I am not a big fan of Chinese, but it’s my husband favorite. This pregnancy though it has been my on-going craving. Sadly the options in the town we live in are buffet from a place I got food position from in HS or a place that has horrible good… neither good options.

After making this last night and us both loving it we decided to just make it at home from now on. After the wonderful Orange Chicken, Sesame Chicken and this it blows any Chinese around us out of the water.

This was delicious. I loved the flavor of both the broccoli and steak, it also came together quickly which is a big must in my book for a weeknight dinner.

Beef and Broccoli (From: What’s Cookin, Chicago?)

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce (regular or low sodium)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
salt & pepper to taste

When the liquid has reduced almost completely, season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve over steamed rice or noodles.

When I received my food network magazine this month I saw the always raved about Ikea Swedish meatballs, copy cat recipe. I can honestly say I never tried their meatballs. I guess I go there to shop not to eat, but people always rave about them. And I know someone who goes there just to buy them frozen for their family. So I knew I had to make it.

These were delicious. I ended up baking 1/2 the batch and froze the other half unbaked. Then I will have a quick meal, thaw and bake. Make some gravy and good to go. If you love Ikea meatballs, try these and tell me how they compare.

Almost Famous Swedish Meatballs (From: Food Network)

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup minced white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and white pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg white, beaten

For the gravy:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Pour the milk mixture over the breadcrumbs and stir to make a thick paste; let cool. Add the beef, pork, egg and egg white to the bowl and mix until combined.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Roll the meat into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Make the gravy: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth. Whisk in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and meatballs. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

When I saw this pop up in my reader I was intrigued. I mentioned it to my husband and he was all for it. He made it last week. It was really easy to put together. I am NOT an onion person so he used about a 1/2 onion, this was still too oniony for me. So I would use barely a slice, but use it to your tastes. The gravy on the other hand. OMG delicious!!! I want to make this gravy with just about everything.

If you like mushrooms and salisbury steak this recipe is for you!

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (From: Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations, Originally From: Taste of Home Cooking)

• 1 lb ground sirloin
• 1 small onion, grated or minced
• salt and pepper
• About 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• Handful of white mushrooms (or any kind of mushrooms you like), sliced
• One 14.5 oz can of beef broth

Directions

• Mix the sirloin with salt, pepper, onion, and the Worcestershire. Form into patties. At this point I covered them and put them in the fridge until I was ready to cook.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
• Add steaks; cook for 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
• Add butter to the pan.
• Add mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes
• Add flour and stir
• Add broth, bring to a simmer. Let simmer a few minutes to thicken. Serve gravy over the steaks.

I’m pretty sure Adam could eat steak every day and never grow tired of it. Me on the other hand I can go a while in between steak. They are good but kind of “boring” in my mind. So when I saw this recipe for a flavored steak I added it to our menu. This ended up marinating for about 36 hours, and the flavor in the beef was amazing. It was so flavorful and juicy. I think after this I will be making more marinated steaks.

My steak was not very long but was very thick, I cut it in half before marinating it. This worked as we each ended up with our own steak.

Teriyaki Sirloin Steak (From: Taste of Home)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds beef top sirloin steak (3/4 inch thick)

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients; add the steak. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill steak, covered, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.

You might have noticed lately I have had an obsession with pesto. I cannot wait to go to the farmers market and get some basil and make my own, until then the store bought is working fine for me. I got my Food Network magazine a last month and there was 50 things to do with pesto… they must of read my mind. The first thing of many that jumped out at me was pesto meatballs. Adam took care and made these. We don’t like ground turkey so we used beef and pork. And doubled the recipe (as shown below) freezing half for a quick meal later on.

We just served over spaghetti and a simple marinara. The meatballs had GREAT flavor. We actually didn’t like them with the marinara as it took away from the flavor. Next time I think we will do a simple pesto cream sauce with them. Adam said these didn’t stay together very well, I am not sure if it’s the kind of meat we used or if the amount of milk. We would maybe do 1/2 the milk next time. But great flavor!

Pesto Meatballs (Adapted From: Food Network Magazine)

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup pesto
• 1/2 cup each milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Form into small balls. Cook in a nonstick skillet with olive oil, 10 to 12 minutes.

