Crock Pot Fajitas

You could do this with chicken as well.

Mix and place in crock pot:

2 lbs sliced steak
1 can green chilies
1/4 cup water
1 packet fajita mix (McCormick)

Add:

1 onion, sliced
4 peppers, sliced (red, green, yellow, orange)
1, 1/2 cup water mixed with
1 more packet fajita mix

Cook on low for 6-8 hours

last hour add 1 can black beans, drained.

Serve with sour cream and chopped tomatoes

Summer Squash and Spinach Stew

I started getting Bountiful Baskets and so I tried incorporating as much of the vegies as possible.

Heat in soup pot on stove top for 10 minutes:

2 T oil
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup onion
1 celery stick, cut
1 potato, cubed

Add and heat for 10 more minutes:


2 summer squash
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Add and heat for 10 or more minutes (I let it go for 30):

1 bottle tomotoes, drained
1 cup cubed left over pot roast, or more

Before you are ready to serve, add and heat for 5 minutes:

1 cup chopped spinach

Sunday Roast

I LOVE this easy meal! We had potatoes, carrots and roast all the time growing up. Except Mom didn't use the baby carrots. That's a convenience I've picked up. It was a given on Sundays that Mom would have homemade rolls and even cake or cookies to go with it! For some reason my logo wouldn't paste onto this pic. Oh, well.

I'm sure you could use a different kind of roast. I prefer the chuck. Chuck roasts tend to be more fatty, but they give the best flavor and they always turn out super moist. I've tried rump roasts and they are always hit and miss. They tend to be more dry. Maybe that's why they are cheaper. I got this chuck roast at Sam's Club and it was a hit!

In a crock pot dump in this order:

2 cups baby carrots
5 small potatoes, cut up
3 cups beef broth, mixed with lipton onion soup
4 lb chuck roast, salted and peppered

Cook on low 8 hours

Let roast rest on warm for an hour and then scoop up vegies with a slotted spoon. Serve with hot rolls or biscuits.

Sloppy Joes

This meal is particularly good with a handfull of potato chips, watermelon or cantelope and grape juice!

Dump the following in large pot and brown:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1/4 cup onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup celery, chopped fine

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped fine

Once the ground beef is all cooked brown, drain. Return all the above back into the pot and add the following:

1 cup ketchup

1 cup BBQ sauce

1/4 tsp salt

6 oz can tomato paste

1 T brown sugar

1 T mustard

Simmer on low for one hour. You could also dump it into the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Just make sure you cook your ground beef first.

Shredded Beef Navajo Taco

Cook and shred one beef chuck roast. I like to cook mine for about 7 hours at 280 in a stainless steel pot with a tight stainless steel lid.

Add to the shredded beef:

1 can green chilis
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup salsa
1 T chili powder
2 T brown sugar

Serve on scone with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Cilantro Lime Dressing

Cilantro Lime Dressing:

In a blender blend:

1 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup cilantro
1 sprig green onion
1 lime juiced
1/4 cup salsa
salt and pepper

For the scones I use my mom's bread recipe. Click here. I take the dough and cut a small portion and form a flat round in my hand. Then fry the dough for a couple minutes on each side. Allow the dough to cool on a paper towel.

Steak and Potatoes

After watching the movie, Julie and Julia, I was inspired to put on my pearls and cook a Julia Child recipe. I have never used wine before, but I ventured out of my comfort zone and found this recipe to be simple and delicious. The red wine I found at Walmart for $2 next to the vinegar. High quality stuff right? I have to admit I've never cooked with shallots either. I found them on a rack by the produce. It came in a little net bag. It looks like garlic, but when you cut it, it looks and smells like a sweet green onion. My new favorite cooking ingredient! The picture doesn't capture how moist the steaks were. I used New York Steaks.

Set your saute pan to high heat and add:

1 T butter

After the butter is done foaming quickly add your steaks:

4 -5 oz steaks, cut 1/2 inch thick (I cooked 2 at a time)

Let the steaks cook for about 3 minutes. Salt and pepper and then flip. Allow to cook about 2 more minutes. Place steaks on a plate and sit in the microwave.

Drain all but 2 T of fat off the pan. Now add:

1 T minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced

After those cook for about 60 seconds add:

2/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup beef broth

Let this simmer rapidly for about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add:

2 T butter

Serve the steaks with a spoonful of sauce on top and buttered new potatoes. Tastes just as good as anything you will buy at a steak house. Yum!

Empinadas

I tried empinadas for the first time at a festival in the park over the summer. I played improve in the kitchen last night and came up with this fantastic recipe! This filling makes a lot! I only used half of it. I put the rest in a freezer bag and threw in the freezer. You could choose to double the dough recipe if you want to make a lot more! Using this dough recipe, as is, I was able to make 24 empinadas.

Filling

Brown the following together. Then drain:

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped

In a mixing bowl dump:

cooked meat mixture
1 small can chopped olives
3 T Cilantro, chopped
1, 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 packet taco season

Dough

Cut shortening into flour until crumbly:

2 cups flour (I used 1 T wheat and 1 T oat flour)
1 cup shortening

slowly add water while fluffing with a fork:

1/2 cup water

Roll dough out until really thin. Cut circles out with buiscut cutter or ring off a quart jar. Spoon a tablespoon of filling onto the circle.

