Filed under: Country, Recipes | Tags: au jus, carrots, cooking, dinner recipes, family, Food, gravy, holiday meals, mashed potatoes, peas, Recipes, roast beef
Roast beef cooked to perfection, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. This roast beef is so tender and juicy you wont believe it! It’s very easy to make and accompanied with au jus made from the meat drippings, mashed potatoes, gravy and buttery peas and carrots, whats not to love.
Ingredients: Roast Beef
3lb. boneless beef tip roast
2 teas. salt
1 teas. pepper
1 1/2 teas. onion powder
1/2 teas. garlic powder
2 teas. dry oregano
2 teas. dry parsley
1 tbsp. vegetable or corn oil (for cooking)
1 teas. corn starch (better) or flour
Method: Roast Beef
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano and parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle it on all sides of the meat. This is best done on a cutting board as most of the seasoning will fall off. Using your hands, “rub” the meat around the cutting board as this will pick up most of the seasoning and rub it into the meat evenly.
Heat a medium to large “oven safe” skillet to high heat and add the oil (corn oil is better as it has a higher “smoke point”). Using a pair of tongs, carefully place your roast in the pan. Be careful as it may splatter from the high heat. Sear the roast on all sides. This will take about 2 minutes a side.
Because of the shape of the roast you may have to lean it up against the side of the pan on a few sides to ensure even searing. Make sure to sear the two end sides as well. There should be a total of 6 sides to be seared. This will take about 12 minutes at 2 minutes a side.
After searing on all sides, place the roast flat, remove from heat and cover with a large dome lid or foil. Try not to let your cover touch the top side of the roast.
Place in your preheated oven and roast for 50 to 55 minutes for medium rare (internal temperature 145 degrees). If you like medium to medium well, roast for about 1 hour to 1:10 (internal temperature 155 degrees).
Remove the roast from the oven but do not uncover it as it is still cooking. Let it rest at least 30-45 minutes, 1 to 1:15 is best or until the roast has cooled till it’s only “warm” to the touch. This allows the juices of the meat to distribute back into the meat. If you try to cut into it right away the juices will flow out leaving you with a tough roast and a pool of juice. The rest time is crucial to having a very tender roast so please don’t skip this step.
After the rest period, remove your roast to a cutting board for slicing.
Pour the leftover pan drippings into a cup or bowl leaving about a teaspooon of liquid in the skillet, we’ll need it in a few minutes and there is a lot of flavor in it. All of those little bits on the bottom have a great deal of flavor that you can use to make a quick and very flavorful “au jus” (beef juice). After the cup of liquid sits for a few minutes, the fat will come to the top. Skim that off.
Return the skillet to a burner set to medium heat and add the corn starch. Stir for about a minute to cook the corn starch. This is kind of like making a roux. Add the skimmed broth back to the skillet and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, it’s ready to pour over the sliced meat.
Ingredients: Peas and Carrots
4 carrots (peeled and sliced on the bias)
1 1/3 cup frozen peas
3/4 cube butter or margarine
1/4 teas. salt
1/8 teas. pepper
Method: Peas and Carrots
Peel and slice your carrots.
Melt the butter in a 2qt. sauce pan over medium low heat.
Add the carrots, salt and pepper and saute, covered (stirring occasionally) for 20 to 30 minutes or until the carrots are soft and tender.
Add the peas and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, until heated all the way through. Serve.
Ingredients: Mashed Potatoes
4-5 russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk or cream
salt and pepper to taste
water for boiling
Method: Mashed Potatoes
Add your cubed potatoes to a 3-5qt sauce pan. Add cold water to cover by about an inch. Do not add potatoes to boiling water as the outside will cook too fast, leaving the inside raw. It is best to heat the water and potatoes at the same time so the potatoes will cook through evenly.
Bring the water and potatoes to a boil and add a teaspoon of salt. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until a fork inserted into the middle of a cube goes in and out easily.
