Flank Steak Marinade

This is the perfect balance salty and a touch of sweet. Recipe from Simple Recipes

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak 
• 
  
• Cover steak with marinade 2 - 24 hours. 

Waikiki Meatballs

An old family favorite - from Allrecipes

Waikiki Meatballs

• Prep
  20 m
• Cook
  25 m
• Ready In
  45 m

Recipe By:CMAYBELL

"Beef meatballs flavored with ground ginger, simmered in a sweet pineapple sauce."

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2/3 cup crushed saltine cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks - drained, with juice reserved
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through.

Pot Roast - Instant Pot

I like this recipe because the veggies are added at the end so they don't get mushie.

From Bread Booze Bacon

INSTANT POT OLD-FASHIONED POT ROAST

Instant Pot Old-Fashioned Pot Roast with Gravy & Vegetables is the best pot roast I've ever made. This easy, one-pot dinner is a family favorite!

 Course Main Dish

 Cuisine American

 Prep Time 35 minutes

 Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

 Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

 Servings 4

 Calories 939 kcal

 Author Julie

Ingredients

• 3 pound chuck roast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown or yellow onion diced
• 14.5 ounces low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (If I don't want to open a can of tomato paste, I use a squirt of ketchup)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 red potatoes cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Remove roast from package and pat dry with a paper towel. Season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Turn your Instant Pot on to saute. Once hot, add the vegetable oil to the vessel. Place the roast in the hot pan and sear on each side for 5 minutes until browned. Remove the roast to a plate and set aside.
3. Add onions to the vessel. Cook for 3 minutes until softened. Stir occasionally, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. 
4. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves to the onions. Stir until the tomato paste is incorporated. Add the roast back to the pan. Cover and lock the lid in place. With the valve on sealing, use the manual option to set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 75 minutes.
5. Once the cooking is done. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then do a quick release of the remaining pressure. (I use a kitchen towel when moving the valve to prevent steam burns.) Take the roast out of the pan and place it on a plate or cutting board. Cover with foil and set aside.
6. Remove the bay leaves and add the carrots and potatoes to the vessel. Cover and lock the lid in place. With the valve on sealing, use the manual option to set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 3 minutes. After the cooking has finished, do a quick release of the pressure. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and gently toss.
7. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and water until smooth. Then, pour the liquid from the Instant Pot vessel through a strainer. Discard any solids. Pour the cooking liquid into a fat separator. Pour 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid into the flour mixture and the rest into the vessel. DO NOT pour the fat back in. Stir the flour mixture until it form a slurry and is well combined. Pour the slurry into the vessel. 
8. Turn the Instant Pot to saute and bring the gravy to a boil, whisking often. Cook until boiling and thickened. Turn off the pressure cooker. Transfer the gravy to a gravy boat.
9. Uncover the pot roast and cut into large serving pieces. (I discarded any big pieces of fat that were on their own.) Plate the pot roast on a serving platter. If desired, plate the carrots and potatoes around the edge of the serving platter around the pot roast, or serving the vegetables in their own serving bowl. Pour some of the gravy over the pot roast and reserve the rest for diners. Serve immediately.

Turkey Meatballs

Just made these - very good

 Allrecipes

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground lean turkey
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the ingredients together; stir well in a bowl.

Form around 30 balls out of the mixture. Put them on a broiler pan coated with oil

Bake around 15 minutes or until a cut meatball shows no pink inside.

Serve with pasta and sauce or place on a sandwich.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

delicious! from Life in the Lofthouse

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

Prep Time:10 Min Cook Time:8 Hr Total Time:8 Hr 10 Min

Ingredients

• 1 (2.5 lb) chuck roast
• 1 (14 oz) can beef broth
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Juice of 1 Lime

Serve With

• Warm flour or corn tortillas
• Shredded lettuce
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Diced tomato
• Guacamole
• Sour Cream
• Salsa

Instructions

• 1
  Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place roast inside crock pot. Pour the beef broth over the roast and then squeeze with fresh lime juice.
• 2
  In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the roast with the spice mixture.
• 3
  Cover with lid, and cook on Low heat 8 to 10 hours, or on High heat 5 to 6 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and transfer to a large platter. Shred meat and remove any fat.
• 4
  Return shredded beef to crock pot. Cover with lid and cook an additional 30 minutes. Remove beef with tongs to drain juices before serving in tortillas. Serve with desired toppings.

life in the lofthouse http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/

crockpot beef & broccoli

I'm always looking for new slow cooker recipes.  We have some crazy weeknight schedules and it's always nice to get the cooking done in the morning when I have time and be able to come home to a warm home cooked meal.

