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!

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!

French Onion Beef Casserole - Home Cooked Recipe #87

 Tis the season for comfort food! And what is more comforting then a creamy casserole? Nada. I present to you the French onion beef casserole. It is easy to make, great for a weeknight, and inexpensive. It is a delicious dish that is perfect for the fall/winter season.

French Onion Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

• 
  1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 package egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 1 can cream of onion soup (really, any cream soup you have would work)
• 1 8 ounce container of French onion dip (I use a refrigerated brand)
• French's fried onions
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. While egg noodles are cooking, brown ground beef with diced onion. When beef is browned drain and season with salt and pepper. Mix together noodles, beef mixture, soup, and dip. Pour in to greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with fried onions. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Dijon Beef Stew - Home Cooked Recipe #86

 Once in a while I come across a gem of a recipe either on television or the internet. This particular recipe I saw on Rachael Ray a week or so ago. It looked so good I couldn't even wait for it to get cold here in FL to make it. And I am really glad I didn't wait because it is SO delicious! I made slight adjustments to the recipe based on ingredients I had on hand, but you can find the original recipe HERE if you want to make it exactly as she does. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did in our house. 

DIJON BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

(STEW)

• 2 lbs stew meat (bite size chunks)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbs ground sage
• salt & pepper
• 4-6 tbs butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 shallots, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup dry sherry 
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tbs Worcestershire
• 1 bag baby carrots
• 4-6 red potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup grainy dijon mustard

(MUSHROOMS)

• 16 oz white mushrooms, sliced 
• 4 tbs butter
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbs ground thyme
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions:
(STEW) Heat 4 tbs butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Mix sage, salt, and pepper into flour. Coat stew meat pieces lightly with flour. Brown stew meat pieces in the butter, in 2 batches. Set beef aside. Add more butter if needed to Dutch oven. Add in shallots and onions. Season with salt and pepper and add in bay leaf. Cook until soft, approximately 8 minutes. Deglaze pot with sherry. Let reduce by half. Add Dijon, broth, and Worcestershire. Stir beef back in. Reduce heat to low and simmer beef for 90 minutes. Add in carrots and potatoes, and simmer for 45 more minutes. Stir in grainy mustard. Once mustard is in, turn off heat and prepare mushrooms.
(MUSHROOMS) Heat butter in large sauté pan. Add mushrooms and cook until browned. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic - cook one minute. Deglaze pan with sherry. Turn off heat and squeeze in lemon juice. Top stew with sherry mushrooms.

ENJOY!

Beefy Cheesy Sliders - Home Cooked Recipe #83

In addition to perusing Pinterest and the internet for recipe ideas, I also watch a boat load of cooking shows on Food Network and the Cooking Channel. One of my favorite Food Network shows is The Kitchen which premieres new episodes on Saturday mornings. Sunny Anderson is one of my favorite hosts from that show and when I saw her recipe for these yummy sliders I had to make them. I varied the recipe slightly but the results are still delicious. You can find here original recipe HERE. These are great for a party or tailgate or any event where you are wanting delicious little sandwiches.

Beefy Cheesy Sliders

Ingredients:

• 12 count slider rolls (I use Hawaiian Rolls - the butter flavored ones)
• 1 tbs Montreal steak seasoning
• 1/2 lb roast beef, sliced paper thin
• 8 oz shredded cheddar
• 4 oz provolone slices (I use Sargento ultra thin slices)
• 1/4 cup chipotle mayo 
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 2 tbs grated onion
• 2 tbs grated Parmesan
• 1 tbs Worcestershire
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350. Slice the rolls in half and place the bottom halves in a baking dish. Sprinkle the Montreal steak seasoning on the buns then top with the provolone slices. Top the cheese with the roast beef slices. Mix together the cheddar and chipotle mayo and spread over the roast beef slices. Top with the roll tops. Mix together the butter, Worcestershire, Parmesan, grated onion, and red pepper flakes. Brush this mixture over the tops of the rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake and additional 5 minutes to brown the rolls. Enjoy!

Ropa Vieja - Home Cooked Recipe #80

I am a BIG fan of latin flavors. I was perusing the internet for a good Rope Vieja recipe to try, and decided to actually combine flavors from several different ones to come up with my own spin on this dish. Some of the ingredients are probably not traditional but it came out fantastic! Also, it's made in the slow cooker so it's a one pot dish that cooks itself which is super convenient. Give it a try!

Ropa Vieja

Ingredients:

• 2-3lb boneless chuck roast
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (any color), sliced
• 1/2 jar whole green olives w/pimentos (& brine)
• 1 can Rotel
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 tbs ketchup
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp minced dried onion
• 1 tbs Adobo
• 1 packet Sazon
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a slow cooker, mix all ingredients from tomato sauce to black pepper. Stir in onion, peppers, olives, & Rotel. Place chuck roast over sauce, spooning some of the liquid over the top. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.  Shred meat and return to liquid. Serve over rice. 
Enjoy!

One Pot Beef Stroganoff - Pinterest Pick #18

I have been a fan of beef stroganoff ever since I had my first box of stroganoff flavored Hamburger Helper. Growing up, my mom did not use Hamburger Helper or make beef stroganoff (not to my recollection anyway) so this was a complete novelty once I was on my own. As I became a more experienced cook, I started experimenting with different stroganoff recipes, both on the stove and on the slow cooker. This one pot recipe that I found on Pinterest is a winner. It is tasty, easy, and there's not a lot to clean up. Definitely a winner. Find the Pin HERE and the original recipe HERE.

