Cubed Steak Extraordinaire!

Cubed steak is probably one of the CHEAPEST cut of meats there are.  If you cook them long enough they are JUST as tender as a nice lean roast! Seriously, they're like $2 for 2 steaks.  This is a yummy recipe, similar to country fried steak but BETTER!! it was a HUGE hit and I will definitely make it again.  I served it with mashed potatoes which was AWESOME to eat with the gravy the meat will make!  Added bonus:  You can also throw this in the trusty crock pot!
Adapted from here.

4 cube steaks

2 tbsp of All or Complete seasoning (s&p, garlic, parsley)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cupvegetable oil

2 beef bouillon granules (depending on how much water you add)

1 sliced onion

 

Season the cube steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Pour the flour onto a shallow plate and press the steaks into the flour; shake off the excess flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet with lid over medium-high heat. Place the steaks into the hot oil, and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

 

Pour water into the skillet to almost cover the steaks. Stir the beef bouillon to taste into the water. Sprinkle the onions over the steak.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until very tender, about 2 hours.

 

Enjoy!

Dani

Triple Meat Kabobs

We dont grill out as often as we'd like but on a nice cool afternoon, its QUITE a nice treat :)  This marinade is great, because it works on ANY meat, even seafood!!

1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)

Enjoy! Dani :)

Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak

Flank steak has always been a mystery to me....Its not "fancy" steak yet its sooo tender and lean.  I bought a few pkgs the other day and I just couldnt resist, they were like $3 a steak!  It always baffled me that not more people eat it...::shrug::
Anywho, now that I have it, how should I cook it?  A friend recommended this recipe and I was eager to try!  SO GLAD I did, because it was YUMMY!!! VERy tender and PACKED with flavor! SUPER easy with very simple ingredients that anyone would have ;)

¼ c. balsamic vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dark brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. flank steak
salt and pepper

Combine first four ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Add steak, turn to coat; marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Grill until desired doneness. Let stand, covered loosely with foil for 10 minutes, before cutting in thin strips against the grain.... IF you dont cut it this way, itll be very tough and chewy!
 
Enjoy! Dani ;)

Crockpot Peppercorn Steak

Working at home with 2 toddlers means dinner has to be s.i.m.p.l.e!!  It also means that the crockpot is my BEST FRIEND :)   Its always there to bail me out when Im in a pinch.  This was one of those times and she never lets me down.   Here is an AWESOME recipe for steak.  You dont need anything expensive, you friend, the crock, will tenderize whatever ya got!!  ENJOY!!!

4 to 6 steaks
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of water
2 chopped bell peppers (I used one yellow, one green)
1 chopped yellow onion
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 T Italian seasoning
1/4 t black pepper

Put the meat in the crockpot; mine was still frozen solid. Cover with the chopped vegetables. Pour in the tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and water. Add the Italian seasoning and black pepper.  No need to stir.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. I cooked our dinner for 6 hours on high.

Picadillo

Mmmmm...this is one of my favorites things to order when we have cuban food! Yummo!!  I love trying to duplicate things at home that I order out!  I found this recipe and it sounded most like what it is I order so I decided to try it!  It was SOOO delish and the leftovers can double as enchilada stuffing or taco's, etc.

For Sofrito:
1/2 chopped onion
1 minced garlic
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp cilantro
1-1/2 lb 95% lean ground beef
4 oz (1/2 can) tomato sauce
kosher salt (I use Sazon Latin Seasoning too)
fresh ground pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 bay leaf
2 tbsp alcaparrado (capers or green olives would work too)

Brown meat on medium in large sauté pan and season with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces. When meat is no longer pink, drain all juice from pan.
Meanwhile, while meat is cooking, make sofrito by chopping onion, garlic, pepper, tomato and cilantro.

Add sofrito to the meat and continue cooking on a low flame. Add alcaparrado, cumin, bay leaf, and more salt if needed. Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Reduce heat and simmer covered about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with rice!

Enjoy!
Dani :)

French Onion Soup

I've ALWAYS been a fan of french onion soup!  I order it at restaurants and swoon in that beefy, onion broth rolling in silky cheese.....(You want it now dont you! HA!)  Well sometimes I use the weekends for those big recipes I save that are more "involved" than a weeknite meal, etc.  So I dug out my trusty, I mean the book I stole from Aunt Linda, Hello! Paula Deen's FAMOUS FRENCH ONION SOUP!!!  It was soooo yummy and WAY easier to make then I thought it would be. It could easily be on your weeknite meal rotation! Even easier because I cooked in right in old faithful, i.e. my Crockpot!!