Drain the potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl add the milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash. Serve
For a very simple beef gravy:
1/2 cube butter or margarine 2 tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups beef broth 1/8 teas. dry oregano
1/8 teas. garlic powder 1/8 teas. dry marjoram
1/8 teas. onion powder salt and pepper to taste
Method: Easy beef gravy
Melt the butter in a 1qt. sauce pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir. Stir often for about 5 minutes. This will cook the flour and give you a nice roux. Add the broth a little at a time and keep stirring. By adding a little bit of broth and then stirring you’ll notice the roux get thick, smooth and creamy at first. This is what you want, it will ensure you’ll have no lumps in the gravy. Continue to add the broth until gone. Add the seasoning and bring to a boil. Lower the heat until it just bubbles nicely. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to incorporate the flavors. Serve
This is like a prime rib dinner without the high price. The roast beef is extremely moist and tender. The au jus is perfect right over the top. The peas and carrots are buttery and the mashed potatoes and gravy are delicious! Add a warm dinner roll and salad and you’ve got a great holiday meal any time of year! Easy to make and only takes a little over an hour. Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll give it a try.
-David
P.S. I have a new ebook out that shows you how to make your own frozen meals at a fraction of what they cost in a store. Great time saver when you don’t have time to cook. Have them for dinner or bring them to work! Save time and money! You can find it at www.onestopcook.com
Filed under: Country, Mexican | Tags: burrito, cooking, fajitas, family, Food, mexican food, Recipes, steak, tortillas
Tender and juicy sirloin steak grilled over high heat. The steak is marinated in a blend of Mexican spices, onions, garlic, red, green and orange peppers then grilled over high heat. Add cheese, lettuce, tomato and your favorite hot sauce and you’ve got one tasty burrito! Add rice and beans and make it a great meal!
Fajita Burrito with Rice and Beans
Ingredients: Steak Fajita Mix
1 1/2lbs. top sirloin steak
1/2 onion (sliced)
1/3 red pepper (sliced)
1/2 green pepper (sliced)
1/3 orange pepper (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. pepper
1/3 teas. chili powder
1/8 teas. cumin
1 teas. dry oregano
corn oil for cooking
Method: Steak Fajita Mix
Start by slicing all of your vegetables and meat.
Spread the meat out on your cutting board and sprinkle the vegetables over the top. Sprinkle the seasoning over everything and mix it all up to incorporate the spices.
This is an easy way to insure that your seasonings will be distributed evenly.
Put your mix into a ziplock bag, or, into a bowl, with a piece of plastic wrap that has been pushed down onto the meat, squeezing all of the air out. This prevents “aeration”, sealing in the flavors. Marinate your mix at least 1 hour up to overnight.
To cook:
Heat a large skillet to high heat.
Add about 1teas. of corn oil to the skillet. When it starts to slightly smoke it’s ready for your mix.
It’s best to make the fajita mix in batches of enough for 1 or 2 burritos at a time.
Too much meat at one time will cause the liquid in the meat to bubble up, steaming the meat.. we don’t want this.
Less meat in the skillet will allow the liquid in the meat to come out and evaporate quickly. This gives you a better sear on the meat, cooking it quicker.
After adding a batch to your skillet, spread it out to get as much of the meat touching the bottom as you can and let it go for about a minute. This will help get rid of excess moisture quickly, giving you a head start on the “saute” part.
After a minute, start to move the mix around the skillet with a wood spatula loosening up any bits that may be stuck. If you know how to “flip” your mix now”s the time otherwise just keep stirring it around until you get your desired doneness, usually about 8 to 10 minutes start to finish. Your mix is now ready for burritos.
Use your cooked fajita mix as fast as possible. It’s best to transfer the cooked mix directly from pan to tortilla. Or, line a bowl with foil, place the cooked mix into it and cover with another piece of foil. Although doing this will steam the meat, it will stay hot, juicy and tender for up to 30 minutes. This fajita mix is also great for soft tacos 
Ingredients: Steak Fajita Burrito
fajita mix
1/2 head lettuce (shredded)
2 tomatoes (diced)
10 oz. cheddar or jack cheese (shredded)
4- 14 inch flour tortillas (really big burritos)
or
8-10 inch flour tortillas
hot sauce or salsa
Method: Steak Fajita Burritos
Heat your tortillas, as this will make them pliable, by either placing them in a microwave, 1 or 2 at a time (45 seconds to a minute), or, by heating them on a 350 degree grill, griddle or big skillet, flipping until hot, about 30 seconds total per tortilla. Or, wrap up to 10 tortillas tightly in foil and place directly on the oven rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes or until hot.
Note: With the oven method, as long as the foil is wrapped tightly around the tortillas, you can slowly heat them at 200 degrees or lower. This way will keep them hot and fresh for up to an hour… as long as they remain tightly sealed… take “em” as you need “em”.. just remember to close it up good. Extra cooked fajita mix (remember the bowl trick from earlier) can be kept in with the tortillas.
Wrapping the burrito
Arrange your hot fajita mix in a line across the center and to one side of a warm tortilla as shown in the picture.
Quickly add your shredded cheese over the top of the mix to melt in. Add your lettuce, tomato and sauce.
Fold the side where you left the space, over that side of the burrito.
Take the bottom edge closest to you and fold it up over the burrito.
Using both hands, fold that bottom lip down under the mix to tightly seal it in.
Once you get it tight, keep it that way and roll it over on itself until it’s all the way rolled up.
There ya go…. ready to eat, enjoy!
Add some beans and rice and you’ll have a full plate of delicious!
The meat with the peppers grilled on high heat with the seasoning is awesome. Guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo are all great additions to give you even more great flavor, it’s hard to go wrong with your toppings.
Give fajitas a try.. you’ll be glad you did!
-David
P.S. New environmentally friendly cookware site on the way at www.onestopcook.com
Filed under: Country, Recipes, Slow Cook Recipes | Tags: beef, beef sandwich, braise beef, cole slaw, cooking, family, Food, Recipes, sandwich
Seasoned beef roast braised until it starts to shred, piled onto a french roll and covered in cheese. Lightly baked in the oven and then dressed with thousand island dressing, lettuce and tomato. Add your favorite chips or french fries and a salad, I’m having mine with cole slaw.
Ingredients: Braised Beef
2lbs. chuck steak
1 2/3 teas. salt
1 1/4 teas. cracked pepper
3/4 teas. garlic powder
2 teas. onion powder
2 cups water
1 tbsp. olive oil
Method: Braised Beef
Heat a medium to large skillet to medium high heat and add the oil and move it around the pan to coat. Carefully place the roast in the pan to sear. It’ll take about 5 to 6 minutes a side. At this point, add the water and seasoning.
Be careful when adding water to a hot pan, hot steam will form when the water first hits the pan so be careful.
Give it a stir to incorporate the seasoning and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer slowly for about 3 hours covered for the first 2 hours and with the lid cracked for the last hour to evaporate some of the liquid.
After 2 1/2 to 3 hours the meat will begin to fall apart, that’s the sign it’s ready. Cook to your desired tenderness then remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Shred it up and it’s ready for sandwiches.
Ingredients: Braised Beef Sandwiches
braised beef
6 french rolls (6in.)
1/2 head lettuce (shredded)
2 tomatoes (sliced thin)
1/2 cup 1000 island dressing
10-12 oz. monterey jack cheese (sliced or shredded)
Method: Braised Beef Sandwiches
Divide the meat into 6 equal portions and remove any excess fat.
Pile it onto the bottoms of the french rolls and cover with cheese.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top buns start to turn golden brown.
Remove from oven and and spread the dressing on the top bun.
Add the lettuce and tomato and drizzle with a little more dressing.
Close them up and cut in half, if desired. Serve.
Ingredients: Cole Slaw
16 oz. bag cole slaw mix
1/4 green pepper ( sliced thin)
1/4 onion (sliced thin)
2 stalks celery ( sliced thin)
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 teas. salt
1 big tbsp. sugar
Method: Cole Slaw
Add the rice wine vinegar, onion, green pepper and celery to a small bowl. Let marinate for about 15 minutes, this will soften the acidity of the green pepper and onions.
In a big bowl, add the cole slaw mix, marinated peppers, onion and celery, salt, relish, sugar and salt and give it a stir.
Stir in the mayonnaise a little at a time until you get your desired consistency. Adding it all at once runs the risk of having too much sauce.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour to let the flavors incorporate. Serve.
This is a very tasty sandwich and versatile. Add onions and bacon to kick it up. Change the cheese and sauce to make a completely different sandwich. The options of what you can do are endless, be creative. I’m having mine with sour cream and cheddar chips and cole slaw but you could easily change that to french fries and a garden salad. Potato or macaroni salad also work well. Any way you slice it, you can’t go wrong with “meat and cheese”!
Enjoy and HAPPY COOKING!
David
Check out our online cookware store at www.onestopcook.com
Filed under: Country, Italian | Tags: cabbage, cabbage rolls, cooking, family, Food, hamburger, marinara sauce, Recipes, rice, stuffed peppers
A wonderful italian style tomato, rice and meat mix that can be used for both stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls. Both of these are great entrees or side dishes, take your pick. If you like stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls you’re gonna love these.
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients: Tomato Sauce
1 28oz. can whole tomatoes
1 28oz. can water
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 teas. salt
3/4 teas. pepper
4 teas. sugar
1 teas. garlic powder
2 teas. onion powder
1 big tbsp. dry oregano
Method: Tomato Sauce
Add everything to a medium size sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low to medium low and simmer covered for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your sauce is ready.
Ingredients: Rice
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups beef broth
Method: Rice
Bring the beef broth to a boil and then add your rice. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until done. Your rice is ready.
Ingredients: Tomato, Rice and Meat Mix
2 lbs. ground beef (15%)
1 onion (small to medium dice)
1 green pepper (small to medium dice)
4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
1 tbsp. salt
1 1/2 teas. pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
your tomato sauce and rice
Method: Tomato, Rice and Meat Mix
Add olive oil first and then the ground beef to a large deep skillet or stock pot (something big enough to hold the meat, rice and sauce) and start to brown on high heat.
After your meat is about half way browned, about 8-10 minutes, add the salt, pepper, garlic, onion and green pepper and continue cooking on high until the meat starts to sear.
Reduce heat to low and add all but 1 1/2 cups of your sauce to the meat.
You’ll need the sauce for the cabbage rolls later. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
After about 20 minutes, stir in your cooked rice and cook for another 5 minutes or so to incorporate all of the flavors.
Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for about 10 minutes.
Your mix is ready.
Ingredients: Stuffed Peppers
3 bell peppers (cut in half and seeded)
1 1/2-2 lbs tomato, rice and meat mix (5-6 cups)
3 slices white bread (for breadcrumbs)
4 oz. cheddar cheese (shredded)
Method: Stuffed Peppers
Run the bread through a food processor to make breadcrumbs, or, tightly wad the bread into a ball and grate using the shred side of a box grater.
Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together to make your topping.
Arrange the hollowed out peppers in a baking dish and stuff as much of the meat mixture into the peppers as you can.
Use a spoon and really push the mixture down into the pepper to get rid of any air spaces.
Sprinkle your breadcrumb topping over the top and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes, serve.
Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients: Cabbage Rolls
1 1/2-2 lbs tomato, rice and meat mix
your leftover 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 head green cabbage (leafed)
4 oz. monterey jack cheese (shredded)
4oz. cheddar cheese (shredded)
Method: Cabbage Rolls
Note: the cabbage is easier to work with dry so don’t wash it before you start.
Place the cabbage, core side up on a cutting board. Take a small knife and carefully cut the leaves away from the core. This will make it easier to remove whole leaves.
Gently pull the leaves off to keep them in tact. They will get smaller as you go and harder to keep whole but go slow and try to keep the leaves as big as possible.
Cut out the stem part of the bigger leaves. The stem part in the smaller leaves are fine, they’re more tender.
Place the cabbage leaves in a big bowl or colander and wash them off.
Steam the leaves (a few at a time) by placing them in a steamer insert over boiling water and steam, covered, for about 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the leaves. The outer leaves will take a little longer.
If you don’t have the insert you can place a metal colander or strainer over a pot of boiling water and cover, this does the same thing.
Transfer the steamed leaves to a plate, they’re ready for rolling. Add about 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish and spread it out.
To roll, spoon the meat mixture across the center of 1 big leaf, or, 2 to 3 smaller ones, roll it up and place in your baking dish. Continue until your dish is full 8-10 rolls.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle cheddar and jack cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes, serve.
Both of these recipes have great flavor and there is enough of the tomato, rice and meat mixture for one tray of cabbage rolls and 3-4 whole pepers or 6-8 halves. These are great on a nice summer afternoon.
Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY COOKING!
David
Check out our online cookware store at www.onestopcook.com
Filed under: Country, Italian | Tags: casserole, cooking, family, Food, pasta, Recipes, spaghetti, tettrazini, turkey
Shredded dark meat turkey in a flavorful white cream sauce with vegetables, pasta and a crispy breadcrumb topping. This is very easy to put together and the flavors blend together perfectly. Great for a summer dinner, this is definitely comfort food.
Ingredients: White Sauce
1 1/2 cubes butter or margarine
1 stalk celery (small dice)
1/2 onion (small dice)
4 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
1/2 green pepper (small dice)
5 tbsp. flour
6 cups milk
1/4 cup “pink” type wine (something you would drink)
3/4 teas. pepper
2 teas. dry parsley
1 teas. dry oregano
1 teas. dry marjoram
2 tbsp. powdered chicken bullion (4-5 cubes)
8oz. monterey jack cheese (shredded)
Method: White Sauce
Over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine in a medium size sauce pan and add the onions, garlic,celery and green peppers.
Saute for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
Stir in the flour to make a roux, this should take about 5 minutes.
Pour the milk in a little at a time while stirring and add the wine and seasonings. Reserve the cheese.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 15-20 minutes or when a skin starts to form. At this point add your cheese and stir until it has melted. Remove from heat and cover. It’s ready.
FOR THE TURKEY
I roasted a whole turkey (about 13lbs.) simply by smearing margarine all over it and roasting it on a rack set inside a roasting pan. 350 degrees for about 3 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 155 to 160 degrees. I’m just using the dark meat for this recipe but you can use light meat or a combination. You’ll need about 2lbs. of meat.
If you don’t want to roast a whole turkey the deli section of your local grocery store probably has deli style turkey. You can ask them to cut a 2lb. slice and just cut small chunks out of it. This way is also good but not as good as freshly roasted turkey.
Ingredients: Turkey Tettrazini
2lbs. cooked turkey (large shred is best)
white sauce
1 1/2 lbs dry spaghetti noodles
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (or whatever you like)
water for pasta
1 tbsp. salt (for pasta water)
BREAD CRUMB TOPPING
6 slices white bread
4 oz. cheddar cheese (shredded)
4 oz. monterey jack cheese (shredded)
Method: Turkey Tettrazini
Boil about 1 gallon of water in a large stock pot and add the salt and the pasta and boil for 8-12 minutes or until your pasta is al dente, turn heat off.
Add your mixed vegetables directly to the hot pasta water and let steep for about 5 minutes, covered, or until the vegetables start to soften.
What this will do is to help cool the pasta down.
It will also help to thaw and partially cook the vegetables. This will save you time and dishes.
Drain your pasta and vegetables and add them back to your pot. Stir in your sauce and turkey. Your tettrazini is ready.
Method: Breadcrumb Topping
Take 3 pieces of bread and tightly wad it up into a ball. Using the “shred” side of a box grater, shred your bread. It should look like breadcrumbs. Repeat with the other 3 pieces of bread. Or, just run all of the bread through a food processor.
Add the breadcrumbs to a bowl and mix in the cheeses. Your topping is ready.
Assembly: Turkey Tettrazini
This recipe makes 2 small casseroles so divide the tettrazini mixture into 2 baking dishes and spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle half of your topping on each one to cover. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 40 to 50 minutes or when the top turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Chicken can also be used as a substitute for turkey.
One small whole chicken (about 3lbs.) roasted the same way as described for the turkey except the cook time for the chicken will be about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
You will get about 2 to 2 1/2lbs of meat once the bones have been removed. California style frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) also work well with this casserole.
This is a great summer or fall dinner, great with a nice green salad and a piece of garlic bread. The white cream sauce has a nice blend of flavors. The crispy breadcrumb topping adds just the right amount of crunch. This is simple to make and is very versatile.
Enjoy and HAPPY COOKING!
David
Check out our online cookware store at www.onestopcook.com
