Snowy Day Soup

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas.....in other words, its snowing today.
Dinner tonight was just what we all needed. A big ol' bowl of warm comfort.

Vegetable Beef Soup
First I took beef stew meat and put in a pot just covered with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for two hours. Skim fat scum off the top and drain the water from the beef.
In a large Dutch Oven, place beef. Pour in a large can of V8 and 3 cups of water. Add 2-3 bay leaves, 1 tsp of basil, 1 tbsp parsley and 1 tsp of salt. Stir well. Sprinkle black pepper completely over the top of the soup. Mix well. Add one large, unchopped but peeled onion(this definitely gives it awesome flavor in my opinion!)

Now, you can use an assortment of veggies of your choice, either fresh, canned or frozen. I prefer fresh or frozen because I think canned gets mushy. If you do use canned, drain off all the liquid or it will be too thin.

This time around I used fresh potatoes and carrots. And frozen corn, green beans, lima beans and green peas.

Add any of the fresh vegetables to the pot now because they take longer to cook. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour. Then add the frozen veggies and simmer another hour.
I served it with cheddar garlic biscuits. Yum Yum.

Korean Beef Bulgogi and Sauteed Bok Choy

While this STILL did not turn out as good as the Bulgogi I've had at the Korean restaurant, it was quite tasty just the same.

Korean Bulgogi
Cut beef sirloin into strips and marinate in a combination of pear juice and white wine and black pepper for 30 minutes. Next add soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic and green onions. Then marinate at least two hours and up to overnight.

Heat sesame oil in a wok and saute mushrooms and onions. Next add beef mixture and stir fry until done. Bring to a boil and then turn to low. Add a corn starch slurry to sauce and then simmer until thickened. Serve over rice.

On the side I sauteed bok choy in sesame oil with some fresh minced garlic and a splash of rice wine vinegar.

All Day Brisket

So this one takes a little prep and cook time, but is still really easy and so worth it.

All Day Brisket
-boneless beef brisket
-liquid smoke
-garlic powder
-onion salt
-bbq sauce of your choice
-aluminum foil

Coat both sides of brisket with liquid smoke, garlic powder and onion salt. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning unwrap and place in a baking dish, fat side up. Cover dish with foil and bake at 300 for 5 hours. Remove from oven. Cut off top layer of fat and discard. Slice meat into 1-2" slices depending on how you like it and pour on your bbq sauce. We chose a Hickory Honey one this time around. Cover dish with foil and bake another 30 minutes.

Asian Beef Bundles

These turned out really good. Next time I need to up the amount of sauce for drizzling though.

Asian Beef Bundles
-flank steak, cut into pieces and pounded thin
-green onions
-asparagus spears
-salt and pepper

Sprinkle steak pieces with salt and pepper. Place an onion and an asparagus spear in the center of each and roll up securing with toothpicks. Set aside in a dish.

Marinade
-6 tablespoons of soy sauce
-6 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
-2 teaspoons of sugar
-2 teaspoons of sesame oil
-1 teaspoon of chili oil
Whisk all together and pour over bundles. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or longer.

Remove from marinade and broil for 5-7 minutes depending on your desired preference.
While broiling heat remaining marinade in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until syrupy. Drizzle over bundles before serving.

Get Your Greek On!

As in a Greek pita that is....
This was my version of a quick gyro. The cucumber dill sauce, also known as Tzatziki sauce, is what makes it so good.

-cube steak
-dry ranch seasoning
-greek yogurt
-lemon juice
-fresh dill
-kosher salt
-fresh ground black pepper
-cucumbers
-black olives
-feta cheese
-pita bread

First I made the sauce. I mixed together the yogurt, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Then I peeled and grated in some fresh cucumber. I just did this to taste so I don't have any exact measurements on the ingredients. Then chill in fridge until ready to serve.


Second, I sprinkled the cube steaks with dry ranch seasoning on both sides and then broiled for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.



Then stuff your pita with the meat, sauce, cucumbers, black olives and feta. I generally prefer chopped tomatoes on my gyro too, but we were already having a side salad with tomatoes in it, so I didn't want to overdo it.

Festive Fall

I always get festive with the fall cooking the week of Halloween. Here were my adventures this year.



