Smothered Hamburger Steaks and Onions

Hamburger steak is a typical southern recipe. Dressed up hamburger patties with gravy makes for some delicious comfort food, and since ground beef is inexpensive you don't have to worry about busting your grocery budget. I know you all have a grocery budget, right? This dish is low carb making it a perfect choice if you are trying to limit carb consumption.

I first came across this recipe several years ago when I was doing a lot of freezer cooking.  It has become one of our favorite family recipes. For those that don't care for onions, the onions are sliced and can be easily picked out.

Buon Appetito!

Smothered Hamburger Steaks and Onions

yield: 6 servings

calories: 336

fat gram: 10

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1 large onion, sliced

Beef gravy (bottled, canned, or mix) I like to use 2 packages of McCormick brown gravy mix following directions on package. 

Mix all ingredients except onions and gravy. Shape into patties (I like to make 4 oz. patties) and brown in greased skillet. Turn; add onions. Add gravy; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. 

To freeze, prepare patties. Place a sheet of wax paper between patties. Place in a freezer bag and store in freezer for up to 6 months. You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer bag. If freezing raw meat, when ready to cook simply thaw and cook per recipe instructions. If freezing leftovers, simply thaw and reheat in microwave or on stove.

Cheesy Beef and Tomato Lasagna Roll-Ups

In my last post I mentioned that some ingredients are not easy to come by here in Italy. Case in point, the original version of this recipe calls for manicotti noodles. I couldn't find manicotti or even cannelloni noodles at the Commissary. I live in the pasta capital of the world, but really didn't feel like braving the Italian traffic to hunt down some manicotti. Recently, I have seen several recipes for lasagna roll-ups so I decided to try lasagna instead. I simply boiled 12 noodles, drained and blotted dry then spread the filling on each noodle and rolled them.

It was so much easier than trying to stuff cooked manicotti.  The recipe also calls for a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies with garlic, oregano, and basil of which I couldn't find.  Instead, I used a can of Rotel (for a little kick) and simply added some fresh basil, dried oregano and fresh garlic.  It can be frustrating to not be able to find needed ingredients, but there is usually a similar ingredient that can be substituted.

Many of you know that I often alter recipes to make them a little more figure friendly.  This recipe calls for Italian sausage which is very tasty, but also very fattening.  A healthier option is to use lean ground beef and add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds.  I calculated the calories and fat grams for each version and was amazed at the difference made by simply altering a few ingredients.

I was so pleased with how this recipe turned out using lasagna noodles and low fat ingredients that I will make it like this from now on.

These are generous serving sizes. I typically eat 1/2 of a serving (one lasagna roll-up) with a salad or side veggie and a slice of bread for a well-balanced delicious meal.

Cheesy Sausage and Tomato Manicotti ~ Original Version 

Southern Living

Yield: 6 servings

Calories 801 per serving

Fat grams 52

Ingredients 

• 1 (8-ounce) package uncooked manicotti noodles
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies with garlic, oregano, and basil
• 1 pound Italian pork sausage
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water. Drain.
2. Process tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a blender 20 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
3. Remove casings from sausage, and discard. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Spoon into manicotti shells; arrange stuffed shells in lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
4. Pour tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle top with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
6. Note: Casserole may be assembled and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer a smaller casserole, use 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.

Cheesy Beef and Tomato Lasagna Roll-Ups ~ Figure Friendly

6 servings

adapted from Southern Living

Calories 587

Fat grams 23

Ingredients

• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced Rotel added approximately 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp. dried oregano, and 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 pound 94% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 (8-ounce) 1/3 less fat package cream cheese
• 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
• 4 cups (16 ounces) reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water. Drain and pat dry.
2. Process tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a blender 20 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
3. Cook ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Spread mixture on cooked shells and roll. Place in lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
4. Pour tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle top with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
6. Note: Casserole may be assembled and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer a smaller casserole, use 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.

Buon Appetito!

Easy Lasagna

This easy no-boil lasagna was a favorite family recipe when I was growing up and is now a favorite with my family. It is so delicious, and I can honestly say it is the best lasagna I have ever eaten. Even the lasagna in Italy doesn't compare to this dish. I have cooked this recipe many times over the years as you can tell by my well-worn cookbook.

Since I like a saucier lasagna, I typically make 1 1/2 times the amount of meat sauce the recipe calls for. I don't think you will be disappointed with this Italian family favorite.

Easy Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef

3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (I use canned spaghetti sauce. It is tasty and inexpensive.)

1/2 cup water

2 cups cottage cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

8 oz. lasagna noodles, uncooked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown meat in skillet and drain. Add sauce and water to meat and simmer for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine next 7 ingredients.

Layer meat sauce

Layer noodles

 Layer cheese mixture

 repeat ending with meat sauce and cheese

Cover with foil.

