Parmesan Cube Steaks & NO Snow!

Big disappointment this morning when we awoke. The news channels were forecasting 4-8 inches of snow overnight but when we got up this morning all that was out there was a light dusting. 

Bummer....we were all hoping for a big snow.
Schools were cancelled though because the surrounding hilltops did get a 4-5 inch blanket of snow. So, even though the roads in town were perfectly clear, the kids had to stay home because the ridge roads were treacherous.
Frustrating to me! 
I don't see why our Dept. of Highways can't seem to keep up with the roads now a days. They always have in the past.
Is it due to a lack of state funds??
I'll stop there before I go on a rant about our whole government system.

While staying indoors on this unsnowy (is that even a word)
day I made these Parmesan cube steaks. Cube steaks are not a favorite of mine but these were really tasty. Coated with flour, browned and then baked, and topped with a spoonful of tomato sauce and mozzarella.

Parmesan Cube Steaks

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 eggs
3 tbsp. water
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil
olive oil
8 cube steaks
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Bowl #1 
Mix flour, salt and pepper and set aside.

Bowl #2
Whisk together the eggs and water and set aside.

Bowl #3
Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese & basil.

Heat oil in skillet.
Dredge cube steaks in bowl #1, dip in bowl #2 and then into bowl #3.
Place steaks in skillet and brown on both sides.
Once browned, place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake 400 degrees for about an hour.
Mix tomato sauce, sugar, oregano and garlic powder together.
Spoon a little sauce onto each steak and sprinkle with mozzarella.
Place back in oven to heat the sauce and melt the cheese. 
Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Steak Marinade

OOohhh this was so good! 
I needed a quick dinner to throw on yesterday so I grabbed a few bottom round steaks from the freezer, thawed them and started to make my usual marinade. But I remembered at the last minute that I had seen a lemon pepper marinade that I wanted to try so I sifted through my recipes until I found it.
Oh my!
I think it became the whole families' new favorite way to grill steaks.
As I said, I used bottom round steaks that had been run through the tenderizer which I know is not a good cut to use for a steak but it's what I had on hand.  I seared it on both sides at a high heat and then I turned the grill down and continued cooking until done.
It was so tender and tasty.

Lemon Pepper Steak Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic

Mix all together in a large ziploc bag. Place steaks in bag and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before grilling. 
ENJOY!

Beef Stir Fry

I'm not a lover of Chinese food but my son really likes it so I've been trying a few new dishes.


Some I like and some I just don't think I'll ever like!


One of my BIGGEST problems with Chinese food is the salt content. My blood pressure has slowly been on the rise for a few years now so I'm trying to control the amount of salt in our foods in hopes of avoiding having to be put on medication.
Well if you have ever read the ingredients in Chinese food or looked at a recipe you know that it's full of salt. There is salt in the soy sauce, the beef or chicken broths and many even have MSG that is added.
It's kind of like a layered dish of salt. Each ingredient used has SALT.


So I'm trying to find a few recipes that are healthy yet still taste good. 
This one was easy to make and definitely had a lot less salt than most.
Oh, and the above picture would have had broccoli in it if I wouldn't have forgotten to pick the broccoli up when I went to the store. (It was one of those days!)


Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry


1/2 cup cold water
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 lb. stir fry beef
splash of olive oil
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 head of broccoli, cleaned and cut 
1 cup carrot matchsticks
1 cup orange juice
4 cups hot cooked rice


In a bowl, combine water, soy sauce and cornstarch and set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet and then add beef strips.
Add ginger, garlic powder and carrots.
Simmer until beef is browned.
Add broccoli and stir-fry until beef is thoroughly cooked & broccoli & carrots are as tender as you like.
Add orange juice and heat until boiling.
Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook a for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve over hot rice.
ENJOY!
*Recipe makes 4 servings*

Cajun Beef & Carrots

                         Beef & Carrots Ready for the Oven

Now this is my kind of cooking.
I love "casserole" style meals that can be thrown together and left to bake in the oven. (Leaves more time for *ME* to do what I want without being stuck in the kitchen.)
Easy and simple!
The only problem is my husband is more of a meat and potato kind of guy so he's not fond of "stuff" thrown together and cooked all in one.

