Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

This is an awesome crock pot meal for busy evenings. Having four very active children, I need to have a lot of these kinds of recipes.

This has a very flavorful sauce, and if you have picky eaters like I do, they can skip the broccoli! Thankfully I have a couple of kids who like eating their veggies!

 

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
1 1/2 lbs. beef chuck, sliced thinly
1/2 onion, cut in half

Sauce Ingredients
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
------------------------------------
2 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
3 cups steamed broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
Sesame seeds, garnish

Place beef and onion in crock pot. Combine sauce ingredients in small bowl and pour over beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Ladle out 1/4 cup of the broth and whisk together with the cornstarch. Return to crock pot and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove onion and stir in broccoli. Or have it on the side so your picky eaters don't waste it.  Serve over rice.

Recipe originally found on Cooking Classy.

Taco Pie and Spanish Rice

Growing up, we ate tacos at least once a week. They were cheap and very easy for my hardworking mom to make. Now that I am the mom, we also eat tacos once a week. They are great when you have picky eaters because they can customize their meal to their tastes.  I came across this recipe many years ago, and it is a great change of pace from the standard tacos. One of the best parts of this recipe is how wonderful it reheats! Yummy! I am also including a new recipe that I have been working on perfecting- Spanish rice. I think that I have it just right!

Taco Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 pkg Fajita seasoning- you will only use 2 Tbsp.
1 diced green chilies
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup biscuit baking mix
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Toppings: Sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, diced tomato, salsa

Cook beef and onion, drain off the fat. Stir in the fajita seasoning. Spread into a 10 inch pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the green chilies. In a mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix, eggs and milk until smooth. Pour over beef in pie pan. Bake in 400° oven for 35 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with desired toppings.

Spanish Rice
1 cup rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
 1 - 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water
Fry rice in butter until browned. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1-2  minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Philly Cheese Steak Rolls

I love Philly Cheese steak sandwiches. Sadly, my boys do not. However, they loved these easy sandwiches. I am not sure if it was the flaky puff pastry rolls or the wonderful yummyness inside, but all of my kids gave these sandwiches two thumbs up I think that next time, I might saute some sliced bell peppers in with the onions.

Philly Cheese Steak Rolls

All-purpose flour

1 package frozen Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced

1 package frozen sandwich steaks, Steak-umm is the brand that I used

8 slices American cheese

1 egg, beaten

Heat the oven to 400°F.
Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheets on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheets into 10-inch squares.  Cut into 8 (5-inch) squares.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove the onion from the skillet.
Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add the sandwich steaks to the skillet and cook until the meat is no longer pink. I also give it a rough chop as I cook it, so the meat is in small pieces.
Spoon approximately 2-3 Tbsp. of the onion and 2-3 Tbsp. of the sandwich steaks on the bottom third of each pastry square.  Top each with 1 slice cheese.  Fold 2 opposite sides over the filling.  Roll up like a jelly roll.  Brush the pastries with the egg.  Place the pastries onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Let the pastries cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from  Pepperridge Farm.

Tater Tot Casserole

We recently watched Napoleon Dynamite. We have watched it a million times, and one of our favorite scenes is the one regarding the "tots".  "Give me your tots" is a line often said in our house! One after another of the boys quoted that to me when they heard what I was making for dinner. They think they are so funny, and original! Ha! Whether you have watched Napoleon Dynamite and quote it like we do, or not, I think you will enjoy this simple yet satisfying tater tot casserole.

Tater Tot Casserole
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced green chilies
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag tater tots
Lawry's seasoning salt
Pepper

Brown onion and ground beef. Drain fat away. Mix with green chilies and cream of mushroom soup. Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle cheese on top of beef. Place the tater tots in a single layer on top of the cheese, sprinkle with Lawry salt  and pepper. Bake according to the tater tot bag. I baked mine longer because we really like crispy tots!

*Big thank you to my sister-in-law Wendee for sharing this delicious recipe!

My Mom's Spaghetti sauce

Ever since I was very small, my standard answer when asked what was my favorite food,  my Mom's spaghetti was always my answer. It would still be my answer today. In fact, every time I make her sauce, memories of her seem closer. I love how we can tie memories to smells and tastes. I think that is a gift from God- little reminders of someone who has passed.
Anyways, here is my very favorite spaghetti sauce recipe!

My Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
2  cans (12 oz) tomato paste
2 envelopes Italian style spaghetti sauce
3 cups water
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf

Cook ground beef, onion, and bell pepper until meat is brown. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover; and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Hamburger Sliders

I love to eat tiny sandwiches. They are so cute, and usually they are just the right amount for me. Don't get me wrong, I love a big honking cheeseburger just as much as you do, but it usually makes my gut ache afterwards. These cute little sliders are simply wonderful. They are easy, fast and pretty easy on my budget. And, my boys LOVE them!

Hamburger Sliders

2 pkgs. small rolls- we have used some from the deli or Kings Hawaiian Rolls

1 lb. 93% lean ground beef

1 lb. 85 % ground beef

Lawry's Seasoning salt

pepper

Spray a 13x9 in. baking dish with cooking spray. Combine meat and press into an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle with the seasoning salt and pepper. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes. Blot with paper towel to remove grease. Put cheese slices on top and cook until melted. Cut into 24 squares and serve on rolls

Asian Beef Noodles

This is one of those meals that I turn to when the cupboards are getting a little thin. I almost always have ground beef in the freezer. I also keep Ramen noodles in the pantry.

I have 4 boys who eat everything. Ramen is a good thing to keep in my pantry! I digress.

Not only is this recipe made of things that I keep hanging around, it is quite tasty.

Asian Beef Noodles
1 lb. ground beef
2 pkgs. Oriental flavored ramen noodles, divided
2 cups water
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I get the stir fry version, because it has what my boys will eat)
2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions

In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Remove to a bowl, season with one seasoning packet. Set aside. Drain drippings from pan. In same skillet combine water, vegetables, noodles (broken up), and the remaining seasoning packet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until noodles and veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef to skillet. Add green onions. Heat thoroughly.
* My boys like to eat this with chow mein noodles for the crunch.

Sloppy Joes

This year I have volunteered my time working the mid-week meal ministry at church. There is one lady who does all the shopping, recipe picking, and most of the cooking. My part is to help with last minute needs, serving and cleaning up. But last week, she was sick, so my dear friend Cathy and I said that we would try to do what the main lady does. We made these Sloppy Joes. They came out wonderful! We had people say that they weren't big Sloppy Joe fans, but, these were so good! I hope that your family likes them as much as my church family did!

Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground beef
 2 -3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce 
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar


In a large skillet, brown ground beef, celery and onion, drain the fat.Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If Joes appear too soupy, leave cover off and let moisture evaporate. Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns.

Taco Rice

Some of you may know that I home school my boys. I love doing it, but sometimes having to make three meals a day is overwhelming! Taco Rice is a recipe that I discovered while blog hopping a couple of years ago. I found the original recipe here on The Picky Apple. It is a great recipe that I can make a batch of and keep in the fridge for the boys and I to reheat and throw into tortillas for a quick and easy lunch. One batch will last us for a couple of lunches.
Taco Rice
1 lb. ground beef
Taco seasoning to taste- the recipe I use is here or you can use whatever you like
1 can Rotel- we use mild, but if I were cooking for my husband and I, I would use hot- we like the spice!
2 cups cooked rice
Brown meat and drain. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve in tortillas with all the traditional taco toppings.

Beef Tips and Noodles

This is such a simple recipe. This is pure comfort food to my family. Tender chunks of beef in a creamy gravy served over noodles. Yummy! This recipe rocks because it is one of those chop, drop and leave it alone recipes. It is perfect for all the busy people out there.

Beef Tips and Noodles
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut in chunks
3 can cream of chicken, mushroom, onion......whatever you have or feel like making
1 onion, diced
1 bag egg noodles, cooked and drained
Place 1 first 3 ingredients in a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve over noodles.

Almost a Meal Queso

It is playoff time in the football world. We are Denver Bronco fans in this house, and we have really enjoyed watching Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to the playoffs this year. We usually like to eat things during the playoffs and the Superbowl that we can have in front of the TV and that is more like appetizers. This is one of my favorites because it is warm, easy and is made in the crock pot.  That means I don't have to miss the game while cooking! It is already done and waiting for us!

