• Crockpot Ranch Roast

    September 30, 2013 Author: Rachel
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    Crockpot Ranch Roast is so flavorful.  All but our pickiest eater (who doesn’t each much by the way of red meat) enjoyed this dinner.  I made Corn Casserole to accompany the roast, and it was excellent together.  Steve said it reminded him of a dish he had in Costa Rica and that’s a really good thing.

    Ingredients:

    • 3 lb. beef roast
    • 2 c. water
    • 1 envelope of dry Italian salad dressing mix
    • 1 envelope of dry ranch salad dressing mix
    • 1 envelope of dry brown gravy mix

     Directions:

    1. Mix water through gravy mix in a bowl until thoroughly blended.
    2. Brown roast, if desired (I didn’t).  Add meat to Crockpot and add mixture over meat.
    3. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

    Crockpot Ranch Roast:

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  • Crockpot Mongolian Beef

    September 30, 2013 Author: Rachel
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    Mongolian beef in the Crockpot….so good.  Everyone loved it, and even my pickiest eater had seconds!  I love that this recipe actually calls for a long cooking time and that it actually benefits from the long cooking time.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 onion, thickly sliced
    • 2 tsp. olive oil
    • 1 1/2 lb. stew meat
    • 1 TBSP minced garlic (jarred)
    • 1 TBSP fresh ginger (paste)
    • 1/2 c. soy sauce
    • 1/2 c. water
    • 1/2 c. Hoisin sauce
    • 1/2 c. (1/4 c. Splenda) brown sugar
    • 3 TBSP cornstarch

    Directions:

    1. Mix garlic through cornstarch in a bowl.
    2. Add onions to the bottom of the Crockpot; then add the olive oil; then add the meat; and then pour the sauce over the meat.
    3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with white rice.

    Mongolian Beef:

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  • Sweet and Sour Pot Roast

    April 3, 2013 Author: Rachel
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    This pot roast recipe is so good!  I’ve made quite a few pot roast recipes and they all seem to be missing something, but the sweetness from the cranberry sauce adds that missing element.  Everyone enjoyed this dinner, and it will certainly become a favorite at our house.  Definitely company worthy too!

    Recipe from Hot Recipes in Cool Dishes

    Ingredients:

    • 1 TBSP oil
    • 1 beef roast, 3-5lbs
    • 1/2 c. red wine or beef broth
    • 1 packet of powdered onion soup mix
    • 1 can of whole cranberry sauce
    • 2 tsp. garlic, minced

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 325*
    2. Heat large skillet over medium high heat, and add oil.  Then add the roast and brown well on all sides.
    3. Place roast in a 2.5 quart baking dish.
    4. Add remaining ingredients to the skillet, stirring constantly until the cranberry sauce melts.
    5. Pour sauce over the roast in the baking dish, cover and bake for 2.5 – 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender.

    Sweet and Sour Pot Roast:

  • “Best” Ever Spaghetti Sauce

    January 1, 2011 Author: Rachel
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    It seems we’ve been kind of in a funk lately.  Not much new cooking going on, but that all changed tonight!  -s got an awesome new cookbook for Christmas called The Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook, and when I browsed through the book a number of recipes popped out at me.  So tonight -s made the Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever recipe (p. 97), and it didn’t fall short of its name.

    It was fabulous.  -s made a few changes, which are noted in the recipe.  We’ve never made a sauce with 2 whole cans of tomato paste, but the tomato paste plus the simmering for hours had delicious results!

    Recipe adapted from the Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever Recipe.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 lbs. Italian sausage, bulk or links, casing removed (-s didn’t remove the casing)
    • 1 small yellow onion
    • 3 TBSP pressed garlic
    • 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
    • 2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
    • 2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
    • 2 c. water
    • 1 TBSP minced fresh basil
    • 2 tsp. dried parsley
    • 1 TBSP packed brown sugar
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes (omitted)
    • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

    Directions:

    1. In a large pot over medium high heat, brown the sausage with the onion and garlic.
    2. Add the tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.  Mix well.  Add the basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, red pepper (omitted), and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour.  We simmered for 3 hours.
    3. Serve over spaghetti.

    Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever:

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  • Grilled Polenta with Spicy Steak

    May 16, 2010 Author: Rachel
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    This dish is fantastic!  Definitely tastes like something you would get at a restaurant.  The best part…it’s quick and easy.  Certainly company worthy.

    Recipe is adapted from a recipe in the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light.

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tsp. olive oil
    • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp. ground cumin
    • 1 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chile powder (1 dried chipotle, ground)
    • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
    • 1 lb. flank steak or flat-iron steak
    • 1 (18oz) tube of polenta, cut into 8 to 10 slices
    • 1 avocado, sliced
    • 1/4 c. crumbled queso fresco
    • 2 c. pico de gallo (simply mix grape tomatoes, chopped jalapeno, chopped cilantro, garlic, salt and lime juice together)
    • Limes, quartered

    Directions:

    1. Combine 2 tsp. olive oil, salt, cumin chile powder, and pepper; rub evenly over steak.
    2. Heat grill; grill steak until done.
    3. Brush polenta with 1 tsp. olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt.  Place a piece of foil on the grill and add the polenta; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
    4. Arrange sliced polenta on a plate; add steak, top with pico, queso fresco, and avocado; then squirt with lime.

    Grilled Polenta with Spicy Steak:

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  • Grandma’s Sweet and Sour Meatballs

    March 9, 2010 Author: Rachel
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    Oh man do these meatballs remind me of dinners at Grandma Clark’s!  Good memories!!  I call these meatballs sweet and sour, because that’s what it reminds me of.  I’ve adapted the sauce recipe a bit more to my liking as I like a sauce (lots of sauce) with bold flavors.

