Tuscan Beef Stew

1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can condensed beef broth
1/2 C water
2 lbs stew meat
1 can Italian style chopped tomatoes
3 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
2 cans cannellini beans

put all ingredients except beans in crockpot
cook on low 8-9 hours (or high 4-5 hours)
stir in beans and heat
add cooked rice, pasta, or wheat berries

Barbecue

about 4 pounds beef or pork roast, simmered about 4 hours, shredded, and
1/2 C reserved broth

Sauce:
Saute:
medium onion, chopped
1/2 C chopped celery
2 T butter

Add:
reserved broth
1 1/2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 C lemon juice
2 T vinegar
2 T brown sugar or 1 T honey
1 C ketchup
1 t salt
dash pepper
4-8 allspice, balled or tied in mesh

simmer 15 minutes
add meat and heat
* best if made day before and reheated

Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Veggies

beef rump roast

1/2 t salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t paprika

1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 potatoes cut into eighths
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped

1 C beef broth
3 T corn starch
1/4 C water

place veggies in bottom of slow cooker
pour broth over veggies
rub seasonings into meat
place meat on top of veggies
cover and cook on LOW 8-9 hours
remove meat and veggies
dissolve cornstarch in water
stir into juices
cover and cook on high 15-20 minutes (might be worth pouring into a pan to cook quickly)

London Broil

Flank Steak (top round)

Marinade:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 t salt (or less)
3 T soy sauce (low sodium)
1 T ketchup
1 T oil
1/2 black pepper
1/2 t oregano

mix marinade
score meat
rub on marinade
refrigerate 5-6 hours
grill about 15 minutes, turning once

Boneless Rib Roast

Leave roast uncovered in fridge overnight
let sit on counter about 1 1/2 hours to get to room temperature
season with Kitchen Bouquet, salt, & pepper
put in a deep pan, leave uncovered
put in 500 degree oven for 5 minutes per pound
shut off heat and leave in oven for two hours
DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR

Marinades

From the free measuring cup that came with a bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

Tangy Beef Marinade:

1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
fresh ground pepper

Chicken Marinade:

1/3 C olive oil
1/3 C lemon juice
1/3 C Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 t ground ginger

Vinaigrette Dressing

1/6 C Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1/6 C vinegar
2/3 C olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
salt & pepper

New England Chuck Roast

From: Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery page 90

This was really good. I loved the gravy, and I love a recipe that teaches me how to make an easy but tasty gravy. The gravy is so good, I could eat it with a spoon!

1 3lb chuck roast

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 onion, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 celery stalk, cut into 8 pieces

1 bay leaf

1 T vinegar (used apple cider vinegar)

2 C water

1/2 small cabbage, cut into wedges

3 T butter

1 T instant minced onion

2 T flour

2 T prepared horseradish

@ 1 t gravy master

• sprinkle meat with 1/2 t salt and pepper
• place onion, carrots, and celery in slow cooker
• place meat on top of vegetables
• add water, bay leaf, and vinegar
• cook on LOW 5-7 hours (I did 7 hours)
• remove meat
• turn control to high, add cabbage
• cook for 20 minutes
• remove 1 1/2 cups of beef broth
• melt butter in saucepan
• stir in minced onion and flour
• add broth, horseradish and 1/2 t salt
• stir over low heat until thickened

I made mashed potatoes to go with the the meal and some frozen peas for those who don't like cabbage. Delicious! Must make again soon!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

(photo courtesy of Real Simple magazine)

Beef stew is a life necessity in my mind. My parents used to make it on the stove - Mom would do all the work, then Dad would come in and doctor up the broth. And it was very good.

I made it that way once. On the stove, flouring and browning the meat first, doctoring up the broth. And it was really good.

But I don't have time for that now, because not only does it take time to brown the meat, it also takes time to clean up the stove afterwards.

Don't think I am a whiner, I really don't have time most nights.

So, I am on a quest for the best crock pot recipe for beef stew. Last night I tried one from Real Simple magazine. You can find the original recipe here. I will give it to you here and tell you what I did differently and how I will change it further in the future.

Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew

4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces (I cut mine to 1/2 - 1 inch size. I wanted it to fit in my mouth.)

1 cup flour
1/3 cup olive oil (This is to coat and brown the meat first. I skipped this step entirely and have no regrets.)

2 large onions, diced (I sliced mine into half rings so that the picky ones could easily avoid them - or better yet - give them to me! I also wound up using maybe 1 1/2 onions - it just seemed like too much onion.)

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 cup red wine (I used the cooking wine, but I think I will just substitute it for beef broth next time.)

1 pound potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces (I cut them to about 1 inch, maybe 1 1/2 inches most.)

1/2 pound baby carrots (about 2 cups)

2 cups beef broth

1 T kosher salt (too much salt for me, especially with the beef broth, I used about half of that)

1 tsp dried thyme leaves (oh yes, I love thyme!)

1 bay leaf

1 cup frozen peas, thawed (oops, forgot these, but why bother thawing them anyway? just add them sooner to the pot)

Coat the beef pieces and brown in oil if you must, otherwise just skip all of that and save yourself the mess (and the added fat and starch), put meat in slow cooker

Then you are supposed to add the onions to the skillet, saute a little and stir in the tomato paste. I just threw the raw onions in the slow cooker and mixed the paste into the rest of the liquids and seasonings.

Add the potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker, and then mix the rest of the ingredients (including the tomato paste) and pour over beef and vegetables.

Mix well, cover and cook on low 7 1/2 hours or on high 4 hours (I started mine late so I took the high road, lol).

If you happen to remember the peas, add them once everything is ready and cook a little while more till the peas are heated.

This was a hit, even with all of the omissions. My husband purposefully went on and on about how much he liked it. (Because I am much pickier than him, and if I don't like a recipe, I won't make it again, and apparently, he wants it again!)

What I will do differently next time:  substitute red wine for beef broth (or some of it, anyway), and use less meat and more vegetables. It really is a meat heavy recipe, but delicious!

London Broil

One of my pet peeves is that there are numerous names for a cut of meat, and in the case of London Broil, well, that is the name of the recipe, not the cut of meat.  It is often referred to as flank steak.  My supermarket calls it top round.  Or maybe they are two different cuts of meat, but if that is the case, both can be used for London Broil.  Ugh.

Anyway, the top round was on sale  this week.  And it is such an inexpensive cut of meat and so good, I have no idea why I do not buy it more often.  My family loves it as much as any other steak.  It is lean, and really tasty.  Well the tastiness comes in part from the marinade, which is what I am sharing here.

This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.  Here is the link.

Delicious London Broil

(this photo is from google images, although my steak looked like this)

Marinade:

1 clove garlic, minced (I just crush mine)
1 tsp salt (next time I will cut back on this - even with using low sodium soy sauce my son thought it was a little too salty)
3T soy sauce (I recommend low sodium, otherwise omit some of the salt)
1T ketchup (remember when it was called catsup?  when did it change?)
1T vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano

flank/top round/whatever steak  (the recipes calls for 4 pounds, my piece was only abt 2.24 pounds but I still made the same amount of marinade)

Score top and bottom of steak about 1/8 deep with a knife

Mix marinade ingredients, rub into steak

Wrap steak in aluminum foil (or put in a plastic bag, or in a covered dish...however you marinate your meat, I don't think it really matters)

Refrigerate for 5-6 hours  (I never think about dinner until late in the day, so I did not marinate it for that long, maybe two hours, but it was still very good)

Grill for about 15 minutes or until desired doneness, flipping once.

This was a big winner, as everyone loved it.  I served it with baked potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms and onions sauteed in butter and soy sauce.  Yum.