Ingredients:
olive oil
4 Lg vidalia onions, sliced thin
2 tsp sugar
2lbs stew meat
1/2 stick margarine, melted
4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf French bread
2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (or any cheese you like, I used Mozz.)

Combine your onions, butter and sugar in the crockpot until well coated.  Cook on high for 90 min until soft. 
Saute your stew meat in pan 5-7 min until completely seared and add to your onion mixture.  Deglaze your pan with the wine, scraping all the bits off the bottom and add that to onions as well. Add remaining ingredients (s&p, thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce).   Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hrs or low for 4-5 hrs.  Turn to low and cook 1 hour uncovered until soup thickens.

Meanwhile, slice French bread into 3/4 slices and butter both sides. Toast slices on griddle until golden brown. Ladle soup into an ovenproof bowl, add toasted bread and cover with cheese. Place ovenproof bowl on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees or 5 minutes under a hot broiler.

Enjoy! :)
Dani

Authentic Italian Bracioli

OK, I was a big fan of Everybody Loves Raymond! They had an episode where Deborah wanted to make Ray's FAVORITE Bracioli (Bra-jool) but she wasnt so hot at it. Only his mama could make it how he liked it!   I LOVE making authentic dishes from other cultures and this is no exception!
After a little nudge from a friend, I decided to give it a whirl and was SOO surprised at how easy and YUMMY it was!!   I made it in my crock pot but you can definitely use a regular stock pot!

Ingredients:
1-2 pounds flank steak/round steak
4 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup mozz cheese
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
1 medium onion, finely diced
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups basic Marinara sauce or more :)
Fresh Green beans
Cooking String/Toothpicks

Lay the steaks out and pound them until very thin.  Take your minced garlic and spread it all over the pieces.  Sprinkle the mozz and parmesan cheese all over, as well as your diced onion, and season well.  Start with the narrow end and roll the steak up like a burrito.  Try to tuck in the edges using cooking string or toothpicks.

Heat a little olive oil and sear all your "meat roll ups" and then submerge them in your simmering marinara sauce.  I added fresh green beans to my pot , you can add peppers as well.

Cook on low 4-5 hours in your crock pot....You can also cook stove top 2-3 hours.

Serve over pasta!!
Enjoy!
Dani :)

7 Layer Mexican Dip

Another HUGE party hit! Or.... just an awesome dinner for Football Sunday
when NO ONE wants to cook!!

Ingredients:

1 package taco seasoning mix

1-2 lbs ground beef or turkey

1 can refried beans

1- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1- 16 ozcontainer sour cream

1- 16 oz jar salsa

1 large tomato, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch chopped green onions

1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded

1 can sliced black olives, drained

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 diced onion

Saute your ground beef with taco seasoning and chopped onion. 

Spread the refreied beans into the bottom of a large baking dish.  Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

You can almost throw anything you WANT and leave out anything you DONT...Some add avocado, etc.

Bake it on 350 for 30 minutes and let cool.  THEN......DIG IN!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!   Dani :)

Par-tay Cheese Dip!!

This is a HUGE party favorite!! Everyone LOOOVES cheese dip! 
It's so super simple!
You can make it on the stove on low or you can stick it in the crock pot
til' later!!  Either way = DELISH!!!

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs ground beef or turkey
2 cans rotel or 1 jar of salsa (you can also use fresh salsa)
8 oz of sour cream
1 big block of velvetta cheese
Onion
All seasoning (this is for your meat, you can use almost anything)

Begin to saute your onion and once translucent you can add your meat.  Continue cooking your seasoned meat until its completely cooked. Drain.
In a separate pot, simmer the cheese on low until its completely melted...(You may want to spray or butter your pan so the bottom layer doesnt stick).  When the cheese has completely melted you can add your drained meat and the rest of your ingredients...  Continue to simmer until all the flavors marry together!

Enjoy!!
Dani :)

Southwest Fiesta Bowl!

Well this was sort of an accident....The kids were eating, I was starving and Jay was in bed with a migraine.  I had to feed myself but the fridge was bare..(HA!)   I started with some potatoes, and then just started adding stuff until I came up with this!! The true meaning of Pot-LUCK!!

