Tex-Mex Cornbread Casserole

Tex-Mex Cornbread Casserole

1 lb of Ground Beef

1 15 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes

1 small onion

1 Package Taco Seasoning

1 Can Kernel Corn – any size (Drained)

1 Can Sliced Black Olives (Drained) (Optional for those that don't like them)

2 Cups Shredded Cheese

1 Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

Pre-heat oven according to Jiffy Muffin instructions. Grease a casserole dish and set aside. Brown ground beef and diced onion. Once onion is clear and beef cooked, stir in diced tomatoes (with juice) and taco seasoning. Stir in corn and black olives (I use two cans because I love them). Simmer for about 5-10 minutes until some of the liquid evaporates. Dump mixture in bottom of casserole. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top. Next mix cornbread muffin mix according to package directions and add second cup of cheese to the mix. Pour on top of meat mixture and spread evenly. Bake about 20-25 minutes until the cornbread is done.

Five Spice Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry

Five Spice Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Jasmine rice or short grain white rice, 1 to 1 1/2 cups, prepared to package directions
2 cups beef broth or stock, paper container or canned
2 tablespoons wok or clear oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin or beef tenderloin tips, trimmed, placed in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes then thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup dry cooking sherry
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, eyeball the amount (recommended: Tamari)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, found on Asian foods aisle of market
Cracked black pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle, for garnish
1/2 cup smoked whole almonds, available on snack aisle, for garnish

Boil water for rice and prepare to package directions.

Place beef broth in a small pot over low heat to warm the liquid.

Heat a wok shaped skillet or pan over high heat. Add oil (it will smoke) and meat bits. Stir-fry meat 3 minutes and remove from pan or move off to the side of the wok. Return pan to heat and add peppers and onions. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes. Add meat back to the pan. Add sherry and stir fry until liquid almost evaporates -- 1 minute. Add soy sauce to the pan. Dissolve cornstarch with a ladle of warm beef broth. Add beef broth to the pan, then add cornstarch combined with broth, the five-spice powder and black pepper. Stir sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust seasonings. Add more soy or salt if necessary. Remove stir-fry from heat. Fill dinner bowls with beef stir-fry and top with a scoop of rice. Scoop rice with ice cream scoop to get a rounded ball. By placing rice on top of stir-fry, rice will stay firm and not soak up too much sauce. Garnish with chopped scallions and smoked almonds.

Floured Steak

Floured Steak

Cube Steak

Salt & Pepper

Flour

Oil for frying

Beef Bouillon (if desired)

Flour or cornstarch for gravy

Salt & pepper each side of the steak, then dredge each side w/ flour. Use a meat tenderizer (spiky side) to beat in the flour on each side. (Great for stress relief!) When all steaks are done, fry in oil to brown each side. Transfer steaks from the frying pan to a roaster. (It's best to have a rack inside your roaster). Drain the oil from the pan and add water to deglaze it, scaping off any bits stuck to the pan. I usually add beef bouillon to the water just for extra "beefy" flavor in my gravy. Pour the water into the roater (should be almost to the bottom of the rack), cover, and bake for about 45min - 1 hour at 350*. When the meat is done, use the drippings to make gravy.

We always have mashed potatoes with this, but rice or noodles would be good too.

Everyday Meatloaf

EVERYDAY MEAT LOAF

1 1/2 lbs. of ground sirloin (you can use other ground meats but I like sirloin)
2/3 cup of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs (I crush up Saltines and then skip the tsp. of salt listed below)
1 cup milk
2 slightly beaten eggs
1/4 c. minced onion (I double the onion and use 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. salt
1 dash pepper

Sauce: (I double the sauce because I love it, but below is the regular amount)
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. dry mustard (from the spice aisle, not liquid mustard)

Now take off your rings, because this gets messy for a minute. Mix together all ingredients (except sauce stuff) and form into a loaf. Put it into a meatloaf pan, or just place in the center of a regular 9 x 11 baking dish.

Mix together sauce ingredients and spread over meatloaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 4.

Taco Ring

Taco Ring...

2 packages of regular Pillsbury Crescent rolls
1 lbs of ground meat
1 package of Taco mix I use McCormick
Shredded Mexican cheese

Brown meat and drain really well. Add taco mix, to your liking..I use
the whole thing, add less if you want less spice. Add water a few table
spoons at a time.. You want the mix to dissolve, but now really runny.
If you end up with too much water, just kick up to high and cook some of
liquid out. Add a handful or two of cheese. Stir

For ring...open up rolls, and separate, they should be in the shape if a
triangle... you want it to look like this...
So about 2-4 inched from the middle is where you wanna start.. Lay triangle point
side out..Lay the next one, exactly opposite of first one, Like North, then South.
Then do the same East and West.. Continue, WNW, ENE, ESE, WSW, make your way around
the pan, overlapping as you go, As you layer then, use your hands or a floured
glass to flatten.. Continue using both packs of rolls.
Once both packs are used it should look like this... the circle in the middle should be bigger, but it comes out different every time I do it. LOL

Spoon meat mixture into the center all the way around of the rind...But leave center open..
like this...

Add more cheese on top
Then, you are going to basically, one by one, bring the points over the meat mixture, into the
middle, pressing them to each other, or tucking them under the dough..I usually press then all together.

LOL Baking temp is whatever the package is, and bake until golden brown..somewhere
around 20-30 minutes.. Slice and serve..

