BEEF STEW

BEEF STEW

1 pound lean beef stew eat, cut into cubes
1/2 pound baby carrots, halved
1 large Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Knorr Spring Vegetable Recipe Mix
1 cup V8 juice*
1/4 cup white zinfandel wine*
2 tablespoons brown sugar*
1 tablespoons tapioca*

  • Spray bottom of slow cooker lightly with PURE!
  • Place the beef cubes in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Layer onions over top of beef.
  • In a mortar and pestle, grind all the seasonings together to reactivate their properties.
  • Add to Knorr Spring vegetable mix and blend well.
  • Sprinkle over the meat and onions.
  • Add carrots.
  • Whisk together the wine, V8 juice, brown sugar and tapioca until sugar and tapioca is completely dissolved.
  • Pour this over meat and vegetables.
  • Cover and cook on low 5 hours, undisturbed.
  • DO NOT CHECK ON IT!
  • Serve Immediately over mashed potatoes.
*The tapioca, wine and brown sugar make a really nice thick gravy consistency with robust flavor when mixed with the V8.

Good Cast Iron really makes the best non-stick pan… and SMOTHERED CHOPPED STEAKS taste best made in that pan.

After a really good seasoning, these pans are awesome and produce super tasty recipes!  

How to Season Cast Iron Cookware


Cast iron lasts nearly forever if you take care of it. Seasoning cast iron cookware is necessary to ensure a non-stick surface and to prevent the pot or pan from rusting. If seasoned correctly your cookware can last a lifetime and more.
  1. For crusty cast ironware that you inherited or picked up at a garage sale: Your cookware may have some combination of rust and thick crackly black crud. It can be restored fairly easily to good as new condition! First place the cookware in a self-cleaning oven and run one cycle OR place in a campfire or directly on a hot charcoal fire for 1/2 hour, until dull red. The crust will be flaking, falling and turning to white ash. Then, after allowing to cool a bit to avoid cracking your cast iron,use the following steps. If you have more rust than crust, try using steel wool to sand it off.
  2. Wash your cast iron cookware with warm water and soap using a scouring pad. If you have purchased your cast iron cookware as new then it will be coated in oil or a similar coating to prevent rust. This will need to be removed before seasoning so this step is essential.
  3. Dry the cookware thoroughly, it helps to put the pan in the oven for a few minutes to make sure it’s really dry. Oil needs to be able to soak into the metal for a good seasoning and oil and water don’t mix.
  4. Coat the pot or pan inside and out with lard, Crisco, bacon fat, or corn oil. Ensure that the lid is also coated.
  5. Place both the lid and the pot or pan upside down in your oven at 300F for at least an hour to bake on a “seasoning” that protects the pan from rust and provides a stick-resistant surface.
  6. For best results repeat steps three, four and five.
  7. Ongoing care: Every time you wash your pan, you must season it. Place it on the stove and pour in about 3/4 tsp. corn oil or other cooking fat. Wad up a paper towel and spread the oil across the cooking surface, any bare iron surfaces, and the bottom of the pan. Turn on the burner and heat until smoke starts to appear. Cover pan and turn heat off.

Alternate Method
  1. First, if you find your cast iron needs to be stripped down and re-seasoned do not fear. All you have to do is place the utensil in your Self Cleaning Oven on the shortest cleaning cycle (usually 3 hrs. on most models), and it will come out looking like the day it came out of the mold. Allow it to cool overnight. Wash the residue off with WATER ONLY in the sink using a stiff abrasive pad. Make certain NO DISH SOAP comes in contact with the utensil during this procedure. If it does you will have to start over!!! Dry the cast iron utensil off with a paper towel, and IMMEDIATELY place BACK in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or so.
  2. Next, take the utensil out of the oven after the 10 minute drying time is complete, and lightly brush the utensil with a paper towel coated with Crisco or other solid cooking oil. Liquid vegetable oil will do in a pinch, but it’s better to save the liquids until AFTER your initial seasoning. It is important in this step only to lightly coat the cast iron with a light, thin coat of oil until it only glistens. Do not allow any puddles or pools of liquid as this will cause problems at a later time.
  3. Then, place the Cast Iron in the oven set to 500 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit with the COOKING SIDE FACING THE BOTTOM OF THE OVEN. This allows for any excess oil to drain off to the sides, and prevents pooling during the seasoning process. The higher heating temps allows for the oil to truly ‘cook’ as it should as opposed to just ‘gumming up’ at lower temps. Cook undisturbed for 1 hour.
Please note: During the previous step it will be best to turn off any smoke alarms in the immediate area as it may smoke quite a lot. Ceiling fans also aid in ventilation.
Finally, after your cast iron is finished seasoning for 1 hour or so, take it out of the oven and IMMEDIATELY wipe it down with another extra – light coat of Crisco. Allow it to completely cool.

