Italian Beef Sandwiches

-- from “Best of Country Slow Cooker Recipes Vol. 2”
published by Taste of Home

1 jar (11 ½ oz) pepperoncinis
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 ½ - 4 lbs)
¼ cup water
1 ¾ tsp dried basil
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
1 ¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 large onion, sliced and quartered
10-12 hard rolls, split

Drain pepperoncinis, reserving liquid. Remove and discard stems of peppers; set peppers aside. Cut roast into large chunks; place a third of the meat in a 5-qt slow cooker. Add water.
In a small bowl, combine the basil, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper; sprinkle half over beef. Layer with half of the remaining meat, then onion, reserved peppers and liquid. Top with remaining meat and herb mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender. Shred beef with two forks. Using a slotted spoon, serve beef and peppers on rolls.

Yield: 10-12 servings
Editors note: Look for pepperoncinis (pickled peppers) in the pickle and olive section of your grocery store.
My note:  Very tasty.  Pepperoncinis are not spicy, so this is not a spicy dish (although I did leave the pepperoncinis off my kids' sandwiches).

Fiesta Beef Bowls

6 Servings
Prep: 25 min.
Cook: 8-1/2 hours

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds boneless beef top round steak
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups hot cooked rice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
6 tablespoons guacamole

Directions:
Place round steak in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and seasonings; pour over steak. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat from slow cooker. Add beans to tomato mixture. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until beans are heated through. When cool enough to handle, slice meat. In individual bowls, layer the rice, meat and bean mixture. Top with cheese, olives, onions and guacamole.

from May 2010, Simple and Delicious magazine

A few notes:  This was so tasty and easy!  I don't think the meat needed to cook for 8-9 hours though.  Mine probably went for seven, and it was plenty.  I loved it the way it was, but am always thinking about ways to possibly improve.  I think it might be good over flavored rice.  Or maybe adding another can of tomatoes if I was serving it over rice.  I think the meat/beans would be a great burrito filler as is.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 package (3 ounces) lemon gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cups (24 ounces) fat-free cottage cheese (I cheated and used regular)
1/4 cup sugar

TOPPING:
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1-1/3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs, butter and oil. Press onto the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan. Chill.

In a blender, cover and process cottage cheese and sugar until smooth. While processing, slowly add cooled gelatin. Pour into crust; cover and refrigerate overnight.

For topping, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water until smooth. Add 1 cup blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in lemon juice; cool slightly.

Transfer to a blender; cover and process until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled.

Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake; remove sides of pan. Spread the blueberry mixture over the top. Sprinkle with remaining blueberries. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.


I got this recipe from Taste of Home, and actually stole the picture from them as well.  I didn't have a springform pan, so I just used a regular 9" round cake pan, which worked just fine, but I couldn't take it out to have it show nice!  This is labeled as a "light" dessert, but I cheated on mine and used regular cottage cheese, but I really liked the lighter taste this cheesecake had.  I took it to a family Easter party, and I got a lot of compliments on it!  My dad said he even liked it better than anyother cheesecake he's ever had!  I think if somebody really loves regular cheesecake, they will like this, but not as much as regular.  But, if people like cheesecake but often find it too rich for their real liking, this might be something they really like instead.  I am planning on using this same recipe, but making other flavors with it instead, like strawberry or raspberry.   I also found that the topping is easy to make, and makes a nice topping for things like waffles, pancakes, etc as well!  I did substitute strawberries in the topping once already to use for strawberry shortcake and waffles, and it was good!  The only trick to this recipe is remembering to start the night before you want to use it so it can refridgerate overnight!

Spinach & Sausage Egg Bake

I first had this for brunch at my brother's house after my nephew's baptism.  It was so tasty, I had to try making it for my own family.  Results:  Yum-o!  The magazine that we got the recipe from boasts that this dish is just $.90 per serving.  Can't beat that!

Prep:  20 minutes
Bake:  30 minutes
Yield:  12 servings

1 lb bulk pork sausage
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry -- My brother used fresh spinach
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/4 c finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 c (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
10 eggs
3/4 c milk
2 tsp snipped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp dill weed
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Spoon into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Layer with spinach, bacon, onion, red pepper, and cheeses.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and seasonings; pour over top.  Bake at 375* for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

(March/April 2010 edition of Simple and Delicious magazine)

Steak Chili

I got this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook book, and I love it with either the steak, like in this picture, or with just hamburger as a more traditional chili!

1 1/2 pounds stew meat (or 1 1/2 pounds hamburger)
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green sweet pepper (optional)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-16-ounce cans kidney beans, pinto beans, and/or black beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspooon black pepper
Shredded chedder cheese (optional)
Dairy sour cream (optional)

Brown meat in a bigger pan (it will eventually hold all the chili), half at a time (I did it all at once) in 1 tablespoon hot cooking oil. Remove meat, reserving drippings in pan. Cook onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in drippings until tender; drain fat. Stir in kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, basil, and black pepper. Bring to a boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 1 hour or until the meat is tender. If desired, top each serving with cheese and/or sour cream.

The only differences for hamburger is add 1 full cup of water instead of 1/2, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes instead of an hour.

Makes 8 servings

Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls

From My Kitchen Cafe

Serves 4

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large red pepper, diced small
1 10-ounce package baby portebello mushrooms, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 average-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced small
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained, diced small
2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce (you can find this by the soy sauce)
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 cups of hot cooked rice
romaine lettuce leaves
sesame seeds
scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add red pepper and mushrooms and saute for 5 - 6 minutes until tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Add chicken to pan and cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until cooked through. Stir chicken and red pepper mixture occasionally while it cooks. Add water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce and stir to coat the chicken and vegetables. Continue cooking until heated through.To serve, line a single serving size bowl with romaine leaves. Top with a large scoop of rice, some of the hoisin chicken, and a sprinkle of the sesame seeds and scallions.Alternately, you can serve the hoisin chicken mixture wrapped in lettuce leaves or omit the lettuce leaves completely and serve the chicken over rice.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

***This one will be making a regular appearance in our rotation! :) mmmm***

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

from yourhomebasedmom.com

6 Tbsp honey

5 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

8 – 10 flour tortillas (depending on size)

1 lb of a Mexican blend cheese (monterey jack, colby, cheddar), shredded

1 large can of green enchilada sauce

Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together with the shredded chicken. Allow it to sit for at least 1/2 hour or you could do it hours before and just cover and refrigerate.

Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place chicken and cheese into middle of a tortilla and spoon about 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce over it and roll up. Place seam down in the pan. Reserve about 1-2 cups of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Pour enchilada sauce over the top of rolled enchiladas (reserve a little bit to add after they are baked) and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

I served with Cilantro Lime Rice (like Chipotle's) that yourhomebasedmom.com suggested. Yum.