Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I was so excited when I got an email from my sister-in-law, Ashley, wanting to pass along the dinner she made the other night! I gotta tell you, it makes my day to get feedback of any kind, but someone else sharing a recipe is the beez-neez! Or bees knees... whatever. Anyway, Ashley got this from the back of a La Choy Soy Sauce label and even though I'm not a big beef eater, I am excited to try it! It only takes about 30 minutes and fits in nicely with the Chinese food kick that's been going on lately. Thanks, Ashley!

2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg (14 oz) frozen broccoli florets

1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained{optional, but adds a nice variety to the textures}

1 lb boneless beef sirloin, cut across the grain into 2 x 1/2 inch strips

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/3 C soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp water

Chow Mein noodles {Optional}

Heat 1 tbsp oil in large skillet or wok over high heat. Cook and stir onion, broccoli and water chestnuts 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. Pour remaining oil into skillet. Cook and stir beef and garlic about 2 minutes or until browned. Add broccoli mix back to skillet. Whisk together soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add to skillet. Stir together cornstarch and water until smooth; add to skillet. Cook until heated through and sauce thickens. Serve with Chow Mein noodles.

Easy Orange Chicken

Is it kinda sad that I obsess so much about food and do this group and have this blog, but really don't do any blog browsing of my own?? It's a good thing I follow my cousin's blog at www.sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com; I let them do all the time consuming work of finding great recipes and I just get to copy them, adjust them to taste and call them my own! They got it from Team T Adventures, in case you were wondering. I absolutely LOVE orange chicken! It's pretty much a guarantee anytime we go out for Chinese that one of us will get it and the rest will pick at it! This recipe was simple and seriously tastes as good as the restaurant- at least as good as you can get without adding all the unhealthy msg and fast food preservatives you'd get at certain fast food Chinese chain restaurants... I did have a few changes that I added at the bottom of the directions...

4 boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks
1/3 C flour
olive oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp ketchup
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (3/4 C)
1/4 C brown sugar

In a small bowl, mix the salt, vinegar, ketchup, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar. Set aside. Pour the flour in a separate bowl. Coat the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Pour a small amount of olive oil {about 1-2 tbsp} in a skillet and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. {It doesn't need to be fully cooked if you put it in the crock pot. Directions are included for both crock pot and oven}

Place the chicken in a crock pot and cover with the orange concentrate mixture; stir lightly. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3. Serve with boring old rice, or this way more exciting, tasty and simple fried rice! Panda Express, eat your heart out!

~OR~
I found the chicken got a little dried out going this route, so either make sure the chicken is under cooked before putting it in the crock pot or don't leave it in as long. If you are unsure, taste test a piece after 2-3 hours. Then again, and again, but leave some for the family!

Next time I do this, I'd fry the chicken as directed, but until just cooked through then toss in a large bowl with the orange concentrate mixture. Spread in a single layer on a baking pan and bake for 10-15 minutes or until evenly heated.

Frankenstein Spaghetti Brains

This won the prize for being the cutest! How fun is this? I am absolutely doing this for dinner on Halloween! Nicely done, Audra Simpson! However, she took an idea and made it her own, so there isn't a specific recipe... Here's what we were given:

Thin Spaghetti noodles, cooked, drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese
1 green bell pepper per person
2 olives per person


Toss the noodles and sauce. Add cheese. Cut the top off each bell pepper and remove the seeds; carve a face and holes on each side for the olive "bolts". Spoon the spaghetti into the bell peppers and plug holes on sides with olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*If you intend to eat the bell peppers, you can bake them a little bit to your desired tenderness before spooning the spaghetti in.

Lemon Chicken

I've been on kind of a Chinese kick lately, which is strange, because that's one category I'm not typically crazy about attempting at home! But, I'm glad I'm reaching out, because I'm finding some good stuff! Like this. I love the gooey glaze of this makes it kinda taste breaded and fried, but so much easier than actually breading and frying!

Marinade:
1 tsp flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut to bite size

In a medium size bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add soy sauce and beaten egg. Add chicken and marinate up to 24 hours.

1 carrot, thinly sliced {or a cup or two of baby carrots, sliced lengthwise into quarters}
1-2 tbsp oil

Saute chicken in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes. Add carrots and continue to stir fry until chicken is no longer pink.

Lemon sauce:
3 tbsp sugar {actually, my recipe doesn't say tsp or tbsp or cups... I put 1 tbsp sugar in, but could have done more or less and it still would have been good!}
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Combine all ingredients for lemon sauce. Add to chicken and cook until thickened. Serve over steamed rice.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love that it's been cool enough for these great warm and hearty recipes! Even if it is supposed to be in the 100's again next week... Blah. Despite that, I love THIS!!! Trina mentioned that she was looking for a good broccoli cheese soup recipe, and this one from my mom is fanTASTIC!! Particularly when it's pouring out of a bread bowl {recipe here}. It makes nearly a bajillion servings, but I never freeze any, because it's even good enough for leftovers, over and over! Just be sure to use a large enough pot!

10 cubes chicken bullion
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed {I actually like to leave the peel on- can't taste it and is packed with nutrients!}
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 C celery, chopped
2 bunches broccoli, chopped
1 C margarine
1 C flour
2 qts milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (16 oz) jar cheese whiz

Boil onion, celery and bullion cubes in 3 qts water for 20 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and broccoli. Boil 10 more minutes. Heat milk and butter in microwave until butter melts. Stir in salt and garlic. Add flour and stir with whisk until smooth. Pour into vegetables, stir and cook until thickened. Add cheese whiz, stir until smooth. Pour into vegetables, stir and cook until thickened. Add cheese whiz, stir until smooth.

*** For those of you who don't like a lot of vegetables, {*AHEM* Trina! ;)}, reduce the veggies you don't like and beef up on others! I usually add a can of corn- regular or creamed.

***Also good with 1/2 lb of bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Shepards Pie

My mom used to make snowy mountain casserole and it wasn't until recently that I learned that the rest of the world called it Shepard's pie! So, I found a little twist on my mom's classic and even though I didn't think it was possible, it was even better! Again, a slight mixture of Mom's recipe and the one I'd found from Kraft.
1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1/2 pkg frozen mixed vegetables ( I like the peas and carrots variety)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp dried onion
6-8 servings mashed potatoes
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 C cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in large skillet. Stir in soup, vegetables, salt and pepper and diced onion. Spoon into 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. Prepare mashed potatoes. Stir in cream cheese, 1/2 C cheddar cheese and garlic salt. Spoon over beef mixture and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Harvest Maple Pork Loin Roast

My darling hubby had commented on the frequency of ground beef and chicken in our house, so when I saw an awesome deal on pork loin, I snagged it! Then... I didn't have a great recipe for a pork loin. So, I found some yummy sounding recipes and merged them into this. It was perfect for the cool spell that has me yearning for fall. Warm, robust maple glaze with a side of apple and brown sugar stuffing. Hubby has proclaimed this the new meal for holidays around here! This would be the easiest holiday meal EVER! Now lets see if I can remember how I made it...

1 apple, chopped (I used Granny Smith)
1 sm onion
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 C water
1/4 C plus 2 tbps maple
1 pkg (6 oz) stuffing mix for chicken

1 (2-6 lbs) pork loin roast

3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp sage
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper

Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add apples and onion, cook and stir 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Add water, 1/4 C maple and stuffing mix; cover. Let stand 5 minutes, mix lightly. Place pork loin in a roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray (or 9x13" pan if you are like me and don't have a roasting pan. Sad, I know!) and spoon stuffing mix along sides of loin. Bake 1 hour. Mix 2 tbsp maple and remaining ingredients; brush over roast, drizzle any remaining mix over stuffing. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until cooked through (160 degrees). Let stand 15 minutes before slicing to serve.

Sweet and Sour Pork or chicken or meatballs

This has been hanging out in my 'magical cookbook' for some time, but I didn't really remember it, so I hadn't made it before. I thought I'd give it a try one night when I had LOADS of leftover pork from Harvest Maple Pork loin. It originally calls for meatballs, but pork or battered chicken would be equally delicious! If you wanna try the meatball version, the recipe for the meatballs is after the sauce. Just as good as any Chinese restaurant I've been to! I love the sweet and tangy combination of flavors in this and won't be ignoring this recipe any more!

1/4 C cider vinegar
3/4 C beef bouillon
1 tbsp catsup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp molasses
1/4 C brown sugar
1 (10 oz) can pineapple chunks or tidbits
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C green bell peppers, cut in strips
6 maraschino cherries, halved

Mix first 6 sauce ingredients and juice from pineapple in bowl, pour into frying pan, simmer. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 C water, stir into simmering sauce. Boil, stirring until thick and transparent. Add meatballs, pork or chicken, pineapples, green peppers and cherries. Simmer until heated through. Serve over hot rice.

Meatballs:
1 slice white bread
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp soy sauce
1 6 oz can water chestnuts, diced and drained

Stir together meatball ingredients, shape into 1 1/2" balls. Brown in hot oil, remove from pan when brown, set aside to prepare sauce.

Goulash

My mom grew up on this recipe, as did I, as will my children. It is a sweet, barbecue flavored, very kid friendly meal that throws together quickly and easily. It even tastes great as a leftover- a rare quality!

3/4 lb ground beef
2 1/2 C elbow macaroni noodles (I didn't have any on hand, so obviously, that one is flexible)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can tomato soup
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans water
1/4 C onions, chopped
1/8 C green bell peppers, chopped (optional)
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C catsup
salt and pepper
1 C frozen corn

Brown ground beef, drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients except corn. Cover and simmer until macaroni is soft. Stir in corn, cook 5 more minutes.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

Molly, Molly, Molly... You've done it again! As the weather turns cooler {for most of the U.S.}, soups start getting center attention again- This one is steals the show! The bold, hearty flavors of the spices, the vegetables, the sausage all balanced perfectly with cheesy bites of tortellini. I guarantee this will be re-made again and again!

1 lb mild Italian sausage

1 C chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

5 C beef broth

1 C water

2 C chopped tomatoes (28 oz can)

1 C sliced carrots

1 1/2 C zucchini, sliced

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 C tortellini (8 oz)

3 tsp parsley

Remove skin from sausage and cook until brown. Remove sausage from pan and leave drippings. Blend all ingredients except tortellini, zucchini and sausage. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add reserved ingredients and cook for 30 more minutes.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

My mom got this from my aunt and made a few adjustments to come up with this go-to, all-in-one casserole. I love the hint of curry, soggy bread, veggie and chicken... It's what immediately pops into my mind whenever I start thinking of a menu. This dish is sometimes referred to as Chicken Divan. Fancy name for a simple, comfort dish!

4 small chicken breasts, cut to bite size and cooked
1 pkg broccoli, cooked {I use about 3 C of a vegetable medley}
5-6 slices stale bread, torn into bite sized pieces
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C miracle whip
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 C chicken broth
1 C milk
1 C cheddar cheese

Spread broccoli on bottom of 9x13" pan. Top with chicken then bread crumbs. Whisk together of soup, miracle whip, lemon juice, curry, cream of mushroom, broth and milk. Pour over the bread crumbs. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sweet and Sticky Orange Chicken

Kraft Food's quarterly recipe magazine becomes my 2nd bible every time a new one comes in the mail. I highly recommend it. But then, you'd have most of my best recipes.... ;) This is a combination of two of their recipes. I adjusted it for the crock pot, but kinda over cooked parts of the chicken. In order to avoid that, flip your chicken every couple of hours.

1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1/4 C orange juice
1/8 C orange juice concentrate
1/4 C Asian toasted sesame dressing
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 tbsp ginger or minced gingerroot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces

Crock pot version:
Place chicken in a large crock pot. Add red bell peppers. Mix remaining ingredients except oranges in a separate bowl and slowly add to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, turning the chicken every couple of hours. Add oranges for last 30 minutes of cook time. Serve over rice with stir fry vegetables.

Stove:
Mix orange juice concentrate, dressing, soy sauce, sugar and crushed pepper. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook in a skillet on high heat for 5-6 minutes or until done, stirring frequently. Add ginger and garlic; cook and stir on medium- high heat 2 minutes. Add red peppers; cook 2 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl; cover to keep warm.
Add dressing mixture to skillet; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add chicken mixture; cook and stir 2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in oranges; spoon onto platter. Serve over rice with stir fry vegetables.

Make Ahead Pizza Casserole

I can't remember where I got this recipe- it's just been sitting in my cookbook for ages! I'd made it before, and it was ok, so I made a few adjustments. I love that I can make it ahead of time {like when my kids are sleeping and not pulling on my pants or demanding my attention} and it's super good when regular pizza just ain't cutting it! Plus, you can alter it with your favorite pizza toppings.

1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

6 C French or Italian bread {about 1 loaf}

5 eggs

1 1/4 C milk

1/2 C sour cream

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2-1 tsp garlic powder

3 medium tomatoes, cored and diced {or about 1 can of diced tomatoes}(optional)

Your favorite toppings. {I used a can and a half of pineapple tidbits and a package of diced ham. Not sure the sizes...}

Spray a 9x13" pan with Pam. In a LARGE bowl, toss together the mozzarella, tomatoes, bread, and chosen toppings. Arrange mixture evenly in the baking pan. Using the same large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk; add the milk, sour cream, oregano, basil and garlic powder. Beat well. Pour egg mixture over the bread, tilting the baking pan from side to side to soak all the bread cubes evenly. {I added a little more mozzarella to the top} Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Remove from fridge and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes; heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the casserole and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on top. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.

A few variations I'd like to try:

Sausage, olives, diced green bell peppers and onions, a can of cream of chicken for a Supreme

chicken, red onions, pineapples, barbecue sauce for a Hawaiian chicken BBQ{one of our favs}

pkt ranch dressing, bacon, chicken, onion for a Bacon Chicken Ranch

Beef Gravy

Jennifer Fulton showed up a little late to Beef Night, so I'm not sure how many of us got to try this- we were all so full of the other good stuff! This is kind of like stroganoff, but a little heartier. It would also make a good biscuits-and-gravy gravy for breakfast- just substitute sausage for the beef and use it to top biscuits instead of noodles.

1 lb hamburger

1/2 onion

2 C milk

1 cube butter

about 1/4 C flour

Brown hamburger and onion; drain. Melt in butter. Heat milk and add to the mixture. Add flour little by little until pasty. It should be the consistency of gravy, not quite as thick as a stroganoff.

Mostacolli

Jamie Massey is a fellow foodie and I always look forward to what she brings. This time was a yummy Italian dish akin to a spaghetti or baked ziti or most meat-and-red sauce Italian dishes!

1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes with Italian seasoning
1 onion
3-4 garlic cloves
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground round
1 tsp sugar
oregano
basil
1 box rigatoni pasta

Cover bottom of large frying pan with olive oil. Chop fine onion and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes or until onion is transparent. Do not brown garlic. Add the hamburger and brown. When browned, drain the excess fat. Add the tomatoes, sugar and oregano. Simmer on low for about an hour. The last 10 minutes add basil finely chopped. Bring water to a boil in a separate pot. Add the salt then the pasta. DO NOT ADD OIL. Mix cooked pasta with sauce and serve.

To reheat leftovers- Put in a pan on the stove. Add a little ketchup to loosen the sauce and pasta.

To freeze- Freeze in a 9x13" pan. The night before, put into the fridge to thaw. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Mini Meatloaves

For those of you who have been patiently waiting: Molly Heaton's Mini Meatloaves! These 'cupcake meatloaves' {or is it loaf's?} were a huge hit! It was the most flavorful and succulent meatloaf I'd ever had! It's taken me a bit to get these recipes posted and this one has been asked for a couple times already- so alright, already! Here it is!

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing mix {She usually uses Sage flavor, but that night it was Savory Herb}
1 C water
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 C BBQ sauce {she used Sweet Baby Ray's Original}

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing, water and garlic powder. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Make indentation in center of each meatloaf and fill with BBQ sauce. Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through. Top with cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Slow Cooker Beef in Mushroom Gravy

This extremely juicy roast was brought by Joni Joiner. It just melts in your mouth! Love the simplicity and taste- double score!

2 - 2 1/2 lbs boneless round steak
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 - 3/4 C water

Cut steak into 6 serving size pieces and place in 3 qt crock pot. Combine soup, water and soup mix in a separate bowl then add to the crock pot. Cook covered on low 8 hours or until tender.

Makes it's own gravy and is great with mashed potatoes or add red potatoes to the crock pot for the last 2 hours of cooking. Joni recommends turning the meat every 2 hours to prevent it from getting too brown on one side.

Ravioli Bake

This is like the ultimate in lazy lasagna. I added beef to it so it would qualify to come to the party, but usually I do it as a meatless meal and kinda think it's better that way...

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 C water
2 lbs frozen cheese ravioli
1 (7 oz)pkg shredded cheese, italian blend
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and water; spoon 1 C onto bottom of 9x13" pan. Layer half the ravioli and 1 C shredded cheese over sauce mixture. Top with remining ravioli and sauce mix. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; cover. Bake 30 minutes, uncover. Bake 15 more minutes or until ravioli is tender and heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan. Let stand 10 minutes.

I used spinach raviolis that I got from Costco. It came with a packet of topping which I sprinkled over each cheese layer.

Roast Beef Aus Jous

I LOVE this recipe! I know I say that a lot, but this one is probably in my top 10 favs. Super easy, done in the crockpot, and OOOHHH soooo goood! I should have gotten a picture of the sandwiches with the dip... just imagine a yummy dip sitting next to the sandwiches just waiting to be dipped and enjoyed! Then try it for yourself!

1 Rump Roast beef

1 cans beef broth

2 cans water

1 can french onion soup

Deli or sub rolls

Provolone or Monterey Jack Cheese, sliced

In crock pot add roast, soup, broth and water. Cook on low overnight and all day or high for 8-10 hours. Slice cheese onto open faced rolls and broil until melted. Remove roast from crock pot just before serving and shred with 2 forks. Place shredded beef between rolls and serve with brother for dipping.

*** Optional: Substitute 4 beef boullion cubes dissolved in 4 C hot water for the canned beef broth and 2 cans water.

Lasagna

Catrina Bowers isn't typically a lasagna fan, but she makes exception for this lasagna recipe from her grandma. Catrina left out the ricotta cheese because her family isn't a fan of it. It was good, and now I'm curious how it would be WITH the ricotta...

1 box of lasagna noodles, cooked according to directions on box

1 1/2 lbs hamburger

1 medium onion, chopped

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

1/2 can tomato paste

1 container ricotta cheese

6 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the hamburger with the onion. Drain the grease; add sauce and paste. Spread a little bit of the hamburger mixture on the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Place a layer of noodles, then a layer of 1/3 the meat mix, then a layer of 1 3/4 C cheese. Repeat two more times until only about 1/2 C of cheese is left. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Take off foil and top with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes.

***Tip- to take out the HUGE hassle of precooking your noodles and dealing with precooked noodles, use oven-ready noodles OR add 1 1/2 C water to the hamburger mix and cook an extra 20-30 minutes.