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.

Trader Joes Beef Stroganoff

They had this as a sample the other day, so I made it that night for dinner. It was yum!

1 package Quick Cook Beef Sirloin (this meat is good stuff!)
1/2 Bag TJ's Chopped Onions (I only use dry and very little since we don't like onions)
1 package TJ's sliced mushrooms
2 packages TJ's Garlic Linguini
1 Tub TJ's sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to directions on packages. Drain. Saute onions in butter until brown (unless you're using dry onions and then you can just add them to the meat while it's cooking). Add beef to a frying pan and cook until it is almost completely cooked. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and meat is completely cooked. Don't drain meat. The juices will mix with the sour cream to make a delicious sauce. Toss cooked noodles with beef mixture. Gently fold in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meat Loaf Muffins

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)

1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.

Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Serve with fresh beans and potato wedges.

meatloaf

i know ton posted a meatloaf recipe a while ago, but i just tried this one and it is really yummy. it's from allrecipes.com - "Remple Family Meatloaf." It easy, moist, and very flavorful- secret ingredients being steaksauce and cheese- yummy!
enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons steak sauce

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together ground beef, crushed crackers, cheddar cheese and onion soup mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, ketchup and steak sauce until smooth. Stir the egg mixture into the beef mixture, adding a little water if necessary. Shape into a loaf and place in a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until no longer pink.

Brocolli Ham Quiche

Ok...I just made this all during Avery's nap. And she napped for a whole 30 minutes so this was quick and easy. I'll throw it in the oven as it gets closer to dinnertime. Here it goes...Oh, I haven't tried it before, but Megg has and says it is tasty.

1 pie crust (I got mine at Trader Joes)
1 lb. Brocolli
1 Cup diced ham (I got it from the deli and just tear it into pieces)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 TB. chopped onion (I left this out)
6 eggs
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1 Cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cream cheese, and Cheddar cheese. Stir in brocolli, ham, onion, salt and pepper, Spoon into a cold, unbaked pie crust shell. Sprinkle with 1.4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Lasagna

1lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Salt/pepper to taste
1c. grated carrots
1c. sliced mushrooms (fresh)
1 Tbs. olive oil
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
25 oz. pkg. frozen cheese ravioli
(cooked and drained)
3 c. (12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
minced parsley

1) cook meat, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set aside...
2) in a saucepan, cook carrots and mushrooms in olive oil until tender.
Stir in spaghetti sauce. Add cooked meat.
3) Spread 1/2 c. of the sauce in a greased (I used Pam) 9x13 pan. Layer with 1/2 the ravioli, spaghetti sauce mixture and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.
4) Top with parmesan cheese and parsley....Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover, bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

red meat

there's a name for this recipe, but i don't know what it is.
go get some steak, massage it with coarse pepper and kosher salt, then soak it in worcestshire sauce for a few hours.
grill it up.
it's awesome.
we ate it last week.

Ryan and Jen