TIPS

  • If food burns, just heat a little water in the pan, and scrape with a flat metal spatula. It may mean that re-seasoning is necessary.
  • If you’re washing the cast iron too aggressively (for instance with a scouring pad), you will regularly scrub off the seasoning. Wash more gently or repeat oven-seasoning method regularly.
  • If your pan develops a thick crust, you’re not washing it aggressively enough. Follow “crusty pan” instructions.
  • If storing your Cast Iron Dutch oven for any length of time, it is always best to place one or two paper towels in between the lid and the oven to allow for air flow.
  • Also, after cleaning after each use it is always best to place it back in the oven on 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so to ensure all water has vaporized and left the surface of the cast iron.
WARNINGS
  •  Do not cook tomatoes and other acidic foods in your cast iron cookware unless it has been well seasoned.
  •  Washing pans with detergent after they have been seasoned will break down the seasoning. Either wash without detergent (if you’re cooking similar foods with the pan, this is fine) or repeatedly oven-season your cookware.

SMOTHERED CHOPPED STEAKS

2 pounds ground sirloin
1 sleeve Keebler club crackers, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 Jumbo eggs
1 tablespoon liquid Smoke – MYSTERY ingredient
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large heirloom tomato, chopped,
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
large shred cheddar cheese
  • Combine all the hamburger steak ingredients until well mixed. Form six steaks.
  • In a well seasoned cast iron grill, sear steaks on both sides.  About 4-5 minutes each side should leave you with medium steaks.
  • In a large skillet melt the butter. Saute the onions and garlic until fragrant and caramelized.
  • Top steaks with onions, tomatoes and cheese.

SWEET & ZESTY MEATBALLS for your next party

These are a great recipe for a potluck or buffet. I always make too much on purpose because the leftovers freeze so well.
MEATBALLS*

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, finely minced
1/2 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon minced garlic from the jar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 jumbo egg, beaten

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and blend well.
  • Shape into 1 inch balls.
  • Place meatballs on un-greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake 25-30 minutes until browned and baked through.
  • For frozen meatballs, put the sauce in the crock pot first and then stir in frozen meatballs. They’ll be ready in 3-4 hours.

*I sometimes cheat and buy the bags of meatballs from Costco or Sam’s Club

SAUCE
3/4 cup Welch’s grape jelly
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 3/4 cups Heinz chili sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin slivers

  • In a large saucepan combine jelly, chili sauce and vinegar.
  • Bring to a soft boil and simmer 5 minutes stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
  • Layer meatballs, peppers and spicy sauce in crock pot.
  • Warm meatballs in sauce for 3-4 hours before serving.

You can put all the leftovers in the freezer together. Be sure to thaw them thoroughly before reheating.

KICK IT ON UP! MEATLOAF

MEATLOAF with  a KICK!
2 pounds hamburger
4 ounces Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jumbo egg
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Beef Base
1 tablespoon creamy horseradish
1 sleeve Townhouse crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • Mix all ingredients together thoroughly
  • Use a tall loaf pan
  • Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until edges are browned and crisp
  • Immediately pour off excess grease
  • Enjoy

GARLIC BUTTER STEAK

I recently lucked into a fantastic sale on boneless top sirloin and with all the heat have been using the grill more and more, but wanted a little OOOMPH with the steak.  This combo worked with plenty of OOOMPH to spare.

