PHILLY CHEESE STEAK SLOPPY JOES

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK SLOPPY JOES yields 6-8

1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons butter
1 small Vidalia onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced – most recipes call for green, but they don’t agree with me 😀
4-6 large mushrooms, minced
2 tablespoons QUALITY ketchup
1 1/2  tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1  cup homemade beef broth
8  ounces Swiss or Provolone cheese, chopped
1 package Kings Hawaiian slider buns

  • Add the ground beef to a large cast iron skillet browning until completely browned, slightly crusty and crumbled.
  • Using a slotted spoon remove the beef, but leave the fat.
  • Add the butter and the onions, sautéing several minutes until softened.
  • Add the pepper, sautéing a few minutes more until softened.
  • Add the mushrooms, sautéing until cooked through and starting to caramelize..
  • Add the beef back into the pan.
  • Whisk the beef broth and cornstarch together.
  • Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, beef broth cornstarch mixture into the pan, blending well.
  • Cook 3-5 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese.
  • Served on buns.

TACO PIE

Who doesn’t love a bowl full of the ultimate comfort food? You guessed it, deep dish layered taco pie.
 Especially if you add some homemade salsa, some Mexican sour cream and maybe some cilantro…

TACO PIE
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or a COMBO of ground pork and beef)
2 tablespoons KINDERS taco seasoning
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles, drained well
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup biscuit mix
1 cup WHOLE milk
3 LARGE eggs
Sour cream, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Salsa, for garnish

  • Preheat the oven to 400º.
  • Spray a 9″ deep baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  • Add ground beef, browning until the beef is no longer pink and crumbled small.
  • Drain off any fat.
  • Add in the taco seasoning and Rotel, mixing well and heating through.
  • Spread the beef mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the biscuit mix, milk and eggs.
  • Pour evenly over the beef and cheese.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the middle of the pie is set and the top is golden brown.
  • Serve immediately garnishing as desired.


TEX MEX aka MEXICAN MEATLOAF

TEX MEX aka MEXICAN MEATLOAF
4 cups shredded hash browns, cooked crisp
1/4 cup salsa
1 LARGE egg
1/2 package KNORR vegetable soup mix
1 tablespoons KINDERS taco seasoning
2 cups shredded taco blend cheddar cheese, divided
2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon chopped FRESH cilantro
Sour cream and Salsa, for serving

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Whisk together the egg, soup mix and seasoning in a small bowl.
  • Crumble beef into a large bowl.
  • Pour egg mixture over meat.
  • Add salsa and 1 cup of the cheese and gently mix all together blending well, but not overworking the meat.
  • Shape into loaf.
  • Bake 1 1/4 hour.
  • Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and bake 5 minutes more until cheese is melted.
  • Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
  • Sprinkle with cilantro.
  • Serve with additional salsa and sour cream.

BLONDE BEEF STEW

BLONDE BEEF STEW

1 pound Stew Beef, cut into bite sized pieces
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
¼ cup WONDRA flour for dredging
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 SMALL fennel bulb, medium diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup parsnips, diced
1 cup turnips, diced
1 cup celery root, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 bunch FRESH thyme

  • Preheat oven to 300°.
  • Preheat butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
  • Toss beef in seasoned flour.
  • Sear beef on all sides for 2 minutes per side, or until browned.
  • Remove beef from Dutch oven and set aside.
  • Add remaining oil, fennel, leeks and garlic to Dutch oven and sauté until slightly translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Deglaze with white wine, simmering until reduced by half.
  • Add remaining ingredients and bring to a SLOW simmer.
  • Cover and place in oven for 2 hours or until beef is fork tender.
  • Once stew is finished cooking remove thyme sprigs and discard.

SWEET & SOUR BRISKET

This is a savory, aromatic, and yet sweet as well as tangy sour slowly cooked (for hours and hours) brisket based on traditional Ashkenazi Jewish recipes. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

Brisket is one of the tougher cuts of meat that many Jewish recipes have tamed into a tasty cut by slow cooking a well marbled cut of meat with a decent fat cap. DO NOT TRIM OFF THE FAT. The fat is necessary to help break down the toughness as it roasts turning it into a piece of meat that easily flakes apart into tender pieces that just melts in your mouth. This cut also tastes even better a day or two after it’s prepared. I searched through many recipes to come up with one of my own that appeased all my picky eaters.

This is traditionally the cut of meat that is pickled and made into Pastrami or Corned Beef brought to the U.S. by immigrants and is a traditional staple for many Jewish families for special holidays and special occasions.

SWEET & SOUR BRISKET
5-7 pound brisket, DO NOT trim fat – especially if it’s grass fed

1/4 cup avocado oil, divided
2 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 pound celery, peeled and sliced thin
one 14 ounce can tomatoes – whole, diced, or crushed OR two 8 ounce cans of crushed pineapple – see notes
5-6 peeled whole garlic cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Apple Cider vinegar
2 cups beef bone broth
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 300.
  • Rinse the brisket and pat dry.
  • Rub both sides of the meat with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Heat a large skillet over a medium heat.
  • Drizzle 2 tablespoons of avocado oil into the pan.
  • Brown the brisket 5 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of your brisket you it may need to be browned in parts or stages to get the whole thing browned.
  • While the brisket is browning, add the tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and 1 ½ cups broth into a blender or food processor. If using the crushed pineapple you can just whisk it all together.
  • Add 2 teaspoons of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Pulse till garlic is chopped small and all ingredients are well combined.
  • Remove the browned brisket from the skillet.
  • Drizzle 2 tablespoons more avocado oil in the pan and add the sliced onions, sautéing them over medium high for a few minutes until they begin to soften and shrink in size.
  • Add the carrot and celery slices, sauteing 5-6 minutes until the onions are soft and browning and the vegetables are fragrant.
  • Transfer the vegetables out of the skillet and onto a plate, set aside.
  • Add 1/2 cup beef stock into the skillet and let it heat up.
  • Use a spatula to gently scrape up any brown bits and pan juices that are clinging to the skillet. Turn off heat.
  • Pour half of the tomato mixture into a large roasting pan, ceramic if you have one that large.
  • Place brisket on top of sauce, fat cap facing up.
  • Pour the sauteed vegetables across the top of the brisket, along with the broth and brown bits.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the vegetables and brisket.
  • Cover the roasting pan tightly with a strong layer of parchment paper followed by a layer of foil. The parchment forms a protective layer between the meat and sauce (which is acidic) and the foil. If you have a ceramic roaster with a glass lid you can skip the parchment and foil step.
  • Place brisket in the oven and roast COMPLETELY undisturbed for 5 to 7 hours. It will take about 1 hour per pound of meat (leaner cuts, especially grass fed may take longer—test for desired doneness). Brisket is ready when it flakes tenderly when pierced with a fork. You can let it cook even longer for a soft, shredded texture if that’s what you prefer. When fully cooked, the brisket will have shrunk considerably in size.
Remove brisket from the pan and let it rest on the cutting board fat-side up for 20-30 minutes.
  • Pour the sauce and vegetables from the roasting pan into a smaller saucepan.
  • Skim fat from the surface of the cooking sauce, then SLOWLY simmer the sauce until hot DO NOT BOIL.
  • 
Cut fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
  • Serve topped with the warmed sauce and veggies.

