Stuffed Bell Pepper

For some reason, I have never been overly fond of bell peppers, but my daughter, the pickiest eater in the house, loves them, so I've been picking them up at the farmer's market and cooking more with them this summer.  This is a recipe adapted from a couple of different ones.  I like that it includes meat, starch and veggie all in one.

• 6-8 bell peppers*
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion
• 2 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 can spicy Ro-tel
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to directions, set aside.  Slice tops off peppers, remove seeds.  Cook pepper cups in boiling water 3-4 minutes, remove and drain.  Remove stem from pepper tops, chop up the rest and saute in hot oil 5-6 minutes.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt to skillet, heat until bubbly, then remove and cool.

Mix rice, tomato sauce and beef together, stuff into peppers.  Bake peppers for 1 hour or until meat is cooked through.


*recipes mostly call for 6, but this makes a lot of stuffing and can fill 8.

 If you have extra, bake it in a casserole.

Bacon and Herb Beef Tenderloin

I recently served this at a Christmas party and everyone loved it. I made a 7 pound roast, so needed more ingredients.

• 1 4 lb beef tenderloin
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4-6 springs oregano
• 6-8 basil leaves
• Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 6-8 slices bacon, cut in half

Rub roast with Worcestershire sauce. Cut garlic cloves into several slivers, cut slits in roast with knife and insert. sprinkle with pepper and salt. Turn roast over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay oregano and basil on top, drape bacon slices over roast. Tie with cord and place in rack in roasting pan. Cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes (beware, it gets smoky here) when reduce heat and continue to cook until temperature in thickest part registers 125 (for rare) or 145 (for medium). Remove, tent with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing

Saucy Sausage Casserole

Wonderful for a brunch or a holiday breakfast.

• 6 oz. box long grain and wild rice
  
• 1 lb. pork sausage
  
• 1 lb. ground beef
  
• 1 chopped onion
  
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 4 oz. can sliced mushroom
  
• 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts
  
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 3 oz. sliced almonds, toasted
  

Cook rice according to package. Brown beef and sausage with onion. Mix rice rice and meat mixture with everything except almonds. Spoon casserole into dish, sprinkle with toasted almonds and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cheeseburger Pie

Supposedly, this was a popular dish for teenagers in the 1960's, before pizza replaced it as a favorite party food.  Can anyone maybe 15 years or so older than me confirm this?  I made it for a church supper tonight; kids didn't care for it much but it was a big hit with the over-fifty set.

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Bisquick
  
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 1 pound lean ground beef
  
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 sliced tomatoes
  
• 1 cup cottage cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
  

Mix 1 cup Bisquick with 1/4 cup water to make soft dough.  Line pie pan with rolled biscuit dough.  Brown ground beef with onion, season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Sprinkle beef with remaining 2 tablespoons Bisquick, stir until thick. Put meat mixture in pir crust. Beat eggs and mix with cottage cheese, pour on top of beef.  Top with sliced tomato, sprinkle cheese over all.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Shepherd's Pie

Another good all-in-one meal.

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef
  
• 4 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 2 cups mixed vegetables
  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1/2 cup beef broth
  
• 6 servings mashed potatoes (instant or scratch)
  

Melt butter in skillet, saute onion until tender. Add beef and cook until brown.  Mix in broth, Worcestershire sauce and vegetables, heat until bubbly. Put in casserole and top with mashed potatoes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are brown.

Dutch Meat Loaf

I don't make meatloaf that often, but when I do, this is usually the one I make.

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 8 oz can tomato sauce (divided)
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

• Remaining tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine meat, bread crumbs, half the tomato sauce, egg, oinion, bell pepper, salt and pepper; mix with hands and shape into loaf. Place in shallow baking dish. Combine sauce ingredients, whisk and pour over loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Beef shortribs

I made these for our New Year's Eve dinner. Delicious!

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3-5 pounds beef shortribs
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 medium carrots

Mix flour, sugar salt and pepper; coat ribs in it, saving remainder. Brown ribs in melted shortening in Dutch oven. Add rest of flour mixture, water, allspice and bay leaf. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Add carrots and cook for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Classic Lasagna

My Girl Scouts made this last night for our assistant leader, who just had a baby.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 14.5 oz can stewed tomatos
• 3/4 cup water
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 12 oz cottage cheese
• 12 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese

8 oz lasagna noodles (I use the kind you don't have to boil first.)
Brown and drain beef. In saucepan, mix tomatoes, water, tomato paste and spices, add beef and heat until bubbly. Blend cottage, ricotta and Parmesan cheese with beaten eggs.
Put 1/2 cup meat sauce in bottom of greased pan. Layer 1/2 each of noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and cheese sauce. Repeat layers, top with extra Parmesan if desired. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Mrs. Murray's Beef Stew

When they got back to the house Mrs. Murray was still in the lab. She was watching a pale blue fluid move slowly through a tube from a beaker to a retort. Over a Bunsen burner bubbled a big, earthenware dish of stew. "Don't tell Sandy and Dennys I'm cooking out here," she said. "They're always suspicious that a few chemicals may get in with the meat, but I had an experiment I wanted to stay with."

In tribute to the late Madeleine L'Engle. A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books as a kid. It's one of the few children's adventure books that actually has a strong mother character: a brilliant scientist as well as a doting parent, even if she did occasionally ignore her basic lab safety regulations. Enjoy with Jello and homemade cookies, and you'll be well-nourished for your galactic adventuring.

• 2 pounds cubed stew beef
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups water
• 3 large potatoes, chopped
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• 6 small onions
• 3 stalks celery, chopped

Coat meat with flour, brown in hot oil. Combine meat, sliced onion, seasonings and water in stew pot, cover and simmer over a Bunsen burner medium heat 2 hours. Add remaining vegetables, cover and cook over low heat for 30 more minutes.

[Meg] realized she had had nothing to eat since the horrible fake turkey dinner on Camazotz which she had barely tasted. How long ago was her mother's stew? Time no longer had any meaning.

Ginger marinated flank steak

• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds flanks steak
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (I sometimes use grated fresh ginger root instead.)
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 5 green onions, diced (optional)
  

Mix together in covered jar and shake. Put steak in shallow dish, pour sauce over steak. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning steak regularly.
Grill steak over hot coals or on the George Foreman, basting frequently with marinade.
Good on other types of steak, too!

Lemon Marinated Flank Steak

A flavorful but low-calorie marinade great for grilling beef, outside or on the George Forman. Also good for boneless chicken breasts.

• 1/2 onion, minced, or 4-5 green onions
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients and shake. Pour over meat and marinate several hours or overnight. Grill meat until desired doneness. If you like, you can saute the onions in a little olive oil and serve with the meat.