Meatballs for Spaghetti

I thought these were pretty tasty and easy! I like meatballs and I like the idea of being able to pick how much meat you want with your spaghetti! 

Meatballs Adapted from Rachel Ray

1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper


Preheat over to 425
Mix beef and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll meat into 1 1/2 inch medium-sized meatballs and place on nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet greased with extra-virgin olive oil. Bake balls 10 to 12 minutes, until no longer pink.

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Old Fashion Meatloaf

   I felt like our blog was lacking in ground beef recipes so I've been on the lookout. I don't cook all that much with it but its nice for a change! I found this on Pinterest and it was delicious! Seth loved it too! It was easy and I had all ingredients on hand! 

Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen

Based on 178 Reviews

Servings: 4 servings 
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion 
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1   egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes (without juice)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all meat loaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.

Topping: 
Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

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Mom's Beef Stew

Yummmm....just what you need on a cold winter's day!

Mom's Beef Stew

adapted from favfamilyrecipes.com

2 lbs. steak, cubed (or buy stew meat)

Tabasco sauce

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups beef broth

2 large potatoes, cleaned and cut into large cubes

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 small can tomato sauce (or to taste)

cornstarch (optional)

Braise beef in oil until just brown on all sides (turning only once if possible).  Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add onions and saute until onions become clear.  Transfer to a *large pot and add beef broth, potatoes, and carrots.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for **about an hour (or until potatoes are cooked through).  If you want the beef to be really tender, simmer for even longer.  About 20 minutes before serving, add corn, peas, and tomato sauce and simmer until ready to serve.  If you like your stew nice and thick, add about 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch to some beef broth, stir until smooth, then stir into the stew.  Add beef broth to thin out and cornstarch to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.  

*you can also throw everything in a crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours

**The potatoes cooked much faster than I expected, so I would suggest adding them later so they only cook for about 45 minutes.  Otherwise they will get mushy.

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ginger steak salad

I was craving salad tonight and found this recipe. It ended up being amazing! Beau and I couldn't eat it fast enough (its perfect serving sizes for dinner for 2)! I added a few more things to our salad and it turned out really good. I put in the cherry tomatoes she suggested, some raw halved walnuts for texture and goat cheese (soooo good). I also used a mixture of spring mix and butter lettuce and left out the jalepeno. I didn't worry about the sherry either for the marinade i just added a little cooking white wine that I had on hand but it would be fine without. Finally, like the last thing I posted, I cooked the steak on my iron skillet which is what ms. pioneer woman suggests and it turned out fabulous, tender, flavorful. I'm telling you if you don't have one get one.

Ingredients

• MARINADE INGREDIENTS:
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Sherry
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
• 1 whole Rib-eye, Strip, Or Sirloin Steak
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• _____
• FOR SALAD DRESSING:
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 2 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
• ½ whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced
• _____
• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 2 whole Green Onions
• 8 ounces, weight Salad Greens (baby Lettuce, Endive, Radiccio, Etc.)

Preparation Instructions

Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion.

When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly.

Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced steak on top of salad. Pour remaining salad dressing over the top. Sprinkle green onions over the salad, and add cherry tomatoes if that makes your skirt fly up.

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The Perfect Sunday Pot Roast

There are as many ways to cook a roast as there are roasts. But, this one is the very BEST I've tried. The thyme and rosemary give it an earthy, fresh, and perfect flavor. The meat is so tender and it could not be easier to make. Pioneer Woman even cooked this recipe when she was invited to Good Morning America- if that isn't a testament to its ease and deliciousness, then I don't know what is.

Picture courtesy Pioneer Woman Cooks

Perfect Sunday Pot Roast
Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup Beef Broth
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split). Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. With the burner still on high, use beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

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Grilled Ribeye Steak with Onion-Bleu Cheese Sauce

This was the dinner that I made Brian for Father's Day and it was soooo good. The sauce was divine and very rich. If you have a special occasion coming up, then put this on your menu. I got my steaks at Costco- they come in a 4-pack so I used the first two for this recipe and the next two on the 4th of July. But, you could really use any type of steak with this. Enjoy!

Picture courtesy Pioneer Woman Cooks

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Onion-Bleu Cheese Sauce
Pioneer Woman Cooks

2 whole Ribeye Steaks
2 Tablespoons Butter
Salt
Pepper
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Very Large Yellow Onion, Sliced
1 cup Heavy Cream
½ cups Crumbled Blue Cheese

Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks and grill in 2 Tbs. butter to desired done-ness. Saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter over high heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in cream. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Serve steaks on generous portion of sauce.

**On the Fourth, we generously salted and peppered both sides of the steak. Then, we drizzled extra virgin olive oil on both sides and grilled to medium...amazing.

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