Mom's Sicilian Pot Roast

Another one from the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorites:

4 lb rolled rump beef roast
2 T. garlic flavored olive oil (i used regular olive oil)
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans Italian tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
1 T. garlic, minced
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
hot cooked rotini pasta

I didn't follow the instructions in the book. I just put it all in the crockpot on low right away Sunday morning (around 5) and we ate it after church (around 1). Really, I could have not added the water b/c we had to ladle out some liquid before we could slice the roast. And a little more time would have been fine- maybe even better. It was a DELICIOUS change from the usual way I prepare a roast! And I had originally planned on having company for this meal so we put enough meat and juice in the freezer that I think I'll add some sauce to and serve over spaghetti next week.

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is from one of my new favorite cookbooks which I found at the library and must buy!
It's the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorite Recipes book.

1/2 lb ground mild pork sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (I used 1/2 b/c of the kids)
2/3 c. canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (I used the whole can)
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
can of cream of celery soup (thinking about omitting this next time??)
can of cream of mushroom soup (wondering if you can replace cream soups with something more healthy??)
10 oz can of enchilada sauce
18 (6 inch) tortillas
2 c. shredded cheddar (I used about 1/2 of that)
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 tomato, seeded and diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
optional: 1 avocado, chopped

Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in jalapeno and next 5 ingred. Cook until thoroughly heated.
Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.
Spoon 1/3 of the sauce into bootom of a lightly greased 13 by 9 baking dish, top with 6 tortillas. Spoon 1/2 of meat mixture and 1/3 of sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Top with 6 tortillas, repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with monterey jack cheese and next 3 ingred. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with avocado if desired. Serves 6 to 8.

Thai Wraps

1 pound romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, or fresh spinach, separated into individual leaves (I just used iceburg)
2 carrots, peeled
1 onion, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 rib celery
1/2 cup minced fresh vegetable of choice (tomato, cucumber, etc)- I used tomato
1 Tbsp olive oil (if you're using ground turkey)
2 lbs lean ground beef or 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup fish sauce or soy sauce
1 or 2 cups leftover cooked rice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash lettuce or other green leaves, spinning or shaking off as much water as you can. Set aside in a bowl lined with paper towel. Cut any heavy stems from spinach.
2. Shred carrots. Chop onion and garlic, slice celery, and mince any other veggie you desire. You can also add leftover scrambled eggs to this recipe.
3. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat, add beef and cook until browned. If using turkey, add oil before adding turkey.
4. Once meat is cooked through, remove it from the pan. Add veggies to skillet and cook over med-high heat until soft (5-7 min), stirring a few times.
5. Return meat to pan and mix with veggies. Add fish or soy sauce. Add rice if using. Add salt and pepper. Cook over med-high heat for a few more minutes, stirring until all ingredients are mixed. Serve by wrapping leaves of lettuce or other greens around several Tbsp of the meat mixture.

This was a huge hit at our house. I used rice, but didn't mix it in because some of the kids don't like rice and some love it. This was just enough food for one meal with everybody having seconds (and a couple had thirds!!).

Steak Soup

First of all, not sure why this is called Steak Soup, but whatever.
I am really bad at letting the kids cook with me. I feel like we have very limited usable counter space and I like to just do it myself, BUT I am really working on that because I know it's good for them to learn their way around the kitchen and they really enjoy cooking. It's getting easier to let them help as they get older too.
We do "helper weeks" at our house because it's the best way for me to keep track of who gets to be my kitchen helper. This week Peter is my helper so I let him look through some cookbooks to choose something to make and this soup from Fix it and Forget it was his choice-

2 lbs ground chuck, drained and browned
5 cups of water (I used beef broth and eliminated the boullion below)
1 lg onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
10 oz bag frozen mixed veggies
5 Tbsp beef boullion granules (or 5 cubes)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt

1. Combine chuck, water, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, mixed veggies, beef granules, and pepper in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours or High 4-6 hours.
3. One hour before serving, turn to High. Make a paste of melted butter and flour. Stir until smooth. Pour into slow cooker and stir until well blended. Add salt.
4. Cover. Continue cooking on High until thickened.

I just realized that I forgot to do step #3- oops. Oh well, ours was actually healthier then!

