Beef...it's what's for dinner

Beef Enchiladas

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (1.5 ounce) package dry enchilada sauce mix
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground beef and onion until beef is evenly browned and onion is tender.

2.     Prepare the enchilada sauce according to package directions. Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

3.     On each flour tortilla, place an equal portion of the ground beef mixture and about 1 ounce of Cheddar cheese, reserving at least 1/2 cup of cheese. Then tightly roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish.

4.     Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and olives.

5.     Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is thoroughly melted.

Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs

• MEATBALLS
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten
•  
• SAUCE
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1.     In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.

2.     In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve. 

Skillet nachos Supreme

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1.12 ounce) package Pace® Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked instant white rice
• Pace® Thick & Chunky Salsa
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Shredded lettuce
• Tortilla chips

Directions

1.     Cook beef and taco seasoning in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.

2.     Add soup, water and rice. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 min. or until done.

3.     Top with salsa, cheese and lettuce. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 large green bell pepper

1 20 oz can pineapple chunks

3 T vinegar

1 T soy sauce

½ C. brown sugar

3 T cornstarch

1 lb frozen meatballs

Chop bell pepper into bite size pieces and place in large zipper bag.
Pour pineapple chunks into bag with pepper. (I only had a can of crushed and it still came out great....use what  you have)

Mix next 5 ingredients in small bowl and pour over pineapple and pepper.

Pour meatballs into slow cooker.  Pour pineapple mixture over meatballs and mix.
Cook on low 4 hours.  Serve over rice. 

Slow Cooker Beef-Vegetable Chili

1 1/2 pounds beef boneless round steak 1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup) 1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers® frozen mixed vegetables, thawed 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained 1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (15 oz) Progresso® dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 envelope (1.25 ounces) chili seasoning mix 2 cups water 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 ounces) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cut beef into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook beef and onion in skillet over medium-high heat 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.

 2 Mix beef mixture and remaining ingredients except cheese and cilantro in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker.

 3 Cover and cook on Low heat setting 7 to 9 hours. Top individual servings with cheese and cilantro.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs Italian Meatballs: 1/2 lb. lean ground beef 1/2 lb. Italian sausage 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. basil 1/2 tsp. parsley 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. salt* *If you want, you could substitute all the Italicized ingredients with 3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning found here. Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a broiler pan and broil until the meatballs start to brown--I actually use my toaster oven. Just because I can. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use). Sauce 1 large onion, chopped 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed Olive oil 2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes 16 oz. tomato sauce 1-2 Tbsp. sugar (to taste) 2 tsp. basil 1 tsp. Italian seasoning Pinch of red pepper flakes Salt and pepper to taste Pinch of baking soda (to help neutralize the acid) Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add remaining sauce ingredients and combine well. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached--about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that's of medium consistency (my husband, bless him, likes it very thick while I like it a little on the thin side. Whatever will we do??) Serve over hot spaghetti, maybe with some breadsticks and some freshly grated Parmesan on top. Serves a lot--like probably 12 regular people or 2 teenage boys. FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare meatballs as directed, but divide the meatballs among two freezer-safe containers. Prepare sauce through adding all ingredients to the pan, but don't simmer; rather, divide the sauce among the two containers. Freeze until ready to use. When ready to use, place in slow cooker and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, although you'll want to keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it's not burning if you go for the whole 6 hours.

Taco Stuffed Shells

I am a little obsessed with Pinterest. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an amazing website where you can store recipes, craft ideas, photos, etc.

Tonight Donnie and I made this amazing recipe:

Taco Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 once package cream cheese
12 large pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Monterey jack cheese (shredded)
1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 cup sour cream


Cooking Instructions:


Step 1: In a fry pan cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow to fully cool. While burger is cooking cook the pasta shells, drain and toss well with butter.
Step 2: Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Step 3: Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.
Step 4: Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Step 5: After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, black olives or whatever you think goes good with tacos!