Stovetop Chili Mac

1 lb. extra-lean (93%) ground beef or turkey
1 med. onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 c. V8 juice
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 c. water
8 oz. macaroni or other small pasta
1 can pinto beans, drained
4 oz. cheddar cheese
1/3 c. chopped green or red onions
1/2 c. chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat a 12″ skillet that has a lid over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until about halfway cooked. Add onions, garlic, and pepper as well as the seasonings and cook until the meat is cooked through and the onions are tender.

Add the V8 juice, tomato sauce, and water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir to combine and then cover, reduce heat, and cook for 15-ish minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the beans and heat through. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese, and replace the lid for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions and serve immediately.

from: Our Best Bites

Bison Bacon Chili

6 oz uncured bacon
1 lb grass fed bison
½ onion diced
2 large carrots
1 bell pepper
2 T chili powder
½ T cumin
½ T paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
sea salt and pepper to taste
15 oz can tomato sauce (no sugar added)
15 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup GF chicken broth

Heat pot to medium high and add chopped bacon. Stir occasionally until crispy. Remove with slotted spoon onto paper towels.

Add chopped onion, carrots, bell pepper, and jalapeno to bacon fat; cook for 7 minutes.

Add bison to veggies and break apart. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add spices and garlic and mix well, add broth, tomatoes, and sauce and stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

When ready to serve, stir in 3/4 of cooked bacon. Garnish with remaining bacon, chopped avocado and cilantro (optional).

Hamburger Gravy: Baked Potato Topping

1 1/2 lbs ground round
3 tablespoons margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
hot cooked mashed potatoes

Brown ground round. Drain any grease. Add margarine and flour. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Add milk. Increase heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cayenne pepper.

Serve over baked or mashed potatoes.

from: food.com

Beef Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat, (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/4 c. flour
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
6 oz can tomato paste
32 oz beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups baby carrots carrots
4-5 small potatoes,cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon oregano

Crock Pot Method:

In a large bowl, toss the beef with flour, salt & pepper to coat evenly. Brown in the olive oil.

Combine beef, celery, carrots, onion, potatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and tomato paste in the crock pot. Cook on LOW for 10 hours or on HIGH for 6-7 hours.

Quick Cook Method (Electric Pressure Cooker):

In a large bowl, toss the beef with flour, salt & pepper to coat evenly. On the 'Brown' setting, warm the oil and brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the meat to a bowl.

Add the broth to the cooker and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the beef, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, tomato paste and spices, stir to combine. Cover and cook on high pressure setting for 20 minutes. When done cooking, release the pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions.

adapted from: family fresh meals and williams-sonoma

Carne Asada Steak

Lean Steak - Carne Asada Style
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Ground Ginger
Ground Mustard
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
Salt

Mix together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, ground ginger, ground mustard, onion powder and garlic salt to taste. Pour mixture over the beef  in a bag or container and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or more) so beef becomes tender. (No longer than 8 hours - the meat will start to break down.)

Grill on med-high heat for @ 7 minutes per side.

Serve with rice, beans, or burrito style wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.

(Can also marinate in traditional carne asada flavors: olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic)

Hamburger Potato Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
2 large potatoes (4 small), peeled & cut into bite-size pieces
1 - 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled & cut into bite-size pieces
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2/3 c. milk
Onion
Salt & pepper
1-2 T. Butter

In large frying pan, melt 1-2 T. butter, add potatoes & carrots, add salt & pepper to taste, cover, & cook until tender. Stir frequently.

While vegetables are cooking, brown hamburger. I use dried, minced onions and add them to the beef while it's cooking. Also salt & pepper to taste.

Place the browned ground beef in casserole dish. Top with vegetables. Mix the soups and milk together and pour over the casserole. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

from: Preston family favorites

The Best Ever Melt-in-Your-Mouth Ribeye Steak

2-4 choice rib-eye steaks

Seasoning:
4 -6  teaspoons salt (depending on taste)  
4  teaspoons paprika  
2  teaspoons ground black pepper  
1  teaspoon onion powder  
1  teaspoon garlic powder  
1  teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left this out for my family)
1/2 teaspoon  coriander  
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Mix spices together. Keep leftovers to use on burgers, etc.

Preheat grill to high heat.

Place rib-eye steaks on a large platter and season with rub on all sides, let rest for several minutes. Transfer seasoned steaks to the hot grill, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes on each side for medium-rare, longer if desired. Remove steaks, cover with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

adapted from: Food.com and FoodNetwork.com

Easy Lettuce Wraps

1 lb. ground beef
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. garlic powder
Pecans (optional)
Romaine Lettuce

Mix soy sauce & garlic powder. Pour over raw ground beef, marinate for an hour or two. Brown ground beef. Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves with pecans if desired.

Audrey's little note: this is such a simple recipe, I thought it might be not great, but the flavors are excellent, and it was completely kid-approved! These wraps are very tasty with Maple Glazed Carrots.

Creamy Spinach Lasagna

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/4 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided
Cooking spray
12 cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles, divided
1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until onion is browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and spinach. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 3 minutes or until spinach is tender. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, milk, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups milk mixture to spinach mixture. Cover remaining milk mixture, and set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce & some of the turkey in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce; top with half of spinach mixture. Top with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 cup marinara sauce, turkey and 3/4 cup cheese. Layer 3 more lasagna noodles, remaining spinach mixture, and remaining 3 lasagna noodles. Top with remaining marinara sauce. Pour reserved milk mixture over the top, and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until lasagna is browned on top.

Audrey's little note: the kids loved this! (shh, don't tell them there's spinach in it...)

adapted from: Cooking Light

Greek Pastitsio Casserole

12 ounces penne pasta
1 pound ground turkey or ground sirloin
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (from about 1 large onion)
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces light cream cheese
2 cups milk, 1% of skim work great
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Coat a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the broiler.