    Definitely a family favorite and makes great leftovers!

    You can serve these meatballs over rice or egg noodles.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 lb. lean ground meat (I use ground turkey or chicken)
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
    • 1/2 envelope of dry onion soup
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp. dried parsley
    • 1 tsp. dried celery flakes
    • 2 c. vinegar
    • 2 c. water
    • 3/4 – 1 c. sugar (use juice of 20 oz pineapple chunks can)
    • 2 c. ketchup
    • 2 envelopes dry onion soup mix
    • 1 c. (or 1 bag) raisins or craisins (or omit and add an additional 1/2 c. sugar)
    • 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks from above (can omit if desire)
    • Hot rice or egg noodles

    Directions:

    1. Meat: Mix meat through celery flakes together.
    2. Sauce: Combine vinegar through raisins and pineapple in a large pot.
    3. Roll meat mixture into walnut sized meatballs and place them in the pot.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour in the sauce.
    4. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

    Grandma’s Sweet and Sour Meatballs:

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  • Curried Beef

    February 22, 2010 Author: Rachel
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    This crock pot dinner is really tasty, and the leftovers were delicious too.  The recipe comes from the March 2009 issue of Cooking Light. I thought the original recipe called for way too much salt, so I didn’t add the salt, other than to season the beef prior to searing it, and boy am I glad that I omitted the rest of the salt, because the dish was plenty salty.  My advice is to use the salt sparingly, because you can always add more after the dish is finished crocking.

    The recipe calls for beef short ribs, but I used just a boneless chuck roast, and it worked just fine.  If your meat cut doesn’t have a bone, then I’d reduce the cooking time.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 tsp. canola oil
    • 2 lbs. short ribs or boneless chuck roast, trimmed
    • salt and pepper
    • 1/3 c. minced shallots
    • 3 TBSP minced garlic
    • 3 TBSP minced peeled fresh ginger
    • 1/4 c.  water
    • 2 TBSP red curry paste
    • 1 can of light coconut milk
    • 1 TBSP sugar
    • 1 TBSP fish sauce
    • 1 TBSP grated lime rind
    • 1 TBSP fresh lime juice
    • Hot rice

    Directions:

    1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add half of ribs to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place ribs in an electric slow cooker. Repeat procedure with remaining ribs.
    2. Add shallots, garlic, and ginger to pan; saute 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water and curry paste; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Add coconut milk mixture to cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.  If using boneless chuck roast cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours.
    3. Remove ribs from cooker; keep warm. Pour cooking liquid into a zip-top plastic bag and place bag inside a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Pour cooking liquid; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Stir in lime rind and juice, taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Shred rib meat with 2 forks; discard bones. Serve sauce over ribs and rice.

    Curried Beef:

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  • Crock Pot Turkey Chili

    February 5, 2010 Author: Rachel
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    This chili is so delicious.  It can be made completely on the stove or once assembled it can be simmered away in the crock pot.  I used my crock pot, and this chili is awesome.  It is thick and hearty and delicious.  I used ground turkey, but you could certainly use ground chicken or beef.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 1 TBSP vegetable oil
    • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
    • 1 lb. ground turkey
    • 2 TBSP chili powder (I used 1 TBSP chili powder and 1 TBSP ancho chili powder
    • 2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 3 TBSP  tomato paste
    • 5-6 dark chocolate Hershey kisses
    • 3 (14-oz.) cans of chili ready tomatoes diced tomatoes (2 cans fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can of Mexican stewed tomatoes)
    • 1 (16-oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1/2 c. water
    • Top with shredded cheese

    Directions:

    1. Saute chopped onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender; add garlic, and saute 1 minute.
    2. Add turkey, chili powder and cumin, cooking for 8 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink.  Then add the tomato paste, and cook 2 minutes. Add chocolate, tomatoes, beans and water, stir to combine.
    3. Stove top recipe: Bring mixture to a boil and cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Top with shredded cheese.
    4. Crock pot recipe: add everything to your crock pot.  Cook on high for 2 hours (more time won’t hurt it) or on low for 4 hours (more time won’t hurt it). Top with shredded cheese.

    Crock Pot Turkey Chili:

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  • Quick Reuben Sandwiches

    January 20, 2010 Author: Rachel
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    Here’s another really tasty recipe for quick Reuben sandwiches.  To me what makes this sandwich is the homemade thousand islandish dressing.  It’s easy, so don’t skip that step.

    Thousand Island Dressing Ingredients:

    • 1 c. mayo
    • 1 c. ketchup
    • 1/2 c. sweet pickle relish (I only had hot dog relish which is a mix of mustard and relish)
    • 1 TBSP sugar

    Sandwiches:

    • Rye bread
    • Butter
    • Leftover corned beef, sliced and heated
    • sour kraut
    • Swiss cheese
    • Thousand island dressing

    Directions:

    1. Thousand Island Dressing: mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
    2. Sandwiches: take a slice of rye bread, add corned beef, sour kraut, swiss cheese, and some dressing.  Top with rye bread.  Butter the top of the bread and put the sandwich butter side down in a hot skillet.  Cook until bread is browned.  Add some butter to the now top of the sandwich and flip it over and cook until browned.

    Quick Reuben Sandwiches:

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  • Quick Steak Taco Dinner

    June 10, 2009 Author: Rachel
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    Here’s a tasty menu for a quick weeknight dinner.  Top tacos with Mango Salsa and serve with Los Tios Mexican Rice.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 flank steak
    • lime juice to marinate
    • salt
    • pepper
    • garlic powder
    • onion powder
    • ground ginger

    Directions:

    1. Combine all ingredients in a dish or zip top bag and marinate for 30 minutes.  Grill until desired doneness.

    Serve:

    Quick Steak Taco Dinner:

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