Paula Deen's Goulash - Delish!

 

If this isn’t comfort food then I don’t know what is! Paula Deen can cook! People might want to make fun of her for her love of butter and saying y’all, but Y’ALL, that woman has some mighty fine recipes! And believe it or not, they don’t all contain a stick of butter. This one doesn’t and I made a little healthier version by using ground turkey instead of beef. You can use which ever floats your boat.  The name “goulash” doesn’t sound very appealing, but you can get passed that like I did. I ran across this recipe while I was looking for something else and the picture stopped me in my tracks. It looked so delicious….and boy was it ever! As I started reading the recipe I may have started drooling a little bit. I love every ingredient in this recipe, how could I not try it? Clearly that was going to be impossible. The day I found the recipe, I made it. My husband just keep saying, “this is so good”, “this is really good”, “this is so flavorful”.  Well he’s right. This recipe is so delicious and full of so much flavor. Now we are a bit of sissy’s on the hot sauce category so I backed ours down a bit. I read the reviews and a lot of people said it was too hot for them. You could start with 1 Tablespoon and add a little more after it cooks and you can taste it. Remember, you can add hot sauce as you go, but you can’t take it out. This makes such a huge recipe, I’d hate for you to ruin it all by making it too hot…..season with caution. Now let’s get started on this bad boy so you can make it tonight too!

 

Ingredients:

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         2 lbs lean ground beef or ground turkey

·         1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

·         1 red bell pepper, chopped

·         4 cloves garlic, chopped

·         3 cups water

·         1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

·         2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes

·         2 teaspoons dried basil

·         2 teaspoons dried oregano

·         3 tablespoons Paula Deen Hot Sauce – I cut this back to 1 tablespoon

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)

·         kosher salt, to taste

·         black pepper, to taste

·         parsely, to taste

 

Directions:

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the beef, and brown for 10 minutes, breaking up with the back of your wooden spoon as you stir. Add the onion and bell pepper and continue to cook, while stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.

 

Add all the remaining ingredients, except the macaroni, and cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes. At this point I started second guessing my pot choice. Not so sure 3 cups of water and pasta will fit in here. Hmmmm.....what to do???

 

Stir in the macaroni, cover with the lid, and simmer for another 30 minutes. Let's pretend you don't notice that I had to get my husband to help me pour everything into a larger pot.

 

Let mixture stand for 20 minutes before serving. Try to be patient. This is a good time to make some cheddar biscuits or garlic bread. You definitely need bread with this comfort meal. Garnish with parsley.

 

Come on, how delicious is this looking??

Enjoy one bowl, then go back for seconds…..like we did. I hope y’all enjoy this as much as we did. I think you will.
 

Grilled Flank Steak

Excuse the greasy cutting board but I was so excited I started snapping pics!

Flank steak is a delicious yet underrated cut of meat. It's pretty inexpensive too, and when cooked right, it is full of flavor! You really can't beat the flavor of grilled meat anytime, but grilled flank is really delicious! I also like to keep it simple and not get crazy with my marinade. I start with a simple marinade of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and minced garlic.  I'll give you the details, it's so simple.


Marinade:


About 3 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
2 cloves minced garlic

Place flank steak in an air tight container. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and add minced garlic. If you have time to leave in the refrigerator overnight, that is great, if not, try leaving it for at least an hour. I put mine in the fridge before I headed to work and the husband was in charge of lighting the grill when I got home.

Already starting to drool....

Once you are ready to get this party started, place steak on grill and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Yes,  I know that sounds fast, but this is a really thin steak and you do NOT want it overcooked! Set your timer! Don't mess around with this.


Remove from grill and immediately cover in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Now we are ready to carve! Doesn't it already look delicious? David was in charge of carving. Don't worry about his grubby hands touching the meat, we weren't having anyone for dinner. Just us two little piggy's ate all this meat!

The key to slicing flank is to carve against the grain and at an angle. Doesn't it look pretty? Finish carving up and you are ready to chow down. It's as simple as that!

This was one of the best steak dinners we have had in a long time. I served it with some rosemary potatoes and creamed spinach. Now that's a good meal!

