Ground Beef Gyros

picture source same as recipe source

Oh my goodness.  This was really REALLY really good.  And easy!  Oh my...it was so easy!  Quick, easy and delicious...everything I love in a meal.

The only thing that bothered me was the ground beef patties.  I followed the recipe (well...followed the ingredient part, not measurement part..I don't measure), however, when I grilled up the patties and then went to slice them, they sort of fell apart.  Next time I would just make a bunch of thin, small patties to put in the pita, not large patties and then slice them.

The cucumber sauce was beautiful.  Again...I did not measure.  I put the ingredients in my food processor and blended until smooth.  I didn't leave any chunks like the recipe suggested.

Served them up on some fresh whole wheat pitas....not the authentic thick ones, I used the flat pocket type but didn't open up the pocket...just piled them on and wrapped it, like the recipe suggested.

Thank you Passionate Homemaking for sharing this!  It'll be repeated, many times,  in our household.

Beef Burrito

Me and my knock off Mexican food...what can I say...I love it!


I love quick easy meals...especially for weekdays. 


There is no real recipe for this...you can change it up to how you and your family would like it.


I started with smearing some refried beans onto tortilla shells (this part looks lovely, eh?)...

I cooked brown rice in my rice cooker and dumped in a bunch of salsa while it was cooking.


Put that on next...

Then I browned some ground beef with taco seasoning...put that on next...

Roll the burritos, put in cooking dish and drizzle taco sauce on top...

Add cheese....

You really just need to cook it until heated through an the cheese is melted. 


Serve it with shredded lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo...

Delicious!


and filling...I only ate half.

Black Bean Chili

Yaaa!  I took my own picture!


Super easy weekday meal.  I love meals that only require me dumping ingredients into a slow cooker!


Thank you Martha Stewart!  You can print the recipe off from her site.


The only changes I made were too the toppings...I added cilantro and cheddar with the sour cream and onions that the recipe recommends.  I wasn't sure if it's possible...but it is...I did add a little too much cilantro to mine (pictured above).  I'd probably cut it back a bit next time.

French Dip

I made this last week.  It was so good! By far, one of the best I've ever had or made.


You can find the recipe here.


My only suggestion is to cut back on the salt.  I wouldn't salt the roast before, it was a tad on the salty side.


Also, even if you're not a beer drinker, you have to trust me on this...you don't taste the beer. 


I toasted the buns with provolone cheese first and then added the meat. 


Make sure you use the juice to dip your sandwich in!!

Meatball Heroes and Oven Roasted Potatoes

I've never had or made meatball subs, but the picture on the webpage where this was posted made it look so good so I gave it a shot.


I'm glad I did...it was delicious....and filling.  I barely at mine.


I got the recipe from Real Simple.  You can find a printable version there.


I did some make some changes.  First of all, I used fresh homemade meatballs.  They are so easy to make and taste way better.  I baked mine in the oven, then I heated up the sauce in a skillet and added the meatballs to that.


I did, however, buy store made pasta sauce.  I have yet to find a good recipe and master a good red sauce from scratch that I love.


If you don't follow my other changes, at least do this one.  I thought that if I followed their way for heating up the bun, I probably would have a soggy sandwich by the time I added the meatballs and sauce.  I also didn't think the cheese would melt like their picture from just adding it after the meatballs.  So I cut the buns in half, added the cheese and baked them in the oven until everything was toasty and melted...then I added the meatballs.


Now onto the oven roasted potatoes!  I love oven roasted potatoes.  I've never really ever had a recipe for them, I just kinda make it up each time.  I like to try a variety of ways.  One of my favorites is tossing the potatoe cubes in olive oil then adding onion soup mix and roasting...so good.  I also like to just sprinkle them with "vegetable" seasoning sometimes.  Garlic powder and dry dill are also a fav.


I saw this recipe on another blog and she raved on and on about it so I figured I would try it.  They were good!  I did find they took a bit longer to get that crispy outside I love.


Anyways...you can get the recipe here.


Let me know if you try either of these!

Crispy Orange Beef

Recipe found here


I read the reviews/comments at allrecipes.com and here are my suggestions based on those...

- after you coat the beef in cornstarch, let it rest 10 minutes, then put it in a strainer and shake it over the sink

- double the sauce if you're serving it with rice and you want a sauce for it

- use a little less orange

- do not use 2 cups of oil for frying...I just coat the bottom of a non-stick frying pan with vegetable oil

Perishky (Meat Buns)

The mennonite in me knew I was going to have to learn to make these eventually.  I love them and I can't keep relying on my 87 year old Grama or my Mom to make them for me.