GARLIC BUTTER STEAK
1 pound boneless top sirloin
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoons garlic powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter

  • Bring steaks to room temperature.
  • Heat grill to 350.
  • Spray grill with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Generously season steaks with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
  • Melt butter with garlic and garlic powder.  Set aside.
  • Grill 5 minutes per side for medium rare.
  • Remove steaks to ringed cutting board. The ring will catch the juices.
  • Top with butter mixture and tent with foil for 4-5 minutes.

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

I think I finally topped myself and found the perfect seasoning combination for bolognese sauce!  I made the sauce a couple of days ahead so it could sit and let the flavors meld together.

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE
1 pound COSTCO organic ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
5 large Roma tomatoes, slice thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Lasagna  Noodles, prepared or oven ready**

  •  Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic. Drain fat.
  • Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce.
  • Stir in sugar, salt, pepper, basil, Italian seasoning and fennel, mixing well.
  • Lay tomato slices evenly on top. Cover.
  • Simmer for 2 hours over low heat. Stir in tomato slices until well blended.  At this time you can proceed to finish the lasagna or refrigerate the sauce until ready.

16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
lasagna noodles

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix together the Ricotta cheese, egg, nutmeg and parsley.
  • Spray baking dish with PAM.
  • Spread some of the meat sauce along the bottom. Top with lasagna noodles.  Add a layer of the Ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with some of the Parmesan and then the mozzarella cheese.  Repeat two more times.
  • Cover and bake 25 minutes.
  • Uncover and bake another 25 minutes or until cheese is golden and starting to crisp.
  • Let rest 10 minutes before cutting or serving.

 **I love the oven ready noodles – no pre-cooking and so much less breakage.  No one can tell the difference after you bake it!

PASTRAMI BURGERS

These couldn’t have been much simpler and were super tasty!

PASTRAMI BURGERS
1/2 pound ground beef per person
1 slice BOAR’S HEAD pastrami per person
1 green onion, minced per person
1 clove garlic, minced per person
1 slice provolone cheese per person
1/3 cup bread crumbs per 4 burgers
1 JUMBO egg per 4 burgers
salt and pepper to taste
  • Mix all ingredients together except cheese.
  • Form burgers by hand.
  • Chill 2 hours.
  • Pan fry or grill.
  • Top with provolone cheese and serve.

GOLDEN FUNGUS BURGER

This was my first recipe in the BUNLESS BURGER SERIES.  Bread in general is expensive and can be timely to make.  It also doesn’t help on my diet so thought I would try going “bunless” and we are soooooooooooooooo glad we did.  With planning to eat the burger with a knife and fork I was able to add so many more ingredients that would have otherwise made the bun mushy and slippery.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

So simple, but oh so yummy too.
GOLDEN FUNGUS BURGER
2 1/3 # burger patties
1/2 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
4-5 large button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 large Roma tomato or 4 baby Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1/4 cup Chablis
1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • Grill burgers inside or out. I add just a touch of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the meat and hand form the patties.
  • In a large sauce pan melt butter.  
  • When sizzling add onions and saute’ until translucent.  
  • Add mushrooms and saute until tender.
  • Add wine and continue sauteing until moisture has sizzled away.
  • Add tomatoes until heated through.
  • Plate burger.
  • Top with onion mixture and then cheese.  I use the pan lid over the plate for a minute to melt the cheese.

BLACK RIVER MEATLOAF

I have a new passion!  I found this great new spice shop, SAVORY SPICE SHOP. They grind their own spices and have dozens of wonderful proprietary blends.  Check out their website for some wonderful recipes too.
One of the things we love is a good meatloaf and I’m always looking for that “PERFECT” recipe.  Well, I’m looking no more – this is it!!   These days we eat small meals usually consisting of a protein and a salad or vegetable of some sort – our new favorite combo.

