Pepper Roast Sandwiches

This is an easy-peasy dinner.  I first had it in Powell, Wyoming when I was on my mission.  I got the recipe from Sister Ramona George and have been in love with it ever since.

You need:

A boneless roast.  Any roast will do, you'll be putting this one in the crock-pot so if it's a tougher cut of meat, it will be perfect!

1/2 jar yellow pepper rings with juice

1 packet onion soup mix

garlic

pepper

salt

Put your roast in your crock, add the rest of the ingredients.  Cover your roast with water (if you want to get fancy, you can use beef broth) and cook it on high for at least 5 hours.  You want the meat to just fall apart.  If you like an extra spicy sandwich, use the whole jar of the pepper rings.  Occasionally I will also slice an onion and put that in the crock as well.  I am careful how much salt I add because the soup mix will have a lot of salt in it too.

When you put this on your rolls, you want to "drain" the meat so your bread isn't too soggy.

I serve this on hogie rolls lined with swiss or provolone cheese.  Sometimes I'll get a small cup of the juice from the crock and dip my sandwich like a french dip.  

YUMMO!

Beef Barley Soup

I made this a few weeks ago and I ended up making too much for just Matt and I, so I froze the stuff we didn't eat. Last night was extra chilly, and we were watching our nieces and nephew, so I pulled it out for dinner. Combined with homemade rolls, it was a hit!!

Beef Barley Soup

Approximately 3 cups of beef broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
stew meat
carrots
peas
green beans
sliced celery
cubed potatoes
salt
pepper
garlic
rosemary
basil

**My cheater tip...I buy frozen green beans and the frozen bag of peas & carrots. That way I don't have to dice the carrots! They are all even sized cubes and it works SO nice! For the potatoes, you could probably even use the cubed hashbrowns if you wanted...especially if you are in a hurry!

This soup is really one that you cook to taste. Put in as much of any ingredient that you want.

Brown your stew meat in a pan with just a touch of oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Combine all of your ingredients in a pot and cook until the everything (meat, veggies and barley) is tender. You may want to add more seasonings. I didn't use a ton of rosemary or basil, but a touch adds a great flavor!

I used about 1/3 cup of barley, and it was perfect. Barley, like rice, will swell in the liquid, so remember that when putting it in your soup!

This soup freezes well, and is fantastic on a cold day!

Tomato Butter Sauce...

I have found my new favorite sauce.

It has BUTTER in it. Sweet, golden, delicious butter. And it tastes FANTASTIC with tortellini or ravioli. It is also good with just regular spaghetti, but I think I like it better with a "filled" pasta.

Put about 1/4 cup of butter (1/2 of a cube) in a sauce pan, and melt on low heat. While that melts, crush 2-3 cloves of garlic. Saute the fresh garlic in the butter.

Take 1 can of diced tomatoes, and kind of mush them up a bit more. If you are a "non-chunky" type of person, just use plain sauce. Add the tomatoes to the butter & garlic. I also add about 1/3 of a small can of tomato paste to "thicken" it up, if I can't let it simmer very long.

Add about 1/8 of a tsp of italian seasoning, and if you want, cut up some large chunks of onion to simmer in this sauce.

I let is simmer for about 20 minutes, and it is SO delicious! Before you serve it, fish out the chunks of onion, pour over pasta and serve.

I seriously could drink this sauce, I love it. It has SUCH a different taste than other tomato sauces.

Like I said, I love it with tortellini or ravioli, with a nice chunk of garlic bread to the side.

ENJOY!!! (I know I do!)

Chicken Strips...

Homemade chicken strips...actually I made chicken "nuggets" because my sister & her kids were coming over to eat, and I figured the kids would be more open to eating nuggets than eating strips.

They are actually fairly easy to do. The biggest expense is the oil to fry everything in.

You'll need:

Chicken
Eggs
Milk
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic

Cut your chicken into strips or chunks. Try to make them about the same thickness...when you are cooking them, it will be easier to know when they are done.



Mix together your eggs and milk. If I'm just cooking for Matt and I, generally I use one egg and a few splashes of milk...I don't really measure, I usually eyeball my ingredients...Sorry! :)



In a separate bowl, combine your flour, salt, pepper, and garlic. If you want, you can also add some powdered ranch dressing mix to this...it's tasty!



Put your chicken in the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour. If you want extra crispy breading on your chicken, repeat.