I asked my mom for the recipe and of course I got the "there is no recipe" and she just explained how to do them.  You aren't getting a recipe either, but you are getting step by step pictures...even better!


Now I need to tell you something before you start these.  They take a long time to do...they are easy...but time consuming.


Don't start them late in the morning, then decide to go visit your in-laws that live 2 hours away and then come back too late at night to work on them...not that I would do something like that...I'm just saying...don't.


First you need to make a roast like you normally would...make sure you make the gravy too.  I did mine the day before I was planning on making these and then just put the roast and gravy (separated) in the fridge.


Then the day you want to make them, make a basic white bread.  I used my bread machine (on the "dough" cycle) and did a smaller loaf recipe.  I ended up needing to make a second larger recipe...and I used all of it up.  I guess it also depends on how much roast you  have.  It really is trial and error.  It's okay if you have to make more bread...it just adds to your time, but gives you an excuse to go have a nap.....or to be productive if you're that kind of person.


Okay so now that you have your bread made and your roast is done and cooled...the fun can begin....and I have pictures of these steps.


If you have a food processor, put your beef in it and grind it right up.  You want it completely minced.  If you don't have a food processor....go buy one...or deal with the fact that you are going to be chopping and chopping until the end of time.

Add enough gravy that it makes a mushy lovely mess.  When I make my roast gravy I add onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup, so I don't need to add much flavor to my "mix" at this point.  Depending on your gravy, you might want to add some minced up onions and garlic salt.   Actually, come to think of it, I think I added some dried minced onion flakes to it.

Now roll out your dough on a clean floured surface.  Roll it out thinner than I have pictured here...this was too thick.  Turns out I hate rolling dough.  This was the worst part for me.
 
Use a cup or something round to cut circles.  Make sure you dip the rim in flour.

Put some of the roast beef mush in the center of each circle.  Fold them up and pinch the seam together....I actually started adding more to each circle after this.  This is a high dough to meat ratio.....(do I sound fancy and smart when I use words like "ratio"...I hope I used it right).

Place them seam side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  At this point I was a little worried, because I didn't think they were looking good.

I covered mine with sprayed wax paper and a tea towel and let them sit until they were double in size.   Okay...I lied and didn't have the patience to wait for them to double...but I did let them rise for 2 hours.  Maybe they would have gotten bigger faster if I kept them in the oven like my mom suggested...but of course, I had to do it my way.  They need to be in a draft free area. 

Preheat your oven to 350 or 375 degrees.  This is when I moved these on top of my oven so they could feel the warmth and rise a bit more.


Bake them for about 20 minutes...or until golden brown.  A basic bun recipe says to do 375 for 20 minutes and since your meat is cooked already, you're just needing to make sure you bread is.

This is when they taste the best....fresh out of the oven.

If you were to start these late on a Sunday morning and then run out of dough and have to make more....

If you decided to go visit your in-laws (who live 2 hours away) before you were done....

If you didn't get home until after 10 pm.....

If you put the dough into the fridge so you can use it for when you had time....

If the next day was Monday so you wouldn't be able to finish them until after work....

If the dough had still kept rising in the fridge this whole time....


They could turn out to look like this...

Again...not that this happened to me...I'm just saying.


I like mine with ketchup.  My mom and sister like them with mayo and mustard...which I do too...but this time I was all about the ketchup.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Seriously, though...time consuming but easy...especially with a bread machine and a food processor.


I love them and it's a perfect alternative to roast leftovers.

Beef Barley Soup

This is seriously so easy...and delicious!  It's even easier if you have a food processor and a slow cooker.  It makes LOTS, but freezes well. 


My old crock pot used to fit the entire recipe, but it has gone to appliance heaven so now I'm using my sister's old one (she wasn't using it so she gave it to me) and it's quite a bit smaller....the whole recipe doesn't fit in it.  You'll have to look at the amount of ingredients and use your smarts to figure out if it will fit or not.


I got this recipe from my mom....I've always loved her Beef Barley Soup.

pour 6 cups of water in your slow cooker

add 6 beef bouillon cubes or omit water and cubes and use beef broth instead...or use this stuff...

add one can of tomato soup

one can diced tomatoes

2 cups shredded carrots

2 cups shredded potatoes

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup barley

Now this is where I have to skip a step.  You are suppose to add another 6 cups of water, but because I don't have room for it, I don't...however, if you do...make sure you add it.  If you don't...you'll have a soggy messy mushy mess.  I explain what I do at the end, but it's not as good as if I were to add it now...and it's more tedious.

add 1 tbsp parsley flakes

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp thyme

Looks like dog food, doesn't it?  I did not like it this way.  I was lazy and just cubed up a chilled left over roast.  I should have shredded it.  I actually normally use ground beef in this recipe, but I had quite a few roasts to use, so I used it. Anyways...add 3 cups cooked roast beef or 2 lbs ground beef, cooked.