I doubled this recipe and it fed our family nicely with leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless, beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

1 cup beef consumme or beef broth

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. cornstarch

4 tbsp. sauce (from the crockpot after dish is cooked)

Frozen broccoli florets (as many as desired, I believe I used almost 2 cups)

White rice, cooked

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In the insert of the crockpot, whisk together beef consume, soy sauce, dark brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.
2. Gently place your slices of beef in the liquid and toss to coat.
3. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 6 hours.
4. When done, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cooking liquid to create a slurry, pour into crockpot, stir to mix well. Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce.
5. Toss in your broccoli florets then serve hot over white rice.

*Note about cooking time: Your crockpot may differ in temperature than mine, I suggest cooking this for 4 hours on your first go-round of this dish. 6 hours in the crockpot seems to be giving a lot of people "shredded" beef instead of slices, so decrease cooking time by 2 hours and go from there. Mine turned out fine with 6 hours.

Beef stew in a pumpkin

A perfect fall dinner....

We made it tonight and it was yummy

This recipe is from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 cup water 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 carrots, sliced 1 large green bell pepper, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules 1 sugar pumpkin

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place beef in the saucepan and cook until evenly brown. Mix in the water, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 2 hours.
2.	Dissolve the bouillon into the beef mixture. Stir in the tomatoes.
3.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
4.	Cut top off the pumpkin and remove seeds and pulp. Place the pumpkin in a heavy baking pan. Fill the pumpkin with the beef mixture. Brush outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven 2 hours, or until tender. Serve the stew from the pumpkin, scraping out some of the pumpkin meat with each serving.

Burgers and burger sauce

These are the best!

Recipes are from Cooks Illustrated

Well-Done Grilled Hamburgers

makes 6 patties

1/2 cup chopped or torn white bread (remove crusts)
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons steak sauce (I use Aldi’s brand)
1 1/2 pounds 80% lean ground chuck

(before you start, turn your grill on so that it has 15 minutes to heat)

1. Place bread pieces in a bowl, and pour the milk over the bread. Using a fork, mash the bread and milk together to make a smooth paste. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and steak sauce, and mix until smooth.

2. Add ground beef to the bread/milk mixture, and gently combine, using a fork.

3. Shape the beef into patties.

4. Using tongs, dip a wad of paper towels into a small amount of vegetable oil, and run them over the grill grate.

5. Place burgers on grill. Cook for 2-4 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until burgers reach desired doneness.

Burger Sauce
makes about 1/4 cup

2 TBS mayonnaise
1 TBS ketchup
1/2 tsp sweet pickle relish
1/3 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

mix together

sweet-and-spicy mini meatloaves

I made this tonight and we all really liked it.  I served it with twice baked potatoes and green beans.  This is a great recipe because it is healthier than regular meatloaf (half ground turkey plus wheat bread and carrots/onions) and because it cooks much quicker.   I made 1 1/2 of this recipe and it fed the family plus leftovers.

2 slices whole wheat bread

1/2 small onion

1 medium carrot

1/2 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 lg egg

1/2 tsp  curry powder

salt and pepper

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp apricot jam

Preheat oven to 375.  Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add onion and carrot to food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Transfer to the bowl.  Add meats, egg, curry powder and salt and pepper.  Mix by hand.  Shape into 4 oblong meatloaves on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Mix ketchup and jam in a small bowl and brush over the meatloaves.  Bake until cooked through - about 20 minutes.  (I baked for 25 just to be safe but don't overcook)

Taco Bar Carne Asada and Chipotle Turkey

 We had a double birthday gathering today and did a pot luck taco bar. I made two kinds of meat that turned out perfect. Here are the recipes:


Authentic Crock Pot Carne Asada
thanks to Cheeky Kitchen

ingredients:

