Recipe #350: Meat Doria

I must have been subconsciously missing Japan more than normal this weekend because I tried out several recipes that remind me of food in Japan...coffee jelly, milk coffee and now meat doria. This is like a gratin, but with rice instead. and I had a ton of rice to use up so this worked perfectly. I copied the doria I often got at Gusto's, a restaurant we went to occasionally in Japan.
I made four single serving dishes.

You need:
4 cups cooked rice
white sauce (recipe found here, take out the chicken bullion and use water instead of chicken broth)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 Tbsp grated parmesan
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup pasta sauce

•  preheat oven to 450
• make white sauce according to recipe directions
• add cheeses to the sauce and mix well. turn off heat once it is mixed together.
• meanwhile brown the beef and then add pasta sauce to it.
• in the bottom of oven safe dishes, put a layer of rice
• ladle on some of the white sauce and mix in with rice. smooth out rice and then add a little more white sauce on top. 
• put a couple spoonfuls of the meat sauce in the middle of each dish.
• arrange dishes on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 min
• in the last 5 minutes, put the oven up to 500 to help the cheese on top brown a bit.

Enjoy!

Recipe #348: Stuffed Burgers

Alas...no picture of this deliciousness. I think my camera is about dead. I am hoping it last me through the summer though so I can take my time deciding on a new one!
Last night we had stuffed burgers...it ended up being a kitchen meal because when Will went out to turn on the grill we realized that we were out of gas! (And we had JUST gotten back from the store!)
Although it would have been so much better on the grill, it was pretty delicious!

You need:
1 lb ground beef
3-4 strips of bacon
shredded mozzarella
basil, torn into small pieces

• dry up bacon and tear into small pieces
• form ground beef into 6 thin patties
• on three patties, place some bacon, mozzarella and basil 
• put another patty on top and shape so that sides are closed and pinched together
• heat on medium on stove on each side for 5-7 minutes

i could only eat half of mine it was so huge! but every delicious. :)

Recipe #341: Coffee Braised Pot Roast

My mother-in-law gave us a pot roast so I decided to find a new recipe to let it sit in the crock pot while I was at work. So I was looking on realsimple.com and found this recipe that called for a different kind of beef, but i figured it would be just fine for my pot roast too! :)

you need:
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4 large potatoes, quartered
1 small bag of baby carrots
2.5 lb pot roast
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 cup of brewed coffee
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar

• cut up onions and potatoes.
• place all veggies in the bottom of the crock pot
• salt and pepper the pot roast then add to the top
• whisk tomato paste, coffee, worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl.
• pour on top of roast
• cook on low for 8-9 hours

for foccocia recipe go here

Recipe #325: The Ron Swanson vs.Chris Traeger

This is what Will wanted to call it...I mean look at the picture.

sweet potatoes vs. steak...

got to love parks and rec! :)

The weather is warm and most of our cooking is done on the grill! We love doing sweet potatoes on the grill. So healthy and delicious! And there is the steak. probably not as healthy but pretty delicious!

You need:

Steak (I got these from Will's mom so I have no idea what kind they were!)

Barbecue sauce. We used Jack Stack barbecue sauce I got while I was in Kansas City, MO. I used it earlier with pork chops but haven't posted it yet!

• Marinate steaks in barbecue sauce. keep in fridge for a while.
• grill at around 400 for about 30 minutes. (depending on how done you like it!)

Eat up! Will was so happy while eating tonight! :)

Recipe #320: Baked Sweet Potato

I am so out of practice! It has been a crazy, busy, horrible month. But May is just around the corner and hopefully the showers of April are behind me!

I decided to not to go all the way to the beginning of the month but I will catch up on those when i have time...I am already behind from last week!

I don't think I have done baked sweet potatoes yet!

You need:

3 sweet potatoes

1/2 lb ground beef

shredded cheese 

sour cream or greek yogurt

barbecue sauce

• microwave sweet potatoes for 6-8 minutes depending on the size
• meanwhile, brown ground beef. 
• drain fat then add some barbecue sauce and mix up.
• top potatoes with sour cream, beef, and cheese.
• enjoy with roasted veggies!

Recipe #298: Mediterranean Beef Wraps

A recipe I found in a Real Simple magazine, you can also find it here. This meal would be really fast, but I made  the pita bread and hummus so it took a little longer!

