Cubed Steak and Gravy

This recipe has been moved.
You can find it here!  =)

Taco Ring!

This is so awesome!  My husband saw this recipe in a magazine.  It had a picture, so he showed me and thought I'd like to make it.  =D
I'd also seen it awhile back at A Joyful Chaos.  

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
• 1 c. (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 T. water* (I omitted - see explanation below)
• 2 8-oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 medium green bell pepper (optional)
• 1 c. salsa (optional)
• 3 c. lettuce, shredded (we used more -- ¾ a head)
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• ¼ c. onion, chopped
• ½ c. pitted ripe olives (very optional! blech)
• sour cream

►Preheat oven to 375°.  Brown the ground beef, then drain.  The directions say to add in the taco seasoning mix, cheese, and 2 T. water.
Instead, I cooked the beef and seasoning in the pan according to the taco seasoning directions, and since it was still moist from the water called for on the package, I omitted the 2T. water.  I added the cheese, and stirred to get it melted.  The cheese sort of helps hold the meat together.
►Unroll the crescent dough; separate into triangles.  Arrange triangles in a circle on a pizza pan with the wide ends toward the center of the pan, overlapping each other.  It will look like a large sun with the points hanging half off the pan.  ☼
There should be a 5 or 6 inch opening in the center.  Spoon the meat mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle.  Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough.  (Filling will not be completely covered).  Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
(I didn't do this next part -- I just made more salad to put into the center.)
►Cut off the top of the bell pepper.  Discard top, membrane, and seeds.  Fill pepper with the salsa.
►Shred lettuce, and dice tomato and onions.  Slice the olives.  Place the bell pepper in the center of the taco ring, and arrange other salad items around the green pepper.
►Click here for the picture that was in the magazine - it has the green pepper.  (ahem!  I think my pic was better.  =)

I didn't have an extra pan (that wasn't hot) to slide the taco ring onto, so I placed a saucer in the ring before adding the salad items, so they wouldn't get too hot.  Add more cheese if you like.  Top each serving with sour cream.

I did at least try 2 slices of olive. Still blech. ☺
https://www.facebook.com/martynormanhawks/posts/1422365133141:646729090496255

Chuck Roast

This is sooo good.  My sister-in-law gave me a chuck roast!  =)

• 3-4 lb chuck roast, mine had the bone in
• 6-8 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 6 red skinned potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 very large onion, cut into small chunks
• 1½ T. steak seasoning
• 1 T. meat tenderizer
• 2 t. garlic salt
• 1 T. parsley flakes

Put about ½ c. water in your crockpot.  Put in all vegetables.  Season meat on both sides, rubbing in the seasoning, meat tenderizer, salt, and garlic powder.  Place in crockpot and sprinkle all with parsley flakes.

Cook on high for 6-7 hours, or on low for 10 hours.  I turned mine on High, and meant to cook it 7 hours.  But I forgot to push the button twice, so it stayed on High for 4, then automatically shut off and went to Warm.  I noticed right before I left, and turned it on Low.  So it was High 4 hours, Warm 2 hours, Low 3 hours.
It worked out better anyway, since I didn't know I'd be going somewhere, and would need it to not be finished yet when I left.  =)
When I found I'd be leaving, and we'd all be gone during the regular meal time, we ate a little something before we left.  So we didn't go hungry because of my oversight!

Meatloaf

This is my mother-in-law's recipe.  =)  I love my MIL!

• 1 jumbo egg 
• 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes (or half tomatoes, half ketchup; or 15 oz tomato sauce) 
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper 
• 1 large onion, finely diced (approx. 1 cup) 
• ½ green pepper, finely diced 
• 1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers (about 34) OR 4 end pieces of bread 
• 2 lb. ground chuck 

►Whisk egg in mixing bowl.  Add tomatoes, salt, black pepper, onion, and green pepper.  Crush crackers or run bread thru food processor.  Add to bowl and mix well.  Break the ground chuck into pieces, and mix thoroughly in bowl. 
►Put in non-greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Divide in the middle so there are two loaves.  This helps it to cook more evenly.
►Bake at 350° for 1 hour, 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully tilt dish and drain most of the grease.  You can get out the rest by using tongs to press a paper towel down in the corners.
Spread ketchup over the top of the meatloaf and return to oven for 15 more minutes.
If making half a recipe, cut first cooking time to one hour.

--Once I didn't have crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, so I ran 3 medium tomatoes thru the food processor, and it made about 10 ounces.  I added ketchup to make up the difference, and did not use salt.

--I've also used one 10 oz. can of tomato soup, and 5 oz. ketchup - just filled the soup can halfway.

We had meatloaf tonight with creamed potatoes, green peas, salad, and yeast rolls (that Bethany made =) with honey butter.  Yummy!
We ate about half that recipe of meatloaf.  (fam. of 5 w/ one 12-yo boy)

Burgers!

We had hamburgers and deerburgers tonight.   I'm sure you know how to make burgers, so here's a picture, no recipe.  =)  I will add that deer has virtually no grease and doesn't draw up as much as hamburger.
The deerburgers were from the deer that JohnDavid got a couple of months ago.  I love deer stew and deer in vegetable soup, but I just can't get used to the taste of deerburger.  I tried, I really did.  I ate them a couple of times, but decided I wasn't going to be able to acquire a taste for it.  But the kids love it!  =)
The oven potatoes were made with garlic salt and Italian seasoning.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

This recipe has been moved.
Find it here!  =)

Deer Stew!

With the help of my brother-in-law who loves to hunt and is a great cook, we made this fabulous deer stew tonight. Mmmmmm!

• 3 lbs deer stew meat, drain blood, don't rinse
• one large onion, chopped into small chunks
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed/chopped (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)
• about 2 T. seasoning salt
• about 1 t. salt
• 2 T. olive oil
  

Add oil to large non-stick pan and turn burner to medium heat (6:00 position).  When oil is hot, add in meat and thoroughly sprinkle on seasonings.  Add in onions and garlic.  Cook together, uncovered, until meat is browned, about 20 - 25 minutes or so.

Then add to pan:

• 1 package Lipton onion and mushroom soup
• 1 large (26-28 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (26-28 oz) of water
• 3 T. Worcestershire sauce (I added this to the recipe - SO much better!!)

Mix w/ whisk, turn on low (9:00) for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, covered.

Now you'll need to transfer to a large soup pot.  Add any vegetables you like.

• 5 lbs red skinned potatoes, cut into chunks (I don't usually about 3 lb)
• 4 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces (I didn't have any in these pics)
  
• 2 12-oz bags of baby carrots (or 10-12 large carrots, peeled and sliced)
  
• 1 pkg (8 oz) mushrooms
• Add about 2 cups of water.  Vegetables should not quite be covered.  

Stir as best as you can - it will be full with not much liquid!  Some liquid will come to the top, but will not cover the vegetables.

Cover and cook on medium-low (7:30) for about an hour or hour-and-a-half.  This allows time for the heat to build to a low boil (takes awhile) and for the vegetables to cook.  Deer stew will be done when vegetables are tender.  Makes about a gallon and a half.  Great served with rice and/or biscuits. 

Tastes best when made a day ahead.
We cooked it tonight, and we will eat it tomorrow at lunch.  But we did sample a bite or two.  =)

Re-heat on med-low (7:30) for about 45 min or more while making biscuits and/or rice.
Yum yum!!!

Meatloaf Burgers and Onions

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• large onion, diced
• 3 thick end pieces of bread, or 5 thin (abt 1.5 c. fine crumbs)
• ½ c. ketchup
• more onions sliced for the top - about 3 or 4
• salt & pepper to taste

Run the pieces of bread thru the food processor, pour into mixing bowl.  Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, diced onion, and ketchup together until thoroughly mixed.  Form into 12 patties.  Place into two 9 x 13 dishes.  Slice onions all over top.
Bake at 375° uncovered for 40 minutes.

These are more firm than regular meatloaf.  Great with A-1.

We serve ours as "plate food" the first night with creamed potatoes, garlic bread, and vegetables, and have leftovers as hamburgers the second night.

You've never tasted a better hamburger!!!