mexican meat mix

this was given to me by a friend with a crock pot for our wedding. it is a great filling for tacos, chimichangas, burritos, anything really.

original recipe (with my variations in red):

5 lbs beef roast or combo of beef and pork
2 tbsp veg shortening or oil (didn't use)
3 onions chopped (didn't use)
1 4oz. can chopped green chilies
2 7 oz cans green chili salsa (i used some of this then half a can of regular salsa as well)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp flour (didn't use)
4 tsp salt (used half that)
1 tsp ground cumin
juices from roast

cook:
cook in crock pot for 12 hours on low (6 hours on high did the job just fine)
let meat cool in crock pot
melt shortening or oil in large skillet, add onions and green chilies and saute. add the rest of the ingredients and cool for a minute over med heat. add meat and shred, while mixing it all together add some of the juices. cook 5 minutes till thick. add to whatever you are making.

but honestly, who needs more grease in this recipe- i skipped the whole saute onions and all. i just put the meat with some of it's juice in the skillet and shredded it. then i added the other ingredients and stirred it till it was hot and yummy.

i filled tortillas, rolled them, closed with a toothpick and fried them up. see what i mean about who needs more grease? usually i hate fried foods, but these are really good.

tortilla pie

4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb ground beef (you could leave this out and it is just as delicious)
1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add beans and water to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold pie; sprinkle with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

-from Everyday Food

Potato Boats

4 large baking potatoes
4 slices bacon
3/4 lb. ground beef
3 green onions, chopped and/or dried chives
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. butter
Milk
1/4 c. grated Chedder cheese

Bake potatoes for about an hour, or until tender. Cook bacon, drain, and crumble. In a fry pan, cook ground beef and onion until beef is barely pink. Remove from heat and add sour cream and bacon. Stir. Make a large slit in top of potato and scoop out center, being careful not to break shells. Place shells in a shallow baking pan. In a large bowl, mash potatoes. Add salt, butter, and just enough milk to make them creamy, but still stiff. Fold hamburger mixture into mashed potatoes. Spoon into potato shells and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

taco bowls

we had these for dinner tonight. big hit.

20 6 inch flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
16 oz shredded cheese (I use the Mexican blend from Costco)

Preheat the oven to 350. Trim about 1/2 inch from edge of tortillas, push into muffin tins.

Brown ground beef, add seasoning and about 2/3 cup of water, simmer until water is absorbed. Put about 2 Tablespoons of meat into each muffin tin. Cover with cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are brown.

Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, avocados, etc.

Roast Beef and Avocado Mini Sandwiches

1 ripe avocado
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon minced fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons mayo
1/2 lb thinly sliced rare roast beef
arugula
Hawaiian rolls

Mash avocado and add lemon juice, chives, salt, pepper and mayo. Spread avocado mixture over one side of each roll. Top with roast beef and arugula.

Flank Steak with Lime Marinade

1/3 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (about 4 limes)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 Tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 Teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 1/2 Pounds flank steak
Vegetable oil, for grates
Coarse salt and ground black pepper

Directions
In a resealable plastic bag, combine lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and red-pepper flakes. Add steak, and seal bag (place in a dish to catch any leaks); marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, up to 1 hour.

Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off (discard marinade); season with salt and black pepper. Place on grill; cover. Cook, turning once, until meat reaches desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

Jack O'Lantern Stew

We had this for dinner last night. It was SO good. My kids really liked it, too. I got it from foodnetwork.com.

1 (9 to 12-inch) pumpkin
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
4 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 cups cooked rice (instant is okay)
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato soup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the insides. Rinse well. Carve a spooky face onto the pumpkin, without going all the way through the flesh. (I didn't do this step.) Rinse well, oil outside of pumpkin. Bake the pumpkin shell for 30 minutes.

While shell is baking: saute the onion, green and red peppers, carrots, celery, and garlic until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown ground beef and chicken. Add the veggies and cooked rice and cook over low heat, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Remove pumpkin from oven and let stand 15 minutes. Stir the tomatoes and soup into the meat mixture. Place meat mixture into pumpkin. Put back in oven for 20 minutes. Serve on a platter with cheesy biscuits.

Meatloaf Muffins

This is one of my staples. The kids like the little muffins and it cooks in only 20 minutes versus almost an hour with a regular meatloaf. The bbq sauce instead of ketcup is tasty, and it's loaded with veggies that are easy enough to sneak in (from my husband, not the kids!).

1 2/3 to 1 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
1/2 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper
1 large egg plus a splash of milk, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Put ground beef into a big bowl. Put onion and celery into a food processor. Cut the bell pepper in half, rip out the seeds and throw them into your garbage bowl. Cut the pepper into a few pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse the processor blades to finely chop the vegetables into very small pieces then add them to the meat bowl. Add egg, beaten with milk, bread crumbs and grill seasoning to the bowl. Next, mix together the smoky barbecue sauce and the Worcestershire sauce. Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix. Mix the meatloaf together with your hands. Spray the muffin tin with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop to help you fill meat into a each tin. Top each meat loaf with a spoonful of extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through.

Au Jus Sandwiches

3-4 lbs of London Broil
2 cups of beef broth
2 cups of water
1 packet Au Jus seasoning
1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

Put everything in the crockpot and cook for at least 8 hours. Serve on toasted French rolls with melted provolone cheese. Even better if you use the "au jus" and dip your sandwich in!