Easy Crockpot Mongolian Beef

This crock pot meal is fabulous when school is in full swing and there are after school activities.

Ingredients:

1 pound stewing meat (I actually use 1.5 pounds and there is plenty of sauce)
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thickly (I omit this as my children don't like onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1/2 cup hoisin sauce

Directions:

Dump everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you are going to cook it a bit longer it is advisable to add a little bit more water so it doesn't dry out. This is delicious with rice and a nice green vegetable such as broccoli, peas or green beans.

Freezer directions:

Mix all liquid ingredients and put in a freezer bag. Add your meat and mix up to be sure the beef is covered. Seal and date your bag and place flat in the freezer. Take out of freezer the night before cooking and put in your fridge to thaw. Next morning put in the crockpot and follow directions above.

Source: www.allrecipes.com (adapted from)

Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

I am not a huge meat loaf fan, but once in a while I get a taste for it. I found this recipe the other day from Paula Deen and tonight my entire family loved it and said I could make it again! I served it with smashed red potatoes and green beans.


1 lb ground beef
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped bell pepper (I left this ingredient out)
1 egg, slightly beaten
8 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 C quick cooking oats

Topping:
1/3 C ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp mustard


*Preheat oven to 375 degrees
*Mix all meat loaf ingredients and place in baking dish (I used bread pan). Shape into a loaf.
*Mix ingredients for topping and spread on top of loaf.
*Bake for 1 hour.

Creamy White Beans and Sausage

Yesterday morning after Danny and the children left for school, I did something I rarely get to do. I sat down and watched the last 45 minutes of Good Morning America. And, I am so glad I did, because I got to watch Emeril Lagasse make Creamy White Beans with Sausage.

As he was making it I kept saying, Yum! So I scratched my plans for traditional Friday night take out of Cucci's Pizza, and made Emeril's Creamy White Beans and Sausage. I invited my sister Dawn over to try it out with us. WE LOVED IT! I cannot wait until it is lunch time--- in exactly 3 hours, 1 minute and counting, so I can have some left overs!!!

Click Here! if you want to watch Emeril make it, and for the recipe. FYI, my tweaks to this recipe: I added another can of diced tomatoes and only used 4 cans of beans.

Chicken Kiev

I made this last night for dinner and forgot how good it was! The lemon butter gives it a perfect flavor! This needs to chill 2-3 hours before baking, so make ahead!

1/2 Cup plus 3 T butter
Juice and grated peel of one lemon
2 T minced parsley
1 tsp crushed thyme
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 Cup Flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Cup Cracker Meal (I used plain bread crumbs)

*Melt 1/2 Cup butter with lemon juice, peel, parsley and thyme. Chill in small bowl until firm.

*Pound chicken breasts between waxed paper. Season with salt and pepper.

*Place a Tablespoon of chilled butter mixture in center of each breast and roll breast around butter mixture. Secure with a toothpick if necessary. Coat with flour, dip into egg mixture and roll in cracker meal. Place chicken in shallow casserole and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

*Melt 3 Tablespoons butter and drizzle over chicken. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes.

-From the Junior League of Washington, D.C.

Rice Lasagna

This recipe intrigued me as my family loves lasagna, however, I don't always have lasagna noodles on hand, but always have rice in my pantry.

1 bag Success® White or Brown Rice
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 lb lean ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Prepare rice according to package directions. Cool slightly. Combine rice, eggs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix well; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese in separate bowl. Mix well; set aside. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add meat and brown over medium heat; drain off excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce and garlic powder; continue cooking until thoroughly heated. Spoon one-half of rice mixture into baking dish. Cover with one-half of cheese mixture. Top with one-half of meat sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

I prepared my rice in our rice cooker (one cup dry rice to two cups of water for this recipe). The dish was great the first night and super reheated too!

Baked Chicken Fingers

When chicken breasts are on sale make baked chicken fingers in a snap. Enjoy some fresh from the oven and place the remainder in the freezer. No need to purchase fried chicken or chicken nuggets from the store. These are great sliced on salads and lunch for the little ones with some dipping sauce on the side.

2 lbs of boneless, chicken breasts (skinless)
Sauce: 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of bottled ranch dressing
*I reduce the fat content by using skim milk and fat free ranch dressing
Coating: cup of seasoned bread crumbs
*Adjust sauce mixture and coating depending on amount of chicken you are preparing and use plain or seasoned bread crumbs depending on your preference. Also, add a little paprika if you like!

Mix the milk and ranch dressing together well with a whisk.
Cut the chicken in strips or nuggets.
Place the chicken in sauce and coat well.
Place chicken in the bread crumbs.
Place coated chicken on a spray-treated baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes, turning once.
Remove from oven and enjoy or cool on baking sheets to follow freezer directions below.

