French Dip Sandwiches

Courtesy of: Our Best Bites

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more…6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You’re not cooking the meat, you’re just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. Oh, and it smells so good–just like Grandma’s house on a Sunday afternoon.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onions soup mix. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It’s hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it’s done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. And don’t even think about walking away–things can go from lightly-toasted to on fire within a matter of seconds when you’re using your broiler.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:

Prepare roast through the searing step; after meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container (think Gladware), cover with onion soup mix and boullion, and freeze. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crockpot (frozen), add 2 cups of water, and set to high until warm or, even better, simmering. Turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.

Beef Noodle Bowl

Beef Noodle Bowl

8 oz. linguine, uncooked

3 cups broccoli florets

3 medium carrots, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 tsp. oil

1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips

1/4 cup Italian Dressing

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 green onions, thinly sliced

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 min. of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta mixture.

MEANWHILE, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add green onions last.

TOSS pasta and meat mixtures in large serving bowl.Add peanuts for an extra crunch!

Harvest Stew

Courtesy of: Natalie; Hot off the Garlic Press

Stew Meat (Usually Chuck is good, tonight I had Bottom Round Steak so I used that!)
3 Carrots
A couple handfuls of fresh or frozen Green Beans (if possible, just use canned if that is all you have)
1-2 small Zucchini
1-2Corn on the cob (again, use what you have on hand, but it was really good with the fresh corn!)
4-5 medium Tomatoes
1 Onion (I had red on hand, these days they are cheaper than yellow, which is what I normally use. I was glad to have the beautiful color!)
Garlic
5-6 Mushrooms, quartered
Chicken Stock, broth 4 cups +
Herbs, fresh if you have them

I started by slicing the onions in half rings, then sauteing them in a little bit of butter in my Dutch Oven (not the kind with coals, the other kind). I added the meat that I had cubed andsauted that with the onions pushed to the side. Since I knew the meat might be tough, I boiled it in the stock for an extra hour since I had the time. No problem if you don't have that kind of time, just continue to the next step after adding the stock to the meat and onions. Add the carrots (I cut them on the bias to look fancy). Let that simmer with the meat and onions for a bit, since they take the longest to cook. Add some fresh pressed garlic, I seriously added about 1/2 head. Add the rest of the vegetables. Simmer until the veg are tender crisp. I added some fresh herbs from my garden, basil, chives, oregano, and sage. Just add whatever flavor you have on hand or something you like if you taste it and it needs more flavor. It might need salt added if you use fresh tomatoes, you can also use canned, again, if that is what you have. Enjoy!

French Country Garlic Bread

A few slices of bread
some soft or melted butter
1-2 cloves garlic
fresh or dried parsley for garnish


Mix the pressed garlic into the butter and spread evenly on slices of bread. Sprinkle with parsley and broil in the oven for a few minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Beef Broccoli

Courtesy of: Jaden, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL
1 lb (500 g) top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thick strips
11/2 lbs (750 g) broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

1 In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the Beef Marinade. Add the beef and let mari- nate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2 In a small bowl, mix together the ingre- dients for the Stir-fry Sauce.

3 In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

4 Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

5 Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

Cube Steak with Cream Sauce

Courtesy of: Natalie Riley

4 Cube Steaks

Flour

Salt

Olive oil + butter

4-6 mushrooms (Baby Bella or Button)

1/3 c. dry white wine (or chicken stock)

1/2 c. chicken stock

2 spoonfuls Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1-2 T. cream

Heat a tablespoonish of olive oil and a little bit of butter in a large skillet. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and dredge in flour, dusting off the excess. Place the steaks in the preheated pan, and cook until golden brown, only turning once and being careful of the flour coating. {Don't fuss with them, they won't burn!!! In the mean time, make a salad or work on the other dishes!}

Remove from pan. Return the pan back to the stove and saute the mushrooms for a minute. Add the wine, scraping all of the bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and mushroom soup and continue to reduce {high heat}, add the garlic. After a minute, add the cream and serve {adding salt if necessary}.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

4 Red Bell Peppers, Seeded and cut in half
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup tomatoes, diced

Saute' the meat, onions and garlic. Mix in the rice, cheese, sour cream and tomatoes. Blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes. Stuff, sprinkle with more cheese and cook for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Hamburger Baskets

Courtesy of: Vicki Duffin

1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 pkg. stuffing mix

Gravy:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. Ketchup

Mix milk and beef together, make stuffing, make patties on rice paper. Put stuffing on patty and mold it into a bowl. Heat gravy and pour over patties, Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Hodge Podge Soup

brown 1 pound hamburger with onion

Add:
3 cans minestone soup
3/4 can water per each
1 can beef consomme
1 lg. can Pork 'n' Beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green beans
small pkg. cooked macaroni

Meaty Meat Loaf

courtesy of: Glenda Seely

Preheat oven to 350

1 lb. lean ground beef
2/3 c. evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. ketchup

In a 1 1/2 quart loaf dish, combine ground beef, milk, soup mix, and salt. Mix well. Press evenly in pan. Combine brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup and spread over top of meat.

Bake @ 350 uncovered for 60 minutes