Almost a Meal Queso

from Seasoned with Fun Cookbook

1 pound ground beef

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pkg. Kielbasa sausage, cubed

2 lbs. Velveeta, cubed

1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes, drain half the liquid

1- 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp chili powder

5-6 chipoltes en adobo, chopped (I have never added these)

Tortilla Chips

Cook ground beef, pepper, salt, onion, garlic and Kielbasa in skillet. Drain fat. Transfer to crock pot and add Velveeta, tomatoes, green chilies, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and chipoltes. Cook on high heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Turn heat setting to Keep warm or Low and serve with tortilla chips.

Beef and Cilantro Enchiladas

Today is my wedding anniversary. I feel like I have won the lottery in the marriage department. My sweet husband is simply the best guy in the world for me. He is such an amazing husband. So instead of gifts or a card, I asked him what he would like for a special dinner, and these enchiladas were his answer. We laugh that these are the "love" enchiladas because they have multiple steps and they take a little bit extra love to make them. Try them out on someone you love...they will definitely feel all the love that you put into these delicious enchiladas!

Beef and Cilantro Enchiladas
recipe from Pioneer Woman
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
1/2 teaspoon Salt
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup Canola Oil
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside. Next, heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Philly Cheese-Steak Sloppy Joes

In the past two years, I have recently began to develop a strong feeling about Philly Cheese-Steaks. I love them! There is a restaurant here in Utah that makes the most amazing sandwiches, but they are a little pricey. So I started making them at home, but they are not as quick and easy as I thought they could be. I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest (original recipe here ), and knew I had to try it out. Both my husband and I really like it, and my friend did as well. My super picky boys didn't like it, but then again, they don't like cheese-steak sandwiches or sloppy joes, so no real big surprise there! I keep trying with them, I hope that someday they will out grow their picky habits!

Philly Cheese-Steak Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. steak sauce
3/4-1 cup of beef broth (depends upon how "wet" you like your sandwich)
Salt and pepper
Dinner Rolls
Provolone Cheese slices

In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Once your meat is cooked, stir in steak sauce and broth. Bring to a bubble and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Split open the rolls and remove some of the insides. Butter them and lightly toast them under the broiler. Scoop meat onto the bottom of the roll and add a slice of cheese (you can put them back under the broiler to melt if you desire) and top with the other half of the roll.

Green Chili Beef Burritos in the Crock Pot

Double yum. That is what these burritos are. They are also easy and they make lots of leftovers! I am starting to look for recipes with bigger quantities because my teen and my pre-teen boys are eating anything that is not tied down! You can reduce the jalapeno or eliminate it if you choose- it is still super flavorful.

Green Chili Beef Burritos
2 boneless beef top sirloin roasts (I aim for 4-5 lbs. of meat)
4 cans diced green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Lawry's season salt
1 cup beef broth
24 flour tortillas
Sliced tomatoes, lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese

Trim fat from roasts, and cut meat into large chunks. Place in slow cooker. Top with chilies, onion, jalapenos, garlic, cumin, chili powder and season salt. Pour broth over all. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove beef and shred with two forks. Cool cooking liquid slightly and skim fat. In blender, process cooking liquid until smooth. Return to slow cooker with beef and heat through. Place 1/3 cup on each tortilla and top with desired toppings and fold up.

Italian Beef Au Jus- a crockpot recipe

Summer is over here. We are a little sad, but to be honest, I am so ready for a scheduled life again! I am also ready for fall and for all the yummy things that can be made in a crock pot. This week we start back into Awana, youth group, soccer practices, and guitar practices. I will be getting out my trusty crock pot and putting it to good use these next months. This is a recipe that I like to make when beef roasts are on sale. It is simple and yummy- just what a busy mom needs on a very busy night!