Bake 45-60 minutes.
Remove foil the last 5 minutes to allow the top to lightly brown.

Buon Appetito!

Comfy in the Kitchen: Crispy Orange Beef With Broccoli

photo source:comfyinthekitchen.com

I have decided to occasionally feature other blogs' recipes that I have tried and enjoyed. The blogs I choose to feature will be ones that I enjoy reading, offer great recipes or cooking information, and share similar personal values. I would also like to begin featuring recipes from friends or followers, so if you would like to be featured on my blog, please leave a comment or "like" my facebook page and leave a comment.

Many of you may be familiar with Comfy in the Kitchen blog especially if you follow the blog Women Living Well. WLW is a christian blog written with the intent of encouraging women as they are raising their families. Courtney at WLW has a huge following and was even featured on the Rachel Ray Show. Courtney often features her friend Janelle's cooking blog, Comfy in the Kitchen.  Janelle shares everyday cooking recipes that are simple and family friendly. Although I enjoy her recipes, that is not what continues to draw me to her site. Her heart for the Lord and ministering to others using her love of food keeps me coming back. I love that she has a meal ministry to share the love of Christ.

Tuesday evening I cooked Crispy Orange Beef With Broccoli.  I saw this on Janelle's blog and thought the combination of crispy, orange, and beef sounded really good. I know crispy is not a flavor, but texture is often just as important. It was delicious! I enjoyed it so much that I ate it for leftovers 3 days in a row. Unfortunately, my hubby was out of town and didn't get to try it. I will be honest and tell you that my boys didn't care for it. I think the combination of sirloin and orange zest just didn't do it for them. I am also not sure they really liked the ginger flavor either. I don't cook a lot of dishes with fresh ginger and it may have been a little too strong for them.

Before slicing, I put the meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes to get it extremely cold then thinly sliced it in my food processor. It made for faster frying and the meat was really tender and easy to eat.  Serve this dish with rice and a side of broccoli and you have a complete meal. I took some to a friend whose wife is out of the country and he gave it rave reviews.

Click on the recipe title to see Janelle's full post with lots of pics.

Crispy Orange Beef with Broccoli

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 6

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (white vinegar will do)
• 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 8 broccoli florets, lightly steamed or blanched
• 1-1 1/2 cups oil for frying- use 1/4 cup at a time in batches

Instructions

1. Drain beef strips in a single layer on dish lined with paper towels.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, vinegar, orange juice concentrate, and soy sauce. Set aside.
3. Start making your rice per package directions.
4. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
5. Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat.
6. Fry in the hot oil in small batches until crispy and golden brown; set aside.
7. Drain all of the oil from the wok except about 1 tablespoon.
8. Add orange zest, ginger and garlic to the remaining oil, and cook briefly.
9. Add the soy sauce mixture to the wok, bring to a boil, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
10. Add beef, and heat through, stirring to coat.
11. Serve immediately over steamed rice, and garnish with broccoli.

Buon Appetito!

Tried and True Pot Roast

I am trying something different with this blog post and am not including a picture. Most everyone knows what a pot roast looks like and since they really don't photograph well anyway I thought I would just share a couple of really good recipes and forego the pic.

I don't know about other parts of the country, but when I was growing up in the South pot roast was the typical Sunday afternoon meal. It was an easy meal to prepare. My mom would let the roast cook along with some potatoes, carrots, and onions either in the oven or in the Crockpot while we were at church. Then we would arrive home to a delicious home cooked meal. Add a salad and rolls and you have a balanced meal.

My guys love meat and especially roast. What is it with men and meat? Maybe it goes back to the hunter gather thing where the guys went out hunted and killed something to bring home for dinner. That must be why most men I know love meat and don't consider they have eaten a meal unless there is meat included.

For years I was confused about what cut of meat to buy when cooking a roast. I found this info on a food blog and thought I would share.

What cut of meat should I buy for my roast beef?


A: Every cut varies in flavor and tenderness. Rib roasts and loins are naturally tender and flavorful. Chuck roasts are juicy due to their good marbling, but require lower, slower cooking to get tender. Rump and round roasts are very lean and if thinly sliced can make excellent sandwiches, but they can be tough. Only the top grades of round and rump have enough fat to roast well; many do better if braised, pot roasted or stewed. For a round roast, you want top round. Eye of the round LOOKS like a good roast, but is tough and needs moist heat; bottom round is also pretty chewy when roasted.

I have always had good luck with all cuts of roasts as long as the meat is cooked long enough to make it tender.

Here are a couple of our favorite roast recipes.

Family Favorite Pot Roast

2 lb. roast

1 pkg. Lipton beefy onion soup mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup water

Mix soups and water; pour over beef. Cook at 300 for four hours or in Crockpot on low for7-9 hours. Add potatoes, carrots, and onions halfway through cooking time.

