Smothered Steak

On Sunday I like to cook in my crock pot....well really any day I like to cook in the crock pot. I love it because I just put it in and walk away until time to serve. I also love cooking with the crock pot in the summer because it keeps the heat out of the kitchen. Over the past few weeks I've had a few people ask if I've ever made smothered steak and I've promised you I would post it when I made it next. I hate cooking on Sunday, so whatever I fix its usually a very simple.

I ran out of crock pot liners so I was bummed about that today. If you enjoy crock pot cooking you'll love the liners, they make clean up super simple!! Now on to the steak.....

Ingredients

2lb - Round Steak
1 - Small Onion cut in Rings
2 - Package Brown Gravy Mix
2 - Jars of Mushrooms or 6 Fresh Mushrooms cut in slices
Seasonings (I used Seasoned Salt & Garlic Garlic)

I don't pre brown my meat when cooking in a crock pot. The crock pot does not dry out meat so I just skip this step.

• Season the meat on both sides and put to the side. Make sure to season each steak well.
• Mix brown gravy mix according to package instructions; however, only use half the water. The steaks will draw moisture in the crock pot and add more liquid. Don't cook gravy just add the water, mix well and set to the side

Layer ingredients in the crock pot....seasoned meat, onion, mushrooms...repeat

Once layers are finished pour brown gravy over the top
I wanted this ready for lunch so I turned the crock pot on high and cooked for 4 hours. For slower cooking turn it on low and cook 8-10 hours.

When we came home I placed a few potatoes in the microwave, green beans in the microwave and within about 20 minutes of being home we had a great lunch with a cool kitchen and easy clean up! Now that's what I call a quick and easy Sunday lunch!

The steak was so tender you could cut it with a fork!

The seasonings made it mouth watering!!

Looking for more mouth watering recipes?

Check out these blogs Tuesdays At The Table The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and Dining With Debbie

Easy BBQ Brisket

On Christmas Eve we celebrate with family and have a nice meal. Its never the same from year to year but this year the meal was a huge hit! I've made brisket before but never BBQ. I was nervous about it but it turned out fantastic! It was so good that we had it again this week for our new years day meal! Its really quite an easy dish you just need to devote time. You can do like we did, let it cook while you're sleeping!

Ingredients

• 15-17 lb Brisket



• ! bunch Celery



• 2 Large Onions



• Garlic Salt (enough to cover both sides)

BBQ Sauce Ingredients

• 2 - Kraft Original BBQ Sauce



• 1/2 cup Grape Jelly



• 2tsp Onion Onion



• 2tsp Garlic Garlic

Mix together and warm in microwave for 2 minutes. Let sit until ready to baste meat.

Getting Started

• Briskets have a lot of fat, don't be afraid of that because the fat give it flavoring as it cooks and keep it from drying out.



• If you have a large pad of fat you can always peel it away after its finished cooking and before adding BBQ sauce.

I cook my brisket in a roaster but an oven will do too. Just make sure you have a pan large enough for the meat and the juice it will produce.

Layer the bottom of the roaster with celery and onion

Rub both sides of brisket with garlic salt. Use enough to cover both sides really well.

Once you have it rubbed down, place on top of celery and onion

Cook 325 degrees for 12 hours. This is how mine looked in the morning. The layer of fat starts cooking down and turns crispy and brown. Its ready to eat at this point; however, we like our meat falling apart where you don't need a knife to cut it. Then its so tender and makes amazing BBQ sandwiches.

Once you have cooked the meat for 12 hours turn the heat up to 375 and start basting with BBQ sauce. If you have a thick layer of fat trim it at this point. Once you trim off the fat, season again with garlic salt and let cook for about 20 minutes before adding BBQ sauce. I only baste twice. I add a thick layer then cook for 45 minutes. Baste again and cook for another 30 minutes and at this point turn the heat up to 400 degrees and tilted the lid to the side. This will cause it to thicken up and the BBQ sauce will cling to the meat. Trust me everyone will come running!!! Heat the remaining BBQ sauce and have it available for those who want extra.

This cut of meat provided three meals for my family and I have extra to add to baked beans for another dish. I hope you enjoy this as much as we have.

UPDATE - My sister cooked her brisket in the oven this week and gave me a few tips, during the first 12 hours of cooking turn the heat down to 300 and cover with foil. The roaster has more moist heat and the oven has a dryer heat so cover with foil. After the 12 hours follow directions above.

Sunday Pot Roast

I think roast is just a good Sunday meal. I wonder how many homes in America have roast on Sunday? I love cooking it because I can fix it in my trusty slow-cooker liner the night before then put it in the slow cooker in the morning before going to church.

When we get home, its ready to eat and because of the slow-cooker liner clean up is a snap too!

Got to love that!!

This is a large roast because I like to use the leftovers to make a pot of beef stew for the next week. Go here to see my beef stew recipe.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb Top Round Roast
• 2 med Onion
• 1 Jars of Mushrooms (feel free to use fresh, my family just likes the jar)
• 6 Carrots (I like to use the long carrots and cut them in half)
• 6 Potatoes (I like to use the small red potatoes uses as many as you need for your family and maybe a few extra for leftovers)
• 2 pkg Beefy Onion Soup Mix
• 2 pkg Brown Gravy Mix
• 1 cup cold water
  

How To Prepare

• In a large slow-cooker add your slow-cooker liner.
• In a small bowl add cold water, onion soup mix and brown gravy mix, stir until dissolved. Set to the side.
• Add meat to slow-cooker (I don't brown my meat, just add to the pot)
• Layer Onion, Carrots, Potatoes, Mushrooms on top of meat.
• Pour liquid mixture on top.
• Turn slow cooker on low, cook 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Enjoy!!!

Meat Loaf Recipe

Meat Loaf Recipe

2lb Lean Ground Beef
1 cup Cooked & Cooled Rice

2 large Eggs
2pkg Onion Soup Mix
1tsp Seasoning Salt
1tsp Garlic Garlic
1tsp Onion Onion
above three spices found here

In a small mixing bowl combine eggs and seasonings. I like to do this to rehydrate the seasonings. Whip for 15 seconds, let sit for 5 minutes then whip again. Next add to meat and rice mixture. Combine ingredients together form into one large loaf or two small loaves. Bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Garnish the top with ketchup or your favorite topping. I have uses anything from Catalina Salad Dressing to left over sauce from Chinese take-out.