Slow Cooker Beef & Mushroom Stroganoff

Everyone has their own idea of comfort food, but this is definitely one of them for me.  It reminds me so much of something my mom used to make, though her’s was done with venison, and a thicker gravy.  I don’t have her recipes unfortunately, so this is a good substitute for now.  As with most crock pot dishes, this is very quick to put together and once that is done you don’t have to do much.  Just give it a stir once in a while to keep things mixed and heated evenly, but also just so you can sneak a good smell and taste once in a while lol.  Then at the end, you just stir in some cream cheese and serve it over whatever pasta you like.  I used orecchiette because I knew it would hold the sauce well and pick up easily with a fork.

Beef and mushrooms have that classic earthy taste that is so good, and in this they are only made better by the addition of the onions, Worcestershire and golden mushroom soup.  Then at the end the addition of the cream cheese really just brings it all together leaving you with a nice thick creamy sauce.

 

Serves : 4             Time to make : 6.5 hours

Ingredients :

• 1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
• 1 (10.75 oz) can Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini)
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 C. water
• 4 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free)
• Pasta of choice (I made about 12oz Orecchiette)

Directions :

1. Combine the first six ingredients into your crock pot and cook on low heat for 6 hours.
2. Make your when time is just about up, and just before serving stir in the cream cheese until melted.  Serve over pasta.

Recipe from Dreaming All Day

BBQ Muffin Cups

These super simple muffin cups came from Food.com, and are what gave me the idea for my Italian Chicken Cups (shared the other day).  They are another great weeknight meal, and though they are not really low in calories or anything the simplicity and low cost help make up for it.  And you can always lower the calories by using ground turkey, low fat cheese, and reduced fat biscuits too.  I have tried versions with corn in them as well, and really enjoyed the addition.  This has become one of our go-to recipes whenever we need to repeat things because of busy schedules and they are SO easy, even Jeff can make them start to finish without messing them up…. which if you know my husband you’d know is no small thing.  If you use the Pilsbury Grands (my preferred biscuit) you’ll get 8 of these, which Jeff and I can eat by ourselves, but I’d say you can get away with 2 per person as long as you have a little side with them.

 

serves : 2-4                 time to make : 25 minutes

Ingredients :

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 1 T. onion, minced
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can flakey biscuits (I use Pilsbury Grands)

Directions :

1. Brown beef and onions in skillet.  Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Drain beef and onions before mixing in the bbq sauce and brown sugar.
3. Using your hands, stretch the biscuits out to about double the size and fit down into a lightly sprayed muffin pan. 
4. Fill each cup with the beef and onions mixture then top with some cheese.
5. Bake about 15 minutes or until muffins are golden and cooked through.

Day 145 : Taco Salad Nachos

Well I’m back!  Enjoyed my time away, and was able to recharge my batteries so to speak, but not it’s time to get back to things.

Tonight’s recipe is one we’ve made before and it’s perfect for any night.  It literally goes together in maybe 10 minutes, and it’s something the whole family can enjoy.  I know a lot of people have taco night because they are easy…. well these are even easier because you don’t have to assemble tacos and there is no worry about them spilling out onto your plate because they are already in a pile!  You can crunch up the chips and eat it more like a salad or leave the chips whole and eat them as nachos.

I will list our typical taco toppings, but feel free to use whatever you like for yours.

 

Taco Salad Nachos

Serves : 4                Time to make  : 10 minutes

 

Ingredients :

• 1 bag of tortilla chips (For extra flavor try hint of lime, pepper jack, or jalapeno chips)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small can olives, sliced
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup sour cream (fat free)
• 1/2 cup guacamole
• 1 pkg shredded lettuce

Directions :

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet, and drain.  Add seasoning and water and mix.
2. Place chips on the bottom of the plate and layer the meat, cheese, onions, olives, and lettuce on top. 
3. Mix together the salsa, sour cream, and guacamole and pour over the top.

 

 

Thanks for your patience and I hope you will all stick with me!

 

Day 94 : Sloppy Joes

Well…. tonight it finally happened that I ran across a recipe that just did not work for me.  I read the ingredients and it SOUNDED good… but it just didn’t pull together right.  The flavor was very bland after I added the listed ingredients, and it also was not very “sloppy” at all, and I knew that after 30 minutes of continued cooking it would likely be burnt.  I decided to just doctor it then and not take the chance.  The ending result was pretty good, and I was able to save dinner, but I honestly think the recipe as stated would have been a disaster.

I did not measure anything as I added, and just went by taste.  I will list the things I added in case anyone wants to know, but with so many recipes out there for sloppy joes you might just want to try another… unless you are up for the challenge of fixing it to your tastes.  The base for the recipe is good, it just needs more!

I added more ketchup first, but it didn’t do much other than make it saucier… and too sweet.  So I tried to add depth of flavor with some Worcestershire sauce, some steak sauce, and a bit of chipotle pepper seasoning.  That worked to get the depth I wanted, but I needed something to mellow it out and make it saucier still… so I added about a half cup of tomato sauce as well.  That definitely brought it closer to what I consider a sloppy joes consistency and taste.  Jeff gave my resulting dish 5 stars, so I must have done something right lol.  I will list the original recipe below, and it is up to you to make it your own from there.

 

Sloppy Joes

Serves : 4            Time to make : 40 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Brown ground beef, with onions and peppers in a skillet on medium heat, drain.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, lower heat to a simmer and cook an additional 30 minutes.
3. Serve on your choice of bun or bread.