Fajita seasoning

I use this quite often,  however I haven't posted it. Today I got tired of having to pull out my binder of recipes, so it's finally on the blog!

1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp crushed chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4  tsp cumin

Mix everything in a small bowl. Use with 1 lb of chicken or steak sliced thin.

Swedish Meatballs

Aaron made this on Sunday.  We served it over noodles.  I loved it because it didn't taste like pieces of meat loaf, rather more like the ones you get at Costco.  Of course they were about 85 calories per meatball.  We didn't have ground pork, but substituted ground pork sausage.  

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 slices fresh white bread
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 pound ground chuck
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.
3. In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.
6. Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
7. Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

Armenian Dolma

We have a missionary here from Armenia.  We asked him what food he missed most from home.  He requested Dolma.  I found a few recipes and directions on how to put it together.  Using several recipes this is what I came up with.  He said it was very close to the real thing.  The trick seemed to be using thin cabbage leaves.  He liked it served with sour cream rather than the Greek yogurt other recipes suggested.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup rice 
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped fine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon paprika  (to taste)
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
8 ounces crushed tomatoes or 8 ounces tomato sauce
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth or 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth, enough to cover the vegetables
cabbage leaves

To Assemble and Cook:

1. In a large bowl, mix together all except tomato sauce, chicken broth and cabbage leaves.
2. Blanch cabbage leaves; set aside.
   
3. Fill each cabbage leaf with about filling and roll up tucking sides in as you go. Leave a little room for rice to expand.
4. Place stuffed cabbage side-by-side in a large pot.
5. Mix tomato sauce and chicken broth in a medium bowl.  Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls. Place a small dish on top of the cabbage rolls, then put small bowl of water on top of the dish to hold them down during cooking.
6. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for about 45 minutes, until rice and vegetables are tender.
7. Allow Dolma to rest for 1/2 hour before serving.

Meatballs

David asked me to make meatballs for spaghetti.  I've only done this a few times, and this is the best recipe I've found so far.  I did use a sheet of aluminum foil on the baking sheet - it saved a ton of clean up time!

Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

Grilled London Broil

Aaron made this for Mother's Day. It was perfectly delicious!
The only changes I would make is to use less salt. He marinaded it for 6 hours in a plastic containter, then cut it into smaller pieces to put on the grill. (so that is not our picture, but from the Allrecipes.com website)

Grilled London Broil

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 pounds flank steak

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, salt, soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil, black pepper and oregano.
2. Score both sides of the meat, diamond cut, about 1/8 inch deep. Rub garlic mixture into both sides of the meat. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 5 to 6 hours, or overnight. Flip meat every few hours.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil grate.
4. Place meat on the prepared grill. Cook for 3 to 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness

Slow cooker Root Beer Barbecue Beef

Aaron forwarded this recipe to me from the Betty Crocker Meals Made Easy recipe collection. I had an almost 3 lb roast, so I decreased the other ingredients by the same amount. I wish I had kept them the same. The sauce was really good, but because it wasn't enough to cover the roast it wasn't as easy to shred, it was a little tougher than I would like it. It makes a lot. I love left overs!

Slow cooker Root Beer Barbecue Beef

1 boneless beef rump roast (about 4 lbs)
2 cups barbecue sauce
1 cup root beer
16 sandwich buns, split

1. In a 3 1/2 to 4 qt slow cooker, place beef. In a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl mix 1 1/2 cups of the barbecue sauce and the root beer; pour over beef.
2. Cover. Cook on low heat setting for 10-12 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, remove beef from slow cooker; place on large plate. Pour juices from slow cooker into 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium-high heat about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices are thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Meanwhile, shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker
   
4. Stir remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce into reduced juices in skillet; pour over shredded beef in slow cooker. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture into each bun.

Beef Pasta Skillet

This was a pretty good recipe. Great for nights when you need something quick. I added a fresh roma tomato chopped and an extra cup of pasta to make it go further.
Beef Pasta Skillet

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta or elbow pasta

1. Cook beef and onion in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
2. Add soup, water, Worcestershire, cheese and pasta and heat through.

Shredded Cabbage and Beef

I had some cabbage to use up, and this was pretty good. I used chicken broth instead of water, and only used about 1 1/4 cups. I also changed the name of the recipe.

Thirty minute meal

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 3/4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, combine ground beef and onion. Saute for 10 minutes, until beef is browned and onion is tender.
2. Add the cabbage, soup, water and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until cabbage is at desired tenderness.