Set it on low for the day.  If your crock pot fits all of it in, then you're done!


When I get home from work I pour half the soup into a large pot.  Then I add water to both the pot and the crock pot and I try to let it cook as long as I can to absorb the flavour.  It doesn't have as much flavour as it would if the water cooked in it all day.  Mine always tastes better as leftovers because of this.  If you have room, add that water...it makes a huge consistency and flavour difference.


Here are our leftovers, after we ate our dinner and put some aside for someone.

 

Printable Recipe Here

The printable version tells you how to cook it on your stove top if you don't want to go with the slow cooker version.

Betsy's Chili for Slow Cookers

I had a favorite chili recipe I was using, then a Facebook friend sent me this one.  I threw out my other one and replaced it with this one.


It has a couple of weird ingredients in it, but you just have to trust me and try this.


We made it for 17 people on our annual Thanksgiving weekend.  We made two kinds of chili (a healthy turkey one loaded with vegetables and this one) and served it with freshly baked cheese biscuits and spinach salad.  We had sour cream and grated cheddar for those who wanted to top theirs with it.


They both were a hit and absolutely delicious.


Get the printable recipe here for Betsy's Chili.


I'm going to try the turkey and vegetable one at home soon and when I've done that, I'll post that recipe.

Philly Beef and Cheese

If you are like me and have approximately 492 roasts in your freezer, you are always looking for a different way to serve roast.


I get sick of just plain roast or beef dip and Ben doesn't really like bbq beef sandwiches, so I'm always on the hunt for trying it a new way.


I was looking around the internet and saw many variations and different versions of this one and got a little overwhelmed.  I decided to go home and make up my own based on all the recipes I saw.  I wanted something easy and quick and that is exactly what this is.


I put my roast in my slow cooker that morning with some beef broth.  I cooked it on low all day while I was at work.  When I got home, I took it out of the slow cooker and let it cool....then I shredded it.

Then I mixed mayonnaise, minced garlic, salt, pepper and parmesan in a bowl.

And because marble was the only cheese I had, I used that.  If you are wondering why I only had marble...you can read part of that story near the end of this post.  I normally would have used swiss, provolone or havarti for this.

In a skillet I sauteed onions, green peppers and mushrooms (mmm....I love that combo) until soft.

Then on panini buns (you could easily use subs too) I spread the garlic mayo, added the cheese and shredded roast beef.

I broiled them in the oven until the cheese was all melted and gooey.  When they came out of the oven, I piled the green pepper mixture on them and served it with a mixed green salad.

Yeah...it was pretty flavorful and delicious!  The best part though was how fast and easy and simple it all was.  A perfect weekday meal for the busy person.

October 4 - 8 and Some Roast Beef Talk

Here are our dinners for this week...


Monday: philly cheesesteak sandwiches with mixed greens

Tuesday: baja fish tacos

Wednesday: beef stroganoff - for the record...I do not like this...at all, however, since not everything needs to be all about me all of the time, I make this from time to time for Ben....he loves it.  It's something he really likes and I can choke back (if I make it my way...which isn't traditional stroganoff).  However, he is on his own for finding someone to make him stew and dumplings...that's where I draw the line.

Thursday: warm quinoa, spinach and shiitake salad

Friday: on our way for our traditional thanksgiving long weekend, so whatever we have for dinner is usually "to go".


I'm trying 2 new recipes this week.  I'll let you know how they turn out.


Also, I have 8 more roasts in my freezer....please give me some new and creative ideas on what I can do with them...I only have a few more weeks until I get my freezer filled up with beef again.


I plan on making a beef barley soup with one of them.


And with the mennonite in me, I'm going to learn to make fleisch perishky (meat buns).  I've never made them because I am not good at baking.  I also love my mom's and grama's so much I normally just mooch off them.  Some recipes use ground beef, but my mom and grama use left over roast beef that they mince up and add some of the roast gravy with...that's what I plan to do with one of the roasts....so that leaves me with 6 more.


I'm getting sick of plain roasts dinner...I need ideas...so help me...please.

Asiago Beef and Bow Ties

It's that time of year when everyone is making roasts in their slow cookers for dinner.  You always know with the next couple of days there will probably be beef dip or roast beef sandwiches for lunch.


Want to try something different with your roast left overs?