ETA the possibilities are endless here...i have done ham and cheese, Chicken taco, chicken, cheese, and broccoli! Be creative!! I think my next one will me Diana's meatballs, marinara and mozz cheese... LOL

Hot Dog Sauce

Hot Dog Sauce

2 lbs ground beef
2 lbs finely chopped onion ( i usually put them in the food processor until they are mush) i HATE chunks LOL
Saute the above and drain

Add

1 cup ketchup
2 small cans tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce
2 TBSP Chili powder
1/2 cup sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Serve of dogs and buns, top with shredded cheddar. YUMMY!!!!

NOT YOUR MAMA'S MEATLOAF

NOT YOUR MAMA'S MEATLOAF

2 yellow onions, minced
1 carrot, minced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
1 c chili sauce
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c tomato paste
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T dijon mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, beaten
3 1/4 lb ground beef
1 1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 1/2 c bread crumbs
3 T minced parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute the onions, carrot, and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Combine the chili sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, sugar, mustard and W sauce and blend well. Divide mixture into 2 equal parts. Add the 2 eggs to one of these portions. Combine the ground beef, Italian sausage, bread crumbs, parsley, vegetables and chili sauce to the mixture with eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Put in 2 greased loaf pans and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Top with the remaining glaze (without the eggs) and bake 15 minutes more.

Beef Paprika

Beef Paprika

1 1/2 lbs -2 lbs stew beef

2 tablespoons Worchestire Sauce

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 Teaspoon dry mustard

a few shakes red pepper

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup ketchup

1 cup onions

Brown Beef in a dutch oven. Drain and add rest of ingredients. Cook for an hour or so (the longer the better) until sauce is thick. I usually cook for about 45 minutes uncovered and an half hour or so covered. You can add more water if you want to cook it longer. The sauce should be thick.

We serve it over egg noodles.

To die for Roast

To die for Roast

1 beef roast, any kind

1 package Hidden Valley RANCH Dressing Mix

1 package brown gravy mix

1 package Italian dressing mix

1/2 cup warm water

Place roast in crock pot. Sprinkle contents of all three envelopes over roast. Pour water in the bottom of the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

It pretty much makes its own gravy. I just thicken the juices with a little flour and water and make gravy. Or you can slicce the roast really thin and make sandwiches and use the sauce how it is for au jus.

Mini Meatball and Broken Spaghetti Tomato Stoup

Mini Meatball and Broken Spaghetti Tomato Stoup

Rachael Ray
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
November 2006

FOUR SERVINGS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 quart chicken broth
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 pound ground beef sirloin
Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a generous handful)
1 large egg
1/4 to 1/3 cup fine Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (a generous handful), plus more to pass around the table
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken into thirds
1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded

1. In a large soup pot, combine the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, the onion, carrots, garlic and bay leaf and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. In a large bowl, using a fork, combine the ground beef, parsley, egg, bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cheese; season with salt and pepper. Roll the meat into balls the size of a large walnut and drop each one into the soup pot (you should have about 16 meatballs). Simmer the stoup for 10 minutes.

3. Stir the broken spaghetti into the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil and season the stoup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more cheese around the table.

Crispy Meatballs

In a big bowl, mix:

1 pkg ground turkey or 1 pkg ground beef (usually 1.30 lbs in a pkg)
3 eggs
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1-1/2 cup of GOOD QUALITY shredded parmesan cheese.
1/2 cup very finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp garlic powder (you can substitute minced garlic if you want)
1/2 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 400/425 (I do 425).

Mix the ingredients until just incorporated. You may need to add a little more breadcrumbs or a little more milk. The mixture should feel pretty moist, like when you roll the meatball and lay it on a cookie sheet, it should stay together, but flatten a bit on the bottom. You don't want the mixture too dry.

Roll into little balls, I like them a little bigger than a golfball size. After you finish rolling them, wet your hands with a little olive oil and give a final roll, and then put them on an oiled cookie sheet. (I put Reynolds’ Release Aluminum Foil instead of oil and that works perfectly!)

Bake for 30min, or a little longer till cooked (depends on how big you make them...)

Note: the oil that you rub on the outside of the meatball is to make it crispy. I make them *just a little* bigger than a golfball and have found that cooking them at 425 for 25min is perfect—crispy on the outside and moist on the inside!

I’ve never made it with the ground turkey, so I can’t say exactly how that’d taste. I just use the 7% lean ground beef. And, I’ve never made it with parsley, but that’s only b/c I don’t want to freak the kids out by there being something green in their food. ;)

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

1 lbs. hamburger mean browned w/some onion (I use about 1lbs. or so)

1 lg. jar of Prego spag. sauce

small bag of penne pasta, cooked according to directions

6 slices of Provolone cheese

sour creem

Parm. cheese, grated

Mozz. cheese, grated

Cook the penne pasta while browing your hamb. meat. Once meat is browned, add jar of spag. sauce to it and mix well. When pasta is cooked, pour into a 9X13 greased baking dish. (I just Pam it) On top of pasta, lay out the provolone cheese adding a dollop (sp?) of sour cream on each slice of cheese. (the more you add the creamier it is). Sprinkle w/ some mozz. cheese and cover w/meat mixture. Top meat mixture w/more mozz. cheese and the Parm. cheese and bake in a 350 oven until heated through.

Bacon-Wrapped Burgers

Bacon-Wrapped Burgers

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
6 slices bacon
6 hamburger buns, split
________________________________________

Preheat a grill for high heat. (I've done these in a fry pan also, and on a stovetop grill pan)

In a large bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Crumble in the ground beef, and mix together by hand. Form into 6 patties, and wrap a slice of bacon around each one. Secure bacon with toothpicks.

Place patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Remove toothpicks before serving on hamburger buns.