Freezing directions:
Allow cooked chicken to cool on the baking tray then place tray with cooked chicken in the freezer and freeze until firm.
Place the frozen strips/nuggets in freezer bag.
You just reheat frozen chicken on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes (until hot).

Cranberry Chicken

We had this for dinner this evening and I must admit that I had forgotten how yummy it is!

8 ounces of Catalina Dressing (regular or low fat)
1 package of onion soup mix
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce (16 ounces)
4 boned or boneless chicken breasts

Mix together the dressing, onion soup mix and cranberry sauce. Place the chicken and the sauce in a greased baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour (until your chicken is done).

This goes really well with steamed rice and veggies.

Freezer Directions:
Mix together the dressing, onion soup mix and cranberry sauce. Place the chicken and mixer together in a freezer bag. I then place in another freezer bag and label and date. When ready to prepare thaw overnight in the fridge and follow instructions above.

Crock Pot Chicken Barbeque

This is easy and delicious. Serve with a side of rice, noodles or on a baked potato with sour cream and some veggies on the side. A great lunch meal to place in the slow cooker before leaving for church. Easier still; shred the meat and put on a hamburger bun. Will serve our family of four two meals.

6 skinless chicken breast halves (boneless)
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce of your choice
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing (I use fat free)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

*The ingredients give it a wonderful flavor. I recommend using a barbeque sauce that you really like to secure you get a great flavor*

Place chicken in the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worchestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken. Cover and let it cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low (if chicken breasts are frozen). If the chicken is not frozen I recommend 4 hours on low depending on your individual slow cooker.

If you plan to serve it as barbeque about an hour before eating take out chicken and cut in small pieces or shred and return to the slow cooker.

Brown Sugar Bacon

My friend, Amy, gave me this recipe and said it is THE BOMB DOT COM w/ the Firehouse Pancakes. I haven't posted on Roof with a View yet so it is hot off the email presses.

Brown Sugar Bacon
-Bacon
-Brown sugar

Spray a cookie cooling rack with nonstick spray. Lay over foil-lined roasting pan or something deep enough to catch bacon drippings. Lay out bacon on cooling rack.Sprinkle brown sugar over each piece of bacon, as much as you like. Bake according to package directions (it’s usually around 400 degrees or so) until desired brownness. The brown sugar caramelizes and it is soooo good.

She also mentioned that she's seen Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa do this too, but she used real maple syrup instead.

Cider Gravy for Bacon-Herb Butter Turkey

This gravy accompanies the below turkey recipe. It sounds complicated and time wasting, but it's worth it in the long run to see your husband's big smile and hear the compliments!!! (If you don't understand either of these recipes, please comment or email me to ask questions.)

1/4 Cup reserved fat from turkey drippings
2 1/2 Cups chopped celery
2 Cups coarsely chopped onions
6 large sprigs of thyme (I used loose thyme)
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 Cup Apple Cider
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
6-8 Cups chicken stock
4 sage leaves (I didn't have these, so I ommited this)

*Place 1/4 Cup drippings in saucepan along with celery, onions, thyme and peppercorns. Place in 425 oven and roast for 10 minutes. Add apple cider and vinegar, roast 10 more minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and add chicken broth and sage. Cook uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Pour base through strainer; discard solids.

*(To do this step, see vegetable ingredients in below turkey recipe) Pour vegetables and pan drippings into strainer. Mash vegetables to get all possible liquid out of them. Discard solids. Pour remaining drippings in pan and place on stove top. Place 1/2 Cup flour into cup and add cold water and whisk with fork. Add to drippings and stir 3 minutes. Add gravy base and simmer until smooth, and thickened, whisking frequently for about 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper.

Again, it sounds A LOT harder than it really is, but the results are delicious! I served the turkey and gravy with smashed red potatoes, green beans and yeast rolls. Mmmm, mmm!!

Roast Turkey with Bacon-Herb Butter

Okay, before you read the ingredients and directions and write this one off, hear me out. I got a free subscription to Bon Appetit magazine. The recipes in each issue are a little too gourmet for our taste, but the Thanksgiving issue had some great sounding traditional recipes in it. I dog-earred this one and made a mental note to make it. My husband came home from a long trip the other night. When he returns from his trips, I always have a "homecoming meal" for him. He must have seen me dog-ear this because he asked for it! We ate it tonight and both agreed that it's a keeper. It was DELICIOUS! So moist and flavored so well. It may require some day-ahead work, but it's worth it. The gravy that goes a long with it is so good, too. I'll post that later. This would be good for Easter dinner coming up shortly.

