Oven Tacos

New weeknight standby.  Way better than normal ground beef tacos!  HERE is the recipe!

Sour Cream Pasta Bake

Easy & pretty yummy -- great for a weeknight dinner.  RECIPE by Pioneer Woman.

Shredded Beef Enchilada Casserole

My husband doesn't really like ground beef in tacos, enchiladas, etc. so I decided to make shredded beef enchiladas based on Pioneer Woman's ground beef ones. 

I threw a 2 lb. chuck beef roast in the slow cooker all day on low (about 8 hours) with a large can of diced green chiles and a little water. 

I made the enchilada sauce from PW: 

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Once the sauce was done I dipped yellow corn tortillas in the enchilada sauce and laid a layer of them on a greased baking dish overlapping.  Then I added some shredded beef over the top of those.  Then I added some grated cheddar cheese to the top of that.  Then I drizzled (heavily) some sauce to the top of that.  Then I repeated the process, ending with tortillas covered in cheese and sauce on top. 

I did it this way because I didn't want to take the time to fry the tortillas or roll them all into individual enchiladas.  So I guess this is more of a beef enchilada casserole.

Anyway, this was delicious and I definitely prefer the shredded beef.  Top with sour cream and fresh cilantro leaves.

Banana Pepper Beef

I love crockpot cooking.  It's the best!  Especially in the fall and winter when it's cold out and you get home to a house that smells delicious and a hot meal is ready for you.  This recipe for banana pepper beef is so easy and makes a large amount so you can have leftovers for a couple of days.  I think I need to start making more beef recipes in the crock pot - yum!  I got the recipe HERE.  Here's what you do:

NEED

2 lbs. rump roast
1 jar banana peppers
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder (I just used real garlic minced)
Buns

Rub salt and pepper all over roast.  Sprinkle some garlic powder over it and put in slow cooker.  Empty entire contents of a jar of banana peppers on top of the roast.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  When ready to eat, shred beef.  Compile a sandwich with whatever you want on it.  Dip one side of your bun in the gravy in the crockpot.  I used slices of white cheddar.  The original recipe says to use provolone and mayo. 

These are so delish!  Does it get any easier? I don't think so.

Pioneer Woman Sloppy Joes

These sloppy joes are delicious!  They are easy and fast and have a lot of flavor.  The best part about them is the bun being toasted with butter because it holds the meat in better and the sandwiches don't get soggy like normal sloppy joes do.  I will never again eat a sloppy joe without my bun toasted with butter.  Thanks for another genius idea, PW!  I didn't put the option Tabasco sauce in mine, but I did use Worcester sauce for the first time EVER.  And let me tell you... I loved it.  It really added a great flavor to the meat.  I topped ours with a huge slice of cheddar.  I can't wait for leftovers tonight!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I made corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty's Day.  I knew I needed to put it in the crock pot because of time restraints so I used a couple different recipes (mostly using THIS ONE as a guide) to make it how I wanted it.

Ingredients:

3 pound corned beef brisket with a seasoning packet
Half a bag red potatoes, quartered
5 large carrots, diced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 head of cabbage, cut into chunks

I put the potatoes, carrots, chopped parsley and corned beef brisket (seasoned with the seasoning packet) in the crock pot with 3 cups of water.  I cooked it on low for 8 hours.  Then I took the meat out and put the cabbage in and cooked for another 1 1/2 hours.

This was delicious and very easy.  I was proud of my first try making this meal.  'Til next year!