I got this recipe out of Company's Coming "Meal Salads".  I don't think of this one as a salad, though.  I didn't serve it cool as the recipe suggests...I served it warm.  It was a perfect way to use up some roast leftovers.


Here's the recipe as it is in the book...the changes I made are at the end...



Asiago Beef and Bowties

8 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 cups medium bow pasta

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh asparagus

2 cups chopped deli shaved beef (or minced cooked roast beef)
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onion

Creamy Asiago Dressing
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine water and salt in dutch oven.  Bring to a boil.  Add pasta.  Boil, uncovered, for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add asparagus.  Cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender but firm and asparagus is tender-crisp.  Drain.  Rinse with cold water.  Drain well.  Transfer to large bowl.

Cream Asiago Dressing: Combine all 6 ingredients in small bowl.  Makes about 1/2 cup.

Add to past mixture.  Toss.  Chill for 2 hours to blend flavours.  Makes about 8 cups.


Here are my changes:

- as you can tell by the picture, I didn't chop the asparagus.  I like food to have different shapes and sizes...I don't want everything chopped the same size, so I didn't.
- I shredded leftover roast
- I didn't rinse the pasta and asparagus with cold water because I wanted a warm meal.
- which means I did not chill it for 2 hours....it was so good still!  I also had it for leftovers the next day and it was just as good!


PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Any questions?  Just ask!

Lazy Lasagna

I don't like real lasagna...I don't know why, but I don't. Quite a few years ago, someone brought this casserole to a party and I loved it. I got the recipe from her and it's now become a hit for anyone I've made it for. Some of the quantities are a bit vague (that's how she wrote it out for me), but just figure it out...you can't really go wrong with it. I've never tried it with spinach before, but someone mentioned last time that I should try adding it and next time I make it I'm going to do that. This recipe makes quite a bit, however, the ones you don't need for dinner that night freeze well. Just make sure you thaw it out and cook it without a lid when you use it next time or it can be a bit "soupy"...or at least that's what mine did.

Anyways...here ya go...

ground beef
1 tin whole tomatoes
1 tin tomato sauce
1 tin tomato paste
1 lg container cottage cheese
1 container feta (cubed)
1 pkg med. egg noodles
garlic
onion powder
salt and pepper
italian seasoning
basil
mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 or 375.

Brown ground beef.

Meanwhile cook noodles to package directions (maybe undercook slightly).

Then...in a large mixing bowl, mix together beef, egg noodles, tomato paste with 1 tin of water, tomatoe sauce and tomatoes. Add feta and cottage cheese. Season to taste with garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, italian seasoning and basil. Mix. At this point it might look mushy and gross, but trust me...it's not.

Put in casserole dish or dishes. Cover with mozza. Bake 35-40 minutes and then to brown cheese broil for about 5 minutes.

That's it, that's all.

If you try it, let me know. Also, let me know if you make any changes...I love feedbac


A very vague printable version is here.

Steak and Sweet Potato Salad

Ya for "Meal Salads" from Company's Coming! No this is not a paid advertisement. This is me...loving my newest cookbook and wanting to share all it's joys with you.


I'm so nice.


1lb. fresh peeled orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" slices (that's a lot of words to say sweet potatoes...buy how many you want and slice 'em)
1 tbsp water (yeah...I did not measure that one...haha)

1 tsp montreal steak spice
1lb beef strip loin steak (again...no idea how much or what that is...I just bought a nice looking piece of steak)

1lb fresh asparagus, trimmed off tough ends (I'm really getting sick of pound quantities...I just bought 1 bunch)
3 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing (don't waste your money buying it...just mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe some oregano if you want...I just drizzled balsamic vinegar on it)

6 cups cut or torn romaine lettuce, lightly packed (mixed greens for this girl...it's what I buy)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing (see what I have to say about this above)
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Arrange sweet potato slices in single layer on large microwave-safe plate. Sprinkle with water. Microwave, covered on high for about 4 minutes until tender crisp. Mine didn't all fit on a single layer in the plate...put them in a casserole dish and just throw them in and give 'er.

Sprinkle steak spice on both sides of steak. Grill until they are how you like them. Transfer to cutting board. Cover with foil. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice thinly. Transfer to extra-large bowl.

Reduce heat to medium. Brush sweet potato and asparagus with first amount of dressing (like I said...just drizzle them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil). Cook until browned and tender. Transfer to cutting board. Cut into 1" pieces (I just cut the asparagus and potatoes in half). Add to steak.

Add next 3 ingredients. Toss. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes about 14 cups.


Tell me how yours turns out, please...and thank you!!
You can print it from here.