Do 1 Day Ahead:
Butter
1 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz. Applewood smoked bacon, cooked and finely chopped (I didn't have applewood, so I used regular)
1/3 Cup Dijon Mustard
1/3 Cup Fresh Thyme, chopped
1/4 Cup Fresh Sage, chopped
1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Coarse Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Finely Grated Lemon Peel

*Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender until bacon is finely chopped. Transfer to sheep of plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap as aid, roll butter mixture into 2-inch diameter log; chill until firm. Remove and cut into 1/4 inch-thick rounds and let sit at room temp for 20 minutes.

*Take Turkey (use whole turkey or turkey breast) and rinse inside and out. Pat dry. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat, slowly slide hand loosening skin. Carefully slide butter slices between skin and meat to cover (there will be a generous amount of butter mixture). Sprinkle 1 tsp coarse salt and 1 tsp pepper over turkey. Place turkey on rimmed baking sheet. Cover with wrap and sit in refrigerator at least one day.

(Like I said, a DELICIOUS gravy accompanies this turkey. It's a little complicated, so you can omit it, if you like. If you want to try it, you'll need some apples, carrots, celery, onions and bay leaves at this point).
*Set oven to 350. Spread olive oil on bottom of roasting pan and place turkey on top. (If you're doing the gravy, chop up 2 C onions, celery, carrots and apples and place them on top of oil. Sprinkle with salt) Place turkey in oven and roast until internal temperature reaches 170, basting with pan drippings every 30 minutes. Tent with foil if turkey gets brown too quickly. (A whole turkey will take about 3 hours, a turkey breast about 2). Transfer turkey to platter, where internal temperature will raise 5-10 degrees).

I know it sounds complicated (it is from Bon Appetit!!!), but I can not tell you how good this is. Very restaurant-quality! The gravy is worth it, too....I'll do that recipe tomorrow. Now that I know how to make it, it will be easier next time. Bon Appetit!

Black Bean Chicken

Okay, I have to admit, I'm definitely a "taker" when it comes to this blog, but today I'm a giver! This recipe is so easy it's almost embarrassing, but it's so yummy I had to share.

*3-4 Chicken breasts (I always cut each breast into thirds)
*1 jar of your favorite salsa
*1 can of black beans (undrained)

*Put your chicken in the crockpot and pour the salsa and undrained beans on top. Cook on high for 4 hours. Serve over spanish rice.
TIP: Leftovers poured over chips with melted cheese & sour cream make great nachos! Enjoy!

Hamburger Pie Casserole

Ladies, I understand if the sound of this recipe doesn't immediately rank on the top of your list for pallet pleasing dishes that you would like to try. However, if you have a "meat 'n tatahs" man in your house, this dish will be one sure way to his heart. My husband grew up on this dish and I'll admit it's grown on me. It's a perfect testosterone combination of meat, tatahs AND greens. It's pretty kid friendly as well. The best part of all is it's SOOOOOOOOOO easy peasy.

HAMBURGER PIE CASSEROLE (Minnesota lingo for this recipe is "hamburger hot dish")
-1 or 2 lbs. ground beef (I use ground turkey)
-1 can green beans (french style is best)
-1 can tomato sauce (I used tomato soup)
-2 c. instant mashed potatoes
-2- c. shredded cheese

Brown and drain ground beef. Layer in large casserole. Drain can of green beans and put on hamburger. Add layer of tomato sauce. Then layer of mashed potatoes. Top with layer of shredded cheese. Feel free to sprinkle a little paprika across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Southern Baked Beans

This is a Paula Deen recipe that I made to take to dinner at Donna's tonight. All I know is it smells DELISH cooking up....like a country kitchen, I tell ya. I haven't tasted it yet so we'll see how it goes over...

Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon
1 large onion
1 16-ounce can pork and beans
3 tablespoon yellow mustard
5 tablespoon maple syrup
4 tablespoon ketchup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a skillet, fry bacon until crispy and crumble. In the same pan using the bacon drippings, saute the onion until brown. Mix bacon, onion, and drippings with the remaining ingredients. Pour into a baking dish and bake covered for 45 to 60 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 60 minutes Ease of preparation: easy

Creamy Baked Chicken

Don't mean to be a recipe hog but I'm playing catch up. I made this last week and it's fairly easy. Definitely worth sharing. It's out of my church cookbook, Central Cooks!

