Guinness Beef Stew

I absolutely love stew in the winter.  Growing up in England I have fond memories of big pots of beef or lamb stew simmering away for hours and nothing says winter food to me more than a bowl of hot stew, suet dumplings are a must but unfortunately for me this time I was all out of the vegetable suet I need to make my dumplings, but the stew was still delicious.

This is a little different than the traditional stew that I make, with the addition of the Guinness, I guess it made it more of an Irish stew, but that's close enough to home for me!

2 lbs boneless stew beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 parsnips
3 carrots
3 potatoes
2 celery stalks
1 bottle Guinness
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 sprigs fresh time
1 bay leaf
2 cups beef broth
salt and pepper
flour for coating

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large pan.  Coat the beef chunks in the flour and brown in the oil.  Add the browned beef to the bottom of a slow cooker.  Top with the chopped onion, the peeled and chopped vegetables season with salt and pepper.

Pour the beef broth and Guinness into the slow cooker, stir in the tomato paste, worcester sauce and add in the bay leaf and thyme.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Biscuits and Gravy Sliders

We have been on quite the slider kick in this house recently.  I have been trying to come up with different versions and a few weeks ago I was watching Randal make his cream gravy and I thought why not make a biscuit and gravy slider.  Randal, of course, was definitely willing to try it and he makes the best cream gravy so I just had him make a sausage version and I made the oven baked burgers without the cheese as they are so quick and easy to make.  I cheated and used refrigerated biscuits and even though the sliders were very messy they were very good and a nice change.

Burgers:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp worcester sauce
salt and pepper

1 can refrigerated biscuits

Gravy:
1 lb sausage
4 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch of ceyenne
salt and pepper

To make the gravy, brown the sausage in a large frying pan, sprinkle the flour over the sausage and cook for a few minutes.  Slowly add in the milk and cream and stir until smooth, add in the seasonings. 

Bake the biscuits according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 400.

To make the burgers, in a bowl, mix together the beef, onion, worcester sauce and salt and pepper.  Press beef into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, drain any fat that is in the pan. 

Cut the beef into squares, and serve on the biscuits topped with gravy.

SRC - Steak Grilled Cheese with Beer Braised Onions

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal,  this month I was assigned the blog Wildflours Cottage Kitchen.  I usually send my assigned blog to my husband and have him help pick the recipe, but this time I found so many things I wanted to make on Kelly's blog that were right up our alley that I didn't need any help!

I somehow managed to narrow down my list to these pub style steak sandwiches,  Korean bbq pork chops and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.  The steak sandwiches won over the others, because for one, being English I love pub food and have spent many an hour in the pub, and I also love the combination of beer and cheese and as this recipe combined both of those things I knew it was the winner!

For any kind of grilled sandwich I have found that the best bread to use is English toasting bread, it is a little dryer and stiffer than regular white bread and always grills up nice and crispy and holds up to all the fillings of the sandwich.  I left Randal in charge of the steak and he decided to grill one of our favourites, a flat iron steak that we sliced up and it worked out perfectly.  These were fantastic and we will be having these again soon!

1 flat iron steak
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Onions:
1 large onion, sliced
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1/4 cup beer

Other ingredients:
4 slices
English toasting bread
4 slices provolone cheese
4 slices havarti cheese
4 tbsp butter

For the steak, mix together the salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat the steak on both sides.  Grill the steak for around 8 minutes each side.  Leave to rest.

To make the onions, in a large pan, melt the butter, add the onions, seasonings and beer and cook until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the steak against the grain.  On 2 slices of the bread, place a slice of each of the cheeses, pile on the steak, top with onions and the remaining cheese slices.

On a heated griddle, add 2 tablespoons butter, once melted place the sandwiches on the griddle.  Butter the top bread slice and leave to toast until golden brown, flip and toast the other side of the sandwiches.   

An InLinkz Link-up

Cheeseburger Sliders

I had plannned to make these sliders with hawaiian rolls, however after I made the  buttery dinner rolls Randal wanted me to use those instead.  I have seen versions of these sliders all over pinterest, I decided to make a small batch as it was just for the two of us, I also decided to not include any kind of binder or breadcrumb as we don't do that with regular burgers and I didn't want this to be meatloaf like.

Randal was definitely skeptical when the beef came out of the oven, but after adding the cheese and his favourite hamburger toppings he admitted they were very good, and even said he would these again.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp worcester sauce
salt and pepper
hawaiian rolls/dinner rolls
cheddar cheese, sliced

Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl, mix together the beef, onion, worcester sauce and salt and pepper.  Press beef into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, drain any fat that is in the pan.  Top with the sliced cheese and return to the oven until melted.

Cut the beef into squares, and serve on the rolls with ketchup and pickles.

Chateaubriand

For quite a few years now our valentines day tradition was having a variety of appetizers and mini desserts for dinner.  We stopped going out for valentines day a long time ago, restaurants here are just too crowded and crazy and to be honest I would rather just be home with my honey.  However, that basically meant I would spend all day in the kitchen making lots of little dishes, all while juggling the daycare kids.

So, when Randal realised that valentines day was on a Saturday this year he immediately declared he wanted to make a really nice dinner for me, and I know my husband well enough to know that would involve steak of some sort.  He finally decided on chateaubriand, and yes it can be a spendy cut of meat, but I knew we would have spent more going out to a nice restaurant so I was fine with it.  The most amazing part of this was that I got to spend the afternoon sipping buck's fizz (my favourite!) while my honey worked away in the kitchen, and yes I did help just a little, but he did most of the work creating a delicious chateaubriand, peppercorn sauce, roasted boursin potatoes, green bean bundles, mushrooms and peppers and garlic herb biscuits.  I feel very lucky to not only have a husband who can cook but one that actually enjoys it!

3lb tenderloin filet
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper

Season the filet with salt and pepper.  In a large pan heat the olive oil.  Sear the meat on all sides, remove from pan and leave to rest for 10 minutes while the oven heats to 350.

Place the filet in a roasting pan, sprinkle with the rosemary and roast for 10 minutes, then flip the roast over, and continue cooking for a further 20 minutes.  Rest for 10m minutes before slicing.

Steak Fingers

Steak fingers are the Blackburn family business.  My father in law created his steak finger recipe at his Argentina Steak House restaurant in 1974, began selling  Steak fingers at the Tulsa State Fair (with the DeMolay providing staff and sharing in the profit) in 1979 and opened up his own Steak finger House around 1980, moving it to down town Tulsa around 1981.  He has remained there ever since (around 34 years now)   and is a well-known fixture in downtown Tulsa, still running his place at 90 years old.

Now, I know I don't have his exact recipe (family secret), but on our last visit there a few weeks ago I could definitely taste lemon pepper in the breading, so these might not be exactly the Blackburn family steak finger recipe, but even Randal agreed they were very close and very delicious.   They are especially delicious when dipped in the hubby's peppered cream gravy!

1 lb Cube steak
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp lemon pepper 
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Cut the cube steak into strips.  In one bowl add the flour, lemon pepper, salt, white pepper and cayenne, mix together.   In another bowl beat the eggs with the milk.  

Roll the steak fingers in the flour, then coat with the egg mixture, then back in the flour.

Heat about an inch of oil in a large pan, add the steak fingers and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and serve with cream gravy.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

These cheeseburger meatballs have been top of Randal's list of meals for me to make for a while.  I finally got around to making them and I am glad I did, they really do taste like a cheeseburger and we loved them, so did the 3 year old I watch, she ran off with my leftovers the next day.  Randal decided to top some with some sliced cheese to make them even more cheeseburger like, and I actually think we preferred them that way!

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 tbsp dill pickles, chopped
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 cup panko

Preheat oven to 425.

Fry the bacon until crisp, remove from pan and set aside. Add the onion to the pan with the bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the garlic, cook for another minute, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the ground beef, egg, mustard, ketchup, pickles, salt and pepper, mix together.  Add in the cooled onion, the cooked bacon, cheese and panko, mix together and form into meatballs and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Swedish Meatballs

Randal loves Swedish meatballs, but until recently it wasn't a meal I made very often, not until I found this recipe over at  damn delicious anyway!

This recipe made a lot of meatballs so I froze half of them, which is perfect for us right now, as in a few weeks I am about to be even more busy during the day as Sophie and her baby sister will be coming back to daycare, the twins are very excited to get Sophie back but I have already warned Randal that he will be eating a lot of simple meals, at least until I get the three 2 year olds and the three month old on a schedule.

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup panko
1 onion, diced
2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups beef broth
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and pork, along with the egg yolks, panko, allspice, nutmeg, salt, pepper and the cooled onion.  Roll into 1 1/2 inch sized balls.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan the onion was cooked in and brown the meatballs in batches and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in the pan, add in the flour and let cook for a few minutes.  Gradually whisk in the beef broth and bring to a simmer.  Add in the sour cream, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.  Add the meatballs back to the pan and cook for 10 minutes.  Top with fresh parsley and serve.

Lebanese Meatballs

The original recipe for these meatballs from The Spice Kit were made with turkey, I decided to make these with beef as I wanted Randal to enjoy these and he really isn't a fan of ground turkey, and he loves the Armenian beef kebabs I make so I was hoping he would like these as well.

These meatballs are simmered in a lightly spiced tomato sauce and we served them with rice and a salad.  We both really loved this dinner, and now I wish I had made more meatballs to freeze for another day!

 

Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
⅔ cup bread crumbs
1 onion, diced
⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 eggs
6 cloves garlic
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large bowl mix together all the meatball ingredients.  Form into golf ball size meatballs.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan.  Brown the meatballs, then remove from pan.

To make the sauce, add the diced onion to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, add in the garlic and cook for another minute before adding in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, sugar, allspice, oregano, salt and pepper.

Bring the sauce to a boil, add in meatballs, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cabbage Dolma

I bought a couple of cabbages back when they were on a great sale for St. Patrick's day, I knew that I would make my mother-in-law's cabbage rolls with one of them, but I wasn't sure what I would make with the other.  Then I thought about what other meals I was planning such as Greek chicken and Lebanese meatballs and I thought I would try making some cabbage dolmas.

The filling for these rolls is really good, you can really taste the mint and the meat is totally optional, I just added it to make these more appealing to my husband.

1 cabbage
1 lb ground beef
1 cup rice
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
juice of 2 lemons

Cut the core out of the cabbage and place into a large pan of boiling water.  Cover and let cook for 10-15 minutes to soften the cabbage.  Remove and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, rice, onion, mint, parsley, garlic, allspice, half the lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

Separate the cabbage leaves, and fill each one with around 1/4 cup of filling and roll up.

Place a couple of extra cabbage leaves in the bottom of a large pan, and place the cabbage rolls in the pan.  Season with salt and pepper and the remaining lemon juice.  Pour enough water to cove the cabbage rolls, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

Once mine were cooked I decided to pan fry for a couple of minutes to get them a little browned.

Beef and Beer Stew with Herb Dumplings

No matter how many times I try I still can't quite make beef stew the way my mum makes it. I really wasn't expecting this stew to taste like hers, because there was certainly no beer in hers and no herbs in the suet dumplings. However, I was totally surprised that this stew turned out to taste almost the same as my mum's.

1 lb stewing beef, cubed
1 onion
3 carrots, sliced
3 parsnips, sliced
1 swede, cubed
5 red potatoes, cut in half
1 bottle of beer
1 small can tomato puree
4 cups beef stock
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp sage

Suet Dumplings:
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup suet
3 fl ox water
pinch of salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary

To make the stew, in a large pan heat the oil over high heat.  Brown the meat in small batches and set aside.  Cook the sliced onion in the same pot for a few minutes, then add the garlic, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and swede and fry for 5 minutes.  Add the beef back to the pan along with the flour.  Add the beer, beef stock, tomato paste and paprika, marjoram and sage.  Stir together, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 to 2 hours.

To make the dumplings, combine the flour with the suet, salt, rosemary, thyme and water.  Mix to form a dough and divide into 8 balls.  Drop the dumplings on top of the stew, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Lasagna Cupcakes

Time for another Secret recipe Club reveal. This month I was assigned the blog Morsels of Life.   There are so many recipes to choose from on this blog that it took me a long time to decide what to make.  In the end I decided on these Lasagna Cupcakes as I have seen them a lot on other blogs and on pinterest but I have never made them myself, plus I had some wonton wrappers that I needed to use up!

These really are a fun thing to make, I used my favourite pasta sauce recipe and just like with regular lasagna I used cream cheese instead of ricotta, that's just our preference.  I really enjoyed these, Randal liked them apart from the crispy tops!

Sauce:
1 lb ground beef
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
8 oz mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tsp worcester sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil
salt and pepper

Wonton wrappers
Cream cheese
Shredded mozzarella

In a large frying pan brown the beef, drain and add the diced onion, bell peppers and the sliced mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and tomato paste and mix together well.  Add in the italian seasoning, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and worcester sauce.  Let simmer for 30 minutes. Add in the fresh basil.