In a large pot of lightly salted, boiling water, cook the penne pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add beef or turkey to the pan with the diced onions and 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring to break up the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through. Drain excess grease from the meat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture, stirring to combine, and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add the cream cheese in pieces, scattering it over the meat. Let it melt into the meat and stir to combine. Whisk or stir in the milk, nutmeg and tomatoes. Stir to combine well and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook 5-6 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened and is thoroughly heated through.

Stir in the pasta and spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pasta and broil for about 3-5 minutes (watching carefully so it doesn’t burn!). Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. Let it stand fora bout 5 minutes before serving.

Audrey's little note: serve with PW Greek Salad.

from: My Kitchen Cafe

Cheesesteak Subs

2 T. butter or olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced into thin half moons
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 t. dried oregano
2 T. A-1 steak sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. beef broth
2 T. flour mixed with 2 T. cold water - for thickening
1 lb deli roast beef, cut into 2-inch strips (or 1 lb ground beef, browned)
Salt and pepper
4 (6-inch) sub rolls, split partially open lengthwise
8 slices provolone cheese

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and oregano and cook for a minute, until it smells fragrant. Add the A-1 sauce, W sauce, broth and the beef, stirring well to coat the beef with the sauce and onion/butter mixture. Stir in the flour/water mixture. Cook until the meat is heated through & the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the sliced rolls on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide the beef mixture among the rolls. Top with the cheese and broil until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes (don’t even take your hand off the oven door handle – stand right there so they don’t burn!). Serve immediately.

adapted from: My Kitchen Cafe & The Comfort of Cooking

Glazed Meatloaf Muffins

Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers or breadcrumbs, crushed fine (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground meat (can use a combination of lean ground chuck and lean ground pork)
2 teaspoons oil (I used canola oil)

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Divide meat mixture evenly into muffin tins & make a small well in the center of each meatloaf to hold the glaze.

Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth, then spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 20 minutes, until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

adapted from: My Kitchen Cafe

French Bread Supper

2/3 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 tbsp. mustard
2 c. cheddar, shredded
1 loaf French bread

Cut French bread loaf lengthwise; mix together all remaining ingredients, except cheese. Spread meat mixture evenly over bread. Wrap foil on bread leaving top uncovered. Use cookie sheet. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Add cheese and cook for another 8-10 minutes, until bubbly.

adapted from: Cooks.com

Hungry Jack Casserole

Meat Mixture:
1 lb. ground beef
chopped onion
2 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 can pork and beans
salt & pepper
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Biscuit Mixture:
1 c. self-rising flour (substitute by placing 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a measuring cup, add all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Brown ground beef and onion. Add brown sugar, lemon juice, worcestershire and beans. Add salt & pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to casserole dish.
 
In a small bowl, combine the flour and cheese. Stir in milk and mayo just until moistened. Drop biscuit mixture onto meat mixture. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Audrey's little note: this is Mason's ALL-TIME favorite dish! (You can use a tube of Pillsbury Grands Flaky biscuits instead of the drop biscuits if you wish--just cut them in half and layer them on top of the meat mixture.)

adapted from: Thomas 2nd Ward cookbook

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

frozen meatballs (I use homestyle or plain)
1 can french-cut green beans, drained or 1-2 cups fresh carrots, shredded

Sauce:
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. vinegar
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. ketchup
3 T. soy sauce
salt
cornstarch

In a saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is disolved.

Add ketchup, soy sauce, and salt. Simmer for a minute. To 1/2 c. of very cold water, add 1-2 T. cornstarch, mix well and add to the sauce. Stir and simmer until sauce is thickened.

In a casserole dish, layer as many meatballs as you want over the beans or carrots, pour sauce over the top and bake in 350 degree oven for about an hour. Serve over steamed rice.

Baked Beans

1 lb. bacon
1 lb. hamburger
chopped onion
2 cans pork & beans
1/c. ketchup
2 T. vinegar
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1 T. liquid smoke
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. chili powder
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar

Cook bacon, crumble, set aside. Brown ground beef with onion, add bacon. Combine all other ingredients and add to the meat mixture. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. chili powder
onion, chopped (optional)
green pepper, chopped (optional)

If using, saute onion and green pepper in a little oil over medium heat until softened. Add ground beef, cook till brown.

Combine ketchup, brown sugar, W sauce and lemon juice, stir into hamburger mixture. Cook until heated through, serve.

Audrey's little note: this is my go-to sloppy joe recipe.

from: my friend Amy

Yummy Hamburgers

-Use non-extra-lean ground beef: nothing over 80/20.
-Add a dollop of BBQ sauce, salt and pepper to the beef before forming patties.
-Make the patties big: these babies shrink!
-Grill over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side.

Audrey's little note: I know this is so simple it's silly for me to post, but for some reason, these details haven't wormed their way into my head precisely, and I'm tired of looking them up, so I'm writing it down. :P

Cheesy BBQ Mini-Meatloaves

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 egg
1/2 cup bread or saltine cracker crumbs
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Mix salsa and BBQ sauce, divide in half. Combine first 4 ingredients with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 of the BBQ mixture.

Press evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until meatloaves are done. Top with remaining BBQ mixture and cheese; bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

Audrey's little note: I made a mistake and put the sauce and cheese on top before baking these meatloaves, and these still turned out yummy.

adapted from: Kraft Food & Family

Apricot Meatballs

1 egg
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 t. salt
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1/4 c. bbq sauce

In a bowl, combine egg, crumbs, onion and salt. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. In a skillet, brown meatballs, drain. Trasfer to a greased baking dish. Combine preserves and bbq sauce; pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.

from: Thomas 4th Ward cookbook