Dinner Tonight: Stuffed Beef Round

Its 9:30 in the a.m. and my dinner for tonight is taken care of! Wo-hoo! Oh the wonders of a good crock pot!!!

This recipe is something that my mom makes every once in a while. And after this morning, I understand why. Its fairly labor intensive. So does it fall under the easy category? No. But its really fancy and (hopefully) will be delicious!


Stuffed Beef Round

2 large beef round steaks

Filling:
1 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c chopped onion
3/4 c chopped celery

Dinner Tonight: Beef Enchiladas & Homemade Crustos

Yesterday my mother-in-law was telling me about a new recipe she's going to try: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. Mmm! Sounds enticing! So after hearing about her fun new recipe, the only thing I can think of all day is enchiladas, enchiladas, enchiladas... This is definitely not a go-to-meal in my kitchen, but something I love all the same. I'm out of chicken at the moment and I am a bigger fan of beef anyway, so beef is what's for dinner! Plus a fun, spur-of-the-moment Taco Time knock-off treat!

Easy Beef Enchiladas 

This recipe is a combination of my mom's version, a version from allrecipes.com, and my own adaptations. Its very very very basic. I am a little apprehensive about some enchiladas, so this one is completely tummy-safe!

1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1 can (store bought) enchilada sauce, because its easier that way
1 can olives, sliced
~1 c shredded cheese
4 flour tortillas

What's for Dinner Tonight

A new daily segment. Let's see how long I keep up for - ha!

Baked Sweet Potatoes
Have I ever mentioned how much I love sweet potatoes? Yum Yum Yum! So moist, sweet and delicious. If you are not a fan yet, give these wonderful tubers another try!

• Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Serve with butter, salt and pepper. Truly delish!

BBQ Stew Meat
Another Mom favorite. Stew meat must be boiled in order to get tender. But once boiled... Oh baby oh. I'm talking fork tender and mouth watering.

Confessions

Ok ok... I admit. I am NOT a consistent blogger. My apologies.

As far as whats been happening around here... My corn is now taller than my fence! Wo-hoo! I have several more zuchinnis and tomatoes showing up. And my potato plants are h.u.g.e! I am so loving loving loving my garden. Its definitely my favorite part of the summer.

Things I have learned... Weeds aren't the end of the world. 'Seven' dust keeps the bugs from eating every new leaf. My lilac tree creates way too much shade for the east side of the garden (this issue really must be addressed next year). And most important, I love to garden.

Food Wise...
Husband and I went on a little weekend get-away, so I didn't have to cook at all Saturday or Sunday :) :) :) :) :) However, before the get-away, eight o'clock on Friday night rolled around super fast and I was starting to feel that onery, panicky, stressed-out anxiety I get when I haven't made a plan for dinner (Does anyone else ever have these feelings???). Rather than lash out unreasonably at Flint, I opened up my recipe box and tried to find the easiest possible thing to make. (Not lashing out really was progress for me.) And boy oh boy did I ever succeed at finding the perfect recipe! Only seven ingredients and hardly any prep at all. And best of all, Flint loved it!!!

BBQ Chicken

Chicken, Cheese & a Carter!

Yay! We have our FIRST guest blogger here at the Emerald Gardens! Let me introduce you to 

Mrs. Kelli {Carter} Meyer

 

I know Kelli as a Carter, so its hard for me to remember the Meyer at the end! Kelli and I grew up together and have always been good gal pals. Specifically when I think of Kelli, I think of showing steers. She and I were always county fair buddies and did lots of 4-H/FFA stuff together. The Carter family women are great cooks (who love spicy food!) and Kelli's mom makes the best fudge to be found :) Kelli is now forever away, living in Missouri, doing great things with her life: husband in vet school while wife in nursing school - you guys rock!).

Kelli sent me a few recipes. Today I am sharing a chicken dish. Sadly I couldn't make it for dinner because I don't have Stovetop on hand (...and the grocery store in 80 miles away...). However, I am grocery shopping on Thursday and Stovetop will be at the top of my list! Once I've made it, I'll give my review :)

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Rachael Ray v. Mom

The other day I was watching Rachael Ray and she made this Tex-Mex BBQ Turkey Tamale Pie which I thought looked SO good. I spent the rest of the day wishing I had polenta on hand so that I could try this new recipe out. Well, somewhere during that day, I realized that I grew up eating a recipe that is almost identical. Ok, identical might be pushing it. But similar? Yes Very very similar. They are in the 'family.' So, here is the Mom version (aka easier, cheaper, and more likely that you have the ingredients on hand version) of Rachael's fancy skillet dinner.