This is a recipe I recently discovered from www.food.com

To Die for Crock Pot Roast

1 (4-5 lb) beef roast, any kind

1 pkg. brown gravy mix

1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup water

Place pot roast in Crockpot. Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast. Pour the water around the roast. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Buon Appetito!

Timballo di Riso/Rice Timbale

This recipe comes from the Italian cooking school that I attended in the spring. When we arrived at the school each day we would go to a classroom where the head chef would brief us on the dishes that we were going to prepare. Sometimes between the briefing and walking to the kitchen the recipes would change, and we would make a totally different dish than we were told about. After "graduation" the school gave us a cd with all the recipes in Italian. This recipe was on the cd, but we never actually made it in class.

This was probably the most challenging Italian recipe I have cooked so far. It wasn't that the actual dish was difficult, but trying to translate the recipe was challenging. Since my Italian is not good, I rely on Google Translate to translate the recipes. It was also confusing since the recipe is for four rice timbales (english for timballo), but it has you prepare enough meatballs for about 20 timbales! But as the Italians say, "va bene" which loosely translates "all is well". My kids loved the meatballs (which are inside the rice) so they definitely were eaten. 

I had to do some research on timbale recipes since I had never heard of them and didn't have a clue what I was cooking. Then after making this dish a friend mentioned to me that her Italian neighbor had recently taught her how to make it, and I read about it in a book on Sicily.

Timballo is an Italian dish that consists of  baked pasta, rice, or potatoes stuffed with meat or vegetables. One popular Sicilan way to make it, is to line a bundt pan with fried eggplant and then layer with rice and vegetables. After baking, dump out the pan and you have a nicely molded eggplant timbale.


A timbale is a kettledrum and looks like this:

You can purchase molds in the shape of a kettledrum, so I assume that is why it is called Rice Timbale. I didn't have any timbale molds so I just used some ramekins that I already had.

I have not perfected this recipe. I just want you to see how this recipe translates and why it was so difficult for me. This dish was quite delicious so perhaps one day I will try it again, rewrite the recipe, and share it with you.

Rice Timbale

with Heart and Smooth Tomato Mozzarella

Carnaroli rice 200 gr
onion 80 gr
vegetable broth 50 gr
olive oil 50 cl
minced beef 200 gr.
eggs 2
grated parmesan 150 gr.
parsley bunch
bread-crumbs 150 gr.
peanut oil .300 lt
tomatoes .200 kg
mozzarella 100 gr.
garlic 1
aluminum cups 4

Chop half the onion fry it in a saucepan over low edge, add the rice, toast, sprinkle with white wine to evaporate off and let stand. Take the remaining clove of garlic, add onion and brown in a saucepan combine the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook. Apart from taking the chopped beef put in a bowl combine eggs, bread-crumbs, parsley, grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, and knead, form small patties and fry in a pan. In a saucepan, prepare the vegetable broth. Turn the pan with wet rice with vegetable broth and bring to cooking the meatballs and add a ladle of tomato sauce with grated cheese mix into the molds lay at the center include a diced mozzarella, sprinkle with grated cheese and grill in the oven at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.

Award Winning Chili Recipe

I am pleased to share this awesome award winning chili recipe! My husband won first place at a Sunday School party chili cook off with this recipe! The best part is that it is super simple.  

Now that the weather is cooler or freezing, depending where you live, this is the perfect time of year to enjoy some yummy chili!

Chili

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. minced onion
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (8 oz.) can water
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can red beans (ranch style)
1 pkg. chili season
1 small can green chilis
1-2 can refried beans to thicken (optional)


Brown meat. Drain well. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about one hour.

Beef Noodle Supreme

This recipe is one that I used to cook often when I did a lot of  freezer cooking. I used to plan my meals two weeks to one month at a time. Then I would prepare and freeze them. Whenever I needed a dish, I would simply pull it from the freezer, let it thaw, and then bake according to the directions.  Before moving to Italy, we got rid of our deep freeze, and since our freezer space here is so small I have not done much freezer cooking in a while.

Our whole family enjoys this casserole and I think you will too.

This recipe makes 2- 9x13 inch  or 4- 8x8 inch casseroles.

Beef Noodle Supreme

2 lbs. ground meat

4 T. margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

4-8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2-8 oz pkg. cream cheese

2 cups sour cream

12 green onions, including green part, chopped

2-8 oz. pkg. noodles

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

In a skillet brown meat in margarine (I never use the margarine). Add garlic, salt, sugar, and tomato sauce; simmer about 10 minutes. Soften and blend thoroughly cream cheese and sour cream. Add onions and set aside. Boil noodles until tender; drain. In baking dishes, layer noodles, cream cheese mixture, and meat sauce. Repeat Layers. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



To freeze-skip baking step and freeze unbaked. Unthaw and then bake. Makes several freezer meals depending on your size family.