Slow Cooker Italian Beef for Sandwiches

My brother-in-law introduced us to this splendid dish who got it from allrecipes.com.  It is perfect for those hot, summer, Sunday afternoons when you don't want to cook or heat up your house.  We made this in the crock pot and it was ready to eat when we got home from church.  Perfect!

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1 (5 pound) rump roast (also good with pork instead of beef)

Directions

1. Combine water with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil.
2. Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat.
3. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork.

The Ben Stiller Recreation

About 5 years ago, Kyle and I were in New York and we went to a restaurant called the Stage Deli. They had amazing sandwiches and they were all named after famous actors. Kyle ordered a sandwich called "The Ben Stiller." To this day we both remember this sandwich like it was yesterday, it was SO GOOD! Basically it was an open faced sandwich with thinly sliced beef topped with gravy and cheese...here is the best recreation I could come up with...

Recipe for French Rolls (if you're in a rush, you could just buy some!)
Sirloin Steak (or you could use leftover roast meat)
1 Med Onion, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Bayou Cajun Seasoning or Emeril's Essence
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
Salt
Pepper
1 Garlic Clove choppped
3 cups Beef Broth (or 3 cups water, 3 Beef Boullion Cubes)
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch mixed with 1 teaspoon water
Provolone Cheese Slices

Sprinkle Bayou or Emeril's Essence, salt and pepper seasonings over steak on both sides. Grill or broil until cooked through medium rare to medium. Take off grill and allow to rest 4-5 minutes, then THINLY slice. In a dutch oven (or large pan), heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes. Add sliced beef, beef broth and sprinkle with thyme, basil, and oregano. Turn heat to low and cook beef mixture 15 minutes. Add corn starch/water mixture to thicken into gravy.

Slice rolls in half and top with beef/gravy mixture, top with provolone cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly (1-2 minutes). Now eat and enjoy!

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps with Curried Couscous

(From "Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller"
Foodnetwork.com)
This recipe is SUPER easy and delish!

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 cup shredded cabbage*

1 cup shredded carrots*

2 cups shredded leftover cooked beef

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup uncooked couscous

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

8 Bibb or romaine lettuce leaves

*You can use bagged coleslaw to make things REALLY easy!

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sesame oil and heat. Add the cabbage and carrots and saute for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until the beef is heated and the cabbage begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce and cook 5 minutes, until mixture heats through and cabbage wilts, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil. Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Pour the boiling water over the couscous and cover for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Spoon some of the beef into the center of each lettuce leaf and roll up. Serve with the couscous.

Easy Shepherd's Pie with Garlic Romano Potatoes

Found on allrecipes.com Very yummy.

* 1 pound ground beef or turkey
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
* 2 (15 ounce) cans mixed vegetables, drained
* 2 pounds red potatoes
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

2. Place the beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Season with rosemary and basil. Cook until beef is evenly brown; drain grease. Mix in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and mixed vegetables. Cook and stir until vegetables are heated through. Transfer to the baking dish.

3. Place potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and drain. Mix butter, Romano cheese, garlic, salt, oregano, and milk into the pot. Mash together with a potato masher. Top beef and vegetables with the mashed potatoes.

4. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn oven to broil, and continue cooking 3 minutes, until potatoes are golden brown.

I'm sure you could also use frozen veggies. Also, I forgot to grease the pan, but it didn't seem to matter. Also, the notes on the page say you can substitute whatever cheese you have on hand for the Romano.

Quick Enchiladas

3/4 lb ground beef
2 c refried beans
12 tortillas
chili tomato sauce
1 med onion
salt and garlic to taste
2 c shredded cheese
olives

Brown beef and onion. Mix in beans and spices. Warm up sauce. Pour 1/2 of sauce in shallow 3 qt baking dish. Place 1/2 c of beef bean filling on each tortilla. Top with cheese and olives. Roll tortilla to enclose filling. Place flap side down into sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas. Cover with more cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Alton Brown's Homemade Corn Dogs

My husband has made these once on a campout and once for our sons birthday and they have turned out amazing! Totally worth the effort!

1 gallon peanut oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons (approximately 1 large) jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced*
1 (8.5-ounce) can cream-style corn
1/3 cup finely grated onion*
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons cornstarch, for dredging
8 beef hot dogs

*Kyle took the onion and jalepeno and just stuck them in the food processor which saved a little time chopping (and saved his hands from jalepeno burns!)

**Also you could probably get 2 packages of hot dogs (total 16) out of this recipe, it makes a ton of batter.

Special equipment: 8 sets chopsticks, not separated (*For regular sized hot dogs, we separated the chopsticks and they held up fine. However if you're using larger sized sausages, you won't want to separate them.)

Pour oil into a deep fryer or large heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the jalapeno, corn, onion, and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, and stir only enough times to bring the batter together; there should be lumps. Set batter aside and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Scatter the cornstarch into a dry pie pan. Roll each hot dog in the cornstarch and tap well to remove any excess.

Transfer enough batter to almost fill a large drinking glass. Refill the glass as needed. Place each hot dog on chopsticks, and quickly dip in and out of the batter. Immediately and carefully place each hot dog into the oil, and cook until coating is golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. With tongs, remove to cooling rack, and allow to drain for 3 to 5 minutes.

Also for those of you who don't have major frying capabilities, I found a recipe for oven corn dogs by Emeril. I haven't tried it, so I have no idea if it's good. But it would be interesting to try.

Bulgogi (A Korean dish)

I found this very quick and easy recipe on the internet. It tastes the same as the stuff I've had in restaurants.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean beef (sirloin, tenderloin)
2 T. brown sugar
4 T. soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
2 T. sesame oil
4 T. chopped green onion
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. garlic powder (I just used 3 cloves of garlic, minced)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:
Cut beef into thin cross grain slices. Combine sugar, soy sauce, oil, onion, garlic and pepper; mix well. Add beef and let stand at least 15 minutes. Best grilled over charcoal fire or bulgogi pan, but may be oven broiled or pan fried or stir fried also. (I just stir fried mine.) Serve with rice.

The way I've eaten Bulgogi before is in lettuce wraps. You just put some steamed rice and some beef into a large piece of lettuce and wrap it up. In the picture above, I also have some Kimchi, which I just bought premade at the store. And there is also a container of Gochu Jang, which is a very spicy red pepper sauce that they put on everything here in Korea. I like the flavor of it, so I put a little bit in the wrap with the rice and beef. It may be hard to find Kimchi or the red pepper sauce, but in my opinion, the Bulgogi is yummy all by itself too. Also, I didn't have any green onion on hand, so I just left them out.

Beef Broccoli Stir-Fry

I got this recipe from my aunt who originally got it from the Family Fun magazine. It is sooooooo yummy, and I don't even like broccoli! You can find most of the ingredients in the oriental section of the grocery store or at an Asian market.

2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound flank steak
1 medium head broccoli
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce

Directions: For marinade, combine: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil in a medium-sized bowl. Add cornstarch and blend well with a spoon. Stir in garlic and ginger.

Trim any fat from steak and cut into thin slices - no more than 1/4 inch thick and no more than 1 1/2 inches long. Stir pieces into marinade and cover bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes.

While meat marinades, cut broccoli into small florets and set aside. Start cooking rice so it's all ready at the same time.

Pour 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil into wok or large saute pan. Heat up on high temperature until it's very hot. Add meat and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until slightly browned. Transfer meat to a plate. Immediately add broccoli and chicken or beef broth to pan. Uncover pan and stir in the meat and oyster sauce. Cook uncovered for another 1-2 minutes, until broccoli is tender. Makes about 4-5 servings. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Weeknight Favorites: Swedish Meatballs

Submitted by Me, Laura

Meatballs:
1 lb. hamburger
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 egg (beaten)
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons minced dill pickle
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup (I prefer the celery soup, it gives it a better tart taste)
1/2 can water

Combine meatball ingredients, shape into 1-inch balls, and brown in 1 Tablespoon shortening. Add sauce ingredients and SLOWLY simmer until meatballs are done (about 20 minutes). Serve over rice or noodles.

Or you can do the lazy way like I do and use frozen meatballs, brown them in 1 Tablespoon olive oil (a little better for you than shortening!), and then simmer them in the sauce. Either way, they're yummy!!

Weeknight Favorites: Taco Soup

Submitted by Marcia Seable

1 pound ground beef, cooked
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasonings

Cook in crock-pot all day or at least 3-4 hours.
Serve with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Burritos

These are absolutely nothing fancy. Just a good, really quick meal. Feel free to spice them up with any variations of your own.

Directions:

Brown and break up a pound of hamburger. Drain off any excess fat. Add approximately 3/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup ketchup to the hamburger. Mix.

Meanwhile, lightly butter soft flour tortillas (just grab a stick of butter and run it over the tortilla---nothing heavy at all. In fact, you usually can't even see the butter on them). Sprinkle with shredded cheese and place, open faced, on a cookie sheet. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. (Watch out---if your broiler is really hot, this part can go fast. It's easy to burn the tortillas if you're not careful.)

When cheese is melted, remove from oven. Spoon warm hamburger mixture onto center of cheese tortillas. Squirt additional ketchup on top of hamburger. Top with lettuce. Fold tortilla closed.

Little Cheddar Meatloaves

1 Egg
3/4 C. Milk
1 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C. Chopped Onion
1 tsp. Salt
1 lb. ground beef
2/3 C. Ketchup
1 1/2 tsp. Dried Mustard
1/2 c. brown sugar

Beat egg and milk together. Stir in grated cheddar cheese, chopped onion, and salt. Add entire mixture to ground beef. Shape into 8 small loaves. Place on greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine ketchup, dried mustard, and brown sugar to make the sauce. Put sauce on top of each meat loaf. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 min. (We just had these today and the meat mixture seemed too wet to me, so I added breadcrumbs until it would form loaves better. It turned out SO yummy!)