Italian Beef Au Jus
1 3-5 lb. beef roast
 1 pkg. beef au jus mix
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
1 can beef broth
 half a can of water
Place meat in crock pot. Mix rest of ingredients and pour over beef. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. Serve on sandwich rolls with the juice on the side as a dip if desired.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Tacos and spaghetti are frequent dinners around here because they are kid friendly, fairly cheap and easy to make. I found this recipe online that combines the idea of tacos with spaghetti (just the pasta part of spaghetti). It really intrigued me, so I had to try it. It is really yummy, and it reheats well. An added bonus to this recipe is that you can freeze it. I will often double what I make to be able to throw an extra batch in the freezer. There is something very satisfying about not having to really "cook" on a super busy day. Throwing it in the oven for a little bit doesn't really count as cooking in my book!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

12-18 large pasta shells, cooked and drained
1 lb. ground beef
3 Tbsp taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 tsp. chili powder
Brown ground beef. Add seasoning, water, onion, 1/2 cup salsa, and 1/4 cup cheese. Mix together remaining salsa, tomato sauce and chili powder. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Fill each shell with a large spoon full of ground beef and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top of the shells. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. * Bake at 350 ° for 30 minutes.

*At this point you could cover tightly and freeze. When you want to eat, defrost in freezer for at least one day and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

You can find the original recipe here,

What to do with Cube Steak?

I get tired of always eating ground beef and chicken breasts. They are so good and super versatile, but I like to also use other cuts of meat from time to time. One of my favorite cuts is the humble Cube Steak. What exactly is cube steak, you might ask? I googled cube steak and found a website dedicated to this yummy piece of beef- http://cubesteak.com/ . They explain that cube steak is round steak, that has been tenderized. All I know is that it is tasty and can be used in many recipes. Here are some of my favorites:
This is a recipe for one of the most tasty sandwiches ever. My family loves these. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/marlboro_mans_f/

This recipe is for Chicken Fried Steak- classic comfort food.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/chicken-fried-steak/

This recipe looked good and will be tried out soon at my home- Cube Steak Parmigiana.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cubed-Steaks-Parmigiana

Another recipe that I have marked to try is this- Budget friendly Beef Stroganoff.
http://debradaytoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/budget-friendly-beef-stroganoff.html

This salad recipe looks really good as well- Cube Steak Milanese.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cube_steak_milanese.html

My personal favorite way to use Cube Steak is Queso Steak. I don't know where my mom got the recipe, but it has been made in our family for years. I put the recipe at the end of this post: http://fourturtleracers.blogspot.com/2009/12/menu-plan-for-week-of-12-5-09.html .

Pepperoncini Beef

One of my favorite ways to get new recipes is from my friends. This is a recipe my friend Rhonda found on All Recipes. She tried it out on her family and was overwhelmed by the praise for it. I knew that I had to try it our for my bunch. This is so easy and smells AMAZING as it cooks all day. Here is the link to the original recipe post, and below is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pepperoncini-Beef/Detail.aspx .

Pepperoncini Beef
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (16 oz jar) pepperoncini

Make small cuts in roast, and insert garlic slices in cuts. Place roast in the slow cooker, and pour the entire contents of the jar of pepperoncini, including liquid, over meat.

Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

My friend toasted her sandwich rolls and melted cheese on top of the meat. Super yummy!

Beef Barley Soup

We had a wonderful soup for dinner tonight. It was so flavorful and yummy! One of the best parts was that it is a crock pot recipe!

Crock pot Beef Barley Soup
1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, sliced thin
3/4 cups bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 can beef broth
3/4 tsp dried basil
2 TBSP catsup
5 cups water

Place vegetables and meat in bottom of crock pot. then add the barley, the beef broth and the spices. Last, add the water. DO NOT STIR. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
We had ours with big hunks of Peasant bread to soak up all the yummy broth. This will be added to our menu rotation!

Crock Pot Roast Beef

Who ever invented the crock pot was a genius! I am so thankful for my trusty crock pot. It is such a relief after a long evening of running kids to practice to have a nice hot meal waiting for me at home. It eliminates the temptation to hit the drive through! This is one of our favorite recipes. Whenever the grocery store has a good sale on beef roasts, I will grab a couple and throw them in the freezer. I hope you give this delicious roast a try.

Crock Pot Roast Beef
1 beef roast
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of brewed coffee
1/2 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
Place all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours or until tender. Transfer roast to a platter. Measure drippings after straining onions. Whisk together 1/4 cup water and 1 TBSP flour for every cup of drippings. Whisk flour mixture into drippings and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.

This makes the best gravy! So flavorful!