So this was a little of both of our favorites and kind of casserole style....or at least it was cooked in a casserole dish. Does that count? :o)
Beef (his) and carrots (mine) flavored up a bit and left big enough that he could easily pick out the carrots.
Then of course at the last minute I boiled and mashed some potatoes and wahla...a easy to prepare yet a hearty meal.

Cajun Beef & Carrots

1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat 
6 oz. carrots, sliced and quartered
hot pepper sauce

In a plastic bag or bowl, combine flour, onion powder, cajun seasoning, salt & pepper.
Toss beef into flour mixture and coat well.
Place beef chunks in a greased casserole dish.
Layer carrots around the outer edge of the beef.
Sprinkle hot pepper sauce on top (as much as you like)
Cover and bake at 350 until well done.
I didn't add any liquid to mine but if the dish becomes too dry then add a little water or beef broth.
Enjoy!

Beer & Onion Crockpot Beef Roast

Since this summer has been so hot and humid I have resorted to cooking many a meals in my crockpot. I've tried lots ~ some we liked ~ some we didn't.
This one is a keeper!

Beer and Onion Crockpot Beef Roast

beef roast, trimmed of any fat
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. minced garlic ( I used the stuff in a jar.)
1 tbsp. minced dried onion flakes
10 1/2 oz. can of Campbell's French Onion Soup
2 packets brown gravy mix
12 oz. bottle of beer

Coat roast with flour and then place in a greased crockpot.
In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over roast.
Place lid on crockpot and cook on high all day.
*I started mine around 7 a.m. and let it cook until 5 on High. The result was a super tender roast with lots of flavor.*
Enjoy!

Before I go I'll show you a few stitcheries that I completed. Dad got some frames cut for me this weekend so I was able to finish these up and begin on some new stitcheries :O)

Everyone *LOVES* this one!
      It's a Bird Brain Designs pattern.

Next is a favorite bible verse of my Mom's. I made it for her a good while ago and have been waiting for the right size frame to put it in.

The last one is for Christmas. It's a Chestnut Junction pattern.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Cheeseburger Stromboli

Not the prettiest picture, I know!

Hi all!
Boy is time flying by. School begins in two weeks and I just can't believe that another summer has come and is almost gone. Not a whole lot to blog about as nothing interesting has been going on here lately. Just enjoying my last few weeks of summer break by keeping cool in the A/C while working on my stitching. We do have a trip planned to Kennywood Park this weekend and we are all looking forward to it. Just hope the weather cooperates!

As for the recipe!
I made this yesterday and it was so good.
I made several of them ~cheeseburger, 2 pepperoni & cheese and one for my Dad that I used vegetarian meat crumbles in place of the beef. My favorite was the cheeseburger!
Anyways, the recipe that I am sharing is only for the cheeseburger mixture which will only make one stromboli, yet the dough recipe is enough for 4 stromboli. So, you will either have to cut the dough recipe in half or have filling ingredients ready for the other 3 stromboli. (pepperoni & cheese, ham and cheese or whatever other combinations you can come up with.)

Cheeseburger Stromboli

Dough: (enough to make 4 stromboli)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
2 cups warm water
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup oil
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups flour
Dissolve 1/2 tsp. sugar and the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water. Let set 5-10 minutes.
Next mix the 2 cups water, egg, butter and oil in a seperate bowl and then add it to the yeast mixture.
Stir in the 1/8 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt and 3 cups of flour.
Using a dough hook, begin kneading the dough and add the rest of the flour. Continue kneading until dough is smooth.
(Dough will be sticky!)
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides of dough. Place towel over bowl and allow to sit in a warm area until dough has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, begin preparing the filling ingredients.

Filling: (enough for 1 stromboli)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. dried minced onion flakes
dill pickle relish
tomato slices
ketchup
mustard
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, onion, salt and pepper and drain.
Divide dough into 4 sections.
Take one section and roll out into a 10X13 rectangle.
Spread beef mixture on top.
Add tomato slices, shredded cheese  & dill pickle relish.
Top with ketchup and mustard.
Roll up lengthwisewise in a jelly roll fashion.
Bake at 350° on a greased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!