Sirloin Tips w/Mushrooms

For those of you that know me, you know the hubby and I (and Eli & Henry) are moving back to Atlanta! We are so excited, but it’s a stressful time. David is already working and living in Atlanta and comes home on weekends. When he comes home, I want to cook him some delicious meals. He eats Subway all week for dinner and that’s just not acceptable! I found some beef tips in the freezer and decided I needed to make something with them. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I’m going to tell you one change I would make up front. The liquid was a little thin and I would prefer it to be more of a gravy. The next time I make it, I will flour the meat prior to browning it so it will make a thicker sauce. Since it wasn’t thick this time, I whipped up a little cornstarch and liquid mixture and added it back to the pan. That helped. So my recommendation is flour the meat first. Got it? Okay, let’s move on with this recipe. Here’s what you need to get started.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons

3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 pounds beef sirloin
1 – 16 oz can mushroom slices, with liquid
1 – 8 oz  can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup red wine

Directions:

 

Cut beef into cubes and lightly flour. In a large skillet over medium/high heat, heat the olive oil and brown beef cubes with the garlic.

 

 

 

Add mushrooms with liquid, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and red wine. Cook for 30 minutes or until beef cubes are tender. Add a little more wine while cooking if desired.

 

Of course, you'll want to serve this with some rice (or other yummy starch) so you can enjoy more of the liquid/gravy!

Beef Tenderloin

I’m so excited! I cooked my first beef tenderloin and it turned out delicious! Well, it was a bit of a struggle, but eventually it turned out perfect! There may have been a second degree burn issue and I might have pulled it out of the oven about 5 times to check it. See, I’m here to help you so you don’t have to make the mistakes I did. First rule of thumb, if you put a meat thermometer in the meat while it’s cooking, it WILL be hot and burn your skin! Do not attempt to remove without an oven mitt! That was my first mistake. Ouch, my thumb still hurts! Let’s not focus on that, let’s get back to the best piece of meat you will ever put in your mouth!

Every year at Christmastime, we go to FL to see my in-laws. Grandy always makes the best beef tenderloin EVER for Christmas Eve dinner. It melts in your mouth. I’m not even kidding, it is so delicious. I’ve wanted to make a tenderloin, but always see them in the store and think they are a little too pricey. Well, we finally pulled the trigger and bought one so we could taste the heavenly goodness at home.  I was so proud, after all the mishaps, it was the most delicious thing we’ve ever tasted! I think I heard the angels sing as we took our first bite. I’m happy to teach you how to make the best beef tenderloin you’ll ever taste too.

Ingredients:

One whole beef tenderloin (4-5 pounds) – we cut ours in half so we’ll have it again soon

olive oil

salt & pepper

poultry seasoning

4 Tablespoons of butter

Directions:

First of all, rinse and trim the extra fat off your loin. You’ll want to leave some fat because fat is just tasty. Use a sharp knife and cut as closely as you can to the meat. You could also ask the butcher to do this for you, but I did a little trimming of my own. My husband didn’t want too much removed.

He loves a little extra fat.....that’s why I married him. :-)

Coat the loin with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now here comes the part that will sound strange, sprinkle poultry seasoning on both sides. Don’t ask me why, Grandy does it and hers was the best tasting tenderloin I’ve ever had.....until I made it myself! Just do it!

Now this is the part the Pioneer Woman taught me. I pick up stuff from all over and just combine it to make the best possible dish. Back to Ree, she says to sear it first in an iron skillet so I did! Pour a little olive oil in an iron skillet and get good and hot. When it’s hot, place the tenderloin in the frying pan to sear it. Throw a couple of tablespoons of butter into the skillet. Don’t put this in before you put the meat it, the pan will get too smoky. A minute or two later, when one side is starting to turn nice and brown, flip and repeat.

Place the tenderloin on an oven pan with a rack. Put several tablespoons of butter all over the meat (another suggestion by the Pioneer Woman). Stick the long needle of the thermometer lengthwise into the meat. Place it in a 450-degree oven until the temperature reaches just under 140 degrees, about 45 minutes to an hour. Stay near the oven and keep checking the meat thermometer to make sure it doesn’t overcook. Caution: thermometer WILL be hot!

Remove the loin from the oven when it reaches your desired temperature. Cover with foil and let meat stand ten minutes or so before slicing. Now slice and experience a little bit of heaven! No kidding, this is the best thing you’ll ever eat! Delish!

How beautiful does that look???

Tangy Tomato Beef Brisket

 

I’m so excited! I made something new again! I am loving my new love of cooking and trying out new things. Cooking is so much fun and even more fun to taste. Thanks again to the Pioneer Woman for making me curious about cooking a beef brisket. Again, I was browsing through my new cookbook and happened upon her Tangy Tomato Beef Brisket. It looked so yummy and sounded super easy. Two things that get my attention right away. I’ve eaten beef brisket, but never made one. I’m so happy I ventured out into the land of beef brisket. It’s a happy place....full of tender beef and a tangy tomato sauce. Yummy, what could be wrong with that?? I’ll tell you, nothing, absolutely nothing! Are you interested in learning how to make the easiest and most tasty beef brisket ever?? I’m happy to share my secrets with you. Let’s get started:

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 whole Beef Brisket, trimmed Of all fat (5 to 8 pounds). Since there’s just two of us, I used a 4 pound brisket.
• 1 bottle (24 Ounce) Ketchup Or Chili Sauce. Again, cut this in half for the smaller brisket 
• 1 package Onion Soup Mix

 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the brisket in an oven-safe pan. Combine the ketchup and soup mix in a bowl, and then stir it around to mix. Pour in 1 cup water and stir to combine. (You can add more water if needed!). If you are using a smaller brisket, only use half the water. Also, use a little hot sauce with the ketchup mixture to give it a little extra kick.

Pour the sauce all over the brisket, and then flip the brisket over to coat the other side. Now just cover the pan with foil and roast in the oven for 6 to 7 hours (for a 5 to 8 pound brisket). For a 4 pound brisket, I cooked it 3 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and test the brisket to make sure it's fork-tender.  Slice the brisket into thin strips, then return the beef to the sauce and keep it warm until you're ready to serve. This is looking so delicious. I wish I had a slice to eat now.

Doesn't that look delicious?? I'll tell you....it was delicious. So easy, so tasty, no reason not to try this recipe out. Thanks to my friend, Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. She knows how to cook up some beef! And now I know how to cook up some beef brisket. It's a great day at the Stewart house.....says my husband. Maybe we should move to a ranch. Okay, I'll step back for a moment and just enjoy my brisket cooking skills. I hope you enjoy them too.

Perfect Beef Stew

 

This is the perfect time of year for soups and stews and this is one delicious beef stew recipe. I’m not exaggerating, you’ll love it! This is a combination of my Daddy’s recipe, my friend, The Pioneer Woman (she told me to add beer, not my Daddy!), and a recipe I found on All Recipes. I believe I have taken the best parts of each of these and created the perfect recipe for you. See, I’m so helpful. I did all the hard work, now you just make this one and thank me later.

 

Let’s get started. Here’s what you need to make awesome beef stew....and don’t drink the beer while you are chopping your veggies.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 pounds Stew Meat
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can
• 4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dried Parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 whole New Potatoes, diced
• 4 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• Minced Parsley for garnish (optional)

 

Directions:

 

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cut meat in nice bite size pieces. Flour meat and brown in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. 

Add diced onions to the pot.

Yes, throw the onions in there with all the brown bits. Stir, scraping up all the yummy bits, and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic and cook for another minute.

Pour in beer (don’t drink it) 

The beer fizzes in the pot

and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water (or beef broth) as needed.

Here’s where I do my own little thing that you don’t have to do, but I like to make sure my veggies get really soft so I sauté them a little in a pan and then add to the pot. This step is optional. I’ve bitten into too many crunchy veggies in soup to take this chance anymore. I didn’t pre-cook the potatoes and they were fine. I guess that point might be that they all would have been fine. Maybe I won’t dirty another pan next time.

I think I'll make my carrots chunkier next time too

Leave the skin on and throw these right in the pot

Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes to an hour. If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid. I never needed to add more liquid. I cooked it another hour plus and it was so perfect. I stirred it quite a few times as it was cooking too. I did check the seasoning and added a little more salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.



It's perfect now, nice thick gravy with soft veggies. The perfect one pot meal!



Serve it up and enjoy. I think this goes best with Jiffy corn muffins. There’s no need to make homemade cornbread, Jiffy makes the best there is!  Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

French Dip with Easy Au Jus (yes, I made au jus!)

Two words....DE-LISH!!! These are a real party pleaser and a hubby pleaser. So easy and so delicious. Who knew I could make such a yummy French Dip sandwich at home AND get this......wait for it......I made my own au jus! Can you even believe it??? I certainly never thought those words would come out of my mouth....”would you like some homemade au jus to go with your French Dip”. But I made it so I made sure to let everyone know! :-)

I have found so many great recipes on Pinterest, as you keep hearing me say, but there are even more wonderful things you can do with a can of crescent rolls. Who knew?? I’m going to make sure I always have some on hand from now on. These are so easy, let’s chat about it. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Ingredients:

• 2 packages crescent rolls, 8 count
• 1 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced. I used Hillshire Farms pre-packaged that comes in the container with the red lid.
• 4 ounces Swiss or provolone cheese, cut in 16 equal sized pieces. Or you can use swiss slices and cut each slice into thirds. Each sandwich will use 1/3 slice.
• optional: Horseradish Sauce (I omitted this because I’m not crazy about it on sandwiches, but I’m sure my hubby would have loved it)
• optional: Au Jus for dipping. I wouldn't leave this out! (see recipe below)

French Dip Crescent Directions:

1. Unroll crescents onto a large cookie sheet.
2. Spread a small dab of horseradish on each crescent, then place a slice of roast beef and a piece of cheese on each crescent. If you are using the thinly sliced lunch meat, use 2-3 slices per roll.
3. Roll crescents starting from the wide end and ending at the narrow end.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, until crescents are a golden color.

Serve with Au Jus and enjoy!

Sorry I don't have pictures of the process of making the sandwich, but it's very simple, I think you'll do a great job!

Would you like to really step it up with your own homemade au jus?? I highly recommend it. It does take a little prep time though. It's at least an hour so if you don't have the time, skip it and they'll still be yummy.

The dipping sauce was a big hit! Here we go:

Easy Au Jus Ingredients:

• olive oil, just enough to saute
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped (I had a white onion and just used that)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon flour

Easy Au Jus Directions:

1. Caramelize the onions in a small amount of olive oil. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two more.
2. Deglaze the pot with white wine, then add Worcestershire sauce and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add beef broth and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4. Strain broth and then return it to pot. Add flour and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

These were so delicious with a little side of individual au jus! Enjoy!

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf!

Boy was this dinner delicious! I know, I know, I am starting to sound redundant, but I can’t help it, I am learning to cook some good stuff! The hubby has been quite pleased with my creations lately and I want to share them with you guys. Aren’t you happy??  Just look at it, doesn't it look delicious?

I went to Dream Dinners (one of those places where you prepare your meals and take them out in freezer bags) a couple of years ago and one of the items I prepared was a Gorgonzola Meatloaf. When I finally cooked it at home, we loved it. Of course we don’t get to walk out with the recipes so I set out to figure this one out myself. Obviously mine is so much better! Here’s what I think is the perfect meatloaf recipe. I mean, what isn’t better with some cheese, right??? This could be done with Gorgonzola or Feta, or really whatever you please. These two cheese options just go nicely with the other ingredients. Here we go......

Gorgonzola Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound ground beef (of course you could use all beef, but I was making it a tad bit healthier)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 T Italian seasoning

1/2 t granulated garlic

2 eggs

1 can tomato sauce

1-2 cups marinara sauce (any kind)

1 cup gorgonzola cheese (or feta)

Directions

First of all, let’s get all of these ingredients mixed together.  Dump the meat into a large bowl and get ready to get your hands dirty. Add eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic. It’s easiest to use your hands and get in there and mix it all together. After everything is mixed well, but don’t mixed too long, add the 1 can of tomato sauce and mix just a bit longer.

Grease your meatloaf pan and put 1/2 of the meat mixture in the bottom of the pan. Shape to the pan (love my Pampered Chef loaf pan). Sprinkle the cup of gorgonzola over this layer of your meat mixture.

Now put the rest of the meat mixture on top and shape to the pan. Once this is complete top the meatloaf with the  marinara sauce. It depends on how saucy you like your meatloaf, but I used close to 2 cups on the top.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check the center with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done.

I served this with broccoli and home made macaroni and cheese (recipe coming later) and I wanted to lick my plate afterwards! Of course we ate to much and groaned later, but it was worth every bite!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Also, I wrote this recipe from scratch so let me know if I left out some super important steps! Makes sense to me, but I just made it.


Happy Baking!