Recipe Thursday | Crockpot Steak & Gravy

This week's Recipe:

I loved this comfort food! It comes together SO fast as you just add the few ingredients to the crockpot and let it cook all day. It was so good!  My kids liked it the first night, but they didn't think it worked good for leftovers - but I disagree. We had it for several nights and it was still yummy to me!  We served it over rice and I loved the texture, but it would be good with pasta or potatoes as well!  Serve with a side of steamed veggies!

** This picture isn't mine. I threw this recipe together on a whim and then forgot to take a picture, but this picture is really close to what it looks like!

Crockpot Steak and Gravy
by DeDe Smith

5-6 lbs top sirloin steak
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
salt & pepper
3 packets of brown gravy mix
3 packets au jus mix
6 cups water

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and place steak in the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with seasonings.  In a large bowl, mix together water and gravy mixes and then pour over the steak.  Cook all day (8-10 hours) on low.  The meat will be very tender and you can just shred it.  Serve over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

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On Recipe Thursdays, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Stuffed Taco Shells

This week's Recipe:

Another great taco-filled pasta dish!

Stuffed Taco Shells
by Alison from Couponshopaholic

1 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
8 ounce package cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 pkg jumbo pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup grated cheese
1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed)
3 green onions (chopped)

Cook ground beef and add taco seasoning, sour cream, and cream cheese. Simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow to fully cool.

Cook shells according to package directions. Toss well with butter.

Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.

Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and grated cheese on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes.

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Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love    all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Pretzel Dogs

This week's Recipe:

This is the perfect combination! Yummy salty pretzels wrapped around a juicy hot dog! Make them today!

Pretzel Dogs 
by DeDe Smith

1 ¼ cups warm water
1 ½ t. yeast
3 T. corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
1 package hot dogs 

1 egg white
4-5 tbsp Kosher salt 

Let the yeast, water, corn syrup, and salt sit in a medium bowl for 5 minutes. 

Add the flour to create a smooth and elastic dough, kneading on the counter to get desired results. 

Let the dough rise until doubled, 30 to 60 minutes. 

After it has risen, divide it into 16 pieces.  Cut your hot dogs in half so you also have 16 pieces.

Take hot dog piece and wrap one of the balls of dough around it and seal it off. Continue with the remaining pieces. Place them a few inches apart on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet.

Cover and let the rolls rise for another 30-45 minutes. 

Gently cut slits in the top of the roll, brush the tops with egg white and then sprinkle generously with Kosher salt.  

Bake at 425 for 10-14 minutes until golden brown.

______________________________

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Sour Cream Noodle Bake

This week's Recipe:

Loved this. It was very easy to make and came together really quickly. Plus it had great flavor. It was basically a Lasagna without having to layer noodles!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

by The Pioneer Woman
 

1-¼ lb. Ground Chuck
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
½ teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
½ cup Sour Cream
1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
½ cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
 

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
 

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
 

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
 

Serve with crusty French bread.

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Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Texas Beef Brisket

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!
I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
This has really great flavor! The brisket I bought was a little tough though. I think next time, I might try it in the crockpot and see if it is a little more tender. We served it with baked potatoes that we could just stick it in the oven with the brisket. All in all a really easy meal because I just prepared it the night before and stuck it in the oven the next day.
Texas Beef Brisket
This recipe is from emeals!

2 lbs beef brisket
1 t each onion, celery and garlic salt
2 T liquid smoke
2 T Worcestershire sauce
Fresh ground pepper

*Night before. Place brisket on large piece of aluminum foil. Rub brisket w/onion, garlic & celery salts. Pour liquid smoke over top. Seal up aluminum foil tightly around meat. Can double wrap if desired. Place in refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, unseal & pour Worcestershire sauce over brisket. Sprinkle w/fresh ground pepper; wrap in foil so no steam escapes. Place on baking pan. Bake @275 for apprx 3 hours. Slice against the grain to serve.

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Recipe Thursday | Polynesian Beef

Polynesian Beef
by Marcia Calhoun

This week's Recipe:

This was so tasty and easy! We all loved it and I can't wait to try it again! Thank you so much Marcia for emailing me this recipe!


1 - 6 oz can of unsweetened pineapple juice
1 can crushed or diced pineapple, undrained
3 tbs soy sauce (We added a bit of teriyaki sauce too)
3 tbs brown sugar
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
1 beef roast (about 4 lbs)
1/2 cup each: diced red & green pepper and diced onions
Rice

Mix ingredients. Pour over beef. You can cook this either in the oven or crockpot.