I'm off to get some house cleaning out of the way so that I can spend a little time this afternoon stitching. Hope to have some Kennywood pictures to share with you next week and I also just realized that I still have pictures from our spring school fieldtrip that I never finished sharing with you all. I'll have to do that soon too!
Have a great day and a relaxing weekend!

Crockpot Beef & Noodles

This isn't quite a fix-it-and-forget-it meal but pretty close.
You'll have to cook some noodles right before serving to make it complete.

Crockpot Beef and Noodles

2 lbs. stew beef meat
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry Onion Soup Mix (like Lipton's)
1/2 cup water
noodles

Spray crockpot with cooking spray.
Cut stew beef cubes in half so that you have small bite size pieces.
Place cubes in crockpot.
Add cream soups, dry soup mix and water.
Give it a good stir and place lid on crockpot.
Cook on high for 6-7 hours.
Serve over cooked noodles and add a side of veggies.
Enjoy!

Brrr...it's back to being down right chilly again.
Yesterday we woke up to warm weather (70's) but as the day went on the winds picked up and the rains began.
Now we're back in the low 40's and it's still pretty windy out.
I'll be so glad when the warmer weather is here to stay!

Oven Baked Barbeque Beef Brisket

This was my first attempt ever at cooking a beef brisket and it turned out pretty tasty. My intention was to cook it all day in a cooking bag but I didn't have one so I started it out in the oven covered tightly with aluminum foil. Once I made it to the store to buy a bag I then placed it all into the cooking bag and continued cooking.
About a half and hour before dinner I removed it from the oven, let it cool for 15-20 minutes and then shredded it.
Lots of flavor and taste!

Oven Baked BBQ Brisket

2 to 3 lb. fresh beef brisket
3/4 cups water
2 tbsp. dried onion flakes
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
cinnamon (about 1/4 tsp.)
1 1/2 cups bottled BBQ sauce
Reynold's Cooking Bag


Place cooking bag into a 13X9 baking dish.
Place meat inside bag.
In a small bowl, mix together the water, onion flakes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, chili powder, bouillon cubes and garlic.
Pour this mixture over the meat.
Lightly sprinkle some cinnamon over top of brisket.
Tie bag closed and place pan in a 325° oven.
Let bake for 5-6 hours.
If it begins to cook dry then reopen the bag and add a bit more water.
Remove from oven and let cool 15-20 minutes.
Shred or slice on a diagonal.
Enjoy!

Are all of you in the south enjoying the snow?
We are anxiously awaiting to see how much we will get. It's supposed to begin here sometime tomorrow so we shall see.

Stay warm!

Crock Pot Beef Roast with Gravy

Don't you love being able to throw something in a crockpot early in the morning, walk away and return at the end of the day to a wholesome filling meal at your fingertips?
                                 I do!

Crock Pot Beef Roast with Gravy

2 1/2 - 3 lb. beef roast
1 (10 3/4oz.) can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup Sherry cooking wine
14 oz. can of beef broth
1/4 tsp. onion powder

Grease crockpot with cooking spray.
Place roast in crockpot.
In a bowl, mix the soup, Sherry, broth and onion powder.
Pour over roast.
Place lid on and cook on high all day.
Remove the roast to another dish.
Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove.
Continue boiling until it reduces down to gravy consistency.
While gravy is cooking down prepare your side dishes and then ENJOY!

**I started this at about 8 am and let it cook all day on high until about 4 pm and yes it was tender and yummy. While the gravy was cooking down I made mashed potatoes, salad and green beans.
A quick easy meal that only took me about an hour to put together and everyone enjoyed it.**

A Hunter's Treat~ Pepperoni Rolls

It's finally Friday and thank goodness!
We've been working super hard on our schooling this week in hopes of being able to take all of next week off.  No big cooking adventures this past week so I have no new recipes or really anything of interest to share with you all. Instead I thought I would share a few links to some of my old posts. These are all favorites of mine for this time of the year.
The first one is for pepperoni rolls. My husband used to hunt and each year he would request that I make these so that he could have something to snack on throughout his day in the woods.
Click on the recipe titles to go to each post.

