And oh my was I right!!! This had the tangy flavor of blue cheese, but with the red meat it evened out perfectly. Adam who is not a HUGE blue cheese person loved this dinner.

Mushroom-Blue Cheese Tenderloin (From: Taste of Home Dec/Jan 09 issue)

• 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
• 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 beef tenderloin (3 1/2-4lbs)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. ground pepper
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed beef broth undiluted

Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 c. (4oz) crumbled blue cheese
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add the beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain and discard marinade. Rub the beef with garlic and pepper; place in a shallow roasting pan. Add broth to the pan. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 45-55 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute until tender. Add the cheese, Worcestershire sauce and caraway seeds; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in onions; heat through. Serve sauce with beef.

These were AMAZING!!! Wonderful flavor, very tender, and the crusting, oh the crusting. I have been sitting thinking what else I can use it on since making it. The red wine sauce was a great way for us to use up some wine left by guests, that we wont drink.

We choose to put the wine sauce on the plate and top with the steak then a small drizzle on top, next time we would do all on the bottom, it kind of soaked into the bottom of the steak this way.

I cannot rave about these enough, DELICIOUS!

Blue Cheese Crusted Steaks with Red Wine Sauce (From: Epicurious)

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled Maytag blue cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 1-inch-thick filet mignon steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot, and thyme. Sauté until shallot is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and wine. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Set sauce aside.

Blend cheese, panko, and parsley in small bowl to coat cheese evenly with panko. (Sauce and cheese mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Preheat broiler. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to rimmed baking sheet; reserve skillet. Press cheese mixture onto top of steaks, dividing equally. Broil until cheese browns, about 2 minutes. Transfer steaks to plates.

Pour sauce into reserved skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Boil 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around steaks and serve.

As soon as my mom sent me this recipe I knew I had to make it, and figure who else then my mother in-law and sister in-law to invite down. We all went and saw Julie & Julia and have wanted to try it since. I would like to try Julias recipe sometime too so I can compare.

Beef Bourguignon (Adapted From: Doris LaMott)

• 2 fl oz Bacon Grease (from 4oz  Bacon for the garnish)
• 4 lbs beef, eye of round or chuck
• 2 T Minced Garlic
• 1 t Salt
• 1/2 t coarse black pepper
• 2 C Red wine
• 3 C Chicken stock
• 3 C. Beef stock
• 1 lb Carrot chunks
• 20 white pearl onions
• 1 lb Small whole fresh mushrooms
• 4 lb Potato Spears (cooked & seasoned)
• 4 oz Bacon Pieces
• 2 loafs French Baguette (to serve with)

Trim beef & cut into large pieces 1.5″ cubes. Dry meat thoroughly, so it will brown. Cook the bacon you will use for garnish and use this oil to brown the meat and remove from pan.

Heat oven to 300, stir in wine, stock and seasonings to meat. Let simmer for 3-4 hours.

Add in onions, mushrooms, and carrots and leave on stove with cover on to stay warm.

Turn oven on to 300 and simmer for about 2 hours until veggies are tender. Pour over potatoes top with bacon and serve with a piece of french bread.

I personally didn’t love it, it was good but not as good as this one. I think in the future I will use that recipe and use bacon on top as it gives it great flavor.

Meatloaf (From: Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 1 cup milk
• 6 bread slices
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 8 to 12 thin bacon slices

Tomato Gravy

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Dash or two of hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 350.

Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, seasoning salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the eggs.

With clean hands, mix until the ingrdeients are well blended.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat from the meat to drain.

Lay bacon slices over the top tucking them underneat the meatloaf.

Next make the tomato gravy: Pour the ketchup into a small mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and dry mustard, and splash in hot sauce.

Stir the mixture until well combined.

Pour one-third of the tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 45 minutes then pour another one-third of tomato gravy over the meatloaf. baked for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with remaining tomato gravy.

This was the first recipe we tasted out of it. Sadly Miss. Maddy had other ideas of us eating a hot meal and was having a rough night so by the time we both got to eat ours were cold and it wasn’t as good, but the flavor was good and I am guessing it would be excellent hot. We plan to make it again when we can guarantee we will be able to eat it hot.

Chicken Fried Steak (From: Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 3lbs cube steak
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk, plus 2 cups for gravy
• 3 cups flour, plus 1/2 cup for gravy
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning the steaks and gravy
• 3 teaspoons seasoning salt
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat, egg and milk mixture, and flour mixture.

Pound the cube steaks until extremely tender  and cut the steaks into smaller pieces if they are larger than 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Place the prepared steaks in the first dish.

Beat the eggs and 1 cup milk in the second dish with a fork.