After you have breaded your chicken, pop it in the hot oil! I just use my big pot, filled about 1/4 - 1/3 with oil, and heat the oil to about 350-ish. I have a digital thermometer, and I LOVE it! I use the thermometer to check when the chicken is done. I cook it for about 7-10 minutes, then check the internal temperature with my thermometer probe. When it reads 165, I know the chicken is done!

If I have a bunch of chicken to cook, I'll turn my oven to 150, put the chicken in a paper towel lined pan, and keep it warm in the oven. Works great!

I'll also thin-slice potatoes and make homemade chips (fried in the same oil until they are crispy brown) as a side dish for this dinner...but only as a treat for Matt and I! :)

(And just for fun, a picture of my super cute helper!)

Easy nights...

Tonight's menu was one that I dub an "easy night".

There are days that we want something just light and tasty. So we make it simple. We'll have sliced kielbasa sausage, cheese, crackers, & apples.

I get some different cheeses...colby-jack, muenster, cheddar, and if I'm really feeling fancy, I'll get some Laughing Cow soft swiss cheese. (YUMMY!!!)

My favorite fruits to have with this dinner are apples and pineapple...sometimes if we don't have these on hand, I'll use peaches or pears.

I just cut everything up and put it on a plate, and we just enjoy it. It's easy, quick, and something that doesn't require too much thought or effort!

Frito Pie...

...this was the very first dish that I ever made for Matt. It was December 27, 2007. We had just gone to Silver Dollar City and it was a cold, nasty day. We were driving home from Branson discussing what we wanted to eat for dinner. Matt said that frito pie from a restaurant down town sounded great, but they were closed. I told him that I could make that easy-peasy...we'd just need to stop at the store and grab a few things!

For this recipe you'll need:

Ground beef (ground turkey is okay to use as well!)
Chile powder
Flour
Water
Beans (I use pinto beans)

Brown your hamburger, season however you want. I use salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion. Once your meat is browned, drain off any grease.

Once your meat is drained, put it back in the pan, and return to a medium heat. Add your chile powder and flour.


For one cup of meat, I used 1/2 tsp of chile powder, and about 2 T. of flour. Use more chile powder if you want it spicier...we eat it a bit mild. The flour will act as a thickening agent and basically make a "gravy"

Stir in the dry ingredients to your hamburger.


Once your dry ingredients and meat are well combined, add your water. I used about 1 1/2 c. of water. Stir until everything is mixed well together. Add your beans. I used a 15 oz can of pinto beans...drained. Cook until the sauce has thickened up. If it's too runny, make a thickening with water and flour. Turn the stove to medium-high, and pour your thickening into the pan, stiring constantly. It will thicken up as it cooks.



Matt likes to put his fritos in the bottom of the bowl, and then put the chili & beans on the top of them with cheese. I like to mix the chili & beans, cheese, and some sour cream, then scoop it up with the fritos...I don't dig soggy chips! ;)

Meatballs...

Because tomorrow is the Sabbath, I try to have simple meals for Sunday, and do most of the prep on Saturdays.

Spaghetti and meatballs is on the menu. The sauce is easy to do. I have a jar of store-bought sauce that I'll use. I can (and usually do) make my own sauce, so if we decide to have company over, I'll add to the jarred sauce some homemade sauce. I was feeling a bit lazy today, so that's why the store-bought start!

Now on to the meatballs. I used:

1lb Hamburger
1 Egg
1/4 c. Milk
1/2 c. Italian Bread Crumbs
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/8 c. Diced Onion
Salt
Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. The meat mixture should be fairly stiff. I usually use my hand to mix it, touching raw meat doesn't bother me, but I suppose you could use a spoon!

To form the meatballs, I use a melon baller (pictured below). It makes great "bite sized" meatballs, and it's much faster than rolling them by hand. Occasionally I will have to dig the meat out with my fingers and roll them in my hands, but for the most part it works great. This also ensures that the meatballs are basically the same size.



I bake my meatballs instead of frying them on the stove. It takes less time and is less messy!

Spray your cookie sheet with some olive oil. This helps so the meatballs don't stick and break apart when you try to take them off.



Bake the meatballs at 375 for about 10 minutes. I think my oven runs a bit hotter than most ovens, so either bump your heat a bit, or it may take a little longer. I bake them until their internal temp is at least 160.



Now the meatballs are in the fridge, ready to throw in the sauce tomorrow! If we end up inviting our friends over, then I'll put the sauce & meatballs in the crockpot on low right before we leave for church. When we get home then all we have to do is cook some noodles, toast the garlic bread and then dinner is ready!!

We'll have some sort of veggie (probably corn, because I know our friends like it) and angel food cake with fresh strawberries and homemade whip cream for dessert!