Instant Beef Stew

I love kitchen gadgets...like I really love them.  I have run out of room for them, and lets just say my kitchen is not small.  This one is worth making space and retiring some older machines!  I've been wanting one of these babies for a while, and loved seeing posts of those who used it, but never felt like I needed it right away.  My great hubby takes notes on my interests and got me one for Christmas.  We've had lots of fun trying things since then.  

We've done all sorts of things with this, and I am learning that some things don't save time, but others it is a game changer!  Like this stew for instance...it would have taken much longer to get this type of result in a crockpot or stovetop.  Awesome weeknight dinner with just a little bit of chopping.  Throw in a few rolls and BAM, comfort food at it's finest :)

Instapot Beef Stew
Serves 6-8

2 pounds beef stew meat, (cut into bite-sized pieces)  We used a chuck roast
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
6 oz can tomato paste
32 oz beef broth
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups baby carrots carrots
4-5 small red potatoes,cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cups frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
¼ cup flour
¼ cup water



Place all ingredients into Instant Pot EXCEPT for the frozen peas, corn and flour/water mixture. Stir until well combined.
Seal Instant Pot at set valve to sealing.

Select the Meat/Stew option.

Once cooking time is complete, let Instant Pot sit for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes is up, quick release pressure, placing the valve to the venting position.

After Instant Pot is depressurized, Stir in frozen corn, peas and flour/water mixture and stir until stew thickens a little bit more and corn/peas are warmed, about 3-5 mins.

Balsamic French Dip Sandwich

I love beef sandwiches made in the crockpot.  They are one of our go-to meals on a weeknight, and something I almost ALWAYS make when the missionaries come over for dinner :)  It is definitely a man-pleasing meal! My favorite recipe is my Crockpot Beef Sandwiches, and I also like the French Dip Sandwiches from Our Best Bites.

This version has a definite TANG to it, so if you are not a fan of that balsamic tang, this may no be for you, but we thought it was mighty tasty!  We broiled our bread before putting the beef on with some butter, garlic salt, and provolone until bubbly.  Yummy!  

Balsamic French Dip Sandwich

1 (3-4 pound) boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast) 
1 cup beef broth 
½ cup balsamic vinegar 
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
1 tablespoon soy sauce 
1 tablespoon honey 
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 
4 cloves garlic, chopped 

Throw it all in a crockpot and cook (I cooked mine for about 4 hours on high then 4 hours on low). Reduce gravy and serve on buns (My grocery store's bakery has some rolls that they simply call "sandwich rolls" that are my favorite for french dip sandwiches...they are a little "crust-ier" on the outside than a typical french bread and hold up well with the juices).

Recipe Source:  saw this on this Pinterest pin...no link to the original source

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos

I have lost my steam for cooking dinner lately for some reason...so when I find a recipe that can use leftovers, I'm all over it!  It is especially great when the final product is phenomenal!  In this case, I made these Crockpot Beef Sandwiches earlier this week and the leftovers were perfect for these yummy taquitos.  Enjoy :)

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos

3 C cooked, shredded beef roast
4oz green chilies, undrained
1/4-1/2 t minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (I do 1/4 for mild spiciness)
3 t adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers (see below for note)
1 t garlic powder
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
zest from one lime
1 T fresh lime juice
1 package Queso Fresco (about 12 oz)
6″ white corn tortillas (about 20) I decied I like white corn torillas WAY better than yellow.
olive oil or cooking spray
kosher salt

Note: If you don’t want to work with the chipotle peppers, or can’t find them, try adding some Chipotle Chili Powder. You can find it by the other spices in the grocery store. It will still give you a smoky spice, so start with a little and increase to taste.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take your shredded beef and slice any larger pieces across the grain so you have pieces about 1/2-1″ long. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Combine chilies, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and lime zest and juice in a bowl. After stirring to combine, gently toss together with shredded beef.

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften. (after those are used, do the next 10)

Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1T queso fresco in a line across the center of the tortilla. Top with 1-2 T shredded beef mixture and roll that baby up.

Place seam-side down on a lightly oiled/sprayed baking sheet. Use cooking spray or lightly brush olive oil on the top of each one.  Lightly sprinkle kosher salt on the top of each one.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Recipe Source: Our Best Bites

What do you eat for Superbowl Sunday?

Crockpot Beef Sandwiches

Here's another crockpot recipe for you!  My mom whipped these up the other day and they were quickly gobbled down.  The meat is so tender, and with the cheese, garlic salt, and crusty bread, you cannot lose!


Crockpot Beef Sandwiches
From: Momma


4 lb. beef roast (whatever's on sale!)
1 can beef broth
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. italian dressing mix
French bread
Butter spread
Garlic salt
Provolone or swiss cheese slices


Place roast on crockpot and sprinkle with dressing mixes and dump in can of beef broth.  Cook on high for 6 hours, then turn to low for 2-3 hours.  Shred beef and let sit in juices.  


Cut bread in half and butter each side of the bread.  Sprinkle garlic salt over butter.  Place cheese slices on one side of the bread.  Leave open-faced and place in broiler until cheese melts.  Place beef on sandwich.  Cut into individual sandwiches and enjoy :)

French Dip Sandwiches

We have been hitting up the water park many evenings this summer, getting home around 6 or 7.  We really are not in a position to eat out numerous times a week, and so my new best friend is the crockpot.  I threw this meat in yesterday morning, and when we came home all I had to do was shred it and put it on a bun with cheese.  Thank you to the genius who came up with the idea for the crockpot!  And these sandwiches are great, too :)


French Dip Sandwiches

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy! (I thickened mine up a bit with some corn starch and water...start with a tablespoon of each, mix and let it cook for a minute.  If you'd like it thicker, repeat).