1 (3-5 pound) cut of cheap beef
flap, london broil, flank or roast all work beautifully
1/2 cup limeade
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1 onion
4-5 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
2 tablespoons Knorr Mexican beef boullion (granulated)
1 (7 ounce) can Embasa Salsa Verde Green
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

directions:

Early in the morning, place your meat in a large crockpot. In a blender, combine limeade, vinegar, oil, onion, clovers, jalapeno, boullion, salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Blend until well pureed. Pour the sauce over your meat, making sure it's well coated (the meat doesn't have to be entirely submerged, just nicely coated with the sauce). Cover crockpot with a lid, and cook all day on low heat. After allowing the meat to cook 8-10 hours, shred the meat, then return it to the crockpot. Stir it in the pan juices and allow it to continue cooking until it's ready to be served. Spoon over corn tortillas, top with grated cheese, homemade salsa or pico de gallo, and sour cream. Es Muy Bien!

Chipotle Turkey Taco Filling 
thanks to Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast, the average weight of 1 package
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoons chili powder, a rounded palmful
• Salt
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

In a small skillet preheated over medium high heat, add oil and turkey breast meat. Brown meat 2 or 3 minutes, then add onions and garlic. Cook onions and meat together for another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chipotles, chili powder and tomato sauce. Season your filling with salt to your taste. Stir 1/2 cup water into your filling. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until ready to serve.

Naughty black peppercorn currant sauce

We serve this with our annual Christmas prime rib and the family loves it.
It's from Joelle's friend - Chef Doughty

1 can beef broth (low sodium, if possible)
1 can chicken broth (low sodium, if possible)
1 ½ cups dry white wine
 2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoons very coarsely ground fresh pepper
¼ cup currants (or chopped raisins)
1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon water

In medium saucepan combine both broths and wine. Simmer over medium heat until the amount of liquid is reduced by half. Add cream and pepper and continue to simmer until mixture begins to thicken slightly. In small cup combine water and cornstarch and whisk into existing sauce. Continue to simmer for a minute or two and then remove from heat and add currants.

Turkey Meatballs

Here is a recipe for one of our family favorites.  All of the kids love these meatballs.  I honestly have not followed the entire recipe.  I make the meatballs as per the recipe but I make my own sauce by sautéing onions and garlic and adding canned tomatoes and italian spices.  Then I puree it in the vitamix and pour it into a crock pot.  I make it stretch by adding 1 or 2 jars of my favorite store bought spaghetti sauce.  One other thing I change is I make the meatballs really big and bake them in the oven first for about 20 minutes then let them finish in the crock pot with the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic (4 smashed, 1 minced)
• 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 small piece parmesan rind (optional)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping
• 1 slice stale whole-wheat bread, crust trimmed, bread chopped
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juice, 2 cups water, 1/4cup basil, the parmesan rind, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. Discard the parmesan rind, if used.

Chop the remaining 1/4cup basil, then mix with the turkey, parsley, bread, ricotta, parmesan, egg white, minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl using your hands. Form into 4 large or 12 small meatballs; add to the sauce and simmer, turning, until cooked through, 6 minutes for small meatballs and 12 minutes for large.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and return to the pot. Toss with some of the sauce, then divide among bowls. Top the spaghetti with the meatballs, the remaining sauce and more parsley and parmesan.

Per serving: Calories 547; Fat 9 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 46 mg; Sodium 938 mg; Carbohydrate 81 g; Fiber 15 g; Protein 41 g

Here's how Joelle modifies this recipe:

Bake the meatballs in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes until done and slightly browned. While the meatballs are baking, make and cook the sauce on the stovetop, adding one or two extra cans of pre-made spagetti sauce, if desired. When the meatballs are done, combine with sauce in a crockpot and cook on low or high (depending on timing) until time to serve.

Stuffed Peppers

I used to make these all the time for Grandma (Barbara).  I forgot all about them until Jeane brought over some gorgeous huge peppers from the farmer's market.  They were a huge hit and the kids asked why we don't have these more often.  (I doubled this and it was plenty for our family plus leftovers for the next day).