1 1/4 pound Kirkland Organic hamburger
2 bunches green onions, chopped or 1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 sleeve saltines, crushed
1 JUMBO egg
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup shredded Vermont white cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Four Cheese Tableside Sprinkle
1/2 teaspoon Black River Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Honey Powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  •  Blend all together. 
  • I use the mini loaf pans and fill each one 2/3. 
  • Bake for 45 minutes or until top is crispy. 
  • Pour off excess fat before serving. 
  • Bake how ever many you need today and freeze the others for future meals. 
  • Thaw in refrigerator before baking. 
  • These are truly greatest hits at our house and welcome leftovers for weekend picnic sandwiches.

“LAVERNE DEFAZIO” POT ROAST

I created this recipe from combining a recipe of my grandmothers and one of my aunts, but it’s always Laverne in the old Laverne & Shirley reruns where Laverne always mixes her Pepsi and milk to drink them that I think about when I make it and how I decided on the name. I once saw Penny Marshall in an interview several years back where she said that was how she really liked those 2 drinks, mixed together! Personally it sounds terrible to me for a drink, but it is excellent for a roast especially if you use buttermilk!

LAVERNE DEFAZIO ROAST
1 can Pepsi
3+/- pound pot roast, with good marbling
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 package KNORR brown gravy mix
1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Beef base
Kosher salt and white pepper

  • Bring roast to room temperature.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Brown the roast, generously ~ salt and peppering it.
  • Whisk together the milk, pepsi, bouillon base and gravy mix.
  • Surround roast with onions and mushrooms.
  • Pour Milk/Coke mixture over roast.
  • Bake for at least 3 hours undisturbed. Depending on the thickness of the roast it will probably take 4-5 hours for a thick 3 pound roast until the meat begins to fall apart. You should be able to cut your roast with a fork.
  • The combination of ingredients makes its own gravy that is soooooooooooooooooo good.

Now, for the oven I like to use my grandma’s old Magnalite dutch oven which cooks really even! And see those little hobnail bumps in on the bottom side of the lid? Those are better known as drip catchers. They collect the steam from the juices and redistribute it all right back down on the roast as it cooks. These help keep the meat moist and juicy. After the roast is browned, place it in the dutch oven and spread vegetables all around it.

And just look at these awesome hot roast beef sandwiches!

final blog signature.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS REVISITED

SWEDISH MEATBALLS REVISITED – made healthier, quicker for weeknights and yummier too! ALSO made into a SWEDISH MEATLOAF.

Traditionally this recipe is served with lingonberries – YUMMMMMMY!!
MEATBALLS*
1 Jumbo egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large slice white bread, crusts removed, and bread torn into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces ground pork, double ground
8 ounces ground beef, double ground
1 medium onion, grated or minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
Olive Oil, heavy coat

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk egg and cream together in small bowl. Stir in bread and set aside to soak.
  • Blend hamburger & pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, and salt smooth and uniform.
  • Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain.
  • Add mixture to beef mixture and blend until well mixed.
  • Form 1-inch round meatballs. You’ll have about 25-30. 
  • Bake 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
  • At this point you can either complete the recipe or freeze the meatballs for a later weeknight.

SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
Table salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Melt butter over medium high heat.
  • Once melted, add flour and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until flour is light brown.
  • Slowly whisk in broth.
  • Add brown sugar and bring to simmer.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in cream and return to simmer.
  • Add meatballs back to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.  If making the meatloaf, at this point pour sauce over the meatloaf and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
  • Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over noodles.
*I doubled this recipe and also made a “Swedish Loaf” for the freezer that I can then just add the sauce over and bake one evening.

ROASTED STUFFED PEPPERS

I quit eating stuffed peppers because green peppers just didn’t agree with us anymore.  Then I started making them in red or orange peppers and only giving us each a  large half – plus they look more attractive to serve in halves.  Now we love them again.
EASY STUFFED PEPPERS
2/3 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 slices ham
3/4 cup minute rice, prepared
1 large red or orange pepper
2 slices mild cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup grated (I sometimes use mozzarella for a different taste)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.
  • Drain fat.
  • Add in tomato sauce and rice.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Wash, cut in half and clean out pepper.
  • Layer ham slice on inside.
  • Fill with meat mixture.
  • Top with cheese slice and sprinkle grated over casserole portion.
  • Bake 30 minutes.