Swiss Steak - Home Cooked #89

 We didn't swiss steak growing up because my dad didn't like it so my mom would only make it for herself once in awhile. However, I was searching for new ways to cook some cube steaks I had in the freezer, and stumbled upon this  recipe. It was so delicious, and so easy to make! It does take a bit of time for the cube steaks to cook and become tender, but the active cooking time is very minimal. It makes a great Sunday supper. You can find the original recipe HERE.

Swiss Steak

Ingredients:

• 4 cube steaks
• salt & pepper
• olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves

*I also used a little garlic and onion powders to season the meat with the salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300. Season steaks with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you prefer (Montreal steak seasoning was what I used the second time I made this). Heat a Dutch oven over medium and when hot, add oil and then brown the steaks - about 3 minutes on each side. Remove steaks from pot and put aside. Add onions and garlic to pot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in tomato paste, cook 1 minute, then stir in broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire, and bay leaves. Add the steaks back in and place in the oven. Cook for 1 and a half hours. Serve with white rice or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Jerk Smoked Country Ribs - Home Cooked #88

 I grew up eating country style boneless pork ribs. As a young girl who is half Polish, when my mom would make them on a bed of sauerkraut, seasoned with salt and pepper only, I was in heaven. There is something delectable about a porky, fatty rib nestled on a bed of tangy sauerkraut. I think I have only made it one time as an adult, because I often forget about simple but delicious dishes like that.

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts a couple weeks ago and the host was making boneless country style ribs - but on a smoker, with Jerk seasoning. I just HAD to make it. It sounded so good to mix the lovely Caribbean flavors with a childhood favorite. And hubs is in love with his smoker so I thought it would also give him an opportunity to give something new a spin on his smoker. I made the recipe almost exactly, because with techniques or flavors I might be unfamiliar with I like to go by the letter the first time. The next go-round I would add more garlic and soy. I DID go a little shy on the habanero this time (only 1 pepper, completely de-seeded) because I can never tell how much spice I will be able to tolerate, but I can definitely amp it up a bit next time and use the 2 that are called for. You can find the original recipe HERE. And if you're a podcast fan, and like to hear about home cooking, then check out the actual podcast because I really enjoy it!

JERK SMOKED COUNTRY RIBS

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs boneless country ribs
• salt & pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs worcestershire
• 1 tbs veg oil
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme - I used dried)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 habanero peppers

Directions:
Place everything from the lime juice to the end in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until a mostly smooth consistency. 
Season ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Place in a gallon bag and pour the marinade in - reserve some of the marinade before pouring on the pork if you would like to have as a sauce later on. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight (I marinated overnight). 
Preheat your smoker to 250. Smoke for 2 hours, or until temperature reaches 165. Once internal temperature of ribs is 165, wrap in foil then place back on the smoker until they reach 190 (about an hour). Serve with reserved sauce if reserved. Enjoy!

Salisbury Meatballs - Instant Pot Inspirations #3

 I love when I am perusing social media and I come across a recipe that sounds easy and delicious. I was scrolling through Insta this week and saw an Instant Pot picture for Salisbury meatballs. Checked out the recipe and it looked super easy PLUS I already had all the ingredients AND needed a recipe for Thursday's dinner. Winner, winner MEATBALL dinner! You can find the original recipe HERE!

Instant Pot Salisbury Meatballs

Ingedients:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (any are fine)
salt and pepper
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 onion, sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 packet onion soup mix
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs Dijon mustard

***EQUIPMENT NEEDED: pressure cooker

Directions:
Start saute function on pressure cooker. Heat up 2 tbs olive oil. Meanwhile mix together ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, and salt & pepper. Form into golf ball size meatballs. Saute meatballs in olive oil until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove meatballs. Deglaze bottom of pot with 1/2 cup beef broth. Stir in remaining broth, tomato paste, and Dijon. Stir in onion soup mix and fresh onions. Place meatballs back in, top with mushrooms. Place lid on pressure cooker and set to high manual pressure for 10 minutes. Once pot comes to pressure, then has its 10 minute cook time, do a quick release when 10 minutes is up. If you like a thicker gravy, feel free to make a cornstarch slurry and stir it in and cook for 5 minutes on the saute function on high. We served ours with some cheesy mashed potatoes. Yum - Enjoy!

Maafe - Pinterest Pick #26

 I have been hearing a lot about West African food lately and I realize I haven't really cooked any African food before. When I came across a recipe for Maafe in one of my food groups, I thought it sounded delicious and easy enough to give it a try. So I made this dish yesterday and it was a very different flavor than what we usually eat. I liked it, hubby was on the fence. It was spicy and nutty. The dish comes from Senegal in West Africa. Peanuts are their largest crop, which explains the peanut butter in the dish. A lot of their cuisine are stewed dishes, often eaten with bread. I served the dish with garlic biscuits, but you could also serve it with rice, couscous, or a flatbread like Naan. I hope this recipe influences some of my dear blog readers to branch out and try African cuisine if you haven't before. I did leave out the jalapeno and green bell pepper as I did not have any on hand, but the dish was spicy enough with the red pepper flakes. If you prefer a milder flavor, I would reduce the amount of red pepper flakes or leave them out entirely. You can find the original pin HERE and the original recipe HERE,

Maafe (Beef Peanut Stew)

Ingredients:
2 lb beef stew meat (or a chuck roast cut into 1 inch pieces)
(Marinade)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
(Stew)
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs minced ginger
3 tbs tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp red pepper flakes (use half or leave out depending on your spice tolerance)
1 jalapeno, finely diced (I omitted)
1 red bell pepper, largely diced
1 green bell pepper, largely diced (I omitted)
12 baby carrots
3 cups beef broth
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but crunch is fine too)
salt & pepper
*I also used a spice from Trader Joe's called Ajika which is spicy, garlicky, and nutty so it fit in with this dish (I used about a tablespoon)

Directions:
Marinate meat for a few hours (or overnight like I did) in the paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.

Sear meat in vegetable oil for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pot (I used a 6 quart Dutch oven) and set aside. Add a touch more oil to the pot and add in onions. Saute until tender. Add in ginger and garlic, and jalapeno if using. Cook for 1 minute then stir in tomato paste. Let cook for an additional minute then add in salt & pepper and red pepper flakes. Let cook for 5 minutes. Add in broth and carrots. Stir in peanut butter then add beef back to pot. Simmer for an hour then add in bell pepper. Let cook an additional hour. Serve with rice, couscous, or bread. Enjoy!