My favorite lasagna

(image from google images)

1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned

28 oz. Prego Sauce-traditional (of course you can use any kind, but this is my favorite)

8 lasagna noodles, cooked

1 c. sour cream

3 heaping Tbs. ricotta cheese (I use way more than this, I love it so I just keep throwing more on!)

1 lb. grated Jack cheese

Layer-

sauce/meat (1/2 of it)

4 noodles

Sour cream and ricotta cheese

1/2 jack cheese

Repeat.

Bake at 350 for 48-50 minutes.

Israeli Inspired Pita Sandwich with Yogurt Sauce

From Christine Hansen

We had this served to us at beautiful visiting teaching conference about the Ten Virgins. I think this will be fun to make around Christmas time. We have a tradition on Christmas Eve where we dress up and have a shepherd's dinner.

Yogurt Sauce (make first, to allow flavors to blend)

1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 c. finely chopped, seeded cucumber (I just shredded it)
2 T. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Best if made at least an hour ahead to allow flavors to blend.

Pita Filling

1 lb. lean ground beef, browned with onion, salt and pepper
2 cups cooked barley (or whatever ratio you like).
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin

Barley is a great meat stretcher! Use pearl barley, available in bags near the dried beans. Cook it like rice, using 2 cups of water for 1 cup barley. I used my rice cooker but the stove top will work well too. Can freeze any leftovers--add to soup, etc.

Combine beef and barley, warm on the stove with 1 cup beef broth (or more if it seems dry). You can use bouillion and water as well. This will help moisten it and allow the spices to permeate the mixture. Add oregano, garlic powder, cumin. Simmer 30 minutes or so.

Serve with:

pita bread (best price and quality at costco)
chopped cucumbers
fresh chopped tomatoes
sliced onions or green onions
yogurt sauce
hummus

Side of red grapes.

Navajo Tacos

This recipe serves 10

Navajo Fry Bread

4-5 cups flour

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup instant milk

2 cups water

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in water. Knead dough lightly, cover and let rest 15 minutes. Heat 1 " vegetable oil in a 10 " skillet. Pinch off dough in small amounts and pat dough into thin 8" circles. In the hot oil, quickly brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Filling

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 can pinto beans

Brown ground beef and onion, drain. Add beans and garlic salt. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Toppings

grated cheese

salsa

lettuce

tomato

onion

sour cream

green onion

Taco Ring

I think I got this recipe from a Pampered Chef party many years ago. I only used one package of crescent rolls because my kids are being picky and I knew they wouldn't eat very much of it. Usually I use 2 packages and the ring is twice as big. Oh well, this is the basic idea anyway.

Take 1 package of Pilsbury cresent rolls, remove from package, and separate the pieces. Then lay them out on a baking stone so that the points face outward.

Top with refried beans, pre-cooked ground beef, and grated cheddar cheese. Fold the dough over and seal.

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes until golden brown.

I serve this with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream. Whatever you usually put on a taco works. When I am feeding adults and don't have picky children that cry about sour cream, I take the sour cream and put it in a tube with a fluted end, and squeeze a pretty dollop onto each section of the cresent so it has little white "flowers" all around the ring.

But since I had lots of picky crying children tonight, I made it extra plain and we just added what we wanted afterwards.

Tin Foil Dinners

Okay, if you know me you know that I'm not the biggest camping fan in the whole world. I value comfort too much. The one thing I do love about camping, however, is tin foil dinners.

Here's how I make them:

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First of all I precook my ground beef. I like it all ground up, but sometimes we do it in patties too. This is where I add most of my seasonings (usually sea salt and lemon pepper, tonight I used Montreal steak seasoning because it was handy).

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Next I add sliced potatoes and sliced carrots, both from a can. They are soft this way, and do not require long cooking times.

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Sometimes I add onions, or a package of onion soup mix.

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I always add a big huge scoop of cream of chicken. This is the best part about tin foil dinners, in my opinion. It makes everything moist and yummy! Once I used herb-flavored cream of chicken, and it was wonderful. I need to look for that again!

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I double wrap it in tin foil, and since everything is already cooked, I can pack it in my cooler, take it up to the mountain, and throw it in the fire for 20-30 minutes to heat.

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Or you can do it this way too!

How do you make your tin foil dinners???

Steak au Poivre (Peppered Steak)

4 6-7 oz. steaks (filet mignon, tenderloin)

oil

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Sauce:

1/2 c. chopped shallots

3 tsp. fresh crushed black peppercorns

30 ml Cognac

400-500 ml beef broth

150 ml heavy whipping cream

2 tsp green peppercorns

Preparation:

1. Season and saute the steaks in the oil. Remove them from the pan and put them into the oven, 350 degrees.
2. Drain off the excess fat from the pan (dab with paper towel) and add the shallots. Saute the shallots with the black peppercorns, then deglaze the pan with the cognac.
3. Stir in the veal stock and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the cream, then season with salt.
4. Let the cream boil until you see big bubbles and strain it (to remove peppercorns and shallots).
5. Add the green peppercorns into the sauce (do not add the brine/liquid).
6. Place the steaks on hot plates, spoon the sauce around, and garnish with watercress.

Serve with potatoes au gratin.

