~Hearty Vegetable Soup~

Well, hello easy delicious soup!  Where have you been the last couple months that I work late?? I needed you!!  I work late a few nights a week and don't get home until 8:30 or later sometimes...It's safe to say I do not want to come home and make a full meal that will take an hour or so to prepare. I don't really feel like eating after 9:30 at night!  SO I end up using my crock pot once a week, at least.  I sometimes get stuck on new recipes.  I was given a crock pot cookbook for my bridal shower, but a lot of the recipes only require 4-6 hours of cooking...and I'm gone for much longer than that.  Ugh.  So I found this beauty of a recipe in that cookbook actually, and oohhhhhh it's good!  It takes five minutes to put together.  Who doesn't have 5 minutes in the morning to make a full-blown meal?  Not only is it really good, it's really healthy.  Woot woot for super easy healthy meals.  Lean meat, corn, onions, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes...all very good.  I didn't actually put the potatoes in when I made this...either I didn't have any at the time, or I simply forgot.  I'm betting I forgot...

 

Serves 4-6

You'll Need:

1 lb. round steak, cubed
1 can diced tomatoes, with liquid
2 c. water
2 brown potatoes, peeled, cubed (optional)
1 onion, diced
15 baby carrots (or however many)
1 can green beans, with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid
3 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Get Busy:

Throw all of that in the crock pot.  Cover and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve with cornbread or bran muffins.  Enjoy!  Soo good.  

~Lasagna Toss~

Ahhh this is so delicious!! And this is one of the easiest recipes to make--ever. If you mess up making this, something may be wrong with you. It's that easy. If you like the taste of lasagna, you will love this--because it tastes just like lasagna! It cooks up real quickly, too.

~

I got this fabulous recipe from Jeremy's family. I remember the first time I had it, I was really skeptical. After the first bite, I fell in love with this dish (I don't know how you couldn't--it's so easy to throw together).

Serves 6

You'll Need:

1 lb. big seashell whole wheat pasta

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 lb (16 oz.) small curd cottage cheese

Get Busy:

Cook the ground beef, drain any fat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, combine with ground beef and other remaining ingredients. Yep--that's it. I told you it was easy. And soooooo good. :-)

~Easy Taco Soup~

Well, there truly cannot be an easier soup recipe than this, and it tastes so good! This tastes good with tortilla chips or quesadillas (or just by itself, let's be honest). Jeremy really liked this too! In fact, he made sure to let me know that he got seconds ha ha. Taco soup has just right amount of spice to it. Really, there can't be an easier homemade soup than this. Open a few cans, dump the good stuff in, and let the crock pot do the work.

Serves 4

You'll Need:

1 can (15 oz.) chili with beans and meat

1 can (15 oz.) whole kernel corn, with liquid

1 can diced or stewed tomatoes, with liquid

1 can tomato sauce

1 can black beans, with liquid

1 1/2-3 Tbs. dry taco seasoning mix (great homemade recipe here)

Get Busy:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Serve with quesadillas or tortilla chips. Yup; that's it. I told you--easy. And soooooo good. Enjoy!

~Mongolian Beef~

Have you ever gone to PF Chang's and ordered the Mongolian Beef? This is something similar to that. This is very easy to make and yummy to the taste! We prefer brown rice to white rice, as pictured above. White rice doesn't really carry any nutritional value, let's be honest. White rice is processed; so the outer shell or bran layer is removed which carries the nutritional stuff in rice. So even though brown rice takes way longer to cook, make it anyway! It is worth it. And never buy instant rice--what a waste of carbs and calories!! Ok, off my soap box and back to delicious Mongolian beef. What took the longest for this whole dish was cutting the meat in thin pieces, and I could have cut them thinner, with more care. However, I made this right after a long day of work, so it turned out how it turned out. It was still great!

After you cut the meat in thin strips, roll the strips around in the cornstarch and evenly coat them.

Make the soy sauce... (with a little sugar and a little lovin')

In a separate pan with some oil, cook the beef until it is no longer pink.

Once the beef is completely cooked, add the sauce and let it cook until it thickens a bit.

Once you decide the sauce is thick enough, add the chopped green onions.

Serves 2

you'll need:

1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise

1/4 c. cornstarch

3 tsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. grated ginger (about a 1/2 in. piece), optional

1 Tbs. garlic, chopped (2-3 cloves)

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (use less for minimal spiciness)

3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

get busy:

Once the steak is cut into thin strips, combine them in a bowl with the cornstarch. With your hands or a spoon, move the meat around so it is completely covered.

Heat half of the oil in a wok or a good-sized skillet and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. The sauce may not be thick at this point--it's ok.

Turn up the heat in the same pan and add the rest of the oil. Add the beef and cook, stirring until all the meat is browned. Pour the sauce back into the pan and let it cook along with the meat. If you want a thinner sauce, take it off the heat and serve it as is. For a thicker sauce, leave it on the heat and let it thicken a bit. Add the green onions at the last minute so the green parts stay crunchy for the most part. Serve hot with brown rice and seamed broccoli.

You'll love this dish! A different twist on a typical beef night.