Little Cheddar Cheese Meatloaves

I got this recipe from my MIL's newest neighborhood recipe book. She submitted the recipe, but I hear she got it from Aunt Barbara (her SIL). She made this for us once last summer. It easy, and really good.

1 egg
3/4 c . milk
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 lb. ground beef

Mix ingredients and shape into 8 small loaves. Place in pan with a lip (9 x 13 or cookie sheet ).
sauce:
2/3 c catsup
1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
Mix together and spread on loaves.
Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

Horse Apples

I'm not a big fan of the title, but I didn't name it. It comes from one of my MIL's ward cookbooks. It's basically meatballs in a cream sauce. I halved the recipe and there were only 3 meatballs left. It called for evaporated milk, but I just used regular milk. It also said a can of evaporated milk, but not which size, so I assumed the smaller size and it worked. So here is the recipe I used.

2/3 c milk
1 can cream of (whatever - I used mushroom) soup
1 lb ground beef
1 medium potato, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 c onion, finely chopped

Mix milk and cream soup together until smooth. Mix ground beef, potato, carrot and onion together. shape into balls. Brown in large frying pan, turning meatballs over as needed. Pour soup mixture over meatballs; reheat and serve.
I made my meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. There were plenty for the 4 of us.

cubanos frijoles

I made this Monday or Tuesday. I halved the recipe, but used 1 lb of ground beef. I didn't have any cilantro, so I used some dried parsley. I didn't have chipotle powder either, but I used a couple of dashes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce.
Cubanos Frijoles

• 2 cups brown rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
• 1 (6 ounce) can chopped black olives, drained
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)

1. Place rice and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef in a deep skillet or wok. Season with Cajun seasoning. When meat is almost done, add the onion, and cook until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Stir in the beans, olives, vinegar, and chipotle powder, if using. Mix well, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot over or mixed with rice.

Dutch Oven Enchilada casserole

I got this recipe from my MIL. It is great in the dutch oven, but you can also bake it in a 9x13 baking dish. I often halve it for my family and just use the whole can of tomato soup with out the water. I also skimp on the ground beef a bit. I know I've made this more recently, so I don't know why I haven't posted it yet. I also didn't have enchilada sauce, so I made my own with this recipe.

2 lb ground beef
1 tsp salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 can tomato soup (10 3/4 oz)
2 cans enchilada sauce (10 oz each)
1 can water (10 oz)
flour tortillas
1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, salt and onion. Drain fat. Add tomato soup, enchilada sauce and simmer together. Place 1 cup sauce on bottom of dutch oven, Then layer tortillas over the sauce (I break them up so the fit), then sprinkle cheese and repeat ending with cheese on top. Bake over coals (or in in oven at 350 degrees F) for 30 - 40 minutes.

Greek Seasoning

Aaron made up his own recipe for gyros, and since we had used up the pita pockets we made them into tortilla wraps. He sliced up some pork and sauteed it in olive oil and used this seasoning. He used fresh garlic and about half of the recipe.

Greek Seasoning

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

For the gyros he used lettuce, sliced tomatoes, feta cheese, and sour cream. We didn't have any cucumbers, or that would have gone well with it too.

Empanadas Saltenas

This is a recipe Aaron got in Argentina. There are tons of different ways to make these. We tend to use this recipe with either ground beef or chicken. I included a link for the pastry. In TX there was a little Argentine shop/cafe that sold the pre-made pastries. We haven't found one here. It took a VERY long time to make the dough, roll it our, cut it and fill and seal them. But they are so worth it!

About 2 lbs grounds beef or chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 onions, minced
1-2 red peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp. oregano
2-4 Tbsp. cumin (according to spicy preference)
4 medium boiled potatoes, diced
4-6 hard boiled eggs, diced
1 small (5.75 oz) jar green olives (with or without pimento), diced
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, cook beef or chicken in a little olive oil. Add onions, and peppers (add hot peppers too, if desired). Cook until vegetables are tender. Add oregano and cumin.
Stir in potatoes, eggs, and green olives; heat through.
Place about 2 Tbsp of filling on half of the pastry circle. Dampen the edge of half the circle with moistened fingertip (dip it in a little water). Fold pastry over top of filling and seal well with fingers, pinching it together. You can press a fork around the edge to seal it, but we like to make twists in the pastry all the way around. I should have taken a picture.
Place on ungreased baking sheet. Repeat for remaining dough and filling. Brush tops with slightly beaten egg whites. Bake at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes. They will brown slightly.

For the pastry shell recipe go here.