Preheat oven to 375

Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray.  Place a wonton wrapper in each cup.  Put a layer of sauce, followed by about a teaspoon of cream cheese and a layer of mozzarella.  Top with another wonton wrapper and repeat the layers.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meatball and Tomato Tagine with Lemon Saffron Couscous

This is a Moroccan stew that is usually cooked in a tagine, I don't own a tagine but this dish can still be cooked just as well without one.  I found this recipe over at the view from the great island and I loved that the meatballs were made with a mix of beef and lamb, as Randal usually won't eat lamb, but mixed with beef I thought I could get away with it, and I did!

Meatballs
1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/3 cup fresh coriander, minced
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil, for frying

Mix everything together except for the oil.  Form into 1 inch sized meatballs and brown in the hot oil.  Set aside.

Sauce
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 whole tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sweet paprika
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place everything in a large saucepan, simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.


Lemon Saffron Couscous
1 lb couscous
2 cups water
1 tsp saffron threads
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 2 lemons

Place the water and saffron in a large saucepan.  heat until simmering, turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.

Bring water back to a boil, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, oil and salt.  Add in the couscous, stir and turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Lasagna Rolls

I have seen lots of recipes for lasagna rolls and thought these would be a good way to use up some homemade pasta sauce I had in the fridge.  We both really loved these and they are so much easier to make and eat than actual lasagna, as my lasagna usually ends up quite messy and never holds together well.  We put cream cheese in ours instead of ricotta as that's what we usually put in regular lasgana.  I used 4 large fresh pasta sheets and cut them in half to make 8 rolls, and the sauce recipe will make a lot more than just the lasagna rolls.

Sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
1 tsp worcester sauce
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Brown the ground beef in a large pan, drain the fat and add the onion to the pan, cook for a few minutes, add in the garlic, bell peppers, celery and mushrooms, stir together and let cook for a few minutes.  Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red wine and seasonings.  Mix well and let cook for 45 minutes.

Lasagna Rolls
4 lasagna sheets
Pasta sauce
Cream cheese
Provolone cheese
Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 and place a little of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

Cook the lasagna sheets in boiling water for a few minutes, cut each sheet in half length wise.  Place around 3 tablespoons onto each pasta strip and cover evenly.  Add about a tablespoon of cream cheese and a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, roll the pasta and place in the baking dish.  Do the same for all the lasagna rolls, top with some more of the pasta sauce.

In a small bowl combine about 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and shredded provolone cheese with a teaspoon of italian seasoning and mix together.  Top the lasagna rolls with the cheese mixture and bake for 30 minutes.

Pizza Burgers

Pizza burgers is a recipe from Randal's mom that he grew up eating, and is one of the dinners that Randal makes as often as I let him.  This post is all Randal;  he made it, took the pictures and wrote up the recipe, and has been waiting for me to actually put it on the blog for a while now.

Most people, when they think of a "pizza burger" (or do a search for "pizza burger") end up with a hamburger with some pizza toppings, some marinara, and mozzarella cheese,  but that is not what this pizza burger is all about.     This has more of a stiff sloppy joe consistency (but it doesn't taste like one) and is served open-face.

We are very lucky to still be receiving plenty of fresh herbs from Sue so Randal used both fresh and dried herbs this time, but he usually makes this with just dried herbs (so the recipe will have the dried herb measurements).  We also did something else a little different this time;  we usually make these open faced on hamburger buns but this time Randal wanted to try it on English Toasting Bread because it has an incredible consistency when toasted.

Lots of herbs, spices, and veggies (never met a spice we didn't like!)

Browned ground beef, onions, peppers, tomatoes and herbs

Using English Toasting Bread for extra crunch, and definitely sliced American cheese

Cheesy, beefy, crunchy pizza perfection!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato paste
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Sliced American cheese
Hamburger buns or English Toasting Bread

In a large frying pan brown the ground beef, onion and bell pepper.  Add in the canned tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes, then drain off all the fat. Mix in the tomato paste and the coriander, allspice, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary and cook for another 10 minutes.  It should be very, very thick and stiff.

Place hamburger buns or bread on a baking sheet and spread lightly with butter.  Top with the pizza burger mixture and add a slice of cheese to each one.  Bake at 400 for about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Some tips: Resist the temptation to use mozzarella cheese and stick with sliced American (at least the first time you try this)... it is really important to the flavor profile.  English Toasting Bread, if you can find it, makes a better, crunchier bottom.  And for even more crunch, run it once through your toaster before laying it on the baking sheet. 

Quesadilla Casserole

I made this casserole to go with the red rice and beans, it is a very quick and easy recipe to make, although I was a little concerned about the tortillas getting soggy it was a really great dinner that we both enjoyed.

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
16 oz tomato sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn
1 can green chilies
6 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

Brown beef and onion in a large skillet on medium-high.  Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chilies.  Mix well.  Stir in all of the spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat low and simmer 5 minutes. 
Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 9 by 13 pan. Top with 3 of the tortillas, layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef and cheese. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Beef Stew with Suet Dumplings

I grew up eating really amazing beef and lamb stews that my mum used to make.  I have tried many times over the years to make her stew but nothing tastes quite like the stews of my childhood.

I took inspiration for this stew from a Jamie Oliver recipe, so this isn't exactly the same as my mum's (hers doesn't have wine in it) and I changed up Jamie's recipe to include the vegetables we like.  You can make this stew on the stove or in a slow cooker, I usually make stew on the stove but I recently started doing in home daycare again and so I have been using my slow cooker more.

2 lbs stewing steak
1 onion
1/2 butternut squash peeled and diced
4 parsnips
4 small potatoes
4 carrots
1/2 bottle red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
1 tsp worcester sauce
1 garlic clove
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper

Dumplings
4 oz self raising flour
2 oz vegetable suet
3 tbsp water
salt

Place the sliced onion, butternut squash, peeled and quartered potatoes and peeled and sliced carrots into the bottom of the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper.  Add in the tomato paste, minced garlic, rosemary and worcester sauce.

Cube the beef and add it to the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper, pour over the red wine and beef stock.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

To make the dumpling, in a small bowl mix together the flour, suet and salt.  Add the water and mix until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, add more water if it seems too dry.  Divide into 8 balls, and add to the top of the stew, place the lid back on the slow cooker and leave to cook for 20 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

We had some really good deli roast beef from my favourite grocery store Central Market that I needed to use up. I remembered I had pinned this recipe from Quick'n Easy Recipes and as Randal loves stuffed peppers and roast beef, I thought this would be a great dinner for him.

8 oz roast beef
8 slices provolone cheese
2 green peppers
1 onion, sliced
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan.  Add the onions and mushrooms, cook for about 10 minutes.  Add in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Add in the chopped roast beef and mix together.

Place a slice of cheese in the bottom of each pepper.  Divide the beef mixture between the peppers and top with another slice of cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Beef Kofta Curry

I have been wanting to make this Jamie Oliver curry for a while, although I really wasn't sure if Randal would like this at all, mainly because of the lentils mixed in with the beef.  I figured if there was enough curry sauce though, he might not even notice. I really enjoyed making this curry and it did taste great (although Randal quickly found the lentils!) but I did have some trouble with the kofta falling apart in the pan, so mine ended up more like a mince curry.

1 cup puy lentils, cooked
1 tsp garam masala
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tomatoes
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
2 spring onions
1/2 a red chilli

1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp honey
2 tsp rogan josh curry paste
Half a can of light coconut milk

 

Put the lentils into a bowl with salt, pepper, the garam masala and beef, mix together.

Divide the mixture into 12 and shape each one into a short sausage shape. Put them into the frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil, turning when golden.

In a blender, add the tomatoes, ginger, spring onions, the chilli, turmeric, honey, curry paste and coconut milk, then puree until thoroughly combined. Pour into the kofta pan, bring to the boil, then simmer and season to taste.
  

BBQ Beef Taquitos

Another taquito recipe, this one is from chef in training and while we really liked the previous chicken taquitos, these we absolutely loved, so much so that we made them again a few days later.  The filling has a wonderful, creamy, BBQ flavor.  We changed the recipe slightly as the original had ranch dressing powder in it and neither of us like ranch at all. We halved the amount of shredded cheese to just half a cup and added a little more cream cheese.  When eating them we found they were great dipped in sour cream.

 

1 lb ground beef

4 tbsp cream cheese

1 cup bbq sauce (we used Stonewall Kitchen honey bbq sauce)

1/2 cup colby jack cheese

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Flour tortillas (we really like using ready-to-cook raw tortillas found in the refrigerator section)

Sour Cream for dipping

Preheat oven to 425

In a large frying pan brown the ground beef, take off the heat and drain.  Add in the cream cheese, colby jack, bbq sauce, onion powder and garlic salt.

To cook the tortillas, heat about 1 teaspoon of oil (just enough to coat the pan) in a non-stick pan, then fry each one to your own preference (about 1 minute per side).  Place on paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Place a 1/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and roll up. Place the taquitos on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.