Fold the circle in half and pinch the top. Then pinch the sides together. It took a couple of these to figure how not to lose my filling. :)

Place the crescent moon shaped empinadas onto a cookie sheet and brush with a mixture of:

1 egg yolk
1 T milk

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Serve with cilantro lime rice and refried beans.

Stroganoff

This recipe came from my Mother-in-law. It is quick for those days you know you'll be at the dentist or have places to be. Put this in the crockpot for at least 10 hours. I tried once to put the crockpot on high and cook it for 6 hours. The meat was way too tough. This is a long low process :)

In your crock pot dump:

1 lb round eye steak, cut up
1 can cream of mushroom
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1/2 cup sour cream

After ten hours serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is a really easy meal! I got the idea from Kraft. You can make your own meatballs. You can use store bought meatballs, or click here to make my favorite meatball!

In a large skillet heat up 4 T oil. Saute for about 7 minutes:

1/2 onion
2 bell peppers
1 carrot, cut diagonally

Now add:

1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup Catalina dressing
2 T soy sauce

Now add your meatballs (about 16). Heat through. Serve over rice or spaghetti noodles.

Salisbury Steaks

I am not usually picky about side dishes. But with these steaks it is a must to have mashed potatoes!

In a bowl dump and mix with your hands:

2 lbs high quality lean ground beef
1/4 cups onion, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup old-fashioned oats (weird. I know. Just go with it)
1/4 tsp pepper
1, 1/2 tsp salt

shape the meat mixture into patties and place on tin foil lined baking sheets. Pour sauce over steaks.

Sauce

3 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T sugar (white or brown)
4 T vinegar
3/4 cup beef broth
1, 1/2 cups katsup

Cover steaks with foil and bake at 325 for 35 minutes. Remove foil last 5 minutes.


When you clean up dinner just throw together in a baking dish : mashed potatoes, left-over patties, green beans or corn or vegie, mashed potatoes. Wala! Dinner for tomorrow. Just shred some cheese on the Shepherd's pie and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

One Pot- Pot Roast Stew

I came up with this recipe last winter when I was sick of dirtying 3 pots just to make a simple stew. The secret to this stew is using left over pot roast and sun dried tomatoes!

Heat up 4 T oil in large soup pot and saute:

1 small onion, chopped

While the onion is cooking, cut up:

2 carrots (no need to peel)

Dump the carrots in with the onions. Now cut up:

3 red potatoes (no need to peel)

Dump the potatoes in with carrots and onions. Now add:

1 can beef broth
1 jar bottled tomatoes (or large can)
cut up leftover pot roast (about 2 cups or whatever you have)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 T sun dried tomatoes in oil

simmer everything on low with the lid on for 50 minutes.

I added one small zucchini the last 10 minutes. If you add a zucchini do it at the very end. Otherwise, it will be mushy.

Hungry Man Chili

Here is another Ruby original! I made this and didn't tell hubby I tried a different recipe than the usual chili recipe I use. I wanted to see if he would notice. Boy did he! He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but this is his new favorite chili. My children don't seem to think it's too spicy. If you want more spice then add more red pepper flakes or chili powder. The corn bread recipe is coming soon!

In a large pot cook up the following until beef is brown:

1 lb ground beef (or left over pot roast, cut up)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped

Drain the grease. Now add:

1 quart bottled tomatoes (or large can)
small can tomato sauce
1 cup pinto beans
1 cup black beans
1 cup frozen corn
3 T chili powder
1 tsp basil
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

simmer on stove top for an hour...or more if you aren't ready for dinner. ;)

Poor Man's Stew

This dish was inspired by Mother's Goulash. I added a few things and played up the ground beef a bit. It is a favorite at our house!

In a large pot get 2 quarts of water boiling, then add:

1 tsp salt
2 cups macaroni noodles

Cook the macaroni about 8 minutes

Drain the macaroni and return to pot along with:

1 quart bottles tomatoes (or 2 large cans tomatoes if you don't bottle tomatoes)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 Tbl brown sugar
1-2 lbs of meatballs (I use leftover meatballs. Click here for my recipe!)

Now put the pot back on the stove top on low low heat. Put the lid half on. Stir occasionally. You can serve as soon as the meatballs get heated. But I like to let the stew sit for a half hour. Don't let it get too dry. You can add water if you think it is too dry.

Serve with bread and grated cheddar!

Beef Burrito

I cooked up a rump roast the other day and ate it with potatoes and carrots. Three days later I found about a pound of left over roast sitting in the fridge. What do I do with THAT?

I cut up the roast and threw it in a pot along with what I had in my cupboard. Here is what I came up with. It was YUMMY!


Dump the following into a pot and heat on low until heated:


1 lb roast beef, previously cooked and cubed
1/4 cup salsa
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1, 1/2 tsp chili powder


For a yummy pitta to serve this on check out my recipe here!

Meatball Subs

Dump the following in a big bowl and mix with your hands:

1 lb ground beef

3 T minced onion

1 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 t basil

1/2 t oregano

1 egg

1/4 c milk (I use 1/4 c water, 1 T powder milk)

1/2 t Worcestershire

1/2 c bread crumbs

I like to make this up and then put in the fridge for the day or even two. then cook at 400 for 10 minutes. Bake on tin foiled cookie sheets for quick clean up!

Add mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce!