Brown Sugar Flank Steak

This is absolutely divine! You must make this. I cannot tell you how good this was! I couldn't stop eating it!

Brown Sugar Flank Steak

1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C green onions, chopped
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2-2 lb. flank steak

Combine the marinade ingredients together and mix well. Marinate the steak in this marinade in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but at least 4 hours. Grill each side until the meat is cooked to medium-rare. Let the steak sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Slice into really thin strips and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Whenever I have time to kill and I need a new recipe I go here....Tasty Kitchen. This was started by the Pioneer Woman, another one of my favorite websites. When we got the new crock pot I went on a hunt and found this delicious recipe! You must try this!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Source: Tasty Kitchen

2 lb. stew meat
2 cans golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 package onion soup mix
1/2 C water
1 bag egg noodles
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T sour cream

Cook the meat, soups, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, water, and onion soup mix into the crock pot. Cook on low for low for 8 hours or high for 5.

Cook egg noodles in boiling water. Drain.

Just before serving, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and noodles. Serve.

Crockpot Philly Cheesesteaks

Along with my new panini press, Charlie also blessed me with a new crock pot! My cooking has been really slack since I started teaching full time in February. I really want to start utilizing our crock pot more. The crock pot we had wasn't anything fancy. I wanted something that cooked on a timer. My new one switches to warm after time is up, which is great for the days I work late (most days!). We liked this meal, although there's no picture. Sorry! Just trust me!

Crock pot Philly Cheesesteaks
Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

1 lb. tri-tip steak, sliced
1/2 sliced onion
1 bell pepper
1/4 C white wine
1 T Worcestershire sauce
Provolone Cheese
Sandwich rolls

Cook sliced meat, onion, pepper, wine and Worcestershire in a crock pot on low for 8-9 hours (high 4-5). Spoon meat onto rolls and top with cheese. Bake in 400 oven for about 10 minutes.

Chicken Fried Steak

I have been excited about cooking this for 2 weeks now! And what did I do...screw it up! After a few tears (yes, I cry over failed dinner attempts-don't judge!), some words, and a lot of frustration, I somehow managed to salvage this dinner! Next time I make it I will do it right! A lot of things went wrong with this, some my fault and some not! First, (reminder to self) DO NOT forget to tenderize the meat! The meat needs to be pounded thin or it won't cook through the way the recipe states and you will have to cook it in the oven the rest of the way through.

This was not a healthy dinner, especially when you serve it with the mashed potatoes I made tonight :)

I didn't get a picture of this dinner, but you should check out Ree's blog...she has phenomenal step by step photos of her recipes.

Chicken Fried Steak
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

3 lb. cube steak
2 eggs
1 1/2 C milk, plus 2 C for the gravy
3 C all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 C for gravy
2 tsp. seasoned salt
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 C vegetable oil

Put the eggs and 1 C milk in a pie dish. Mix together. On another plate, mix 3 C flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Lightly season a piece of meat with salt and pepper. Dip in the egg mixture, coating both sides. Coat in flour. Dip again in the egg mixture and then back in the flour. Place on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of meat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 3 pieces of meat a time. Cook on one side until the edges start to look brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. Place on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm. repeat with remaining meat.

Pour the grease into a heat proof bowl. Using the same greasy pan, don't clean it, add 1/4 C grease back to the pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Sprinkle 1/3 C flour evenly over grease and mix with a whisk. ****I didn't seem to have enough grease off of my meat and this step messed up for me. I added a little (1 T) of oil to the pan to supplement.**** When the mix looks golden brown, pour in 2 C milk, whisking continuously. Let the gravy come to a slow boil. Stirring occasionally, let thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over steak.

Mexican Pasta Skillet

I get lots of emails with recipes from various sources. I usually skim them, look for something I would make, and either delete or star them for later. This one popped up from Betty Crocker around the new year when Charlie was asking me when I was going to start cooking healthy. We've had this conversation so many times in our marriage and we've only been married 6 months! :) But this week, I've really tried to pick things that are healthy. The first thing that caught my eye on this recipe was "healthified." So technically, they've taken something that isn't usually healthy and made some substitutions to make it healthier! YAY! That's my kind of recipe! This made a lot and was more than enough for dinner, lunches tomorrow, and at least one more night's dinner. We both really liked it too!

