Ideas of What to do with Meat on Hand

Ideas of What to do with Meat on Hand

You can do a lot of things to make meats more interesting. My favorite is to cook the meat, add onions and garlic, then herbs or spices geared to a certain flavor. If they are on sale, mushrooms and other veggies are added. I then add broth or wine, cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes to make it tender and to give it a lot of flavor.

It then becomes a topping for something, like potatoes, or I make another veggie, or something.

There is nothing like SOS over potatoes on a cold night. (grin)

My favorite No-Recipe Dinner is meat seared with a large onion, then 16 oz of broth over it. Simmer for an hour, covered.

Add one head of shredded cabbage and half of a pound of peeled and "chunked" carrots. Cover and steam until the cabbage is done and the carrots tender.

Oh yes, I add black pepper. I do a little and add more to my plate. The Husband can not handle too much black pepper. (ornery grin)

Debra
(1/31/10)

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Lasagne ala Debbi

Lasagna ala Debbi

1 lb Ground Round/Beef
1 lg chopped Onion
2+ cloves minced Garlic
1 large chopped Green Bell pepper (you can also use red ones. I love both.)
1 (16oz) can chopped Tomatoes
1 sm can Tomato Paste
1+ cups Red Wine
2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 cube Butter
1 lb Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
8 oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese
10 oz chopped frozen Spinach (thawed and drained)
1 lb Lasagna Noodles

Brown meat; add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, butter, seasonings and red wine. Cover and simmer 1 hour.

Cook and drain lasagna noodles. Mix together ricotta and spinach. In a lasagna pan, layer half of the noodles, half of the ricotta mixture, half of the mozzarella and top with half of the meat sauce.

Next layer remaining ingredients as follows:
Noodles, ricotta, parmesan, meat sauce and top with mozzarella.

Bake at 350° F for about 45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is bubbly.

Even better the second day.

BETTER! Make in the crockpot. Killer... 

Debbi
(1/28/10)

Comment:

Direct from the Potters mouth.  However as we all do I tweaked it a bit.  Below is what worked for me and it is just as greaaaaaaaaat! 

used 7% ground beef.
2 large sweet red onions
10 cloves garlic (Go Emeril!)
no mushrooms cause didn't have them on hand
used red pepper whole , not crushed.
used homemade ricotta (goat of course)

Yummy,yummy. Had left overs last night and will have two more meals. All in all I got 4 meals for two out of this recipe and lunch two days for the Em girl. Who by the way gave it her stamp of approval.

L  of  C

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Dreadfully Delicious Cheese and Bacon Bread

So I've got this dreadfully delicious cheese/bacon bread I like to make for my morning breakfast at work and I wondered if it is possible to double a bread recipe so I bake two pans at a time. I know simply using twice the listed ingredients in some cookies is not as good as the single recipe. Toll house cookies wind up so salty as to be inedible the one time I tried that.

It's a yeast bread, heavily modified from the one I found on King Arthur Flour. The oven at 375°F from the article, I use 380°F. Make sure the oven really is at temperature.

Dreadfully Delicious Cheese and Bacon Bread
3 cups KA unbleached special bread flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp powdered onion
1/4 tsp powdered garlic
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup milk
1/3 to 1/2 cup water (depending on humidity)
1 heaping cup (4.5oz) shredded cheese (any type of cheddar)
4 oz (sorta) bacon
     I cut the sliced stuff as thin as possible and fry so it's sorta done. Do this first so it's room temp when you put it in the dough.

Mix dry ingredients, add butter, water and milk, stir to form a shaggy mass let sit for 15 minutes.

Knead until it's smooth and elastic, knead in cheese and bacon.

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.

Turn dough out, form into loaf, then put in baking pan (I line mine with parchment paper - works great).

Let it rise for an hour.

Bake for 25 minutes (or in my case 35 minutes). If the cheese is browning too fast tent lightly with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes baking (never needed to, but that's in the instructions). An instant read thermometer should read 190°F.

The original recipe is on the King Arthur Flour website and called Cheddar Cheese Bread if you want to see what I started with.

Elena
(1/17/10)

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Denise's Best Tuna Casserole

I haven't made tuna casserole in YEARS, but I've been thinking of it for a while. Dunno why.

I started with "Best Tuna Casserole" from allrecipes.com, but of course I'm constitutionally unable to make a recipe as written, so I will share the modifications. You can go look up the original if you please.

Denise's Best Tuna Casserole

16 oz pasta, cooked al dente and drained
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced mixed sweet peppers (red and green is nice)
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup shredded mixed cheeses (mine were holiday leftovers)
2 small cans tuna, drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of onion soup
fresh ground pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup crunchy fried onion topping (or potato chips)

Mix all but the last two, pour into a 9"x13" pan. Top with cheese, then crunchies, bake 15-20 min at 425°F.

The two cheeses I mixed in were flavored monterey jack - one with leek and mushroom, one with salsa. I had 2-3 ounces of each left over from holiday snacking. Swiss, cheddar, colby, or any other shred worth cheese would work, too.

Denise
(1/7/10)

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Comments:
Well, duh, Debbi! make half a casserole! That recipe is easy to halve - one can of soup, one can of tuna, half a pkg of noodles, etc. Put it in a 2 qt casserole dish (or 8" or 9" square or a 9" round cake pan) to bake. I was all out of 9"x13" when I made mine, so it went into two smaller pans anyway.

Or make the whole recipe and divvy it up into individual portions without the crunchy stuff and freeze them. The 10-oz pyrex dishes come 4 to a package and cost just a few bucks.

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Beef Burgundy

Beef Burgundy

3 pound Beef, cut into 1-1/2" squares
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 sliced onions
2 Garlic cloves, minced
3 cups Mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Thyme
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp White pepper
1/2 Bottle Burgundy wine (750ml)
4-1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Flour (or cornstarch)

This beef Burgundy is wonderful served with noodles, rices or small boiled potatoes.

Brown meat in olive oil in 5-quart Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire and pepper. Add wine and water.

Cover and bake at 350°F 2-3 hours or until meat is tender. In bowl, blend together flour and butter. Stir into stew mixture. Heat to boiling. Then simmer until thickened.

Debbi
(1/6/10)

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Aziza's Beef Curry

Aziza's Beef Curry

24 oz lean Steak
1-1/2 tbsp Oil
1 med to lg Onion, sliced
5 tsp Curry Powder (at least)
1-1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
2 to 5 lg Garlic Cloves, minced
1 med Tomato, diced
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
2 cups Water, boiling
2 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tbsp Water
1 pkg Noodles, cooked

Cut beef into 1" cubes. Sauté onion in oil over med heat until tender. Stir in curry powder, cook 1 minute. Add beef cubes, mushrooms, tomato, garlic, salt and sugar. Continue cooking until the beef cubes are lightly browned.

Boil the 2 cups of water. Add enough of the boiling water to barely cover the beef. Cover skillet and simmer gently about 1-1/2 hours, or until beef is extremely tender.

Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tbsp water. Stir into beef mixture. Simmer gently until thickened. Serve over cooked noodles.

This cooks up perfectly in the crockpot.Do the stove-top cooking part, put the contents of the skillet into the crockpot, add the water, cover and cook according to your manufacturer's directions for your slow-cooker.

Deb's note: Also good over rice or mashed potatoes. Or in tortillas. Even plain.

Debbi
(1/6/10)

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Debbi's Taco Salad

Debbi's Taco Salad

1 lb lean Ground Round (15% fat at the worst)
1 Onion, chopped
1-2 large Tomatoes, chopped
1 small head of Lettuce, shredded
1 lb Cheese, shredded
1 large bag Tortilla Chips, crushed
1 can Kidney Beans, drained
1/2 cup Salsa
1 tbsp Chili Powder
to Taste Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp Red Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder

Brown meat and onions. Drain if necessary. Add chili powder, salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic pepper. Mix well. Add salsa and kidney beans. Heat thoroughly.

Mix together the meat mixture and remaining ingredients, mixing well, in a very large bowl. Serve immediately.

You can add avocados to each individual portion. Do not add to the whole salad, they brown too fast and go icky.

You can substitute pinto beans for the kidney beans.

Debbi
(1/6/10)

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Garlic Soup

Garlic Soup

1 bulb Garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tsp Olive Oil
4 cups Chicken Broth
2-4 large Egg Yolks, beaten

Optional:
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine

Sauté garlic in the olive oil until translucent and tender. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until the garlic is mushy, about 30 minutes.

Push the soup through a potato ricer or strainer into a small pot. Add the egg yolks slowly, stirring all the while. Return to the stove and heat until thickened, add the wine slowly if using. When all is incorporated, serve or chill. It is delicious either way.

Can be served with dollops of sour cream on top and/or with bread.

Debbi
(1/6/10)

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