Cornmeal Topped Sausage Pie

1 lb sausage
1 1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1 chopped onion
1 can navy beans (I used pinto!)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (I was out of this as well, so I substituted tomato sauce and cut back on the water)
1/2 c water
1 t sugar

Apple Goodness

I haven't posted a recipe in eons. Okay, okay, I haven't posted ANYTHING in eons. Nonetheless, here is one of my all-time favorite muffin recipes. In fact, I made them just yesterday! Super moist, tasty and even healthy!

(Another Mom classic...)
Lemony Apple Oat Muffins
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 c evaporated milk
1/4 c oil
2 T lemon juice
3/4 c quick-cook oats
1 c finely chopped oats
1/2 c chopped nuts

Crock Pot + Fresh Veggies

If there is one thing I love, it is crock pots. Throw some ingredients in and leave all day. Come back to a delish dinner. Its like magic. Almost like perennial flowers!

This recipe comes from my mom's repertoire. And most of the ingredients could come fresh from the dirt.

Sunday Crock-Pot Stew

• Cut cube or round steak into thin strips. Dredge in seasoned four and brown in saute pan (doesn't need to cook all the way).
• Slice carrots, onions, green pepper and celery into crock pot (large chunks work great). 
• Add meat.
• Add canned tomatoes (unless you are really awesome and can grow something that difficult) and tomato sauce to get a good 'stew' consistency.
• Add 1-2 cubes beef bouillion.
• Cook throughout the day and serve over cooked rice or boiled garden potatoes!

Yes, the proportions here are very vague, but that's how Mom rolls. She's just cool like that. And its in the crock pot. So no matter what you throw in, it works out!

Another Berry Breakfast Idea

If you have a berry bush, try this delicious Raspberry Coffee Cake from Taste of Home. I even tried it with a combination of raspberries, black berries, and blue berries. Yummo!

PS: Still try it even if you have to buy the berries from the grocery store :)

Comfort Cookin' - Strawberry Style

I bought a new strawberry plant! And this time, I will guard it very carefully!

Here is one of my favorite strawberry recipes. It is a topping for roll-up pancakes. Ok, ok, crepes.... (The name of that particular food item is a major fight between my husband and I...)

Strawberry Topping
12 oz strawberries, stemmed and sliced
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1½ tsp lemon juice

Because they lived...

In honor of my pepper plants surviving the crash, last night for dinner I made fajitas. Mmmm!

Fajitas
3 large green bell peppers, sliced into long strips
1 medium onion, also sliced into long strips
3 large chicken breasts, cooked and sliced into long strips
Fajita seasoning packet
Tortillas
Cheese, salsa, sour cream, ranch dressing, etc...

After cooking chicken, saute peppers and onions in a small amount of oil until tender. Return chicken to pan. Add contents of fajita packet* and a few tablespoons of water. Once chicken is reheated and seasoning is stirred throughout, you are ready to eat! Warm tortillas over stove or in microwave. Enjoy!

*I don't always use the entire packet. I usually start with half and go from there.

 Serving Size: Last night this fed 4 adults. However, there wasn't much left over. I was wishing I would have added one more chicken breast.

Can't wait for the end of the summer when I can use my own green peppers for this recipe!

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Let me be frank.
Bottled spaghetti sauce and bottled pizza sauce will NOT do. There is no comparison. Homemade marinara supersedes the stores' fake-wanna-be sauces at all levels. Especially if the ingredients are fresh from the dirt.

Homemade Marinara Sauce

This recipe comes as an estimation. Last night I used the following proportions to make a spaghetti sauce for myself and my husband. We were left with oodles of leftovers. 

3 small to medium ripe tomatoes
1 large onion (or equivalent in small ones)
tt salt, pepper and garlic powder
tt Italian seasoning (or even better, fresh oregano, chopped! Hopefully by the end of the summer mine will be usable for this recipe!)
* 1-2 small cans of tomato sauce

Heat small amount of oil (<1T) in large saute' pan. Chop tomatoes and onion(s) to small dice and saute' until tender. Add seasonings.

*Adding the tomato sauce: For spaghetti sauce I typically use two cans, but add one can to start with and add the second can slowly,  using only the amount that you think necessary to achieve a good consistency.  For pizza sauce, 1 can or less is generally sufficient.

Simmer on low to allow flavors to blend. If making spaghetti, brown ground beef and add to sauce.

Delish!