Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

It has been a long while since I posted a recipe. And since my oh-so-ever exciting life has nothing new to report I thought now might be a great time to do another one. I found this recipe from this blog and decided to try it out. It was a HUGE hit here...score 1 point. And it is a crock pot recipe...another point. And it doesn't have crazy ingredients you wouldn't have in your pantry already. Another point!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef for Sandwiches

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon onion salt (if you know our house, this wasn't added, but for you onion lovers-I left it in.)

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (such as Good Seasons brand)

1 (5 pound) chuck roast

Combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork (I did this step about 45 minutes before eating so the shredded meat had time to absorb more of the juices in the crockpot). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired. I also added mozzarella cheese to it too. MMMM...melted cheese!

Good Eats!!

I wish that I could take the credit for this marinade, but I would be lying. It is from Alton Brown's Good Eats on the Food Network channel. I love love love his show. We saw the episode where he did this recipe and had to try it out. It is so good. We have made it a few times when we have had people over and have not had an unhappy customer...not that we pay people to eat dinner with us...or do we?! :) I have tried it with a few different cuts of beef, usually the packages of 3 roasts from Costco, and I want to try it with chicken. So if you do, let me know how it goes!

Beef Kabobs

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless beef sirloin

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons smoked paprika (I just use regular ol' paprika...)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil
Special equipment: 4 (12-inch) metal skewers

Cut the beef into 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor combine the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. With the processor running drizzle in the olive oil.
Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a sealable plastic bag and allow to marinate for 2 to 4 hours.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Thread the meat onto the skewers leaving about 1/2-inch in between the pieces of meat. Place on the grill and cook, with lid lowered, 2 to 3 minutes per side, 8 to 12 minutes in all (8 minutes for rare and 12 for medium). Remove from the heat to aluminum foil, wrap and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes prior to serving.

Another dinner idea!

BEEF NOODLE BOWLS

8 oz. linguine, uncooked

3 cups broccoli florets

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)

2 tsp. veggie oil

1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips

1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta mix. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. (I barbecue mine then continue the recipe!) Stir in dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Toss pasta and meat/sauce in large serving bowl. I also add 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts for some crunch! This serves 4, so for larger families...may need to double!

A crowd pleaser...

To help me switch up my menu, and maybe help those of you out there who are having the same problem that I am having with doing the same 5 or 6 things for dinner every night... Here is what I am going to do for dinner tonight. I had to go with what I have here...it is grocery shopping day (yeah!!) I will post every so often (Hello Brandi! Great idea!) and then put labels on these posts and put the links on the side of my blog...so if you are searching for a dinner idea, you might find one!! And of course I will post more than dinners because as I was going through my recipes, I had 4 or 5 times as many dessert recipes as dinner ones! You can't tell what I happen to like more can you?!

*Disclaimer...I am not a cook. Nor do I pretend to be. I have the sign "I kiss better than I cook" hanging in my kitchen for a reason...not that I am saying I am a skilled kisser either...or am I?!! But what I am saying is that if you are looking for fansy schmancy recipes, I am not your girl. Those of you who know us, onions are not a part of our family...but I will list them in recipes for you, but if you are ever over for a dinner...they won't be in ours, yuck! That said...here we go!
(from Picky Palate)

Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti
1 lb ziti pasta noodles

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small bell pepper of choice, finely chopped

½ medium onion, finely chopped

1 lb ground beef

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 26oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce

1 15 oz container Ricotta Cheese

1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pinch salt, pepper

2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute bell pepper and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Brown beef. Add pasta sauce, reduce heat to low and stir in noodles.

3. Place ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir until well combined. 4. Place ½ pasta into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly over pasta, covering entire dish. Pour remaining pasta over cheese, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
8 servings