Easy Beef and Noodles

I made beef and noodles a few weeks ago and I thought I'd post the recipe because to my surprise it was super easy and it tasted pretty good. So good that after my crowd left the table there was none left at all. That's a good problem to have!

Easy Beef and Noodles

16 oz. bag egg noodles cooked
1- 27 oz. can beef (Grabill Meats...good stuff!)
3 cans beef gravy (Campbell's is what we used)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Mix together the ingredients and warm up on the stove until it's "scarfing temperature"...that's what hubby calls it!

*Next time I make it (assuming I have some canned beef on hand) I will get some gravy mix packets. It would be much cheaper. But...that's what we had so that's what I used. Worked for me!

Pioneer Beef Stew

*Note: This week is all topsy turvy...the three day weekend does that to a person! So...the Queen of the Castle book post will be tomorrow. I know...some of you are just so upset because the sun rises and sets on my blog posts! LOL! ; )

Here's another recipe from the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Preview Party that I hosted last week. It was supposed to be baked in the oven but I was in a crock pot mood so in the crock pot it went!

Pioneer Beef Stew

14-1/2 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. water
3 T. quick-cooking tapioca, uncooked
2 tsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt (I used less than 1 tsp. salt)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lbs. stew beef, cubed (I used a can of our local Grabill Meats canned beef...order here.)
3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (hmm...seems I forgot to add these?)
4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 onion, diced (I used 1 tsp. onion powder)

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes with juice, water, tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well; stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a grease 3-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until beef and vegetables are tender. Serves 4 to 6.

*I cooked it in the crock pot on low for about 7 hours. The last 2 hours I cooked it with the lid slightly off to let some of the liquid evaporate. But...thinking about it now if I would have added the potatoes I probably wouldn't have to had take the lid off for a while. I guess I was just so busy that I left the potatoes out. I'm not a huge stew fan but my mom seemed to love it so I guess it wasn't that bad.

Simple Roast

I stumbled across a really inexpensive beef roast at the store yesterday morning. What kind? I forget. I can't keep round, sirloin, rump, or whatever straight. It's beef and they eat it. : ) So I decided to cook a roast this afternoon instead of what was on the menu (again). I got it home, sprinkled it with pepper and onion powder and seared it on both sides in the fry pan for a bit. Then I transferred it to a baking dish and poured over a half bottle of Kraft Sun-Ripened Tomato Vinaigrette salad dressing. I figured it's got tomatoes and oil and vinegar so it'd have to work, right? I baked it (covered with aluminum foil) at 350 degrees for about 3 hours and then 250 for about an hour or so. Let me tell you that it was heavenly!! It had a slight tangy flavor and the vinegar from the dressing was a great meat tenderizer. Mmm mmm good!! Give it a try next time!

Do you have something that you stumbled upon and would like to share?? Please leave a comment!


*artwork from artcountrycanada.com

Sloppy Joes

Our busy day of the week is Wednesday. We usually have tacos or sloppy joes. They are quick and easy. Everyone likes them and I can throw them in the crock pot after lunch and they're ready for dinner. This is my own sloppy joe concoction. You may like it, you may not. Feel free to tweak it however you like!

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tsp. mustard (from the fridge...not powder)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

In a crock pot put the beef and add the remaining ingredients. Mix together and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf

I never found a meatloaf recipe that the whole family likes so I made up my own. Hope you all like it.

Meatloaf

-makes 1 loaf pan

2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup crushed crackers (I use butter crackers like Ritz)
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 T parsley (dried)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. mustard
2 tsp. brown sugar

Mix together the first set of ingredients in a large bowl. Bate in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. Carefully drain grease. Spoon sauce on top and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Easy Cheesy Bean Dip

1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 can bean dip
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 lb. shredded colby-jack cheese

Mix all ingredients except the cheese. Layer in a crock pot or a casserole dish 1/2 the mixture and 1/2 the cheese; repeat. Cook on low for 4 hours or so or bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with nacho chips, chopped tomatoes, black olives, guacamole, etc.!

Notes: Sometimes I add 1/2 pound browned, ground beef to the mixture to give it a little more protein. A lot of times when we go camping I'll take a crock pot with us and the ingredients. I'll pop it all in the crock pot after breakfast and it's ready by lunchtime!

The Secret is in the Sauce

I hesitated to share this recipe because would it would reveal that I am not a "from scratch" person all the time. It would mar my rep so to speak. A good friend asked for my lasagna recipe sooo here I am, an open book, now. : )

Lasagna

3/4 lb. ground beef

8 -ish lasagna noodles (make 'em fit in the pan however you can) I do three in a row lengthwise and then break one into about a 2/3 piece and place it at the end (perpendicular to the other ones). I buy the oven ready kind. No need to dirty another pot, right?

1 beaten egg

2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese divided (I'm cheap so I use the kind in the can)

1 T dried parsley flakes

4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Are your ready for the final ingredient?? Drum roll please...

1 can of Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce*. There...I'm outed!


Brown beef in a small stock pot (I usually sprinkle in a little pepper, onion powder and garlic powder while it's browning), drain, and then pour in one (ugh, dare I say it again?) can of Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce. Heat until the sauce is warmed.

For filling: Combine the egg, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and parsley flakes.

Layer half noodles, then half filling (spread it out the best you can), half sauce/meat mixture, sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella, then repeat. Once it's assembled sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Let it stand about 10 minutes. This gives you a chance to pop in some yummy garlic bread!

*Note: Sometimes I'm out of the Secret Sauce so I'll use a different brand. Just make sure to add some extra garlic powder, oregano, basil and hint of onion powder. I love Hunt's Garlic & Herb. Way back in the beginning of our marriage a friend shared the secret of Hunt's Garlic & Herb and it was the start of my kitchen coup d'état (another story).

Chili

If you haven't noticed by now you'll see that I don't put chunky tomatoes, onions or (any) mushrooms in my recipes.  I told you I have semi-picky eaters to deal with here!  Onion powder, garlic powder and tomato sauce are my friends!  The family loves this chili recipe.  It's really easy and fairly inexpensive.  You can either use dry kidney beans or canned beans.

Chili

2 30 oz. cans tomato sauce (or use tomato puree from your garden tomatoes)
2 lbs. ground chuck, browned and drained
1 lbs. dry kidney beans (see Notes at the bottom)
2 T. onion powder (or 2 med. onions chopped)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, crushed)
5 T. chili powder
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (Hubby likes a little kick and it clears the 'ol sinuses!)

Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot.  (I use a 6.5 quart.)  Cover; cook on low 8-10 hours  or on high 4-5 hours.

Notes: This serves our gang for dinner and enough for lunch the next day with some grilled cheese.  I like to make Jiffy corn bread mix to serve with it, too.  Also, try serving it with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and dip Fritos scoops in it.  We love it that way!!

Soaking and cooking dry kidney beans can be tricky.  If you don't soak and cook them well you could get ill.  Kidney beans contain a toxin.  Read more here if interested.   The day before cooking, soak the beans all day, then rinse.   Put them in a crock-pot covered in water (with a an inch or so over the top); cook on low all night (about 7 hours). Drain, then add the rest of your chili ingredients and cook on low until you're ready to eat!  Check out Mary's blog OwlHaven for how she saves money cooking with dry beans.