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 8oz egg noodles (1/2 a package)
• 8oz sliced mushrooms
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt & pepper
• 2 tsps smoked paprika
• ***optional: french fried onions for a crunchy topping

Directions:
Cook the mushrooms over medium high heat until caramelized, season with salt & pepper & paprika. Add onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add in ground beef and cook until browned. Then add beef stock and egg noodles. Stir and cover for a lid, cooking for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle with french fried onions, if desired.
Enjoy!

French Dip Sliders - Pinterest Pick #19

I absolutely LOVE a slider! I don't know what it is about little sandwiches but they are the best. I have been pinning different slider ideas left and right, and finally decided to try one. I started with the recipe for French Dip sliders because I had all the ingredients on hand except the Au Jus mix. I picked up that packet while out and about and then gave the recipe a whirl. They came out fantastic!!!I would recommend these for lunch, dinner, a snack, an appetizer, or a party!!! You can find the original pin HERE and the original recipe HERE. I only made half the recipe so I had 3 sliders for dinner and 3 sliders for lunch the next day. The great part of this dish is that they tasted as good the next day, even after being microwaved!

French Dip Sliders

Ingredients:
(very easy to double or quadruple this recipe)

• 1/4 lb thinly sliced deli roast beef
• 12 slices thinly sliced Provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup French's onions (these are optional, omit if you don't like onions)
• 6 slider rolls
• softened butter (for greasing the pan)
• 4 tbs butter
• 1 package McCormick's Au Jus gravy mix
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• salt & pepper
• garlic powder
• onion powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking dish with butter.
If your slider rolls are not sliced, slice buns in half and lay bottom buns on bottom of greased pan. Top bottoms with 6 slices of cheese, then the meat, then the French's onions, then the remaining cheese. Cover with top buns. Melt butter in microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir in Worcestershire, sesame seeds, 1 tsp of the au jus mix, salt, pepper, dash of garlic powder, and dash of onion powder.  Brush slider tops with buttery topping. If there are leftovers, just dump it in after you make the rest of the au jus. Don't be concerned if buns look soggy, believe me, they'll crisp right up in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes. While sliders are baking, prepare rest of au jus mix as package directs, adding any leftover butter topping you might have at the end. Serve sliders with au jus for dipping.
Enjoy!

Greek Hash - Home Cooked Recipe #78

I may have mentioned previously that I love Greek food, but in case you missed it, I REALLY love Greek food! I came up with this dish that I call Greek Hash. It is inspired by a dish at my favorite Greek restaurant in Tarpon Springs, FL called Greek chow mein, but with my own twists that are easy to prepare at home. I serve the hash with my tzatziki, and you can find that receipe HERE. It is an easy weeknight meal that is savory and delicious.

Greek Hash

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 bag Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns
• 8oz crumbled Feta
• 1 onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbs Greek seasoning (I use one I get shipped in from NY, but they do have brands in the spice aisle of the grocery store)
• ***optional: roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, olives

Directions:  
In one pan brown ground beef. In a separate pan, Cook hash browns as package directs, along with onion and salt & pepper. Once beef and hash browns are fully cooked, combine together and Greek spice.  Toss in half of Feta, and any additional options as desired.  Plate and top with remaining Feta.  Serve with tzatziki.  Enjoy!

GIRL'S CROCK*POT DAY #1 - CROCK*POT CAFE 11

A few weeks ago the girls and I did another crockpot day.  This time we only made one recipe I have made before, which was the beer chicken (you can find the original recipe HERE).  Then we also made smothered pork chops and beef stroganoff.  They all came out delicious! We served them with copious amounts of egg noodles and had plenty of leftovers.  All these recipes were winners so I advise you to try them!

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless center cut pork chops
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• 1 tbs paprika (I used the smoked paprika, great flavor)
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 8oz pkg sliced mushrooms
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except pork, mushrooms, and onions in a bowl.  Place onions on bottom of slow cooker, place pork on top.  Cover with mushrooms, then pour soup mixture over.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef stew meat
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 8oz pkg sliced mushrooms
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 to 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbs worcestershire
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs mustard (I prefer Dijon)
• 8 oz sour cream

Directions
Place beef chunks on bottom of slow cooker. Top with mushrooms and onions.  Mix all other ingredients EXCEPT sour cream. Pour over beef.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

ENJOY!

GIRL'S CROCK*POT DAY #1 - CROCK*POT CAFE 10

Hello readers!

After a crazy last year of planning and having a wedding, I am finally getting back to normal. I have included pictures from the wedding (just a couple!) Now that I'm back in realty, that will mean more food blog posts, hooray! One of my first missions of 2017 was to organize a slow cooker day with 2 of my girlfriends who are interested in learning to make more delicious and healthy meals in their slow cookers. We all know how much I love a good crockpot dinner! For our first day of slow cooking, we made 3 recipes, one pork, one beef, one chicken.  These were all recipes that I have made prior, and I will provide the links at the end of this post. I wanted my girls to feel comfortable and I wanted to have us cook something I knew would taste delicious. The upcoming days we slow cook will be of mostly all new recipes, so I'll be trying new things along with them, and will be able to share the recipes with you, my dear readers! I hope you enjoy the pictures, we had such a fun day!!!

Cooking with Tanya and Kimmie!

Beef and Broccoli

Bourbon Chicken

Pork Carnitas

Find the recipe for Pork Carnitas HERE
Find the recipe for Beef and Broccoli HERE
Find the recipe for Bourbon Chicken HERE