Beef stir fry

Tonight I used basically the same recipe that I posted for the slow cooker pepper steak except I left out the peppers and onions. We are going to have stir fry with it. I'll cook up some jasmin rice which I buy in bulk from Sam's Club. My friend, Julia, introduced me to it and it is WONDERFUL! I've never been very good at cooking rice (it always stuck) so I mostly used Minute Rice. Jasmin rice is very forgiving though so it's harder to mess up. I did use it in soup once though and I found that it sort of falls apart. Anyway, we'll have the beef over some rice and I'm just going to cook some frozen stir fry veggies. I'd rather eat fresh, but this way is less work and easier on my diseased hands.

Tortellini Soup

This is what we had for lunch yesterday instead of canned tomato soup-

1 pound ground turkey or sirloin
1 (28 oz) can pureed tomatoes
1 (11 1/2 oz ) can french onion soup
1 (9oz) pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1 (9oz) pkg frozen green beans
1 tsp dried basil
3 1/2 cups water
1 medium zucchini sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

In a large pot, brown the meat. Add tomatoes, onion soup, green beans, tortellini, basil, and water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occassionally. Cook uncovered 5 minutes, add zucchini, cook 5 minutes more.

Here's how I changed it- I added a can (11 1/2 oz) of beef broth and a can of water. Also, I didn't cook the tortellini as long as the recipe said (the package said it only needed 5 minutes) because I was afraid it would be mushy and fall apart.

Slow Cooked Pepper Steak - Fix- It and Forget- It

Sorry, I've been a slacker about posting this week. Two nights ago we went out and last night we had this. I was a little worried after I did the first step that this was going to be tough, but it was SOOOO delicious.

1 1/2 - 2 lbs beef round steak, cut into strips
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped onions
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 large green peppers, cut into strips
4 tomatoes cut into eighths or 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup cold water
1 Tbsp corn starch

1. Brown beef in oil in saucepan. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Combine soy sauce, garlic, onions, sugar, salt, pepper, and ginger. Pour over meat.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours.
4. Add green peppers and tomatoes. Cook 1 hour longer.
5. Combine water and corn starch to make a paste. Stir into slow cooker. Cook on High unil thickened, about 10 mins.
6. Serve over rice or noodles

Porcupine Meatballs- my Grandma's recipe

This is a childhood favorite that my mom and my grandma both made. I've made it a couple of times, but the meatballs have always fallen apart. Well, I asked my grandma about it and the problem is that my recipe says to stir them often. She said do not stir them- I always kind of wondered about that!


1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 slightly beaten egg
1 Tbsp parsley
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 can tomato soup (divided)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Combine meat, rice, egg, parsley, onion, salt, pepper, 1/4 can tomato soup and mix together. Shape into 20 small balls and place in skillet. In separate bowl mix remaining ingredients. Pour over meatballs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 40 minutes.

This is a great comfort food meal with some mashed potatoes and green beans!

Italian Beef- Fix- It and Forget-It

This is called Carol's Italian Beef and if you have the cookbook it's on page 129.

3-4 lb lean rump roast
2 tsp salt, divided
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
12 oz can beef broth
1 tsp dried oregano

1. Place roast in slow cooker. Cut 4 slits in top of roast. Fill each slit with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 garlic clove, and 1/2 tsp cheese.
2. Pour broth over meat. Sprinkle with oregano.
3. Cook on low 10-12 hours or high 4-6 hours.
4. Remove meat and slice or shred. Serve on buns with meat juices on the side.

I think this is the most flavorful italian beef I've ever had. I don't exactly measure the ingredients- just make some slits and stuff them full of that good stuff. Last time I doubled it and cooked it over night. Then I had a lot for the freezer which is what we had tonight. We like to have peppers on ours- like pepperoncini's or banana pepper rings.

Chili- my own

This is a winter staple for sure. I'd serve it once a week, but I've been told that's too often. We probably eat it twice a month in the winter though. The great thing about chili is it's hard to mess it up. I KNOW there are fancier recipes out there, but I love the simplicity of this one!

1 pound of ground beef
1 tsp of minced garlic (from a jar)
cumin
chili powder
salt
pepper
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1/2 jar salsa
1 can tomato soup
1 can water

I brown the beef in a large pot, along with the garlic and the seasonings (I don't measure, I just eye them). Drain the grease. Then open those cans and throw everything in! Sometimes I put it all in the crock pot. Other times I put it all together and we eat when it's heated through. Our favorite side is corn bread (especially from Trader Joe's when we can get our hands on some), but we also like to eat it with baked potatoes and some broccoli. This recipe makes enough for my family with a little bit leftover, but my kids don't eat huge bowls. We also like to top it with sour cream and cheese- pepper jack is great for those who like some extra kick!