Ingredients-
3 diced potatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes (you can use fresh)
1 can of black beans (You can use red or whatever you like)
1/2 an onion (diced)
2 hamburger patties (I had left over, LOL!)  (You can use turkey or fresh ground beef)

Saute' potatoes in butter and seasoning until almost soft.  Add onion and cook for 3-4 min.  Continue adding the rest of your ingredients until all are soft and meshed together.  (YOU MAY WANT TO COOK YOUR MEAT IN ANOTHER PAN, if its fresh, AND THEN MIX TOGETHER, to avoid using the grease).

Serve in burritos or just in a bowl with sour cream, sprinkle cheese if it pleases you or EVEN Ranch! YUMM!!

I even used the leftovers to add to Jay's scrambled eggs for his work breakfast's I make for the week.

Enjoy!
Dani :)

Machaca Beef

This is my moms recipe.  It has lots of fresh ingredients which I LOVE.

Ingredients:
2 lbs roast shredded
1 cup beef broth (saved from cooking the roast)
1 medium onion diced
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 sm. can green chilis
3-4 medium tomatoes diced
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
1 jalapeno chopped (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste

After your roast is completely cooked and very tender, shred it.  Add it back to the pan (or crock pot) with all the ingredients.  Cook on low heat for about 40 minutes.  Put it in a tortilla with your favorite toppings... cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Enjoy!!
Brittney

Stuffed Peppers

I LOOOOVE stuffed peppers!! Jason isn't a huge fan of the pepper part but he loves the inside so when peppers are on sale, these are ALWAYS on my list!  :)

Ingredients
6 large red or green bell peppers
2½ cups long-grain white rice (or rice of your choice, I use Instant ::gasp::)
2 lbs lean ground beef
½ medium-size sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (Or jarred minced is fine)
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, with their juices
1 10-oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups--You can use ANY cheese)
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the bell peppers in half, top to bottom. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to package directions. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Drain the meat. In a medium saucepan, bring the tomatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, tomatoes, pepper, and salt and mix until blended.

3. In a 9×13×2-inch pan, place the bell peppers skin side down. Evenly divide the beef mixture among the pepper halves. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. (cook time really depends on how soft you want the peppers)
Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.

TIP: Before using, wilt the pepper halves in boiling water for about 5 minutes. This will reduce the cooking time from 40 minutes to 15. Serves 6.

Enjoy!!  Dani :)

Carne Asada Marinade Recipe

I saw this SUPER CHEAP cut of Meat at a new market that I hadnt seen before called "Flap Meat"...It looks like Skirt Steak which I LOVE but its a 1/4 of the price!  I bought a few and decided to try....  Its a pretty thin cut of meat so I didnt think it'd be too tender but it was GREAT!!  I cooked them on my George Foreman for about 3 min (no need to flip it cooks both sides at once) to get a medium rare.  I paired it with this marinade and it was a HIT!!

Carne Asada Marinade Recipe
1 Lime, juiced ( I used reg. lime juice)
1 Lemon, juiced
1 Orange, juiced OR 1/2 cup OJ ( I used OJ)
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1-1/2 Tbsp Dried Oregano
2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1-1/2 tsp Crushed Coriander Seeds (I left this out because I didnt have it)
5 or more garlic cloves, Coarsely chopped (this is 'to taste'- I used 5)
1/2 Cup LOW SODIUM Soy Sauce (USE 1/4 cup if its reg. soy)
2 or more sliced jalepeno chili's (I left this out)
1 medium sliced onion

Combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag, close and mix well.  Add the meat and marinate up to 24 hours, turning and kneeding often.  Grill to liking.
Serve with tortillas, rice and beans.

Enjoy!! Dani :)

Ropa Vieja

I ALWAYS order this when we go to cuban restaurants in town...Why not try and make it yourself? 
SO GLAD I DID!  DELISH!

Ingredients:
4 pounds skirt steak or flank steak
4 medium onions, coarsely chopped and separated into 2 parts
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 jalapenos, minced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon salt
10 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped or 2 cans chopped tomatoes ( I used canned)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

In a large stock pot, put in the meat, 2 chopped onions, carrot, celery and bay leaf. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When meat is very tender, turn off heat and let meat cool in liquid for 20 min, remove from broth. Set aside. Discard vegetables and strain broth. Return broth to heat, and boil to reduce by half, about 20 to 30 minutes. When meat is cool, cut off any fat and pull into shreds about 2 inches wide.