In the third dish, combine 2 cups flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper.

Lightly season a piece of meat with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Then, dip the meat into the milk and egg mixture on each side to coat. Place the meat on the seasoned flour, turning to evenly coat both sides. Dip the meat in the milk and egg mixture once more to coat, then the flour mixture once more to coat completely. Place the prepared steak onto a rack on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining steaks.

In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet, heat one-third cup oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is sufficiently heated, fry 2 to 3 pieces of meat at a time Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes, then flip over and fry until the other side is golden, another 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed.

Remove the steaks to a paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all of the meat is fried, adding a little extra oil if needed. Set the steaks aside in a warm place while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, pour the grease from the skillet into a heat-proof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add one-fourth cup of the grease back to the pan, discarding any remaining grease.

Sprinkle one-third cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden brown paste, or “roux.” You want the roux to attain a deep, rich color. If the paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.

When the roux is golden-brown, whisk in 2 cups milk, then wait for the gravy to come to a slow boil. The gravy will thicken gradually, but if it seems too thick at first, add a little milk as needed, whisking to combine. The total cooking process should take 4 to 5 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper as desired, tasting to ensure that it’s seasoned adequately.

Place the warm meat on a plate and drizzle over the gravy as desired.

I wasn’t very impressed with this recipe, although it was simple to whip together it reminded me of hamburger helper with the fake cheesy sauce. Adam on the other hand LOVED it! Saying it was one of the best pasta recipes I have made in a long time… I guess it’s all about your taste buds.

I did use my homemade tomato soup instead of canned. And fresh mushrooms instead of canned.

Spaghetti with Beef and Mushroom Sauce (From: Better Homes and Gardens)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/2 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 12 oz. dried spaghetti
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

In a large saucepan or a dutch oven cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in msuhroom soup, tomato soup, mushrooms, seasonings. Bring sauce to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cooke spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Serve sauce over hot spaghetti. If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

This recipe was AWESOME! I honestly cannot rave about it enough, nor wait to make it again!!! The beef we have so far has been pretty tough, I was expecting the same with this… it was not, you could barely pick it up with a fork because it just fell apart, and the flavors were just amazing. I was so hungry I forgot to put the cheese on mine, Adam had his and did and said it was also awesome. Next time I would make a little gravy with the drippings for mashed potatoes and double the stuffing because I didn’t feel it made enough.

But it was wonderful! Delicious, flavorful, and simple.

French Onion Beef (From: Pillsbury Pot Pie and Casserole Booklet)

• 1 1/4 lb. boneless beef round steak
• 1 pkg (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 lg. onion, sliced separated into rings
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed french onion soup
• 1 pkg. (6oz.) 10-minute herb stuffing mix
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray slowe cooker with cooking spray.  Cut beef into 6 serving size pieces. In cooker, layer half each of the beef, mushrooms, and onions; repeat layers. Por soup over top.

Cover; cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

In medium bowl, mix stuffing mix, butter, and 1/2 cup liquid from slow cooker; toss to mix. Place stuffing on top of mixture in cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 minutes longer or until stuffing is fluffy. Sprinkl with cheese. Cover cook until cheese is melted.

I prefer mashed potatoes with my roast so I didn’t cook potatoes with it, but you easily could. I also made homemade gravy for the first time!

Beef Roast (From: My Mom)

• 1 beef roast thawed
• 2 cups beef broth
• carrots

Put roast in slow cooker, top with seasonings of choice. Pour beef broth over roast and throw carrots in.

Cook on low for 8 hours or so.

Beef Gravy (From: Myself)

• 2 cups broth from cooked roast
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 cloved crushed garlic

Melt butter in saucepan, once melted brown garlic.

Mix in flour to create a thick paste.

Slowly whisk in broth until all incorporated.

Heat until warm.

This is simple to whip together so makes a perfect weeknight meal and is yummy can’t beat that.

Goulosh (From: My Family)

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1/4 diced onion
• 1 lg. can chopped tomato
• 1 sm. can tomato sauce
• 8 oz. elbow macaroni

Fry hamburger and onion together in a pan. Meanwhile bring water to boil for pasta. Once boiling cook pasta until al’dente.

Once hamburger is completely cooked drain off excess fat then add tomato products. Once pasta is done mix in with other mixture.

Heat until warm and serve.

Adam had never had this before and really enjoyed it, it’s the perfect simple comfort food.

Chow Mein Casserole (Adapted From: Allrecipes)

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 ounces chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion  and saute for 5 more minutes.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the rice, soup, water soy sauce, and handful of chow mein noodles. Mix together well and add to the beef mixture. Place this into a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with chow mein noodles.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes.