Balsamic and Onion Pot roast

Whenever we get a beef we go through the meat in a certain order, steaks are gone first, followed by the burger and stew meat, and lastly we always have roasts.  It isn't that we don't like a good roast, but rather that I don't have a lot of experience producing a roast that is moist and juicy and flavorful.  I don't want to waste a good cut of meat on experimenting, so I usually wait until there are no other choices left and then make the roasts.

When this happened recently, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  If you have not checked this site out I am urging you to do so very soon.  It is a plethora of ideas of ALL kinds, but my favorite are the food boards.  I found this recipe that someone pinned from Kalyn's Kitchen.  It is a slow cooker roast recipe that is moist, tender, and full of flavor.  I LOVE the depth of flavors created by the balsamic vinegar and beef broth along with the sweet roasted onions.  We served it with creamy mashed potatoes and green salad.  ENJOY!

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

Recipe Source: modified slightly from Kalyn's Kitchen

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
Seasoning Salt

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder
black pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (can use a can of beef broth, but be sure to reduce it)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Rub meat well with seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don't rush the browning step.

While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices.  

When the meat is brown on all sides, remove the meat and then deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water. Add the pan drippings to sauce mixture.

Place onions in bottom of slow cooker. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time.

Remove meat from slow cooker and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

The leftovers make GREAT sandwiches!!

Bacon and Cheese Burgers

I'm going to spare everyone my raving and just say...go make these as soon as you can!  If you love a good burger this one will be at the top of your list.  Stuffed burgers are all over the place in blog land but they just were too complicated for me the day I planned to make them.  Instead, I did these and boy were we happy with them! Really though, what could be bad about a burger that has bites of cheese and bacon mixed in?  Is there anything wrong, ever, with adding bacon?  Not in my book!!

What I love best is they are E. A. S. Y. to change up to suit your flavor preference.  Next time I will add finely chopped jalapenos for the hubby who likes his burgers with a little spice to them.  Go make them...please...and don't forget to pair them with these homemade buns because every great burger deserves a good bun to hold it all together!  Enjoy!

I'm linking up to a few linky parties this week, go check out the great recipes everyone is posting!

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Burgers
Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest

2 lbs burger
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TB dry minced onion
2 TB. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
about 1 1/2 cups cubed cheese of choice
about 8 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled

Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl.  Try not to mix too much, just enough to combine the ingredients. 

Pat the burger into a uniform rectangle.  Divide into equal portions.  I did eight portions to equal 1/4 pound patties.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up and allow the flavors to meld together.  As the burgers are resting heat your grill.  Grill burgers until desired doneness is reached and place on a delicious homemade burger bun with your favorite toppings.  We added more cheese, pickles, tomato, grilled onions, lettuce, and fry sauce.  Mmmm delicious!

For those who aren't from an area familiar with Fry Sauce...it also called Pink Sauce and is basically mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together. Every restaurant and home cook has their own little twist.  Here is what mine "generally" looks like.

Jenn's Fry Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
enough ketchup to added sweetness and to make the sauce pink, probably 1/4 cup or so
a squirt of mustard
BBQ sauce (more than the mustard, less than the ketchup amount)
2-3 shakes of seasoning salt
a squeeze of lemon juice or 1 tsp vinegar

Mix it all up in a bowl and top burgers with it or even better fry up some home made french fries and dip them in.  Delicious!

Taco Pasta

This recipe is fast, simple and E. A. S. Y.!  My kids loved it and said, "this tastes like tacos!"  I, too, was surprised at the flavor.  The sauce is creamy, with a hint of spice (depending on what kind of salsa you use), and the pasta gets coated with all the yummy deliciousness creating a simple main dish. 

I doubled everything in this recipe except for the ground beef, to make sure we had enough for dinner and lunches for me and the hubby.

Taco Pasta
Recipe Source: Plain Chicken

printable version

1 pound ground beef
8 ounce small dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup salsa
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or one packet)
3 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded Cheese for topping

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the ground meat and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Once the meat is cooked through, drain off the excess fat and mix in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the salsa and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese and more sour cream and salsa if desired

Total Cost-$4.12 (Dinner and 4 lunches came from this!)
Ground Beef-Free (purchased with catalinas when beef was on sale for $1.99 per pound)
Pasta $1.00
Onion-$.25
Garlic-$.02
Salsa-Free (Garden Salsa)
Taco Seasoning-$.10
cream cheese $1.25 (marked down)
sour cream $1.00
Salt and pepper
Shredded Cheese for topping $.50 (Tilamook on sale)

Barbecue Bacon Meatballs over Pasta

I love meatloaf, especially my Dad's and I love meatballs.  One day I realized that meatballs are essentially the same concoction of meat, filler and seasonings as meatloaf and I decided to take my favorite meatloaf recipe and put it into meatball form.  This recipe was born and it was quite simply a delicious idea; one that I am going to repeat with my Dad's recipe and others like it.

Ok, so enough with my undying  love of meatballs.  This recipe is simple, fast and very kid friendly.  I love the smoky/salty flavor from the bacon paired with the sweet tangy flavor of the barbecue sauce.  Match it up with noodles, rice or your favorite potato dish for a quick weeknight meal. 

Barbecue Bacon Meatballs

Recipe Source: A Cook’s Quest

1-1½ pounds ground meat (beef or turkey work best)
¾ c quick oats
½ c milk
1 egg
¼-½ c grated onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 slices bacon fried and crumbled
3T Jenn’s Barbecue Sauce +1/2 cup for later

Combine all ingredients except ½ c barbecue sauce. Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet or press into a loaf pan if you make the meatloaf version.

Meatballs: bake at 350 about 20 minutes until cooked through. Coat with remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce and serve over egg noodles.

Meat Loaf: Place loaf pan in oven, on a cookie sheet to avoid spills. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour (this is going to depend on the depth of your pan.) During the last 15 minutes, top the meat loaf with the remaining barbecue sauce and continue cooking.

**After baking meatballs, freeze on the cookie sheet.  Once solid, place in freezer bags and store in your deep freeze.  When ready to eat, thaw them in the refrigerator, microwave 2-3 minutes or warm through in the oven and then top with sauce.

**I freeze the meatloaf before baking.  Top with a double layer of foil and freeze.  Thaw, then place in the oven and bake as directed above.

Total Cost: $3.46
Ground Beef-$1.30 (it had a coupon, plus it was on sale)
Oats $.08
Milk $.09
Egg $.09
Onion/Seasonings $.10
Bacon $.45
Barbecue Sauce about $.35
Egg Noodles $1.00

Jenn's Pineapple Meatballs

These meatballs are crazy good. I mean, they aren’t just pretty good--they are crazy, ridiculous, I want another one now, good. They bake in a sweet and tangy sauce that I think would be great on a variety of different meats, from chicken to salmon. The ground meat mixture can be used in a variety of different recipes, from spaghetti and meatballs to meatballs in cream sauce to these delicious sweet bites of yumminess. I hope you enjoy!

Jenn’s Pineapple Meatballs
Recipe Source: A Cook’s Quest

 ¾ c quick oats
½ c milk
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (turkey works well too)
2 eggs beaten
¼-½ c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice)

Sauce
¾-1 c pineapple juice
¼ apple cider vinegar
1/3 c soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
¼-½ cup brown sugar (depends on how sweet you want the sauce)

In a mixing bowl combine the oats, and milk. Let set for about five minutes so the oats can soften. Add ground beef, eggs, onion, seasonings and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.

Shape meat mixture into meatballs. Using a cookie scoop works well to create uniform size. Place meatballs in a 9x13 baking pan. Add drained pineapple chunks.

In a small mixing bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Pour over the meatballs and pineapple. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400. Uncover and continue baking another 20-30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. If you want a thicker sauce, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and ¼ c water and add to the baking dish during the last 5 minutes of baking to thicken the sauce. Serve over rice.

**This recipe can easily be made ahead and frozen. Once the sauce is poured over the meatballs and pineapple, cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze. To cook, thaw over night in the refrigerator and bake as directed above. Baking time may be longer if the meatballs aren’t completely thawed out.**


**This recipe can easily be cooked in a slow cooker. Place the meatballs, pineapple, and sauce into your slow cooker and cook on low 4-5 hours or until meatballs are done.**

The total cost of this meal will vary depending on what staples you have on hand.  I made this whole dinner, including rice and peas for less than $3.00 simply because everything in it is a staple item for me. Even if you have to buy some of the ingredients, this is money saver for sure!

Dippy Sandwiches-Redone

Every family has their own names for certain well known dishes. They are often named by the youngest members, and our family is no different. When my son was about 3 years old he discovered the French Dip sandwich and decided it was the best sandwich ever. The name was a little hard for him to say, so we have called them "Dippy Sandwiches," ever since. This is a remake inspired by many different but similar dishes--the French dip of course, the Cheese steak sandwich with onions and peppers, slow cooker pot roast, and Italian flavors of basil and oregano. The whole family loved this recipe. I paired it up with potato wedges tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and seasoning salt then roasted in the oven until crisp and golden.

Dippy Sandwiches
Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest

This makes a lot. I had plenty for my family of five, with enough for the freezer and some for my husbands lunch.

1 Chuck Roast 3-5 lbs (Mine was 3 pounds)
1 cup of water
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 beef bouillon cube

1 onion
1 pepper (I used orange because it's what I had on hand)

Place meat in your slow cooker, pour in water and wine. Sprinkle all the seasonings on top and place lid on top. Cook 8-10 hours on low.

When you are ready to eat, saute the onion and peppers in oil until soft. Shred the beef, and place on toasted rolls. Top with the onion and pepper mixture. Use the juice left in your slow cooker for dipping your sandwich. Enjoy!

Total Cost: $9.86 about $1.40 per serving
7 Dinner Rolls .21 each $1.47
Meat $6.79 (on sale for $1.99 per pound)
Herbs and Seasoning .50
Onions-Free from a local farmer
Orange pepper-.75
Wine-Free
Beef Bouillon cube-.05
Potatoes for wedges-.30 (I used two pounds of a 5 pound bag that I bought for .78)