Pepperoni Rolls
 
And while the men are in the woods maybe you can sneak a little time for yourself so here are a few quick and easy dinners to throw in the oven or crockpot and forget about. Just come back and make a few quick sides at the last minute and enjoy!

Oven BBQ Round Steak

Crockpot Pork Chops N Gravy

How about some sweet treats?

Cream Cheese Cranberry Bars

Toffee Biscotti

Well that's all I've got for today. If you haven't signed up for my giveaway yet then hop on over to my previous post and do so.

Our town's annual Christmas Parade takes place this weekend and Wheeling's parade is tonight. Also going on in Wheeling is the HUGE Christmas in November Craft show at the Wesbanco Arena. I'm gonna have to see if I can sneak away for a bit over the weekend to check it out.
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Grilled Flank Steak

This is quickly becoming a favorite at our house.
My husband typically drowns all of his steaks in A-1 but when I make these with the marinade below he says they are good all alone.
Tasty and tender when marinated all day and then grilled fast.

Grilled Flank Steak

1 flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic 
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. pepper

Place meat in a Zip-loc bag.
Add all other ingredients to bag and zip it shut.
Shake it around a bit so that everything mingles together.
Place in refrigerator and let it marinate all day.
Heat grill up nice and hot.
Place steak on grill and sear each side, toss the leftover marninade.
After both sides are seared you can turn the heat down to medium low and let cook till desired doneness.
I prefer mine "non-mooing" so I cook it well done. 
Probably 15 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness.
You be the judge on the time, depending on your own personal preference.
Cut on an angle into thin slices.
Enjoy!

*Flank steak can be rather pricey at $6.00 a pound so I usually watch for sales and then stock up on it. It freezes well, can be thawed quickly and then placed in the marinade*

"Mock" Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

The "Mock" is because I used ground beef instead of steak.

"Mock" Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

1 lb. ground beef

3-4 banana peppers, diced

1 onion, diced

8 oz. cream cheese

salt & pepper to taste

store bought refrigerated pizza crust

bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown beef, onion and pepper.

Drain.

Add salt, pepper and cream cheese.

Add a bit of milk.

(I didn't measure but I'm guessing that I used about 1 cup.)

Stir this and let it cook as the cream cheese melts.

You want a nice thick sauce, not too soupy.

When it has cooked down to the right consisitency then pour it over your pizza crust.

Top with mozzarella and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

My oldest son started back to school today. :(

I hated that he had to go back. The weather seems to be cooling down a bit, enough to actually be able to go outdoors and enjoy the sunshine instead of roasting in it but now there will be no time.

Our garden is really winding down. The tomatoes all seem to be rotting before they ripen so I pulled them all out. I picked about 93 tomatoes from them so I do still have a bit of canning to do. Next year we hope to put a pool in the garden's place so not sure if I will find a new smaller garden area or just not garden at all.

As I was pulling the plants up I found a little one hiding under some leaves.

The kids played with it a bit and then let Maggie see it.

She acted like she wanted to get it but then got scared away when it moved the slightest bit. We eventually placed it in a neighboring yard where it would be safe from the dogs.

My tomatoes are about ready to be juiced so I better get off here and get busy. I still have lots to get done for the day.

Make Ahead Freezer Burritos

This recipe is perfect for quick summer-time meals and great for the OAM (Once A  Month) cook.
You can find the recipe HERE at Coleen's Recipes.
I made some of these over the weekend with hopes of having some extra to put in the freezer for another day.
Well, I had extras but they only lasted for one day before we ate them all up.

I love her technique of filling and then browning them. It gives it a bit of a crunch without having to deep-fry them.
I have to admit that I used my own traditional taco & burrito filling but hers sounds delicious too. I just used what was available in my own cupboards.
Now I'm thinking of all the endless possibilities for this creation:
Taco Chicken Burritos
Breakfast Burritos
Cheesburger Burritos
Yum!
So many ideas and so simple, easy and inexpensive!