2 large green peppers
3/4 lb ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
7.5 oz can petit diced tomatoes (small can)
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Halve peppers lengthwise, removing stem ends, seeds and membranes.  Immerse peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle insides with salt and invert on paper towels to drain well.

In a skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender.  Drain fat.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, worcestershire, basil, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Bring to boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Fill peppers with meat mixture.  Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

*This can be frozen in individual servings.

Easy Yummy Beef Stroganoff

We have very crazy Sunday mornings now.  John has High Council meetings starting very early and a lot of Sundays I have early meetings too.  This is a "just throw it all in and let it cook" recipe that I thought would be worth a try.  I am used to browning meat first so I was skeptical.   After letting it cook all day the meat was very tender and the flavor was great.   Definitely a keeper.

2-3 pounds stew meat (or a 3-pound chuck roast, cubed)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 medium yellow onion, diced

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/3 cup flour

6-7 tablespoons apple juice or water

4-8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

Place the stew meat, salt, pepper and onion in the slow cooker. Stir to distribute the seasonings and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershrie sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and apple juice in a small bowl, whisking vigorously to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable so add a tablespoon of apple juice or water at a time to thin, if needed. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the stew meat and juices and to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and stir. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sour cream right before serving. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes.

*Freezable Meal: The leftovers of the stroganoff can be frozen. I store the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and then thaw in the refrigerator (usually takes about a day) and reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Well done burgers, done well

Our Sunday dinner this week was a success - I created a slider bar with beef burgers, veggie patties, crab cakes, and sliced steak.  Everyone brought salads to share.

We do have a little family controversy - full size burgers or sliders?

I like sliders because you can try 2 or 3 different kinds. But a few of my sons think it's too hard to build a burger full of toppings on tiny little buns.

Either way - this hamburger recipe is fabulous.

It's from America's Test Kitchen

Well Done Burgers, Done Well

Serves 4
(I doubled this, plus I served 8 small veggie patties, 2 crabcakes, and one strip loin steak - and we perfectly fed 8 adults and 10 children)

• 1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread , crust removed and discarded, bread chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons steak sauce , such as A-1
• 1 1/2 pounds 80 percent lean ground chuck
• Vegetable oil for cooking grate
• Hamburger buns or rolls

Mash bread and milk in large bowl with fork until homogeneous (you
should have about 1/4 cup). Stir in salt, pepper, garlic, and steak sauce.

Break up beef into small pieces over bread mixture. Using fork or hands, lightly
mix together until mixture forms cohesive mass. Divide meat into 4 equal portions (for burgers - 8 or more for sliders).

Gently toss one portion of meat back and forth between hands to form loose ball.
Gently flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patty that measures about 4 1/2 inches in
diameter (or smaller for sliders). Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about 1/2 inch
thick, creating a slight depression in each patty. Repeat with remaining portions of
meat.

Cooking instructions (adjust if making sliders):

Grill burgers on hot side of grill, uncovered, until well seared on
first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip burgers and continue
grilling, about 3 minutes for medium-well or 4 minutes for well-done. Distribute
equal portions of cheese (if using) on burgers about 2 minutes before they reach
desired doneness, covering burgers with disposable aluminum pan to melt cheese.
While burgers grill, toast buns on cooler side of grill, rotating buns as necessary to
toast evenly. Serve burgers on toasted buns


Also be sure to see our recipes for burger sauce and homemade buns.

Sauteed Filet Mignon

(We were really needing a yummy treat on this diet and this was exactly what we were looking for! I bought 2 nice filets (the kids got leftover meatloaf) and served it with smashed cauliflower and green beans)

2 filet mignon steaks
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cut beef broth
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter (it's optional justin!!!)

-season the filets generously with salt and pepper. Saute in a heavy skillet over medium high heat with a little oil until steaks are medium/medium rare. Remove and cover to keep warm.
-pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat, leaving any meat juices in the pan. reduce heat to medium and saute the garlic for 15 seconds. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Raise heat and reduce to a syrup. Pour in the stock, soy sauce and vinegar. Boil until the sauce just reduces to a syrup. Remove from heat and stir in butter, if you wish (it adds fat but gives the sauce a velvety texture. Taste for salt and pepper. Pour over the filets and serve. This was so yummy!!!