Dinner in a Pumpkin
2 lb. lean hamburger
1 (8-12") diameter fresh pumpkin

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 med. onion, chopped
12 sm. mushrooms, sliced
1 med. bell pepper
1 1/4 c. uncooked rice
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
5 tbsp. butter
1 #303 can stewed tomatoes
2 c. beef broth
1/4 c. grated Cheddar or Longhorn cheese
Parsley sprigs
8 to 12 cherry tomatoes
Wash the pumpkin and cut the top stem out to create a lid. Scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers. Melt the butter but only 2 tablespoons and take a plastic sandwich bag to dip into the melted butter to oil the inside of the pumpkin. Turn the pumpkin on its side and remove to sprinkle inside with 1/2 teaspoon salt.Saute onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and garlic in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add the 2 pounds lean hamburger, brown, and drain. Then add the rice and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add the remaining salt and pepper, the stewed tomatoes, and the beef broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes then fill the pumpkin with this mixture. Replace the pumpkin lid and place the pumpkin in a shallow greased baking pan. Bake approximately 1 to 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Pumpkin is ready when tender and should remain firm enough to hold the filling without danger of collapsing. If necessary, more beef broth can be added as needed. When baked, remove from the oven, lift lid and sprinkle inside with the 1/4 cup cheese. Return pumpkin to oven, lift lid and sprinkle inside with the 1/4 cup cheese. Return pumpkin to oven without lid until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, replace lid and garnish around the bottom of the pumpkin with fresh parsley and cherry tomatoes. Serve from the pumpkin, scraping some of the pulp into each serving. Serve with green salad and French bread. Serves 12.


Maryland Pumpkin Seeds
4 cups pumpkin seeds, raw, rinsed and dried on papertowels
1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning
a good drizzle of olive oil

Drizzle the oil over the seeds. Sprinkle with the Old Bay and toss well to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.


And lastly here are the "kitty kat" cookies me & my 3 year old son put together...

Baked Spaghetti

I try not to make this too often because its definitely not the healthiest dish in the world although I do try to make it as healthy as possible, but we sure do love it in this house. Its a great dish for taking to someone as well. I recently took it to a friend that just had a baby.

Baked Spaghetti

8 oz spaghetti, cooked according to package
2 T butter
1 cup fresh grated Parm
24oz cottage cheese( I use low fat)
1 lb ground beef ( I use lean)
24oz spaghetti sauce
8oz shredded mozzarella

Toss cooked spaghetti in butter and place in a foiled lined pan. Top with Cottage cheese and then parm. Brown ground beef in pan. Drain and add sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour on top of cheese layer. Top with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 400. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spicy Beef Curry

I've made this a couple of times now and its really good. The original recipe wasn't spicy enough for us so I added extra heat. My changes are **starred** below.

Spicy Beef Curry

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound beef stew meat
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger **used ground because I had it on hand**
* 1 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced ** used serrano peppers**
* 1 tablespoon curry powder **used 2 Tablespoons of red curry paste**
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
* 1 onion, sliced and quartered
* 1 cup beef broth

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and brown the beef on all sides. Remove from skillet, reserving juices, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in the skillet for 2 minutes, until tender, and season with curry powder. Mix in the diced tomatoes and juice.
2. Place the onion in the bottom of a slow cooker, and layer with the browned beef. Scoop the skillet mixture into the slow cooker, and mix in the beef broth.
3. Cover, and cook 6 to 8 hours on Low.


I served it over rice and steamed long beans.

An Old Standby...

at our house anyway is Salsa Swiss Steak. Its comforting and not too bad on the calories and it can be thrown in the crockpot. As much as I love to cook sometimes my days escape, so when I know I'm going to have an exceptionally crazy day I'm not at all ashamed to use the ol' crockpot to save dinner!

Salsa Swiss Steak
( I can't for the life of me remember where I originally found this recipe or I would give credit where credit is due.)

4 pieces of lean round steak
1 can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chunky salsa
1 bell pepper
1 onion

Place round steak in crockpot and season with salt and pepper. Cut bell pepper and onion into rings and layer on top of steak. In a bowl, mix together soup and salsa. Spread on top of peppers and onions. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

**Excellent served over mashed taters or rice.

My Take on Leftovers

I try to get creative when I have leftovers, so it doesn't seem so boring. I love taking things like a roast and stretching into three different meals. Roast one night, stroganoff another, vegetable beef soup the next. You get the idea. Anyway, this time I threw together some stuff and it came out exceptionally well.

Beef Curry Bake
Leftover meatloaf, crumbled up
leftover rice pilaf with mushrooms and almonds
leftover steamed string beans
1 tomato diced
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 T curry paste
Mix all up well and bake in a greased casserole dish at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cheeseburger Pie

This is a family favorite around here.

Cheeseburger Pie

2 cups cooked rice
1 lb hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 green pepper, chopped fine
6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of fresh garlic, minced
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
2 tsp of sugar
2 tsp bouillon granules


Brown hamburger and drain. Add onions, green pepper and garlic. Saute until softened. Pour in tomato sauce, chili powder, sugar, mustard, worcestershire and bouillon granules. Bring to a boil and reduce to low and simmer about 10-15 minutes. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish. Add cooked rice and 4 oz of the cheddar. Mix well. Top with remaining 2oz of cheddar. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

We ate with sliced whole grain bread and avocados drizzled with lime juice.