Sloppy Joes

Prep:  10 min

Cook:  25 min

Serves: 8

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 c. barbecue sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

8 hamburger buns, split

Barbecue sauce, for topping

Heat oil in a large skillet with straight sides. Add the bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the ground beef to the vegetables. Stir and cook about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, and hot sauce into the skillet. Stir. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun with extra sauce.

Mexican Venison Soup

Mexican Venison Soup

1 lb ground venison 

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced 

14.5 oz can diced or stewed tomatoes

2 1/2 c. Water, divided 

4 medium russet potatoes, cut in large cubes

2 1/2 tsp Chili powder

2 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp black pepper 

Cook the ground venision with the onion and garlic until done. Drain all the grease off. In a large Dutch oven, add potatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes are beginning to get tender. Add the tomatoes, dry seasonings, and the other cup of water. Bring the mixture back to a boil and add the meat mixture. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with cornbread. 

*Lasagna

* This is my personal lasagna recipe, and I promise, it is the best you'll ever eat!  I've honestly never had any at a restaurant or anywhere else that is better than this! 

Total Time Involved:  2 hours

Prep Time:  1 hour 35 minutes

Bake Time:  25 minutes

(Prep time includes: cooking the pasta, chopping garlic & onion, cooking the ground beef and making the meat sauce, grating the cheeses, and assembling the complete dish prior to baking. If you spend the extra money and buy pre-shredded cheese then it would save you some time. Also, this is assuming that you are doing all the work by yourself. If you have other family members helping you, it won't take quite as long.)

1 lb ground chuck

12 oz pkg lasagna noodles (about 12 noodles)

1 medium yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

6 oz tomato paste

2 large eggs

32 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz block mozzarella 

8 oz block sharp cheddar

1/2 c grated Parmesan, ¼ c for topping and ¼ c for cheese in dish

2 Tbsp dried parsley

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp basil

1 tsp salt (if tomatoes say ''no salt added'' you may need more salt)

¼ tsp black pepper

Chop up onion and garlic very fine and add to ground chuck. Brown meat in a skillet with onions and garlic until thoroughly cooked. Drain off as much excess grease as possible. 

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 25 minutes. 

While the sauce is simmering, prepare a pot of boiling salted water for the lasagna noodles. Cook them for about 7 minutes only. They will finish cooking later in the oven. 

Mix the two eggs in a bowl with the ricotta cheese. In another bowl grate the cheddar cheese and the mozzarella and stir together.  Add ¼ cup Parmesan to cheddar and mozzarella.  When the sauce mixture and the noodles are finished cooking set them aside. 

In a 9 x 13 baking dish, lay 3 to 4 noodles across the bottom slightly overlapping. Spread about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Then spread 1/2 the meat and sauce mixture. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the Cheddar/Mozzarella/Parmesan mix over the sauce. Next repeat this process with another layer.  After the second layer of meat and sauce mixture you will cover the top with the remaining four or five noodles. Spread the last 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the top and then sprinkle with the last 1/3 of the Cheddar/Mozzarella/Parmesan mix. Sprinkle the other ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over the top of the dish as well. Bake at 375° for about 25 minutes. Allow the dish to set for a few minutes after removing from oven before serving. 

Use about a 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the first layer. You will use another 1/3 on the second layer and the last 1/3 as part of the topping.

Use 1/2 of the meat sauce on your first layer and the other 1/2 on the second layer. 

1st full layer complete. Repeat with noodles, ricotta mixture, meat sauce, and shredded cheeses.  Then add one more layer of noodles and top with remaining ricotta mixture and shredded cheeses. You should have two complete layers and one layer of noodles with cheese for topping.

Shepherd's Pie - Autumn

2¼ lbs lean ground beef

6 cups prepared instant creamed potatoes, or homemade if desired

8 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

½ medium onion, diced

½ large bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons diced garlic (from the jar) or 4-5 med/lrg cloves, minced

salt & pepper to taste

Prepare the instant potatoes (or homemade if you have the time) and set aside.  Be sure to salt, pepper, and butter the potatoes.  

Season the meat with salt and pepper also. Cook the ground chuck with the peppers, garlic and onions in a skillet.  Drain the excess grease off of the meat.  Place the meat in the bottom of a 9x13 Pyrex dish.  Layer the creamed potatoes on top of the meat.  Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the potatoes.  Place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the entire dish is good and hot.

Notes:  I usually prepare this dish with extra lean ground beef, 1% milk and margarine in the potatoes, and 2% cheese to reduce the fat content of this dish.  It is still really good! You’d never know I used the reduced fat options.

*The Perfect Chili

* This is my personal chili recipe.  It uses a combination of fresh ingredients and dry seasonings for optimal flavor.  Note that I not only use fresh garlic and onion but also garlic and onion powders.  I find that this produces a better flavor. 

servings: 4

cook time: 30 min

total time: 1 hr

2 lbs lean Ground Beef

1 med Onion, chopped

4 large cloves, or equivalent of minced from jar

2 c. Water

2 tbsp Flour

1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes

2 (8 oz.) cans Tomato Sauce

Seasonings: 

6 tbsp Mexene Chili Powder

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1½ tsp Salt (regular, not sea salt)

2 tsp Sugar

Cook ground beef with onions and garlic in a large skillet. Drain the excess grease off of the meat and place the meat back in the skillet. Add all of the other ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

*Tip:  If you are sensitive to spicy foods, try cutting back the chili powder to 4 tbsp. This will give it a milder flavor. 

Makes about 6 cups.

Beef Tips with Gravy

Beef Tips with Gravy

1 lb of beef tips

1 can (10 oz) cream mushroom soup

Zesty Italian dressing dry mix

Brown Gravy dry mix

1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 2 cloves, finely minced 

1/2 small onion, minced

1/2 c cold water for brown gravy

1/4 cup hot water for Italian dressing

Lawry's Season Salt for meat. 

Sprinkle the meat (somewhat liberally) with Lawry's season salt to taste. Chop up 1/2 of a small onion and 2 cloves of garlic and place in a nonstick pan with the meat. Lightly brown the meat, garlic and onions. Dissolve the gravy mix in 1/2 c cold water. Dissolve the Italian Dressing mix in 1/4 cup warm water. Place the meat, onions, and garlic in a slow cooker and add the gravy, the dressing, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Cook on high for about three hours. 

I personally have a shortcut that I like to use. I place the meat garlic and onion mixture in an electric pressure cooker and add the gravy mix and dressing mix with the water. I cook it under pressure for about 15 minutes. Then I depressurize it and stir in the cream of mushroom soup and let it simmer for a few minutes before serving.

*Best served over white rice or egg noodles.