Mexican Pasta Skillet

Source: Betty Crocker

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 jar (16 oz) salsa

15 oz. tomato sauce

1 1/2 C water

2 C uncooked elbow macaroni

1 C frozen corn (I used 1 1/2 C)

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, reduced-fat

Brown the ground beef. Add the salsa, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and corn. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and let the cheese melt 1-2 minutes.

***According to Betty, there are 6 servings at 370 calories each.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

If you haven't discovered these yet, you are missing out!!! My picture is terrible and for that I'm sorry! It's really a shame considering my awesome photographer sister was at my house when we had these. She could have taken an amazing picture! This are delicious and SO easy to make! People have different methods of getting the brown sugar on. I like my method, although it is a little time consuming. You can also use toothpicks to secure them, but I don't think it's necessary.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

1 package of Lil' Smokies

1 package of bacon

Brown Sugar (no idea how much)

Cut the bacon strips in half to make them shorter. Roll the sausage in the brown sugar and dredge the bacon in it too. Wrap the bacon around the sausage and place either on a baking sheet, in a baking dish, or on a double broiler. Whatever you use, it helps to line it with foil first for easy clean up! Bake for about an hour and 350.

Easy, right?

Beef and Brocolli

We love our Chinese recipes. I'm still working on extending our menu of items in this area. This was a delicious recipe and so easy! We even went out for Chinese on Christmas Eve and Charlie ordered the sweet and sour chicken...he liked mine better! Yay!




Beef and Brocolli

Adapted from Delicious Meliscious


1 lb. boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips
2 T cornstarch
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
2 T soy sauce
2 T packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 C fresh brocolli florets (I used 2 heads)


In a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sugar and garlic powder. Mix together.


In a large skillet, on medium/high heat, saute the beef strips until browned and juices evaporate. Stir brocolli and cornstarch mix into the meat. Cook until mixture boils and then thickens. Stirring frequently. Serve over cooked rice.

Taco Soup

This soup is perfect for a cold and so easy to make! I threw this together one night while cooking another meal! It was so easy and perfect to come home too! This was my first time cooking with turkey as well. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef in the recipe. We couldn't even tell the difference!

Taco Soup
Source: A Year of Slow Cooking


2 cans kidney beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans of corns
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 lb. browned ground turkey or ground beef


Brown meat. Drain fat. Add to crock pot. Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock pot. Add the entire contents of the cans of corn and tomato with chili. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or low for 4-5.


Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Skillet Lasagna...Take 2!

I have posted a skillet lasagna recipe before, but this one is much better! I think this will take the place of my old recipe in our house! The recipe didn't call for any Italian seasoning, so I added my own. So easy and delicious!

Skillet Lasagna

Source: Cook's Country

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

water

1 T olive oil

1 onion, minced

salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground beef

10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2" pieces

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated

1 C ricotta cheese

3 T fresh basil, chopped

Pour tomatoes and juice into 1 qt. measuring cup. Add water until it measures 1 qt.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until onions begin to brown. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes. Cook about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink.

Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. (This is where I added the Italian seasoning.) Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping teaspoons full of ricotta. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

My favorite box of Hamburger Helper is the Stroganoff. I love it! So when I saw this recipe I had to try it. It was different from the taste of HH, but in a good way! We loved it! I didn't measure out my sour cream and just guessed. You could definitely taste the sour cream. I may have put too much in...but it was still yummy! This is a quick meal too. I made this in under 30 minutes.

I left out the mushrooms. Charlie likes them, but my mom is allergic. I never ate them, so I'm not a big fan.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Source: Cooking During Stolen Moments

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1/2 lb. mushrooms, diced (I skipped this)

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

3 T. flour

1 1/2 C beef stock

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 C sour cream

1/2 lb. egg noodles, cooked and drained

In a large skillet, add ground beef, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until ground beef is completely browned. Add salt and pepper and Italian seasoning. Do not drain meat.

Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly add beef stock and red wine vinegar. Stir, bring to boil, and simmer until thickened.

Stir in sour cream. Add noodles and mix together.

Beef Taco Bake

I made this awhile back and was surprised that I didn't already have it on the blog! We've made it both ways, with flour and corn tortillas. The first time was with flour. We thought it needed more crunch. Although, it was so long in between the two times I've made it, it's too hard to compare! So you tell me which you like better!