Sundried Tomato Beef Salad

DELICIOUS! Another from "Meal Salads" by Company's Coming


1lb flank steak (I have no idea what flank steak is, so I just bought a steak)
1/4 cup sundried tomato dressing

16 cups water
2 tsp salt
4 cups fusilli pasta

1/2 cup sundried tomato dressing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, light packed
4 1/2 oz can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, blotted dry and chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil

Pierce steak in several places with large fork. Place in medium shallow dish. Pour first amount of dressing over top. Turn until coated. Marinate, covered in a refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Remove steak and discard any remaining dressing.

Here is where the recipe goes into great detail telling you how to grill a steak. Just grill it to how you like it....okay?

When it's done, transfer it to cutting board and cover with foil. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Cut slices in half crosswise.

Here is where the recipe tells you how to cook pasta. Follow directions on package to cook it until tender but firm...or however you want to....and when it's done...drain and transfer to large bowl.

Add second amount of dressing and vinegar to pasta and toss.

Add remaining 5 ingredients and beef. Toss. Makes about 9 1/4 cups.


PS....I didn't measure a single thing when I made it.


Print it from here.

Sweet Ginger Beef Slaw

If you love Asian flavours you should love this. I got the recipe from Company's Coming "Meal Salads". I'll definitely be making this again!

You Need:
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp sesame oil
1 lb beef top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (super easy to do...just put in a frying pan over med/high heat and watch closely..they don't take long)

4 cups of broccoli slaw, lightly packed (or you could use shredded cabbage with carrot, but the broccoli slaw does work perfectly)
14 oz can of baby corn, drained
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
1/2 cup asian-style sesame dressing
1/2 cup julienned radish
2 tbsp finely sliced green onion

Here's what you do:

1. combine first 5 ingredients in a small cup
2. heat large frying pan on med/high heat until very hot
3. add sesame oil and then add beef
4. stir fry until browned. add brown sugar mixture. stir and cook for about 1 minute stirring often, until coated. remove from heat
5. sprinkle with sesame seeds. toss and let stand for about 10 minutes

now here is where i swayed from the recipe.

it says to mix remaining 6 ingredients, add beef and toss...however...if you save your left overs and you don't want soggy salad...don't do that. if all of it will be eaten in one meal, you're probably okay...just make sure you serve immediately...it's not good soggy.

I put the broccoli slaw, baby corn, snow peas, radish and green onion in a bowl and then when it came time to eat, we put the veggies on our plate, drizzled with dressing, then added the beef and mixed it on our plate. No soggy veggies...nice warm meat with it...mmmm....mmmm and it was just as good left over the next day for lunch!

Let me know if you try it!



Print the recipe from here.

Teriyaki Beef

Easiest recipe EVER!! Got that? EVERRRRRRRR!


It's from Kraft Canada...so even though I wouldn't call this a culinary adventure or anything like that...you know it's going to be easy, it's going to have the ingredients you have on hand and it's going to generally be "everybody approved."


Oh and for all you busy people out there....especially those without a dishwasher....this one is for you....


....one large skillet....that is all you need...and ready in minutes!


1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips (I just bought one at the grocery store that was already cut into "stir fry" strips...yes...I wanted an easy dinner)
4 cups coleslaw blend (one of the small packs in produce worked perfect)
1 red pepper cut into thin strips
1/4 cup asian sesame dressing
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
olive oil or sesame oil if you want some good flavour (Ben doesn't love sesame flavours so I just used olive oil)


Heat a little oil in large skillet on med-high heat. Add meat; cook and stir until meat is browned. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium. Add coleslaw and red peppers to skillet. Cook 3 or 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce. Return meat to skillet, cook and stir until heated through.

They say serve it with rice...but we just had it as is.


You can get a printable version here.

Tangy BBQ Sandwich

Print the recipe from right here.


I had my sister's family over a couple of Saturday's ago.  Ang and I decided at last minute to do this one, so we defrosted the roast in the microwave for a bit, then we threw it in the slow cooker (still partially frozen) on low for 2 hours then cranked it to high for 3 hours.


It actually turned out perfect.  We cut the roast up, but it back in the sauce and let it sit until we were ready to it.


The sauce was very runny, but I think it's because we added it partially frozen.  We just used tongs and a slotted spoon to get the meat out.


We used havarti cheese on it and broiled the buns before adding the meat.


It was delicious!!!  No leftovers from this crowd.


The next week we had roast and with the leftovers, I put all the ingredients into a pot, added the shredded beef and heated it up on the stove top.  I used those half baked panini buns you can get (I don't know their real name...but the ones that are partially baked already and you finish them at home).  I baked the buns, sliced it and put the filling it...so good.