While broth is reducing, heat oil in a large skillet. Over medium heat, cook the remaining half of onions, the garlic, jalapenos, green peppers and 1 tablespoon salt until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt.

Stir in 3 cups reduced broth and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in shredded meat, parsley, oregano, and cumin. Cook 10 minutes more.  Serve with white rice.

Enjoy, Dani  :)

Italian Meatloaf

,

I have NEVER been a fan of Meatloaf but Jason likes it so I decided to see if I could find a tolerable recipe.  I found this italian style recipe that sounded great!
I never knew they made them like this...I always thought of meatloaf as charred ground beef and Ketchup! Yuck!!  BUT THIS is soooo not like that.  I was pleasantly surprised :)

Italian Meatloaf
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red pepper, seeded, small diced
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic
1 pound ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves (dried is fine)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves (dried is fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (the best part)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.

When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together except for the marinara. Pack the meat mixture into an oiled loaf pan, if you do not have a loaf pan, form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on an oiled oven tray or baking dish. Top with the marinara making sure to spread evenly over the top.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the middle of the meatloaf. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Enjoy, Dani  :)

London Broil

ts $

Mmmm London Broil
I always have a nervousness about London Broil...You have to cook it just long enough, then you have to slice it just right all to have a nice tender piece of beef!  BUT if you can get it right, its OH! SO GOOOOD!
TA-DA!! I finally did! :)
First you need to Marinade and then you let it rest a while till all juices go back in the meat, then serve!
Jason LOVES this 'salsa' sauce I make with steak for dipping so I served it with that! Delish!

Marinade
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.   

Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side.

Remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide.

Salsa for dipping:
1 can rotel
Juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves
S & P to taste
1/2 yellow onion

I put these in my little chopper/food processer and pulse till its real thin, almost soupy so its more of a dip that a salsa for chips.

Enjoy, Dani :)

Brittney's Chili

I LOVE my chili!  I sorta got the recipe from my mom, but changed a lot of things.  I don't really care for kidney beans, so I had to switch it up.  I also NEVER use ground beef (gag me) so I use ground turkey and it absorbs so much more of the flavor!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 can kidney beans, mostly drained

1 can black beans, mostly drained

1 can pinto beans, mostly drained

1 oz can tomato sauce

1 sm can chopped green chilis

1/2 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the turkey, along with the onion and garlic, until cooked through.  Add salt and pepper, not too much salt.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20-30 minutes. Top with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, crackers, onion... whatever you like! Easy and yummy!

Steak Fajita Marinade

No pics, but I will add one when I make it!  This is YUMMY and not like any other marinade I have tried.  You can make fajitas with it, or just slice and serve with guac, sour cream and pico (which is what I have always done)!

Ingredients
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
•6 cloves of garlic, minced
•1 bottle of light beer
•1 1/2 tsp. chile powder
•1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
•1 tsp. ground cumin
•1 tsp. oregano leaves
•3 green onions, finely chopped
•1 jalapeno, seeded, and minced
•3/4 tsp. sea salt
•1/3 cup olive oil
•2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
•1 - 1 1/2 lbs. skirt steak, trimmed of fat

Enjoy!!
Brittney

Stuffed Cabbage

We were craving stuffed cabbage so I tried this recipe, since it had similar ingredients to stuffed cabbage that we had had before.  It was really good!  The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was that baked instead of cooking on the stove.

Stuffed Cabbage

1 head Savoy cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 small to medium onion, chopped small
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, shredded
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 parsnip, shredded
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 to 4 cups of your favorite simple tomato sauce

Cut the core out of the cabbage but leave it whole. Place it, with the empty core area facing up, in a large bowl. Boil a small pot of water and pour the water over the cabbage and let it sit for ten minutes.

Preheat over to 350. Heat the oil in a saute pan.  Cook the onions until they are soft, add the carrot, celery and parsnip and saute them for a couple extra minutes — until they are also soft. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool a bit. Mix in the meat, rice and tomato paste and season again with salt and pepper.

Drain the head of cabbage. Pull off large leaves, cut out the large vein — if the leaf is very large, you can make two rolls from each, if it is smaller, you can cut the vein out partially and pull the sides to overlap before you roll it into one roll. Pat the leaves dry with towels. Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each leaf (depending on the size of your leaf) and arrange in a large baking dish. Cover with sauce and top with foil, bake for 45 min.