This is delicious immediately, but I highly recommend making this recipe a couple days in advance because the brisket just gets so much more flavorful as it sits.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING AHEAD

  • When brisket comes out of the oven, open the foil to vent and let the brisket slowly return to room temperature.
  • Switch the brisket and sauce to a ceramic or glass dish (metal from the roasting pan can react with the acid in the sauce, which can cause an off taste if left to sit).
  • Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
  • Let the brisket chill overnight, or up to two days. You can also freeze the brisket if you prefer.
  • 1-2 hours before serving, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 350°.
  • The fat in the sauce will have risen to the top, turned white, and solidified. Use a spoon to scoop the fat bits out of the sauce and discard.
  • Take the brisket out of the dish and brush any excess sauce back into the dish.
  • Place brisket on a cutting board, fat-side up.
  • Cut the fat cap off the brisket and then cut the brisket into thin slices against the grain.
  • Return the sliced meat to the dish and spoon sauce over it, making sure to spoon a little sauce between each slice.
  • Cover the dish with a layer of parchment paper, then with foil or better yet a glass lid, and place it in the oven.
  • Let the brisket roast for 45-60 minutes until heated through.

NOTE:

  • It can also be reheated in a slow cooker on high heat for 1 hour.
  • Tomatoes are more savory, pineapple is sweeter, but they both contribute to the sweet & sour name.

SKILLET PASTA with VODKA SAUCE

SKILLET PASTA with VODKA SAUCE
1 bunch green onions or 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vodka pasta sauce, homemade or jarred – your choice
3 cups homemade beef stock
12 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped marinated sun-dried tomato pieces
1/2-3/4 cup quartered marinated mozzarella balls
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  • Coat 12 inch non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray. I like to use my heavy enameled cast iron crock pot skillet.
  • Heat over medium-high heat.
  • Add beef, sweet Italian sausage, most of the green onions (save some for garnish), FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper to taste, cooking 8-10 minutes and breaking up the meat into small crumbles until meat is cooked through.
  • Add garlic and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Drain the meat and discard the grease.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the sauce and water to skillet. Bring to boil.
  • Add pasta and red pepper flakes.
  • Cover 10-12 minutes and cook JUST until tender.
  • Stir in meat and remaining sauce, cooking a couple minutes to heat through.
  • Gently fold in Mozzarella ball pieces.
  • Top with scallions and serve immediately.

TEX MEX BACON CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE

This is the ultimate cheeseburger experience FULL of your favorite flavors from a standard cheeseburger with a TEX-MEX flair, WITHOUT the carbs from the bun AND is gluten free!!

TEX MEX BACON CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE

1 pound ground round
1 bunch green onions, sliced and separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Pampered Chef taco seasoning

1/2 pound bacon, diced, cooked and crumbled
4 LARGE eggs
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 LARGE can green chiles, drained WELL OR 1 can original ROTEL, drained WELL
1/3-1/2 cup der Weinerschitzel chili OPTIONAL
1 1/2 cups SHARP grated cheddar cheese
Mexican sour cream
Salsa

  • Spray 9×9 baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Add beef and onion whites to a large skillet over medium-high heat, browning 5-7 minutes until crumbly and cooked through.
  • Sprinkle with taco seasoning.
  • Add garlic, stirring a minute more until fragrant.
  • Drain off excess grease.
  • Fold in bacon pieces, rotel tomatoes or green chiles and chili if using. Set aside to cool.
  • Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream and FRESH ground salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add half the cheese.
  • Fold cooled meat mixture into the egg mixture, blending well.
  • Spread into prepared baking dish.
  • Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is golden.
  • Garnish as desired with green onion tops and ENJOY!
  • Add a dollop of salsa or sour cream for an added OOMPH!

NOTES:

  • ANY creamy non-bean chili can be substituted.
  • This recipes double or even triples easily for a crowd.

BBQ MEATBALLS & BACON CHEDDAR BAKED POTATOES

BBQ MEATBALLS & BACON CHEDDAR BAKED POTATOES serves 4
This quick and easy, but also budget friendly meal is flavor packed for a quick weeknight meal.

MEATBALLS
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup FRESH breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons + 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1 LARGE egg
1/4 cup FINELY chopped red onion
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped parsley, + more for garnish

  • In a large bowl combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, red onion, 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce gently mixing JUST until combined.
  • Divide into 12 meatballs.
  • In a large ovenproof skillet melt butter over medium high heat making sure to coat sides also.
  • Add meatballs and brown 5-7 minutes until all sides are browned.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the 3/4 cup BBQ sauce and beef broth.
  • Pour into skillet around meatballs. Turn meatballs to coat.
  • Bring to a LOW boil, reduce heat and cover, simmer 5-7 minutes until sauce is heated through and meatballs are well coated.
  • Heat broiler.
  • Sprinkle cheese evenly over meatballs.
  • Broil 2 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
  • Garnish with parsley.

POTATOES
4 LARGE Yukon gold potatoes
2-3 slices bacon, diced
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup FULL fat sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, divided and softened
2 green onions, FINELY diced

  • Preheat oven 400°.
  • Line baking sheet with foil.
  • Wash potatoes and pierce with fork.
  • Add potatoes to baking sheet.
  • Bake 1 hour until tender.
  • While potatoes are bacon, crisp up bacon in skillet and drain on paper toweling.
  • When potatoes are tender, slit them open.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each potato and generously sprinkle with
  • FRESH ground salt and pepper.
  • Add bacon pieces and cheese.
  • Increase heat to broil.
  • Add potatoes, broiling 2-3 minutes until cheese melts and becomes golden.
  • Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with green onions or chives.

SLOW COOKER BEEF TIPS & GRAVY

SLOW COOKER BEEF TIPS & GRAVY

This is THE perfect comfort food! Serve it over mashed potatoes, pasta noodles or your favorite roasted potatoes and veggies.

BEEF
1½ pounds beef round roast, cut into small chunks
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 SMALL yellow onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig FRESH thyme

  • Season beef roast with salt and pepper.
  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the beef. Allow it to sear for 4 minutes on each side to give it a nice caramelized coating.
  • Add the seared beef tips to slow cooker.
  • Top with onions, minced garlic, and thyme.

GRAVY
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
1 pinch salt
1½ cups water
½ tablespoon beef base I use Better Than Bouillon

  • Reduce the skillet heat to medium and melt butter.
  • Add sliced mushrooms with a pinch of salt and stir to coat with the butter., sauteing for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft. Stir occasionally, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Add water and beef base to the skillet and stir to blend.
  • Add gravy mixture to the slow cooker with the beef tips.
  • Cover crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for 2½ hours, until the beef is fork-tender. If you have time, cook it slow for 5-6 hours for even greater flavor.

1 tablespoon red wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • Once the beef tips are done cooking, whisk together red wine and cornstarch until smooth.
  • Stir into the gravy.
  • Turn heat up to high and cook for 20 minutes to thicken the gravy.

NOTES:

  • A nice caramelized searing coat on the beef adds to the depth of flavor.
  • Beef base will give the gravy a deep rich flavor, however, you can also substitute beef stock (NOT beef broth) in place of the water/beef base combination for maximum flavor results.

MEATBALL POTATO GRATIN

MEATBALL POTATO GRATIN
2 cans sliced potatoes, drained WELL
1 can NIBLETS corn, drained
1 small bunch green onions, chopped
1 can cream of potato soup
1/2 cup sour cream
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
3/4 pound frozen cooked meatballs, thawed
1/2 cup shredded baby Swiss cheese
Chopped FRESH parsley for garnish

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Blend together the soup, sour cream, green onions, salt and pepper.
  • Add potatoes, gently tossing to coat.
  • Spread potato mixture into baking dish.
  • Nestle meatballs into the potato mixture.
  • Even sprinkle cheese.
  • Bake 35-40 minutes until golden and bubbly.
  • Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

FIRECRACKER MEATBALLS

FIRECRACKER MEATBALLS
3/4 pound round
3 green onions, minced and sliced tops for garnish
2 teaspoons FRESH, FINELY minced ginger
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
FRESH ground sea salt and blac pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons QUALITY honey
2 tablespoons Ponzu sauce
2 tablespoons quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream (Mexican by Darigold adds a bit more flavor)
1-3 teaspoons Sirracha
Prepared rice or pasta
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, honey and ponzu sauce.
  • Add Sirracha to taste. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl combine ground round, minced green onions, minced ginger,
  • Panko bread crumbs, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Form into golf ball sized meatballs.
  • Place meatballs on baking sheet.
  • Bake 15 minutes until cooked through and tender.
  • Add meatballs to bowl of sauce, gently tossing to coat.
  • Serve over prepared pasta, drizzling with any remaining sauce.