This recipe made about 4 1/2 dozen empanadas, so feel free to reduce it, and use a different pastry dough - since it only takes one egg. Someone will have to eat the remaining green olives (or omit them if you don't like them.) Some people add peas, but Aaron doesn't like peas in his.

Aunt Fannie's Dinner

I made this last night. Other users commented that it didn't have enough flavor so I used a can of rotel in stead of 1 cup of diced tomatoes to spice it up. Aaron and I thought it was great. The kids thought it was too spicy. I added some cheese to tone it down p didn't help much, but it made it really tasty!

Aunt Fannie's Dinner

• 1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup stewed, diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 5 to 10 more minutes. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomato sauce, stewed OR diced tomatoes, corn and cooked macaroni. Stir well and allow to heat through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomato sauce, stewed OR diced tomatoes, corn and cooked macaroni. Stir well and allow to heat through, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Tex-Mex Rotelle

I found this on the back of the rotelle pasta package. It was good with a few modifications. It called for 1/2 tsp. salt (I thought it had enough sodium already so I didn't add it) and 1/2 c. water (but I thought it would have been too juicy so omitted that as well) Quick and easy!

1 (16 oz) pkg. rotelle
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 pkg. (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 28 oz. can diced, peeled tomatoes in juice
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook rotelle according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown meat until most of the pink is gone, breaking it into small pieces. Stir in taco seasoning, and tomatoes with juice. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and place in large bowl, Add sauce to coat. Sprinkle cheese over each serving.

I just added the cheese to the whole dish and mixed it in until it melted. Lots of leftovers! Oh and I didn't have a full pkg of rotelle, so I did some farfalle (bowtie) pasta as well.

Meatballs

I used my regular spaghetti sauce minus the sausage. Aaron made the meatballs. He added a few more spices (oregano and basil) and some milk. they turned out to be a little like meatloaf. But still tasted good. I'm still looking for something more like the ones from Costco.

Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

• 
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
2. Brown in frying pan. Keep warm until sauce is ready.
3. Prepare spaghetti sauce and add meatballs before covering and simmer 30 minutes more. Remove lid and simmer for 10 minutes or until desired thickness.
   

Covered Wagon Special

This is a recipe I got from outside of Macey's when we lived in UT. Camping and Dutch oven are synonymous for me. I was glad we got to try this one out. It was really good. Aaron reduced it a little to about 2/3 of the recipe since there was only 4 adults and 2 kids, and no fridge for leftovers. We also added about 2 Tbsp of butter on top.
2 lbs cubed round steak or chicken (we used steak)
10 medium sliced potatoes
2 lbs carrots, cut in spears
4 medium onions cut 1/2" thick
2 med green peppers, cut in rings (we had one green, and one red)
1/2 lb sliced bacon
salt and pepper
Place the steaks on the bottom of the dutch oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue this seasoning with each layer of potatoes, carrots, onions and green pepper. Place individual strips of bacon over vegetables. Cover and put dutch oven on 12 coals. Place 12 coals on the lid. Cook about 1 hour. Turn bacon over when brown on one side.

Shepard’s Pie

I have tried many different recipes and Saturday I made this one combined from many that I have used.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can beans, drained
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
  
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish (2 qt).
2. Place the beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Season with rosemary and basil. Cook until beef is evenly brown; drain grease. Mix in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and beans. Cook and stir until vegetables are heated through. Transfer to the baking dish.
3. Make mashed potatoes - just add water to instant potatoes (or mash some boiled potatoes) and the following ingredients: butter, cheeses, garlic, salt, oregano, and milk. Top beef and vegetables with the mashed potatoes.
4. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
   

To be honest Aaron didn't care for the rosemary. I like the flavor but not picking out the rosemary, and I don't want to eat them because I feel like I'm eating pine needles! so next time I'll leave it out. And I forgot to drain the tomatoes and it was runny and bubbled over the side (I had a 1 1/2 qt dish), so next time I'll remember to drain it. I usually use tomato soup, but I didn't have any, that's when I came up with this combination.

Quick Beef stroganoff

You may already have a recipe for this but here is mine.
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. sour cream
Hot cooked noodles (I used 8 oz. wide egg noodles)

In a large skillet brown, onion, and garlic. Drain off fat. Add mushrooms stir until tender. Add flour and stir in. Add milk slowly until it's thick and bubbly. Just before serving add sour cream. Serve over warm noodles.

You can always use a can of cream of mushroom soup instead of the mushrooms and white sauce. So just do the ground beef, onions, garlic add 2 Tbsp flour the can of soup and 3/4 c. milk. Enjoy!