8 Chicken breast filets
8 Swiss Cheese slices
1 10 1/2 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1/4 cup melted butter

Arrange chicken in greased baking dish. Top with cheese slices. Combine soup and sour cream and stir well. Spoon sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle stuffing on top. Drizzle butter over top of stuffing mix. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

Turkey Chili

For anyone from Minneapolis, this recipe comes from The Best of Byerly's Cookbook. Byerly's and Lund's are THE BEST grocery stores to which I have ever been. Someone should open one of each in these parts! It would go over BIG. Sorry girls but these stores put HT and Kroger to shame. It's more along the lines of the new, nice Publix but EVEN better.

Anyway, it's a great cookbook and I have made this recipe a couple of times now. It has been a hit both times. We had it last night with cornbread and there was NONE left over. The best part is it's low fat but high in flavor!

Note: Just be sure to add the seasonings to ground turkey when sauteeing to be sure the flavors thoroughly permeate.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 lb. ground turkey
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 14 1/2 oz. cans no salt added whole tomatoes, undrained, chopped
1 15 oz. can no salt added tomato puree
1 can pinto beans,l undrained (I use a can of chili beans and usually add more)

Preparation:
Saute onions, green pepper, chiles and garlic until tender (3-5 min. on medium heat). Stir in ground turkey, chili powder, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, cumin and salt. Cook until turkey is browned (about 5 minutes). Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer uncovered until flavors are blended (45-60 minutes). Six servings.

Crockpot London Broil

This is a different and great recipe to make a YUMMY, tender roast. Goes great when served w/ egg noodles or rice! Also even better when you add more mushrooms. Sorry I didn't take a picture but take my word for it...it'll be a hit.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 1/2 pounds London broil
small jar (4 to 6 ounces) of mushrooms, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 pkg dry onion soup mix

Preparation:
Mix together flour, ground black pepper, and paprika; rub London broil with mixture then put in crockpot. In a bowl, combine mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, and onion soup mix; pour over meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

This chili is so yummy. The blend of the tomato sauce, hot sauce and the sour cream is a sure pallet pleaser! I make this in the Fall and Winter. We all love it and fight over the left overs.

I made this for din din tonight to welcome in the first day of Fall! And, wouldn't you know, we had a big thunderstorm come in and darken the skies and bring the temperature down to 79 degrees! This picture does not do this yummy chili justice.

Ingredients: (use more or less of these, depending on your taste)
3 or 4 uncooked boneless chicken breasts cut up in bite size pieces
olive oil
3 or 4 sliced carrots
2 ribs of celery sliced (sliced down the middle and then sliced into pieces)
1 (one) 4 oz. can of green chile's OR you can use fresh chili peppers
2-3 cups water
1 large chicken bullion cube
29 oz can of tomato sauce
Hot Sauce--add to personal taste (i.e. Frank's Hot Sauce)

Topping: sour cream, shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese or crumbled Blue Cheese


Place 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chicken in a big pot. Brown the chicken up nicely. Then add the water and bullion cube. Stir until the cube dissolves. Add tomato sauce, carrots, celery, and chile's. Bring to boil and then allow to simmer about 20 to 30 minutes to get carrots and celery tender. You can add hot sauce to the pot of chili OR just place jar of hot sauce on the table and let everyone put as much in as they like. This is what I do because I don't want to make the chili too hot for the children.

Garnish the soup with sour cream and cheese. (In the picture you see Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese because I already had some freshly shredded from last night's meal.)

Also, corn bread or Hint of Lime Tortilla chips go great with this chili.

Chicken on the Ritz

This is a recipe I received from my good friend Kathie Solem. She's a great cook and I'm always looking for a new recipe. This was super easy and the chicken was very moist. So moist that you didn't even need a knife to cut the chicken. Here's what you need:

1 C Ritz cracker crumbs (about 24 crackers and I used whole wheat crackers to make it a little healthier)

1/4 C chopped parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C Parmesan cheese

1 clove minced garlic

pepper to taste

4 chicken breasts

1/2 C melted butter

Combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in butter and roll in mixture. Arrange chicken in a shallow roasting pan or casserole dish. Pour remaining butter over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour. A SURE family pleasure!

Crock Pot Vegtable Beef Soup

Here's a yummy soup for all of you drowning in rain and cool weather. It is pretty hearty too and would go great with the Dun-Buttered Muffins posted below.

1-1 1/2 (one to one in a half) pounds boneless round steak cut into 1/2 cubes
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes undrained
3 cups water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium onions, diced (I left these out)
3 celery ribs sliced
2 carrots sliced
3 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-1 1/2 (one to one in a half) cups frozen mixed veggies ( I think I just added a can of undrained corn and a can of undrained green beans.)

Mix first 12 ingredients together in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Add last ingredient (mixed veggies). Cover and cook on high for 1-2 more hours, or until meat is nice and tender.