I love mexican food. Sadly it’s Adams least favorite so I don’t get it often. I decided to make these for a try at home, as I always order chimichangas while out for mexican. Normally chicken but these just looked amazing.

These were good. I think I would add a little bean to the inside filling before rolling next time to bulk them up a little more. But otherwise delicious and I like to just throw into the crockpot.

Beef Chimichangas (From: Pennies on a Platter)

• 4 – 6 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 2 lb boneless chuck roast
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup beef stock (or broth)
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 1 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• flour tortillas
• choice of toppings – lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

Combine the spices in a small bowl.  Rub into the beef, covering all the nooks and crannies and each side evenly.

In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering.  Sear the meat on each side, using tongs to flip it.  Remove and place in the bottom of a large slow cooker.

With the skillet remaining over the heat, deglaze with the beef stock and scrape up any brown bits.  Whisk in the tomato paste and chipotle peppers.  Once sauce comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened and reduced.

Meanwhile, add the onion and garlic to the top of the beef in the slow cooker.  Carefully pour the sauce over top.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Once the meat is fork tender, remove and shred with two forks.   Pour a portion of the sauce, including the onions, over top of the meat and let soak to enhance flavor.

Heat 3-4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until shimmering.

While waiting for the oil to heat up, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 10 – 20 seconds.  Fill with a few tablespoons of shredded beef and about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.  Roll the tortilla into a burrito shape.

Once the oil is heated, place the burritos (2-3 at a time) into the skillet and brown on each side until golden.  Start with the seam side down first.

Place on paper towel lined plate to drain any excess oil.  Serve with desired toppings.

This is one of those very popular blog dishes, one that I have wanted to make for a while but never got around too or never got on my menu. Part of me was nervous of the “hamburger helper” relation to it. I ate too much of it as a child and cannot stand the thought of eating some now. But I decided to go with it.

I made this for lunch with some friends, we all loved it. I didn’t have petite diced tomatoes so I used diced which were a little large. Otherwise it was great, wonderful flavor and very simple to throw together.

Creamy Taco Mac (From: Delish)

• 1.25 lbs ground turkey (I used beef)
• 8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• salt & pepper
• cheddar cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated.  Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

I’m from Minnesota, born and raised and lived most of my life here… we are known for our hot-dishes. I love them! Some of my favorite childhood meals are hot-dishes. Back when we were talking Christmas dinner my brother said he wanted Tatertot Hotdish.We vetoed him.

But the other day My Mom said she was hungry for it too. I said ok, I’ll make it this week. I am SO glad I did. It had been a LONG time, and brought back all those childhood memories.

Tatertot Hotdish (From: My Mom)

• 1 bag tatertots
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can cream of corn soup
• 1 lb hamburger
• 1.4 c. onion, diced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 c. shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Fry hamburger and onion until cooked through. Drain off fat.

Add both corns, soup and 1/2 of tatertots. Stir until well mixed.

Pour into 9 x 13 pan top with remaining tatertots.

Bake for 1 hour. Top with cheese bake until cheese is melted.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in this recipe in the end. I had put it way up in my mind and it didn’t live up to my expectations. But my Mom loved it, so might of just been my tastes. I want to make this again trying without the mayo as that was my biggest complaint was being able to taste the mayo as I don’t like mayo.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf (Found On: Cassie Craves, Originally From: Food Network)

1 pound ground chuck
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (8-ounce) package sharp cheddar, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 (3-ounce) can French-fried onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.

4. Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

Marlboro Man sandwich, what is that you ask, no its not a cigerrete butt sandwich. It is basically a philly steak sandwich. I have to say I love Pioneer Woman recipes, I don’t subscribe to her blog because her posts are too long but I do check it occasionally. And always find something good.

These were great, pretty simple to throw together and were a fun take on philly steak.

Marlboro Man Sandwich (From: Pioneer Woman)

• 1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
• 2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
• 2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That’s Been Extra Tenderized)
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)
• ½ cups (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
• 4 whole French/deli Rolls (earthgrains Are Best!)

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!