Mongolian Beef

Recipe: (with adaptations!)

(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

2 lbs thin sliced top round or flank steak
1 tbsp , 1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 c water
1 c soy sauce
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil, for frying, plus 2 tbsp for sauce
1/2 c cornstarch
2 bunches green onions (I just chopped up a regular onion, it’s what I had!)
”some” chopped zucchini
”some” banana squash, chopped up

Heat 2 tbsp oil in saucepan over medium-low heat (don’t get it too hot!).  Add ginger, garlic, water, and soy sauce to the pan.  Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens.  Remove from heat and set aside.

While the sauce is cooking, slice the meat into thin pieces.  Put it in a ziploc bag with the cornstarch.  Shake well, and let the meat sit for 5-10 minutes to let the cornstarch stick.  Heat remaining 1/4 c oil in a pan, add the beef to the oila nd saute until the meat is almost cooked (it will only take about 4 or 5 minutes. 

While the beef is cooking, chop up the veggies.  Remove the meat from th epan and let it drain on paper towels.  Wipe out any excess oil in your pan.  Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.  Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the veggies.  Cook until your meat is done and the veggies are cooked, just a couple of minutes.

Serve the meat & sauce over white rice.

Approval Rating:

This.  Was.  Delicious.  the end

Shepherds pie

Comfort food at it’s finest, and it was sounding good – and so I looked over a few different recipes, and tossed together something basic & simple – and guess what – it turned out really good!

Recipe (aka Basic Ingredients!):
hamburger, browned (with some onions, cause I like it that way!)
veggies – I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies
gravy – I just used some basic brown gravy
mix those together, toss in casserole dish
top with mashed potatoes
and then cheese, lotsa cheese
and then baked, until it’s all hot & bubble – like 30-45 min @ 350ish

Super detailed, right?  Hey, sometimes these are the good recipes!  Enjoy!

Approval Rating:
Everyone, every last one of them, gobbled it right up.  Down to the last bite.  Success!

Slow-Cooker Saucy Swiss Steak

(again, no pic - but wanna remember it - sorry!)

Recipe: 
(found this one, also, at kraftrecipes.com)
1/4 c Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 boneless chuck blade or shoulder steak (1 lb), cut into 4 pieces
1/4 c flour
1/4 c tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 c beef broth
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 c shredded swiss cheese

Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, coat steaks with flour; gently shake off excess flour.  Add to skillet; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until steaks are browned on both sides.  Remove from heat.  Combine tomatoes, broth and tomato paste in slow cooker.  Add steaks and peppers; cover with lid.  Cook on high 3 to 4 hours (or on low 8 to 10 hours)  Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

Approval Rating:
Well - I left this recipe for the kids & Grandma to fix while I was in Vegas at a wrestling tournament!  They managed to get it into the crockpot, and then out again to eat!  Everyone seemed to really like it.....Mallory was sitting in her chair eating it when we got home, and even though I bought extra meat there wasn't any left other than hers!!  I picked at hers a bit, and the meat was super tender and had a great flavor - this recipe is for sure a keeper!!

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

(again, with the no picture - lame - sorry!  gotta preserve access to the recipe, though!)

Recipe: (with my adaptations!)
(found this one at kraftrecipes.com)
2 lb boneless beef round steak, cut into 1 inch cubes (I just bought a pkg of stew meat - already chopped, yay!)
1/4 c KRAFT Light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
1 TBSP Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (ok, didn't have this, used brown spicy mustard cause it is what was in my fridge - thought it was same thing, apparently not, hehehheee....worked ok, though!)
2 carrots, peeled, sliced (I just tossed in a handful or two of the mini-carrots I had in the fridge!)
1 large red potato, cut into 1 inch cubes (ok, I did a lot of potatoes!)
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced (yeah, totally skipped this!!)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained (I added another can of just regular diced tomatoes, because it seemed a little dry with all those extra potatoes (!!) and because that is what I had on hand...)
1/4 c flour
1/4 c water
1 pkg (12 oz) whole wheat egg noodles, uncooked (see below.......)


Heat nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Add meat, in batches; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until evenly browned, stirring frequently . Place in slow cooker.  Mix dressing and mustard; pour over meat.  Top with next 5 ingredients; cover with lid.  Cook on low 8 hours (or on high 4 hours), cooking noodles as directed on package for the last 15 minutes.  Mix flour and water; stir into meat mixture.  Cook, covered, 5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened; stir before serving.  Serve over drained noodles.  (Ok, not entirely sure that the whole flour/water thing, and noodle thing ever happened - I tossed this in the crockpot on a day that I wasn't going to be home at night - they were on their own, and I'm pretty sure the noodle thing at least didn't happen!)

Approval Rating:
Meat & Potatoes - Man food, right?  What's not to like?  Smelled good - looked good - I was gone, didn't eat it....boys said it was good - Lynn said it was "overcooked" - of course, he got home late, so, you know.....  :)  Will make it again - super easy, and good comfort food!

French Dip Sandwiches

(first of all - SORRY for the post with no pic - Hate That!)

I was searching for dinner inspirations on my trusty FB page - and Lynn's nephew's wife (whew!) contributed this tasty little tidbit:

Recipe (no adapting, here!):
(shared by Lindsey Pickle-Morton ‎)
1 roast
2 cans french onion soup
2 cans beef consomme

All goes in the crock pot low 5-6 hrs, high 3-4hrs. Slice meat and serve on torpedo rolls. (I like the really dry ones) and use the juices as a jus (sp?) Best french dip EVER and super easy! (Ok, I lied - I did adapt a LITTLE bit....served it w/o au jus (my kids aren't into soggy bread...!), and added cheese slices - oh, the 2nd time I made it they added some BBQ sauce to their buns, was great!)

Approval Level:
The first time I made this, I wasn't home for dinner (yeah, was SUPER nice of me to make dinner for those left behind!) - but I gotta tell ya, the house smelled SO good all day!  The boys all said they liked it, Lynn said it was a little dry/chewy.......but I thought, anything that smells THAT good......so I tried it again!  (The fact that I have roasts in the freezer and this only requires FOUR CANS for the remaining ingredients TOTALLY encouraged me!)  So Glad I did!  It was totally moist and tender and delicious - last time must have been the ROAST'S fault!  Serve these sandwiches up, you'll be glad you did!

Sloppy Joes

Hey - I made these - From. Scratch!!  Yup, go ahead - be impressed!  (ok, YES, I use way too many canned/pre-mixed items - so shoot me!)  If you don't already know The Pioneer Woman (Ree) and her Fabulous Blog - you really need to.  There are hours and hours and hours and hours of wonderful things on there (not that I would know....ok, I totally would!)

Sloppy Joes (photo courtesy of Pioneer Woman)

Recipe (no adaptations here!):

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-½ pounds Ground Beef
• ½ whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-½ cup Ketchup
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• ½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• Worcestershire Sauce To Taste
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
• Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
• Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Kaiser Rolls
• Butter

Preparation Instructions

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.
Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.
Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if it makes your skirt fly up. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

Approval Level:
These were YUMMY.  And, Total Man Food - which, around here, is ALWAYS a good thing - will make it again!