~Steak with Mushroom Wine Sauce~

Of all of the recipes I have made since this blog began, this has been my number one fave so far! This recipe is packed full of flavor. I do love a good steak, and personally, I will devour anything that calls for a wine sauce and mushrooms! If you were to only try one of my recipes, this is the one I recommend making. It seriously tasted like something you would order in a nice restaurant. Best thing yet, it's incredibly easy to make. Serves 2.

you'll need:

2 6 0z. flat iron steaks*

5 Tbs. olive oil, separated

1 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbs. ground paprika

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 c. red wine

2 c. sliced mushrooms

get busy:

Stir together 2 Tbs. of olive oil, pepper, salt, paprika, mustard and garlic powder in a small bowl to make a paste. Prick the steaks all over with a fork and rub them well with the paste, working the paste into the meat.

Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the remaining 3 Tbs. of olive oil. Heat the oil until it just begins to smoke. Quickly sear the steaks until the outside is brown and the inside is still pink, 2-3 minutes per side.

Remove the steaks from the skillet. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil while scraping the brown bits of food of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, cook and stir until the mushrooms are cooked and have released their liquid, maybe about 5 minutes.

Return the steaks to the skillet on top of the mushroom-wine sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove steaks onto serving platter and pour the sauce on top of the steak. I know you will enjoy this meal because it is divine!!

*I was out one steak, so I used ground beef for the other "steak" and I thought it was absolutely fabulous.

~Tri Tip Roast~

Tri tip is my absolute favorite way to eat beef. It is the best! It has the most incredible flavor and it is the easiest dish in the world to make. There are less steps to this than making mac and cheese! When I lived in Utah, this roast was a rare find; grocery stores just don't seem to carry them there often or ever. I was so happy when I saw this go on sale at Stater Bros. This is a family fave for us. Try it and I'm confident it will become one of yours as well.

Weird as this may sound, the best part of this roast is the fat/top. The majority of the flavor lies on the top!

I don't use a meat thermometer (although I should) so I just cook my roast for a good hour and then take it out.

you'll need:

3 lb. roast

kitchen bouquet

pepper to taste

garlic salt

1/2 c. water

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour some kitchen bouquet over the roast in a 9x13 pan, enough to completely cover the roast. Take a basting brush and brush the roast until the bouquet gets in all the crevices. Liberally cover with garlic salt. Sprinkle on some pepper. Pour water in the pan. Cook for about an hour. The inside of the roast should be a light pink, depending on how you like your beef, but regardless of your preference, it should still be a little pink in the middle. This dish is really tasty with a creamy potato side and my sister's green bean casserole (I will post this recipe soon; it's ten times better than the Campbell's soup recipe). Serves a family of 6. (I buy a 1 pounder for Jeremy and me because we are a small fambam :-) ). Love, love, love this cut of beef. Try it out!

~French Dip Sandwiches with Aujus Sauce~

I love my Crock Pot. What an easy to way to make a meal! Now that I work full-time and commute, I have been utilizing my casserole dishes and my Crock Pot (thanks again Ash for the Crock Pot!). This is probably one of the easiest dinners ever to make. The first time I made it for Jeremy, he loved it, and it is on our regular family menu. This meal couples well with spinach, but it really could go with any veggie. I just made a ton of spinach tonight because I didn't eat many vegetables today.

you'll need:

3 lb chuck roast

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

enough water to almost cover the roast

get busy:

Throw all of the above ingredients into your Crock Pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Mine always seems to be done in 8, but it depends on how quickly your slow cooker cooks. Once it's done, put the meat on either French rolls or hoagie rolls, and put the sauce in a ramekin. That's it! This is a crowd pleaser. Hope you enjoy it.

~Dinner in a Pumpkin~

Literally. I cooked this meal inside a pumpkin in the oven. And I served this meal in the pumpkin. So when you take the spoon to get the goodness out, you also scoop some cooked pumpkin as well. Yum. This has become a tradition for my little fambam on Halloween to make. Happy Halloween cooking! I love making different things that are festive, too. My girlfriend Brooke requested this recipe; we had her and her hubby over for dinner last Halloween when I made this. It's really good! The cooked pumpkin is adorable served on a platter with smaller pumpkins (not that I did this...). The pumpkin once cooked will get brownish and slightly saggy. The pictured pumpkin below is before it was cooked.

you'll need:

1 medium sized (10-12" diameter, basketball sized, ~10 lbs.) pumpkin
1 pound ground beef
1 pound (a chub.) mild sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons oil

1 head broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 large green apple, diced

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar/mozz/jack cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
dash red pepper
dash pumpkin pie spice

6 cups cooked hot rice or noodles, for serving

get busy:

Remove top racks from the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
Cut the top off the pumpkin and remove all the seeds and stringy pulp inside. Season inside pumpkin with a little salt, pepper, and pumpkin pie spice.

Heat oil in a large saute pan and bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add beef, sausage and onions into saute pan and cook until browned. add broccoli, carrots and apple into boiling water and cook for 8 minutes to soften. (Skip this step if you like a little bite to your veg.) drain vegetables. In your biggest mixing bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, milk, cheese, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper. stir in meat and onions and veggies. Carefully pour into prepared pumpkin and replace pumpkin top. place pumpkin on a heavy duty cookie sheet or in a casserole dish. Carefully put in oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours at 375 degrees. to serve, scrape sides and bottom of pumpkin to get bits of pumpkin with stroganoff. Serve over hot rice or noodles.

* The recipe may be halved and prepared in a small pumpkin for a cute little family.

**I don't like sausage, so I omitted that from my recipe. You can add any other meat like ground turkey or just have the ground beef.