Recipe by OurBestBites

Kabob Marinade

• Summer grilling puts a smile on my face :)  This is such a healthy meal, and I'm sure this marinade would work for any meat (we used chicken and beef).  
• 
  
• Kabob Marinade
• From: Allrecipes
• 
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)
• 
  

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground black pepper, garlic, and meat tenderizer. Mix well, and add your favorite meat. Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

Mongolian Beef

 The hubsters loves his beef.  I like it, but could live without it.  Every once and I while to appease him, I pick up some steak at the store.  This time, I was craving asian food, so after looking at my huge collection of recipes to try, I decided on this one.  It was really tasty, and the sauce was great over the veggies as well.


Mongolian Beef
From:  See Jane In the Kitchen


teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.  Serve over rice.

Orange Beef with Cilantro Rice

I had a request for a non-chicken meal (no names), so here you go!  This is yet another Rachael Ray recipe, and her recipes are generally pretty tasty!  This one was good as well.

* Grated peel of 1 orange and juice of 2 oranges
* 2-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
* 1 pound skirt steak, thinly sliced on the diagonal and slices halved crosswise (we used sirloin)
* 1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice
* 1 bunch scallions, white parts thinly sliced and green parts cut into 1-inch-long pieces
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
* Salt
1. Place the orange peel and juice in a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil and the soy sauce and vinegar. Add the steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, bring the rice and 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Cover; simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep warm.

3. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Using tongs, transfer the meat from the marinade to the wok and cook, turning once, for 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate.

4. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and the scallions to the wok and cook over medium heat, stirring, until wilted, 2 minutes. Transfer to the beef. Pour the marinade into the wok and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and reduce by half. Whisk in the sugar and return the steak and scallions to the wok; turn to coat.

5. Stir the cilantro into the rice; season with salt. Mound some rice and beef onto each plate.

4 Packet Roast

Crockpots are my saving grace on Sundays. Especially when we get home from church @ 4:15 each week.  The Sister's Cafe provided me with this new recipe to add to my crockpot arsenal.  It is much yummier than the roast I have been doing in the past.  The gravy is good as well, it is salty though.  I made a regular packet of brown gravy and added some of the drippings to it so it wouldn't be too overpowering, and it turned out SO good.  My husband is a huge fan, and I'm sure I'll make it again soon! 

1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
1 packet onion soup mix
1 roast of choice
1/2-3/4 cup of water
assorted veggies if desired (carrots, onions, potatoes)

Place roast in crockpot. Arrange vegetables around the roast if being used. Sprinkle the mix packets over the roast. Pour water around the roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Broccoli Beef

Once again, I'm trying to venture out better and not have chicken almost every night of the week!  I do love asian flavors, and this definitely caught my eye!  The sauce is so very tasty, I highly recommed it :)  It is definitely a quick and easy meal that will be made again at our house!  This one comes from Sister's Cafe.

¼ c. low sodium soy sauce (I just use regular)
1 T. chunky peanut butter
½ c. water
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp vinegar
¼ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
2 T. oil
½ lb (or more) diced or cubed beef, chicken, or pork
2 c. broccoli cut into small pieces (I just used a bag of frozen broccoli)
steamed rice

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, water, cornstarch, vinegar, pepper, ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well and set aside. In large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Add beef and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli, and cook for another 3-4 minutes (or until meat and broccoli are almost done), stirring constantly. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly, then continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Serve over steamed rice.

Shredded Crockpot Steak

Another recipe from cooking club.  This one came from Melinda, and it was great!  We used it to make some steak burritos, and they were mighty tasty.  There is nothing like throwing something like this into the crockpot in the morning, and coming home to a yummy meal!

2 lbs. flank steak (or a cheaper cut of meat works too)
2 envelopes taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
1 T. vinegar
10 flour tortillas

cheese
tomatoes
sour cream
guacamole
shredded lettuce
chopped cilantro
(next time use cooked spanish rice and black beans)

Cut steaks in half; rub with taco seasoning. Place in slow cooker coated with nonstick cooking spray Top with onion, chilies, and vinegar. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender. Remove the steaks and cool slightly; shred the meat with 2 forks. Return to slow cooker; heat through. Spoon about 1/2 c. meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with desired toppings. Fold ends and sides over filling.

Beef Stir Fry with Green Veggies

Stir fry...yummy!  This one caught my eye because of all the yummy veggies that are packed into it...all yummy green veggies!  I doubled the sauce...I like my food saucy, and I think it was the perfect amount.  This is another one that came from Taste Buds that I will definitely be making again!

1 1/2 lbs beef sirloin, top round or flank steak
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 cups asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup edamame

Sauce:
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients for stir fry sauce and set aside.

Thinly slice steak across grain into strips (you can place meat in freezer for about 15-20 min to make this a little easier.)

Heat a large skillet over med heat. Add olive oil and onions and cook until onions are soft. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add beef and cook to desired doneness (3-7 min) Add asparagus, broccoli and sauce and cook until crisp tender, stirring frequently. Lower heat and if needed put a lid on skillet and steam vegetables until done. Add edamame and warm through.

Serve over or along side rice.