You need:
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 tsp oregano
kosher salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
pita bread
hummus
mint leaves
lemon

• Make 12 small patties with the ground beef
• season with oregano, salt and pepper
• cook in a fry pan until done (about 5-10 minutes)
• spread hummus on the pita bread
• put two patties on each pita and drizzle some olive oil and torn mint leaves.
• Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

Recipe #291: Asian Beef Salad

Another Real Simple idea, except they did it with ground turkey, also some other ingredients I didn't have! :)

You need:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
romaine lettuce
cucumbers
matchstick carrots
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 pack browned ramen (see directions here. it was because I didn't have peanuts but wanted something crunchy)

• brown beef, drain oil
• add water, fish sauce, and brown sugar. stir until liquid is almost gone.
• toss lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots with lime juice.
• top with beef and serve!

Recipe #267: Stuffed Shells with #268 Balsamic Cole Slaw

I bought big pasta shells the other day to try out a new pasta. It was a lot of fun!

You need:

1/2 box of jumbo pasta shells

1 lb hamburger meat

1 cup mozzarella

1 cup pasta sauce

• brown meat and drain oil
• add a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce and mix together.
• boil noodles according to package directions.
• add cheese to meat
• add rest of pasta sauce to the bottom of an 8x8 dish
• drain noodles and start to fill with meat mixture
• place in dish and once it is full cover with cheese.
• bake at 350 for about 20 minutes of until cheese is melted.

I had leftover cabbage and carrots so wanted to make a quick cole slaw. I found a balsamic version here.

You need:

1/4 head of cabbage, cut up

1 cup matchstick carrots

green onion

1 tsp garlic powder

red pepper flakes

balsamic vinegar

• cut up cabbage and green onion
• heat in a pan until cabbage gets limp
• add garlic powder, red pepper, and balsamic vinegar
• enjoy!

Recipe #260: Baked Taco Rice

another twist on a tacoish meal.

you need:
1lb ground beef
 rice
1 cup cheese
1 cup spaghetti sauce
lettuce, sour cream, salsa, chips for toppings

• make rice
• brown meat and add spaghetti sauce.
• mix rice and beef together in an 8x8 dish
• top with cheese
• bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted
• serve with your favorite taco toppings!

Recipe #237: Seaweed Burger

It may sound weird, but it was delicious. I even made a cute little pile of rice like they do at restaurants in Japan! My rice is topped with curry furikake, absolutely the most amazing stuff ever!

You need:
ground beef
teriyaki sauce
square of seaweed
rice

• make the hamburger into a small patty
• start frying it, add a little bit of teriyaki sauce while cooking.
• cook until juices run clear, put on plate
• cover with a square of seaweed
• put some rice in a little bowl to make it come out in a cute shape! 
• enjoy! :)

Recipe #236: Southwestern Hamburger

Today was a horrible day, but fortunately Will's mom left some hamburgers for us. There is something about a good hamburger that makes things seem okay! :) Unfortunately we didn't have any buns, so the Southwestern twist on a hamburger came to be thanks for a tortilla taking its place!

You need:
whole wheat tortilla
1 hamburger patty
cheddar cheese
avocado
lettuce
kettcup

• cook hamburger in a fry pan until juices run clear
• on one side of a tortilla, layer cheese avocado, and lettuce
• cut hamburger in half and put on top. 
• fold tortilla over and enjoy!

opps...blurry picture but you get the idea! :)

Recipe #231: Hamburger Skillet Supper

Will decided on ground beef and then I was left with the decision of what to do with it! I didn't have much time in between my run and needing to leave for Bible study, so I found this recipe here and it seemed easy enough!

You need:
1 lb ground beef
2 large potatoes
2 cups of corn
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

• start browning meat
• peel and dice potatoes
• add potatoes, corn and soup to meat when mostly browned
• stir and cover for 10 minutes
• stir again, turn on low and simmer until potatoes are soft and beef is done.

Recipe #223: Beef Chimichangas

I found this recipe here and of course changed it to use what I had on hand! I think without the sour cream and by using whole wheat tortillas this version is probably less calories! :)

You need:
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp taco sauce
dried oregano
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
whole wheat tortillas

• brown ground beef, and drain oil
• add taco sauce and dried oregano
• remove from heat and add cheese, mix well
• put about 1/3 cup of beef into middle of each tortilla
• fold left and right sides together, then top and bottom to enclose meat. 
• bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until tortilla is crisp. top with your favorite toppings!

Recipe #219 and #220: Japanese Style Hamburger and Sesame Fries

It would be more japanese to eat this with rice, but I wanted fries and Will wanted beef so this is what we came up with! I found the recipe for the hamburgers here, but of course changed it because I didn't have tofu or mushrooms

You need:
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup mirin
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
sprinkle of garlic powder

• mix ground beef, salt, pepper, egg and nutmeg together
• form into 6 small patties
• mix up mirin, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder
• put a bit of olive oil in pan then brown both sides of beef for about 2 minutes a side
• turn heat to low and cover. cook for 5 minutes.
• pour mirin mixture over hambugers. Move pan constantly so sauce doesn't burn.
• turn burgers to get evenly coated. Sauce forms a glaze on the burger.
• burgers are done when there is no sauce left in pan

Sesame Fries:

You Need:

3 russet potatoes

olive oil

sesame oil

ginger

salt

sesame seeds

• Cut up potatoes into long strips and put into a ziploc bag
• add olive and sesame oil, sprinkles of ginger, salt and sesame seeds
• bake for 25 minutes at 450 on a greased baking sheet.