Oven: 350 degrees - 2 hours take out and slice or shred beef, return to oven to cook 1/2 hour longer.

Crockpot: 8-10 hours on low, until beef is tender. Slice or shred beef, return to crockpot and cook 1/2 more on high.

Serve over Rice.

_________________________
Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Cowboy Beef Bake

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I found this in a recipe collection that I have and have over the years made it my own. It is one of my husband's favorite dishes. You could do this over the stovetop, but we like it in the crockpot.
Cowboy Beef Bake
by DeDe Smith


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into cubes
3 cloves garlic
2 large onions, cut into small chunks
2 green bell peppers, cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp pepper
2 cans pinto beans
1 can corn

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat, garlic, and onions. Cook until the meat is browned all over.

Put meat mixture into crockpot along with all the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

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Recipe Thursday - Meatballs, Rice, & Red Sauce

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
So we all know that meatballs and a red sauce are yummy, but usually it includes pasta. I mixed it up and tried using rice instead and it was good - really good. My husband requests this frequently!
Meatballs, Rice, & Red Sauce
by DeDe Smith


2 lb bag or larger of Frozen Italian meatballs (or make your own meatballs)
Rice
1 Jar of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce (or make your own sauce)
1 Jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce (or make your own sauce)

Place meatballs and sauces in your crockpot and heat for 4-6 hours on high. Serve over Rice.

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Recipe Thursday - Beef Stew

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I've never made beef stew until now. I need more practice, but this was a good recipe for it. I actually did this in the crockpot - cooking the vegetables and meat beforehand. I just needed to save a little time. But this was good.


Beef Stew
by Tia Juana from her Secret Combinations Blog

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (I used stew meat)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup red grape juice, cranberry juice, or apple juice (I used apple juice)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (5 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (I used regular potatoes)

4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced one inch pieces (I just like to chop up baby carrots - its easier)
* I also added corn

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Dry the beef with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the meat, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with 1 more tablespoon of the oil and the remaining beef.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the empty pot and return to medium heat until simmering. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the juice, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, thyme, bay leaves, and browned beef alone with any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer pot to the oven. Cook for one hour.

Stir in the potatoes and carrots. Cover and continue to cook in the oven until the beef is tender, about one more hour.

Remove the pot from the oven and discard the bay leaves and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

This stew can be prepared ahead of time up to the point of adding the potatoes and carrots. Cool the stew, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. To prepare to serve, reheat over low heat, adding additional water or broth to adjust the consistency, before adding the potatoes and carrots and baking in the oven until the beef is tender.

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Recipe Thursday - Creamy Meatballs

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I usually make my own meatballs but it was really nice to actually just pick up a bag of frozen meatballs and stick it in the crockpot. Next time I make meatballs, I will have to make extra and freeze them so I can use them for this! Janis shared 2 different recipes in her post - well, I kind of combined them and created my own recipe! So check out the link below for her recipes and then look below the picture for my recipe!

Creamy Meatballs
by Janis from Dinner Time Ideas

1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg onion soup mix
16 oz sour cream
2 lb bag or larger of Frozen Italian meatballs
Rice or pasta (I used bow tie pasta)

Place soups and onion soup mix in crockpot. Mix well. Pour in meatballs. Cook on low heat for about 4-6 hours. Mix in sour cream an hour before serving. Serve over pasta or rice.

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Recipe Thursday - Beef Stroganoff

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I usually just make stroganoff with hamburger, but I had some stew meat and bacon in the freezer that I needed to use, so I decided to try to make it with stroganoff and see how it turned out! I loved it! My daughter had THIRDS and she usually barely finishes her first serving! My husband thinks it is a completely different meal than our usual "poor-man's" stroganoff - so I think it will definitely be something we make a lot at my house!


Beef Stroganoff
by DeDe Smith

1 lb Stew Meat
Flour
1/2 package Bacon
Seasonings - Salt, Pepper, Mrs. Dash, Season Salt
4 oz Heavy Cream
1 cup of Beef Broth
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
16 oz Sour Cream
2 cups Milk
Egg Noodles


I put the stew meat in a ziploc bag of flour and covered each piece. Then I put it in a skillet with the bacon, seasoning, and a little bit of butter and slowly browned it.

Then I added the cream and beef broth and simmered it for about 25 minutes on low heat.

Then add Cream of Mushroom soup, sour cream, and milk and simmer while you boil the egg noodles. Put sauce over the egg noodles and serve!

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