An easy roast
I used to make this particular roast quite frequently, as it is a slow cooker recipe and for a time there, I was on a slow-cooker meals kick. It comes from 150 Slow-Cooker Meals book. The sauce can easily be made the night before, and then poured over the roast the next morning. The sauce is a very rich tomato sauce with lots of veggies (so no need for extra sides except maybe mashed potatoes or rice to soak up the extra gravy), and I love the addition of the brown sugar and vinegar after the roast is finished. It gives a nice sweet and sour finish to the sauce. It can be omitted, if you wish. Enjoy!
Easy Pot Roast with Rich Tomato Gravy
Easy Pot Roast with Rich Tomato Gravy
Not your usual meatballs
This recipe is the first that I tried from The Newlyweds' Cookbook. Personally, I think it's funny that I had to try the most complicated recipe in there AND I chose to make it during the week. Luckily, it was the summer, so not a huge deal at the time. It has since turned into a Sunday meal. The sauce is quite lovely with the roasted peppers and the meatballs definitely taste best by doing a blend of pork and beef, but hubby didn't like the strong taste of orange the first time I made it. To remedy this, I only put in about a quarter of the orange half once the juice has been squeezed into the sauce. I usually work on the meatballs while the red peppers are roasting and cooling afterwards. I also use a Pampered Chef small scoop to form the meatballs; I scoop out all the meatballs first then roll them afterwards. Finally, rather than putting all of the sauce in the dish, I put in about half, then leaved the remainder to pour over the meatballs once they're done. Enjoy!
*EDIT: If you don't want to fry up the meatballs, you can also bake them in the oven on foil-lined trays at 400 F for 15 minutes. It will cut down on prep time even more if you do this in advance.
Meatballs in red pepper sauce
*EDIT: If you don't want to fry up the meatballs, you can also bake them in the oven on foil-lined trays at 400 F for 15 minutes. It will cut down on prep time even more if you do this in advance.
Meatballs in red pepper sauce
Brisket in the oven
After trying brisket from one of our favorite take-out places, we decided that we wanted to try and make our own. We found this oven version in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. We don't make it too often, mostly because we have to go to Cioffi's to get brisket, and we don't go to Cioffi's as often as we used to. It is a cut that you'll have to get from your local butcher (although some grocery stores may carry it). The fat cap is important to leave on to allow the meat to become juicy, otherwise it will be too dry. Enjoy!
Oven barbecued beef brisket
Oven barbecued beef brisket
A ground beef alternative
I think this dish in particular has been made a few times over the last few years. It's very filling, and can easily stand on it's own (but we usually make salad as well). It comes from my most used cookbook, 300 Best Comfort Food Recipes by Joanna Burkhard. The title says it all; it's all about the foods we grew up with and wanted to know how to make. My clam chowder recipe also comes from here. Enjoy!
Tex-Mex Cobbler
Tex-Mex Cobbler
Mmm, chili
I think everyone has their own chili recipe that they enjoy that was handed down to them from mom or dad. My mother was never one to make chili, so I had to find my own. This comes from Cooking a commonsense guide, and I have made a few modifications that have resulted in the recipe below. I like adding shredded cheese and sour cream to my serving. Enjoy!
Chili con carne
Chili con carne
A different kind of steak
I've never had Salisbury steak until I found this recipe in my 300 Best Comfort Food book. Like a few of the newest recipes, I was looking for something different to add to the rotation and found this recipe. After getting a resounding "YES!" from hubby, I tried it. The only finicky part is making the patties, the rest of the preparation is very easy. The gravy is not too thick or too rich, which was a worry for me. As hubby dislikes mushrooms, I don't chop mine as fine as the recipe calls for so that he can find them and toss them onto my plate. Try it for yourself! Enjoy!
Salisbury steak
Salisbury steak
More meatballs!
I love this sweet and sour meatballs recipe. It comes from my very first cookbook, which was a gift from my godparents. It has child-friendly recipes that are really easy to make (and probably also food a child would actually eat). Nonetheless, I still enjoy making this recipe and others in the book as well. I've recently modified the meatballs part, which can be made in advance. The meatballs can also be kept in fridge once cooked or frozen for up to two months (arrange them on a tray for the initial freeze, then put them into bags) The recipe has also been doubled, so you can halve the recipe if you find it's too much. Enjoy!
EDIT: I have taken to adding chopped onion to the meatball mixture as well. Add it with the egg & Worchestershire sauce and continue the recipe as normal. You can also do a mixture of half ground beef and half ground pork, if you wish.
Sweet and sour meatballs
EDIT: I have taken to adding chopped onion to the meatball mixture as well. Add it with the egg & Worchestershire sauce and continue the recipe as normal. You can also do a mixture of half ground beef and half ground pork, if you wish.
Sweet and sour meatballs
A hearty stroganoff
I think the first time we made this was when hubby was still living with his roomate. For some reason or another, I always forget about this dish, thus it doesn't get made frequently (though it should, because it has MUSHROOMS, my favorite veggie). Hubby is not a fan of mushrooms, but he's fine with the dish as long as he's able to pick them all out. Which means more for me! :D We usually have egg noodles with this dish, sometimes I mix the noodles in with the strogonoff rather than serving it on the side. It comes from Better Home and Gardens New Cook Book. Enjoy!
Beef stroganoff
Beef stroganoff