Recipe #210: Cheesy beef roll ups

This is a spin off of a chicken dish I made earlier found here. Will liked this just about as much! I wanted to make a creamy tomato sauce for it so had to play around with some stuff because I didn't have any heavy cream. anyways... I think it turned out pretty good!

You need:
1 lb ground beef
2 cans of crescent rolls
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup whole milk with 2 Tbsp Flour and 2 Tbsp melted butter (to help thicken a bit)

• brown meat
• in a small cup make a paste with melted butter and flour, add to a saucepan with milk. then add tomato sauce and 1/2 cup cheese
• add some of the cream sauce and cheddar to meat.
• grease bottom of 9x13 pan, put some of cream sauce on bottom
• unroll crescent rolls and add some of meat mixture to each one then place in the pan.
• add some more cream sauce on top and then top with remaining cheese
• bake at 375 for 25 minutes

enjoy!

Recipe #208: Baked Soft Tacos

This might look very similar to this recipe, because it is. I needed something easy, and using ground beef actually made it go a lot faster!

You need:
1 lb of ground beef
taco seasoning
salsa
5-6 tortillas cut into 2 inch strips
cheddar cheese
toppings: lettuce, tomato, and greek yogurt (in place of sour cream)

• brown beef, then add 1/4 cup taco seasoning and some water
• put down a layer of beef in a 9x13 pan
• top with tortilla strips, salsa, and cheese. repeat each with another layer
• bake at 350 for 30 minutes
• add your favorite taco toppings! 

Recipe #115: Quick and Easy Shepherd's Pie

Monday was so fallish, I needed fallish food! And for some reason, Shepherd's Pie seemed to meet the need! :) Mine is not the normal version, but one I put together in about 10 minutes before putting it in the oven!

You need:
about 6 red potatoes
1lb of ground turkey
1/2 onion
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 cup of corn
1 cup of broccoli
handful of cheese

• pierce potatoes and microwave for about 8 minutes, depending on size of potatoes
• when done, cut in half, spoon potato out, and mash
• brown meat and onion
• steam broccoli and corn
• pour ground turkey into a 9x9 dish. 
• add can of cream of mushroom and half can of water, mix together with meat
• mix veggies with meat
• add a handful of cheese.
• Top with mashed potatoes and another bit of cheese
• bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until potato tips brown a bit

Recipe #111: Beef Udon Salad

for lack of a better name...

You need:
Beef Strips
Potatoes, cut in chunks
apple, sliced
two bundles of Udon noodles
edamame

for sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tbsp sesame seed
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

• mix sauce in crock pot
• add apples, potatoes, and beef
• cook on high for about 3 hours
• last 10 minutes boil udon 
• boil edamame
• mix it up or leave it separate! 

Recipe #106: Yakiniku

I had some beef in the freezer. I am the worst when it comes knowing how to work with beef, but i was in the mood for asian, so I sliced it thinly and made an easy japanese dish...its easier in Japan because we buy premade sauces but I had found a recipe online that tastes pretty similar...now i just need to figure out how to get the right kind of meat like we used in japan!

You need:
Thinly sliced beef
Yakiniku tare:
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp grated apple
2 scallions, thinly sliced (i actually left this out)
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp black pepper

• Mix the yakiniku tare together. 
• Allow the beef to marinate for at least 10 minutes
• Cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked through

I had let it simmer for a while, to let the rice finish cooking. The sauce thickened up a lot so next time i might add in a little water so its not so thick, and so that it is more like how my mom made it, but Will seemed to like it that way!

Recipe #73: Pizza bites

So last night I was in a snack kind of mood, but wanted to "snack" on something substantial, so I had a couple of cans of biscuits in the fridge, plus some meat and cheese...pizza bites...for lack of a better term!

you need:
2 cans of biscuits (or make your own biscuits found here)
1/2 lb of hamburger
shredded cheddar cheese
spaghetti sauce
parsley

• Spread out the biscuits on a cookie sheet. 
• on top a small spoonful of spaghetti sauce, hamburger and cheese
• close up around sauce etc.
• top with a little parsley and cheese
• bake at 350 for about 15 min. or until golden brown

heat up some more spaghetti sauce to dip your pizza bites in!