Beef Taco Bake

Source: Real Mom Kitchen

1 lb. ground beef

1 can (10 oz) Tomato Soup

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

1 C salsa

1/2 C milk

6 flour tortillas or 8 corn, cut into 1" strips

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the meat until browned and drain the fat. Add the soup, seasoning, salsa, milk, tortillas, and half the cheese. Spoon into a baking dish. Cover.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove cover, top with remaining cheese. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Asian Beef and Noodles

This is another Weight Watcher's one. We really liked it! According to the source I got this from you could use chicken or shrimp with ramen noodles in those flavors. The beef was really good though. I didn't have sesame oil, so I used olive. Because of this, I also used both seasoning packets for the flavor. I'm sure all of this altered the points a bit. We like our stir fried dinners and I usually buy steak and cut it up. While shopping at Food Lion this week I found that they sell chopped up bits of steak, with very little to no fat, that are perfect for this kind of dinner. Don't confuse these with beef tips which are much bigger bites. And they are very cheap! This was a very inexpensive meal. If you're making it for more than 2 people I would definitely double it. I'm thinking of making 1/2 more next time so we can have leftovers for Charlie's lunch.

Asian Beef and Noodles

Source: Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes

8 oz lean steak, chopped

2 tsp dark sesame oil (or olive)

1 C green onion, sliced

2 C packaged cabbage coleslaw mix with carrots

2 packages of Beef Ramen Noodles

1 1/2 C water

1 T low sodium soy sauce

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and green onions. Cook until steak is browned and appears to be done. Remove from skillet and keep in a warm oven. Heat remaining tsp of oil in same skillet. Add slaw. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Add to the meat in the oven. Add water to skillet with 1 (I used 2) seasoning packet. Bring to a boil. Break noodles in half and add to water. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are ready. Stir in the steak and coleslaw mixture. Mix together. Serve!

Makes 2-10 WW point servings

Cheese Stuffed Sliders

These were yummy and not at all disappointing. They were part of the healthy recipes I collected. Here's a warning though...they aren't exactly healthy! This is a Weight Watcher's recipe. These are considered "healthy" if you're counting your WW points and these are within your point limit. I mean everything can be eaten on WW. The trick is using your points wisely. I don't know that this recipe is following that model. Maybe if you've been really good all week and you save up your flex points. Also, you have to use the healthy ingredients or the points won't be right. I didn't do that. I also didn't get the amount of burgers out of my recipe that it said I should. So I'm sure mine had more points in them.


Cheese Stuffed Sliders
Source: Weight Watchers Magazine

1 lb lean ground beef (95%)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C shredded low fat cheddar
1 onion chopped (I skipped this)
8 2" potato rolls
garlic powder (my own addition)

Mix all ingredients together. Make into 16 very small patties. Put a little cheese in the center of 8 patties. Top with the additional patties.

Spray a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Cook 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat. Cover. Turn 1 minute on each side.

7 pts for 2 sliders.

Pizza Casserole

I didn't feel well last night and thank goodness this was on the menu! I refused to let my body get the best of me and was adamant about cooking dinner. This was so easy and yummy. There's no pic though because I didn't feel well enough to worry about it. So just trust me on this one! Mine also ended up very garlicky because I dumped half a jar of garlic salt in it while cooking. I scooped as much as I could out. Although, I loved it...you know me, the more garlic, the better!

Pizza Casserole
adapted from Family Circle

2 cups egg noodles
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook noodles, drain, set aside. While noodles are cooking, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium-high heat in the oil. Drain the fat off the meat. Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, garlic salt, soup, 1/3 cup water, and noodles. Heat the mixture.

Take off heat and add half the cheese. Pour into a Pyrex dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Pepper Steak

This is an old recipe I'm pulling out. Actually, by old I mean it's not the first time I've made it. We love this one for many reasons. One, it's so yummy! Two, it's weight watchers. Three, we get to use the wok. And four, it's cheaper than take-out and just as yummy, if not more!

Note: If you are my or my husband's Facebook friend you know that we had a fire in our kitchen tonight! Don't walk away from your wok while heating the oil :) Also, this can be made in a skillet.
Please don't judge my horrible picture :)

Pepper Steak
Source: Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

12 oz top round beef
4 tsp + 3 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine
3 tsp cornstarch
6 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp black pepper

Slice meat into thin slices with the grain. Cut pieces to about 1" long. Place in bowl with 4 tsp of soy sauce, 1 T rice wine, 1 tsp cornstarch and black pepper.

In another bowl, mix 3 T soy sauce, 1 T water, and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the wok on high. Swirl in 1 T oil and add the beef. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds letting the beef brown. Stir meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Add remaining 2 tsp oil to the wok, add peppers and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in beef. Add the sauce. Stir fry about 30 seconds until thickened.

