Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

There are so many days when I'd love to just call for take-out but I know that I would feel so much better with a home cooked meal.  We rarely eat out or have take-out so when we do it is usually while on vacation and my kids think it is a treat.  But when we are home, we can have our favorite take-out items without the "extras".  I especially love when we can throw it in the crockpot and not worry about it til dinner time.  

Beef and Broccoli is a favorite around here.  Tender pieces of beef, broccoli that still has a bit of crunch, covered in a sweet and savory sauce, over a bed of  brown rice, it makes everyone happy! 

Beef and Broccoli 

serves 6

 

1 lb boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips (we've used inexpensive steaks too, and it works great!)

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp cornstarch

Fresh broccoli florets (as many as you'd like)

Hot cooked brown rice  

 

Slice the beef into thin slices.  Place it in the crockpot.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic.   Pour over the beef, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

At the end of the cook time, stir the cornstarch into a bowl with 2 tbsp of the sauce from the crockpot.  Then pour the cornstarch/sauce mixture back into the crockpot.  Mix it all together until smooth.

Add the broccoli to the crockpot and stir it to combine.  

Turn the crockpot to high, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Serve over hot cooked brown rice.

Sloppy Joe Sliders

While meal planning this week, I was trying to come up with a few things we hadn't had in a long time.  Sloppy Joe's popped into my mind and I couldn't remember the last time I had made them.   We've become quite fond of sliders, they are the perfect size for the girls and we have so much less waste.  So I whipped up a batch of hamburger buns, and when shaping them into rolls, I weighed them to be sure we'd have uniformity.  I used an ounce and a half of dough for each roll.  That seems to be the best size for sliders. 

The girls were thrilled, especially for the jell-o that I had them help me make earlier in the day, but whatever I can do to get them excited about being in the kitchen, I'll do it.  We whipped up a potato salad, and then finished off the meal with a bowl of ice cream.  Even though it doesn't feel like summer, around our dinner table you'd never know that it wasn't.  

Sloppy Joe's

1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Place ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook and stir the mixture constantly until the beef is browned and forms small crumbles, about 10 minutes.  Drain off any excess grease.
Stir in garlic and green bell pepper; cook and stir until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stir, scraping the pan to dissolve any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Mix in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Add 1/2 cup more water and return mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes.
Season with salt , black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

Bobby Flay's Signature Burger and Fresh Baked Buns

Spring has finally arrived!  We have been out enjoying the beautiful weather, taking advantage of the wonderful walking trails that surround us, and of course firing up the grill.  Although we do use our grill year round (even when it is snowing) we use it almost daily as the weather warms up and all through the summer.  Burgers are one of our favorite things, and Bobby Flay knows how to do a great one.

Bobby's burger is very simple.  Seasoned ground beef, fresh toppings, and a special sauce that kicks your burger over the top.  Give it a try, your family will love it just as much as we do.

Crunchburger (AKA The Signature Burger)
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck, 80% lean, or ground turkey 90% lean
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
8 slices American cheese, each 1/4 inch thick
4 split, toasted buns (see recipe below)
4 slices beefsteak tomato
4 leaves romaine lettuce
4 slices red onion
Horseradish Mustard Mayo (recipe below) aka Bobby's Special Sauce
4 handfuls of potato chips

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (we usually do 6, to make more size appropriate burgers for our kids)
form each portion into a burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Cook the burgers to your liking, top each one with 2 slices of cheese, and let it melt.

Place burgers on the bun bottoms and if desired top with tomato, lettuce, onion, and a dollop of horseradish mustard mayonnaise.  Pile on the potato chips, to with the bun tops and serve immediately.


Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. 

*For a touch of extra flavor, try adding a few tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs such as chives, dill, or
 tarragon.
Recipe taken from Bobby Flays Burgers, Fries, and Shakes cookbook.  If you like burgers, I highly recommend this one!  Every recipe we've tried is fantastic!

I have to give full credit for these buns to my friend Michele at Sweet Luvin in the Kitchen.  She is amazing and a wonderful baker.

Hamburger Buns
makes 8 buns
3 tbsp warm milk
1 cup warm tap water
2 tsp instant yeast
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3 1/3 cups white flour
2 1/2 tbsp butter, softened

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast.  Pulse to combine.  Next add the milk, egg, and butter.  Pulse again to combine.  Last add the warm tap water.  Pour the water a little at a time, mixing a second or two in between.  Only add enough water so that the dough is slightly sticky; you may need more or less depending on where you live, and the climate.  Knead dough on low speed for about 5 minutes.  The dough will be a little sticky, but do not add more flour at this point.

transfer dough to a bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.  Watch it closely, raising times will change depending on temperature and climate.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (about 4 ozs each).  Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, press down on the ball to form a disc.  cover and let raise again until nearly doubled.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake the buns about 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Carne Asada Tacos

This week we had to switch things up just a little, I ended up with an evening meeting at my house for church and need a "no thought - slow cooker" meal for the night.  So, luckily my Thursday meal fell into that category and we just did a swap :).

My Sister in Law Tammy, posted on Facebook that she was making this recipe, and it peaked my interest.  Every flavor that I love!  So, while shopping this week we found a great deal on flank steak.  I knew it had to go on our list this week, so into the cart it went.

The meat was so tender it just fell apart, the flavors were not in your face, but were distinct and wonderful.  I don't think we'll be going back to our boring ground beef tacos any time soon.  This one is a keeper!

Carne Asada

1 cup lime juice (I used fresh squeezed)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup V8 juice

salt and pepper

1 lb flank steak or small beef roast

stir together marinade and pour over the meat.  Marinade overnight in the refrigerator.  In the morning, pour meat and marinade into the crock-pot and cook on low 8-10 hours.  The meat will just fall apart.

We shredded it up and topped it with cheese, lettuce, tomato, fresh salsa, more green onion, avocado and sour cream.  The kids loved it and the hubs and I are hooked!