Crockpot Lasagna

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 12 oz. carton cottage cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
12 oz. lasagna noodles, uncooked

Brown ground beef and onion. Add garlic, tomato sauce and paste, salt and oregano. Cook long enough to get it warm. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the crockpot. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, break to fit and top with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

We really liked this recipe. It was perfect for Sunday dinner. We had another family from the ward over for dinner last time I made it, and she's asked me 3 different times for the recipe, so I guess it was okay!

Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups frozen pearl onions (from a 16-ounce bag)

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 cup quick-cooking polenta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

1. Combine carrot, onions and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker.

2. Rinse ribs and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, wide pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add ribs, in batches, and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer, as cooked, to slow cooker.

3. Stir together tomatoes, broth, wine, parsley, cornstarch and tomato paste in a bowl; pour over ribs. Add bay leaf. Cover and cook, 9 to 11 hours on low or 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours on high. Skim off any fat from top (discard bay leaf).

4. Combine 3-3/4 cups water, the polenta and salt in a large saucepan over moderately high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

5. Serve ribs over polenta and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Brisket with fruit sauce

Brisket With Fruit and Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

1 (2-1/2 pounds) beef brisket

1/2 cup dried pitted plums

1/2 cup dried apricot halves

1/2 cup dried tart red cherries

1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Rinse brisket and pat dry. Place in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with plums, apricots, cherries and garlic.

2. Stir together broth, wine, thyme, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in flour until smooth. Pour over fruit mixture in cooker. Cover and cook 9 to 10 hours on low.

3. Thinly slice beef against the grain and serve with fruit sauce. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie (from Kate)

Baked Spaghetti Pie

6 oz. Spaghetti
2 Tbls. Margarine
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Eggs, well beaten
1 lrg. Container of Cottage Cheese
1 lb. Ground Beef, browned
1 Bottle favorite Spaghetti Sauce
2 Cup. Mozzarella Cheese

Cook Spaghetti according to package. Combine hot drained spaghetti with margarine, parmesan cheese & eggs to form "crust" on bottom of 9x13 dish. Spread cottage cheese over crust. Put ground beef over cottage cheese & pour sauce over ground beef.

Bake uncovered @ 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Mozz. & bake for 5 more minutes.

Crock Pot Perfect Roast and Noodles

Crock Pot Perfect Roast and Noodles (I got this recipe from Ginger Seaman and have made it multiple times. It is a favorite!)

Ingredients:

• Top sirloin beef roast (from costco), if frozen, add 1/2 c. warm water
• 1/2 package mushrooms
• 1/2-1 onion sliced
• 1/4-1/2 c. olive oil
• 2-3 beef bouillon cubes
• 2-3 cans beef broth for small roast, 3-5 for large roast
• 1 seasonoing packet of au jus gravy mix (I use Lawry's)
• Salt to taste: I prefer sea salt or Kosher salt
• 1/2-1 package wide egg noodles

Preparation:

Place roast in crock pot (frozen or thawed.) Add all ingredients except salt into crock pot (make sure crockpot is at least 1/2-3/4 full of liquids and roast--if not add more beef broth or water). Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours. Remove roast from crock pot. Shred and salt. Pour 1/2-1 cup of remaining juices over roast to keep moist. Take remaining juices and add water to a large pot and boil. Add 1 package wide egg noodles to broth and cook until done. Drain and serve (leaves little bits of meat on noodles with great flavor).

Crockpot Tacos

(recipe from Heather Richey)

Crockpot Tacos
1 package of stew meat
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
little bit of water
1 pkg. fajita or taco seasoning

Put those 3 ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Then remove and shred.

Serve with corn tortillas (heated on griddle w/ olive oil).

Toppings:

cilantro--chopped
shredded cabbage
tomatoes
fresh limes
avacodo
sour cream
cheese
Ranch

Roast Beef Sandwiches

Better-Than-Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches (found it here)

3 pounds roast, up to 4
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 package onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
1 chopped onion
1 pinch garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Put roast in the crockpot with brown sugar, onion soup mix, water, chopped onion, garlic powder, salt & pepper. You let it cook for 24 hours! I usually start it after dinner in the evening, and then stir it in the morning. By dinner that night - it's ready!

They're great on onion buns!"

Fajitas

Fajitas (from Crystal Hanson)

1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak (i used chicken)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
4 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into half-inch wide strips

Marinade: ** (I doubled the marinade)
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

1 Mix all marinade ingredients. Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit at least an hour, the longer the better.
2 Heat to high heat a large pan. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. (Again, i used chicken)Remove from pan & let sit (COVER WITH FOIL) while you cook the peppers & onions.* watch your burner temperature here; you want the heat high enough to give the meat a good carmelization, but not to burn while it cooks all the way through.
3 Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent. If desired, squeeze a lime or 2 over the peppers.
4 Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices.

French Dip Sandwiches

Easiest Slow Cooker French Dip

INGREDIENTS
· 3 pounds beef sirloin roast
· 1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
· 1 cup water
· 8 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese
· 8 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

DIRECTIONS
Place the beef roast into a slow cooker. Stir together the water and au jus mix; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred or slice. Open the hoagie rolls and top with beef and provolone cheese. Serve with small bowls of the hot au jus from the slow cooker