EVERETT STEW (formerly known as Brunswick Stew)

Brunswick Stew has a complicated history to say the very least. Brunswick, Georgia and Brunswick County Virginia have been dueling over the HOME and ORIGIN of the stew for many years. Brunswick County Virginia holds an annual “Stew Off” and Brunswick, Georgia displays not one, but two separate memorial sites of where they claim the first Brunswick Stew was cooked up. Historians state that the Virginia version predates Georgia by about 70 years and was even printed in early cookbooks. There is also a Brunswick, North Carolina, but they tend to just stay out of it altogether.

Credit: Robert Moss

Credit: Courtesy of Jim Auchmutey

From my research some of the earliest recipes called for squirrel or groundhog meat and used hominy claiming that these were Native American in ancestry and the basis for the first Brunswick stew. Basically it was a “roadkill” stew. Game meat such as deer, rabbit or even bear meat was often used along with corn or squash, basically what was on hand for early Appalachian settlers, and was simmered with butter, onions, stale bread and seasoning.

While today’s Brunswick stew typically uses beef, chicken or pork, it is still a thick tomato based stew that uses a variety of basic vegetables like corn, carrots and potatoes as well as butter beans. Okra is a common vegetable used and is a great thickening agent, but I personally don’t care for it so omit it altogether. It’s typically served during cooler weather, but in reality is good anytime. 😀

Virginia favors chicken and rabbit meat. Georgia’s version typically uses a mixture of pork and beef with hotter spices and often accompanies barbecue. North Carolina favors pulled pork and Kentucky, yes even Kentucky get in on this, but they call it Burgoo.
Virginians think that Georgia’s stew is too spicy and Georgians think that Virginia’s stew is too mushy and thick. Also Georgian Brunswick stew almost always has peas and Virginian Brunswick stew almost NEVER has peas. The meat and even the vegetables vary by location, but the one thing southern cooks ALL agree on is that the stew MUST have a thick paste like consistency.

This article in Southern Living is one of the most thorough to follow but, this article at It’s A Southern Thing is one of the simplest and easiest to follow.

So after all that, I offer you MY version of Brunswick Stew loosely based on an old recipe I found in my grandmother’s pile of cut out recipes. To stay out of the fray of the debate I decided to call mine EVERETT STEW making it regional to the area I was living in when I developed the recipe.

EVERETT STEW (formerly known as Brunswick Stew) serves 4-6
4 medium new potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 medium onions, chopped SMALL
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups homemade chicken bone broth
2 or 3 cans crushed tomatoes
4 tablespoons brown sugar
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3-3 1/2 pound pork butt, cut in half, trimmed of excess fat**
1 can white beans
1 or 2 cans of Mexican corn niblets
Chopped green onions for garnish

  • Spray the inside of your crock with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Stir together the potatoes, onions, carrots, bone broth, tomatoes, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
  • Nestle pork pieces down into the mixture, turning to coat well.
  • Cover and cook on LOW 7-9 hours or HIGH 5-6 hours until the meat shreds easily with two forks.
  • Remove meat, shred and return to the slow cooker along with the corn and white beans. Cook another 30 minutes on LOW to heat through.
  • Top with fresh chopped green onions.
  • Serve with crusty bread or FRESH rolls.

**NOTE: This recipe can be made quicker (2 hours simmering) on the stove top if you have leftover meats to use.