4 servings. 5.5 ww pts. per serving.

Skillet Lasagna

This one is added to the rotation...WAIT, I don't have a rotation! In the 2 months we've been married I haven't repeated many meals. I've been trying all new ones. Well, my husband doesn't like this. He wants to eat the good stuff again. He's easy to please. Before we were married he lived off of rice and canned veggies for dinner. I thought he was going to cry when I told him we couldn't eat rice for dinner every night. He's completely content with Kraft Mac and Cheese! YUCK! So, tonight we compromised. I will make 1 new meal every week and the rest will be repeats. We made a list of all the dinner options that we can have and we have quite a list! I'll keep posting though because a lot of them aren't on here. Oh, and the new dinner deal doesn't start until September 1st...I've already bought our groceries for the rest of the month!

Don't judge my picture. Just be glad that there is one and I didn't steal it from some other blog! :) Also, the original recipe calls for dropping dollops of the ricotta on top. In the end we ended up mixing it into the pasta to eat it. So I would just go ahead and do it while cooking.
Skillet Lasagna
Source: ??? I printed this off a while ago and don't know where it came from :(

3 (14.5 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 T olive oil
1 med onion, minced
1 tsp Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T dried Basil
1/2 T dried Oregano (I just used Italian Seasoning)
1 lb ground beef
12 lasagna noodles, broken into 1 in pieces
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I used shredded Italian blend)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese

Pulse the tomatoes with the juice in a food processor until there are no large pieces.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used a 12", if you have bigger use it) on medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Cook about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper, cook about 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.

Scatter the lasagna noodles on top. Mix together tomato sauces, basil, and oregano. Pour into skillet. Mix together. Cover and cook about 20 minutes. Watch that it doesn't stick and stir frequently.

Turn off the heat. Stir in half of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Mix in Ricotta cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cover. Let sit about 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Serve!

Enchiladas

This is one of those recipes I've been eating all my life! So I'm going to make my mom the source! She made these growing up and they are delicious! We have a few recipes in our family that our from my mom making them and all her children know how to make them and DO! We love them...one day I will post her pasta salad! Okay, so I don't have a recipe for this one, it's just one I know how to make. So bare with me as I try to give you measurements and such. And mom, chime in if I've messed something up!

Also, I remember my brother not liking these when we were kids and she reserved some of the meat and made him a taco. So, if you're kids don't like it there's an option!

Enchiladas
Source: Mom

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 can Enchilada Sauce (probably small, but I always buy the larger one because I can't remember and then don't need it all!)
Shredded Cheese - Cheddar, Taco, whatever you prefer. (you probably need half a bag, but maybe a whole bag)
Soft Tortillas -about 8

Brown the ground beef and drain the fat. Mix in the taco seasoning with 3/4 cup of water. (Like you are making taco meat). Pour some enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Enough to coat the bottom. Pour a little enchilada sauce on a tortilla. Add a scoop of meat. Top with cheese. Fold the ends of the tortilla in and roll the rest up. Lay in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Continue until you are out of meat. Pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with cheese. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes (or so)!

Italian Crescent Casserole

This was delicious! And easy/quick!

Italian Crescent Casserole

Source: Taste and Tell

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
8 oz. tomato sauce (doctored up with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper)
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8-oz.) can Crescent Rolls

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 375°. In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; cook until thoroughly heated.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream; mix well.

Pour hot beef mixture into ungreased 9 1/2 or 10-inch glass deep-dish pie pan or 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture over beef mixture. Unroll dough over cheese mixture.

In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over dough.

Bake at 375° for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Mexican Rice Casserole

My husband LOVES rice! I could feed him rice for dinner every night and he would be happy. In fact, before we were married I think he ate rice every night. Needless to say, when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it for him. This recipe makes a ton! You could probably half it, although I would just half the rice and the tomato sauce. I would keep the meat the same. This would also be great to take to a potluck because it is good, easy, and makes so much! This picture isn't the greatest! I definitely don't have my sister's photography talents, BUT I hate a recipe without a picture...so here you go!

Mexican Rice Casserole
Source: $5 Dinners

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
2 cups of rice
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (or enough to cover the top of the casserole)

Cook rice according to package directions. Brown meat and drain off fat. Add taco seasoning with 3/4 cup of water. Stir in tomato sauce. Combine rice and meat sauce in a large casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake in oven at 350° for 10-15 minutes.