.  I know it sounds crazy but a Crock pot generates so much less heat then an oven.  I have been using it a lot lately.  It keeps the house cooler and our whole meal can be prepared in one pot! Less clean up too, always a perk!  Soup is a great choice for Summer too.  It's a lighter meal and can be served with a crisp, cold salad or a sandwich which is a perfect way to beat the heat.

This recipe is so easy! It makes a delicious, juicy shredded beef perfect to pile on a big hoagie roll.  Serve with some Parmesan Fries, a nice crisp salad, or even some fresh raw veggies and you will be good to go!

Ingredients:

1 (4-5 pound) beef roast (chuck, arm, etc.)
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian- style salad dressing mix
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
Salt and Pepper
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Hoagie rolls or buns
Peperoncini peppers (optional)

Place roast in Crock pot; salt and pepper both sides generously.  Sprinkle package of Italian dressing over roast.  Pour entire can of tomato sauce over roast.

Cook on Low 8-10 hours.  Shred meat with a fork.

Preheat oven to Broil.

Place hoagie rolls a baking sheet, top with meat, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Broil for 30 seconds to a minute or until cheese is melted.  Watch closely!  Top with Peperoncini peppers if desired.

Enjoy!

BBQ Meatloaf

I've eaten a lot of meatloaf in my lifetime. My mom made it very frequently growing up. Now I find myself making it a lot too. My kids love it and so does my husband. I decided I wanted to change it up a bit so I tried this version and it's wonderful. It makes a really juicy meatloaf. It's great with mashed potatoes or potato salad, corn, and green beans or baked beans. Switch up meatloaf night with this great dish! By the way, it makes a great sandwich the next day!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4-1/2 cup finely diced onion (optional)
1 egg,lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cans Tomato sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and half of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow baking dish.

Mix together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour sauce over the meatloaf.

Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Country Meatballs

These are not the same thing as Italian meatballs. Don't get me wrong, I love them as well. These are southern style best served with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. You make a sauce to go over them that is real easy. These are like little meatloaf meatballs. Little meatloaf meatballs....say that 5 x's fast.  These are not what I'd call Gourmet but sometimes you just need some good ol' comfort food. My kids (and spouse) love these so much that they are one of my go to meals when I want to ensure everyone will eat quietly. Well, as quiet as a house with three kids can be. If you really want to serve them with noodles, some buttered egg noodles would be delicious! By the way, they are cheap and easy to make! They also make a great appetizer.


Ingredients:



FOR MEATBALLS
1 pound Ground Beef
1/2 cups Oats
3/4 cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
1 teaspoon Salt
Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste
_____
FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
1 cup All-Purpose Flour (coating For Frozen Meatballs)
Canola Oil
_____
FOR SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
4 Tablespoons (to 6 Tablespoons) Onion, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Luck O' The Irish Stew

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I love holidays!! Any reason to celebrate and eat food! I made this stew and it was delicious. I don't know how authentic to Ireland it actually is, so if your Irish and it's not, don't hate me. It was easy to prepare and in a little over an hour you have a hearty bowl of stew. I have heard that a bottle of Guinness added makes it even more delicious. I did not add it in however, my husband chose to drink it instead!

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless lamb or beef stew meat
4 cups beef broth
2 medium onions, chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup all- purpose flour

In a large saucepan, combine meat, beef broth, onions, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off fat.

Add potatoes, carrots, thyme, and basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Stir together the water and flour. Stir mixture into the stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Burrito Pie

This is one of my family's favorite meals. I keep coming back to this recipe because it's easy, taste delicious, and is always a crowd pleaser. It's sort of like a Mexican lasagna. I make this in a spring form pan and it works perfectly. I love the presentation it makes. Thus the name Burrito pie. It can easily be made in a 9 x 13 in. baking dish, or a deep round casserole dish too.  This dish is spicy but you can tone it way down very easily to suit different taste. This can put together ahead of time and baked when your ready to eat. I serve this with some Spanish rice, refried beans, and some sliced avocados. I also like to top it with some shredded lettuce and sour cream. You can add the refried beans into the pie. My husband hates beans so I just serve them on the side for those of us who like them. I will explain when put them in.


1 pound ground beef
1 jar taco sauce 16 oz. ( this is sold in mild, medium and hot. I use medium and is fairly spicy, but not death defying) Taco Sauce though, not salsa.
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel) Do not drain (I use spicy, you can use mild also)
1 can refried beans
2-3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (3 if your cheese obsessed like me)
9 (8 in.) flour tortillas
optional toppings: shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and pickled jalapeno slices)


Preheat oven to 350.


In a large skillet cook ground beef until brown and cooked through. Drain and return to pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. ( 2-3 minutes) Add diced  tomatoes and Taco Sauce. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.


While the sauce is simmering prepare your baking dish. Spray the inside of the spring form pan, casserole dish, or 9 x 13 in. baking dish with cooking spray. If you are using a spring form pan wrap the outside with foil (see below).


To assembly pie: layer some of the beef mixture into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with 3 tortillas spread out. If your using beans layer them next. If not layer some more meat mixture. Top with a cup of cheese. Layer with more meat mixture and top with 3 more tortillas. Again, if using beans layer again now. If not layer more meat and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until  bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the spring form pan. Slice into pie slices, top with your favorite toppings and dig in!


Enjoy!

He likes to hang out where there is food.

Filet Wedge Salad

I use to love steak, I mean love. When I was pregnant with my first born I went two weeks past my due date. The Dr. said he was would induce me on a Saturday. The night before I decided I wanted a big juicy steak and baked potato. I guess I felt like it was kind of a last meal sort of thing. So we went out to eat and I stuffed myself. The next morning we headed to the hospital and I was pumped with meds to start the delivery. When the contractions started I got terribly sick. To much to eat the night before and horrible contractions, not a good combination. I did not eat steak again for 10 years. No I am not kidding. When I got pregnant with my 3rd child, a bouncing baby boy, I craved steak so much. I gave in. Man, I'm glad I did! Now I'm back on the bandwagon baby!  I always order this salad at a famous steak restaurant. It's so easy to make at home. Not to mention I get a way bigger portion of steak! I love the combination of steak and blue cheese. I always marinade our steaks in Dale's seasoning. It's a very popular marinade in the south. It has been around for ages. It is really the best! They sell it in supermarkets and I have even seen it in the North! I call it a Filet salad but any cut of steak you like will do. It even gets my husband to eat greens!

Indredients:

Steaks
4 steak fillets
3/4 cup Dale's (Or enough to cover steaks)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Fresh ground black pepper

Salad
1 head iceburg lettuce
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup chopped red onion
4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 roma tomato, chopped (Or you can use cherry toamtoes)
Blue Cheese dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinade the steak and the seasonings for at least 30 mins. in a shallow bowl or large plastic bag. Refrigerate until ready to cook. You may grill or bake the filets. If you bake the filets it is best to sear them first (3 minutes on each side) the bake them in the oven until your desired level of doness.

While the steak is cooking assemble the salad. Cut the lettuce into four equal pieces. Top with tomato, red onion, bacon, and blue cheese crumbles. Serve with blue cheese dressing and your juicy steak!

Enjoy!

Notice my husbands wedge is just covered in bacon. =)

Blue cheese burgers with Cornmeal crusted onion rings

Is there anything quite like a juicy burger, onion rings and a ice cold coke? I just made my mouth water. This is my favorite indulgence meal. It's easy to prepare, inexpensive, and oh so good. This burger is really flavorful.  The onion rings take just minutes to prepare and the cornmeal makes them nice and crispy. When the whole thing comes together you will think your at your favorite steakhouse. And just think you get to keep the tip.


Ingredients:




1 pound lean ground beef
1-1/2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
4 hamburger buns

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Form into patties. Refrigerate until ready to grill.

Cornmeal Crusted Onion Rings

Ingredients:

2 yellow onions
2 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
vegetable oil

Peel the onions, slice them 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, and separate them into rings. Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the onion rings, toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes. (The onion rings can sit in the buttermilk for a few hours.) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large pot, Dutch oven, deep fryer, or large deep skillet. Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs. Don't crowd them. Place the finished onion rings on the baking sheet, sprinkle liberally with salt, and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried. They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy!