Recipe Swap: Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

Sarah is hosting another What's Cooking Recipe Swap. For this swap I was assigned Simple Gourmet Cooking. I had fun browsing Dawn's blog, and it was difficult to decide which recipe to try first! I pulled Dave in to help sort through my narrowed down choices. This beef and broccoli was perfect. I love utilizing the crockpot to cook weekend dinners. We both really enjoyed this dinner and plan to repeat it again. It was the perfect amount for the two of us to enjoy dinner and lunch the next day.

You will need:
*1 cup beef broth
*1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
*1/3 cup brown sugar
*1 tablespoon sesame oil
*3 garlic cloves, minced
*1 pound stew beef or a sliced beef chuck roast
          (We can never get a roast under 3 pounds, so I used the butcher's precut stew beef)
*2 tablespoons cornstarch
*frozen broccoli florets (as many as desired-we used 16oz)
*Rice, cooked

1. Add the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic to the insert of the crockpot. Stir together to combine.

2. Place the beef in the liquid and toss gently to coat. Cook on low 4-6 hours, until beef is completely cooked, but not shredding when touched.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the crockpot broth mixture and the cornstarch.  Add back into the crockpot and mix well. Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add in the broccoli to heat through.

4. Serve hot over rice.

Grapefruit Marinated Steak Fajitas

We are experiencing some amazing spring weather this week. It is excellent timing because I'm on spring break! I cannot wait to get our grill cleaned and ready for use again.

The night I made these enchiladas, I was craving summer grilled food. We rarely cook red meat at home anymore, so this dinner was a great weeknight change of pace. The original recipe, from Confections of a Foodie Bride, is setup to be prepared entirely on the grill. It was still a chilly, dark night when I made these, so we opted to cook them on the stove top. I also cut the oil in half. We were very happy with the results of this recipe!

You will need:
*1/4 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
*1/4 cup fresh lime juice
*pinch of salt
*black pepper
*1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1-2 tablespoons more for cooking
*1 lb beef (My local butcher sells small stir fry strips. Look for flank or skirt steak.)
*1 large yellow onion, sliced
*2 large bell peppers, sliced into strips (I used one red and one green)
*8 corn tortillas

For toppings, we Chose:
*1 avocado, sliced
*Greek yogurt
*shredded cheese

1. In a large Ziplock bag, combine the grapefruit and lime juices, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add the beef, seal the bag, and squeeze the marinade together and onto the meat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. Once the marinated meat is ready, saute peppers and onions over medium heat in a small skillet.

3. In a separate skillet, cook the steak over medium high heat. Flip the steak pieces after about 5 minutes.

4. Serve your fajitas as desired.

Beef and Stout Stew/Pie

This is a classic winter dinner that we enjoyed on New Year's Day. It is a time consuming recipe, but I was surprised by how simple it was. The Guinness added wonderful flavor, and we liked the stew consistency. I named it a stew/pie because I think you could even skip adding the crust and enjoy it on its own. The leftovers provided us another dinner and a few lunches. As we are about to enter a major snowstorm, I am wishing I had the ingredients to make this again. It will certainly be making another appearance on our winter menu plans. I found this version of the recipe on My Adventures in Food and it is originally from Williams Sonoma.

You will need:
*about 6 Tbs. olive oil
*1 lb. white button mushrooms, quartered
*2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
*salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
*3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 3lbs)
*1 cup all-purpose flour
*3 garlic cloves, minced
*2 tablespoons tomato paste
*2 1/2 cups Irish stout (Guinness)
*1 cup beef broth
*1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
*1 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks
*1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
*One 16-inch round Stilton pastry (recipe below)
*1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

1. In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Season the cubed beef with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess.

3. In the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add about 1/3 of the beef and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Pour the liquid into a separate bowl. Repeat the process 2 more times, using 2 tablespoons oil to brown each batch of beef and deglazing the pot with 1/2 cup water after each batch.

4. Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the beef, stout, broth and reserved liquid, stirring to scrape the bottom of the pan. Then add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes and thyme and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 3 hours.

5. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

6. Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry strips on top (from recipe below), allowing it to droop onto the filling. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and crimp to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the potpie rest for 15 minutes before serving.

For the Stilton pastry topping, you will need:
*1 pre-made pie crust
*4 oz. stilton or other pungent cheese, crumbled (gorgonzola)

1. Unroll pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the cheese over half of the dough, then fold the other half over the cheese. Roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 1” strips.

Pomegranate Beef

It's officially the holiday season. I love this time of year, but I always struggle to keep everything going while prepping for this holiday. Nights after work are full of shopping, decorating, baking, and wrapping; nevermind the usual working out, running errands, and cooking dinner. I am always searching for simple weeknight recipes that allow us to enjoy a home-cooked meal while enjoying the many extra holiday tasks. These beef tips provided just that. I am thinking of serving these the next time have family over for dinner. The wine reduction seems like it would take much more time than it does. The original Cooking Light recipe recommends serving these with potato wedges, but I thought they were perfect with a veggie like asparagus.

You will need:
*4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (I used large tips)
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
*1 tablespoon minced shallots
*1/3 cup red wine (I used malbec)
*1/3 cup pomegranate juice
*1/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
*1 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
*pomegranate seeds, for serving if desired

1. Sprinkle steaks evenly with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2. Heat large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove steaks from pan; keep warm.

3. Add shallots to pan and saute 30 seconds. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, wine, juice, broth, and bring to a boil. Cook 7 minutes or until reduced to about 3 tablespoons.

4. Remove from heat. Add butter to sauce, stirring until butter melts. Serve sauce over steaks; top with pomegranate seeds.

Basic Burgers

(The burger is photographed above with my favorite summer beverage-Sam Summer
and on my favorite new outdoor space-our deck)

I am posting this from my NEW laptop! I am so excited because everything is working smoothly again. I loved my old iBook that my parents gifted to me to start grad school. After 6 years, the machine still worked pretty well, but I filled the hard drive with pictures, music, and documents. I couldn't even upgrade my operating system for the past year. So overtime websites failed to load.

Also getting an update recently was my go-to burger recipe. I have been browsing the Home Goods store frequently now that I am a home owner, and on my last visit Everyday Food: Great Food Fast caught my eye. I love this cookbook! It is separated by seasons and each recipe has a wonderful picture. I just look cookbooks with pictures. The first recipe I made from this book was the "Best Beef Burgers." They are simple, cheap, and tasty. I grilled some onions to serve on ours, and I also topped them with pickles, cheese, and ketchup.

You will need:
*2 pounds ground chuck (I used 1.5 pounds of lean)
*1 tablespoon dijon mustard
*1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
*course salt and pepper

1) Heat grill to high.

2) In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine beef, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper.

3) Gently form mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties. Place patties on hottest part of grill; sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Move patties to cooler part of grill; continue grilling until desired doneness, 4 to 8 minutes per side.
(This method never works for me! I tried it again without much success, and I hope you have better luck. I prefer to set the grill to medium-high and cook the burgers about 7-9 minutes a side)

4) Serve with any toppings you desire.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

Coarse salt and pepper

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Best Beef Burger and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com

Pepper Steak Pockets

This was a weeknight favorite in my house growing up. It is a simple pita pocket dinner that is much better for you than ordering a steak and cheese at a local sub shop! Although this is typically made with ground beef, you could easily swap it out for chicken or turkey. There are also many ways to season this, and we have experimented with quite a few ways. Here is our favorite.

You will need:
*1 pound ground beef (turkey or chicken will work too)
*green bell pepper
*yellow onion
*garlic powder
*Worcestershire sauce
*pitas, cut in half
*cheese, if desired

1) Saute the peppers and onions. *If we have time, we prefer to caramelize the onions.
2)Brown the ground beef; flavor with garlic powder and worcestershire sauce.
3) Combine the peppers and onions into the ground beef pan. Add additional flavors to taste.
4) Serve in pitas and add cheese if desired.

Dutch Oven Dinner

We finally used one of our wedding gifts. Our new Le Creuset! So technically this was a "French Oven" recipe. It was easy to throw together and made a lot of food. We enjoyed it so I am sure this will be made in our kitchen again. The noodles did get a bit hard on the edges, but that was probably from a change we made. I also kind of like them that way so I was happy about it!

This recipe was pulled from Annie's Eats and originated from Whole Foods. My changes are noted below. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground sirloin
1⁄2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups frozen corn
1 package (10-12 oz.) egg noodles
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juices (We only used 14 oz-a small can, and then one can of tomato soup)
2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
(1 green pepper)

Directions:
Brown ground beef in 5-quart Dutch oven or large skillet with a lid.
Add onion, mushrooms, (green pepper) and corn.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread uncooked noodles evenly over top.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over noodles.
Pour the entire can of tomatoes (and tomato soup) over all making sure it covers all the noodles.
Simmer, tightly covered, for 1 hour, then let it stand 3-5 minutes before serving.