Oven BBQ Round Steak

Here is a tasty recipe that I used to make all the time. It's great for those days that you want something nice for dinner but are short on time. I like to prepare it in the morning and then let it set in the refrigerator till it's time to place it in the oven. That way I can get busy with whatever I am doing and when it's time just pop it in the oven.

Oven BBQ Round Steak

3 lbs. round steak

2 tbsp. oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup catsup

1/2 cup vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. mustard

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Trim meat and brown in oil.

Once browned, remove and place in a greased baking dish.

Mix rest over ingredients in a bowl and then pour over meat.

Cover and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Add mashed potatoes and a side and enjoy!

Crock Pot Cheesey Beef & Mac

I am sooo glad the weekend is here. It has been a crazy week as we try to wrap up our schooling for the year. We still have a few more lessons before we can finish but it's so close to being finished. It's now time to get the paperwork in order so that it can be sent in to the school board. Once all of that is done then we can sit back....breathe...and enjoy the summer.
The recipe that I'm sharing today was on last month's menu plan. I didn't have a picture of it at the time so I didn't share the recipe. However, I made this yesterday for dinner and this time I remembered to take a picture of it.
So here it is!

Crock Pot Cheesey Beef & Mac

12 oz. elbow macaroni ( I use whatever I have on hand.)

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 packet beef stew seasoning mix

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 ( 10.75 oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup beef broth ( I use more)

Cook macaroni in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain & place in a greased crock pot.

Cook beef & onion till done and drain.

Add beef to crockpot.

Add rest of ingredients to crock pot and give it a good stir.

Cover and cook on low 2-4 hours.

Enjoy!

( I usually serve this with garlic bread!)

It's been a long day so I'm off to bed.

Happy Mother's Day to all and hope each and every one of you enjoy the weekend!

Pepperoni Burgers on the Grill

So sorry for the awful picture but they gobbled them all up before I got a chance to get a good picture. I had to quickly cut into this one to get a picture before my brother scarfed it up.

Well I told you all that I was in picnic mode this week so here is another recipe for your grilling-out recipe box. Nothing fancy about a hamburger but the toppings that you choose can really make a world of difference.
I grilled these hamburgers then placed them on the top rack of the grill so that they didn't burn. I then topped each burger with pepperoni that I had diced up earlier in the day. Next I added a slice of mozzerella cheese. Shut the grill lid for a minute and allow the cheese to melt. 
We had these with just the usual fixins' but you could heat a bit of pizza sauce up and spread on top as you place it on a bun ~ Grilled Pizza Burger.
Simple ~ Easy ~ Tasty
Do you have a favorite topping or way to make an ordinary hamburger taste over the top. If so, do you care to share?

Crockpot Beef & Stuffing Rolls

Ugh!
It's Monday and back to work and school. The weekends just never last long enough.
No sense in crying over it though..might as well dig in and get the week started. The quicker we begin it the quicker the weekend will be here again.
Here is a good recipe for a lazy Monday. Just get it ready and then let it cook the day away in the crockpot.

               Crock Pot Beef & Stuffing Rolls
                 
        4 lbs. round steak or cube steak
                   1 box stuffing mix
 2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
              1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix stuffing mix with amount of water that is listed on the side of the box and then set aside.
Pound round steak thin and then lay flat.
( or place cube steaks flat)
Place enough stuffing on each steak to cover the top of it.
Roll each steak up and then fasten together with a toothpick.
I like to cut my rolls in half but you don't have to.
*If you do though, you will need to use more toothpicks to hold them together.*
Place rolls in a greased crockpot.
In a bowl, combine the soup and 1 1/2 cups water.
Pour this mixture over the beef and cover with a lid.
Cook on high for 6-7 hours.

Whip up some mashed potatoes and a veggie and you have a quick easy meal.
Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the finished meal. I'll have to remember and get a picture the next time I make it!
Enjoy your Monday!