Best Burger Ever with Secret Sauce

Ingredients:

Burger:

2 lbs. ground beef, 85/15

1/2 c. grated Monterrey jack cheese

1/4 c. BBQ sauce

season salt, to taste

cracked black pepper

onion powder

Secret Sauce:

3/4 c. mayo

1/4 c. ketchup

1/4 c. relish

2 T. Worcestershire

seasoned salt

hamburger buns

cheese slices

lettuce

avocado

tomato

other hamburger toppings

Recipe:

1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, BBQ sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1-inch thick.

2. Then is it very important to push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty - this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome. These burgers stay extra moist because the BBQ sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.

3. Wait for the skillet to get super hot and then apply a very thin layer of butter to the pan. Place the patties on the pan, indent side up.

4. Reduce heat to medium and allow patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn't burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.

5. For the sauce: combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.

6. Assemble the burgers and serve with toppings.

Rating: 3 of 5

I actually wasn't that impressed with this burger recipe. It could be because we had the most amazing burgers the week before, so expectations were a little skewed. But, yes, these burger were juicy, and had pretty good flavor. One thing that drove me nuts about this recipe is that there was no specific measurement for some of the ingredients. It's not that big of a deal, but it is helpful.

Source: Little Miss Momma, Best Burger Recipe Ever with Secret Sauce

Southwest Chipotle Burgers

Ingredients:

Burgers:

1 1/2 lb. ground chuck or ground sirloin *

1-1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce**

1 1/2 T. adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)

1/4 c. grated onion ***

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. cumin

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. pepper

* I used just 1 lb ground beef. It's what I had on hand

** I've learned from experience that I can't quite handle all the heat a whole pepper brings to the plate, so I just eliminated the pepper.

*** Used my old stand-by of dried chopped oinon

Chipotle-Lime Mayo:

1/2 c. mayo

2 t. lime juice

1 1/2 t. adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro *

* I actually rarely measure out the cilantro. I usually add a bit more than called for because we LOVE the taste of cilantro.

4-6 good quality buns (try this recipe!)

1 tomato

1-2 avocado

lettuce

jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese *

* We just used medium cheddar

Recipe:

1. Start by making the sauce. Place may, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl. Stir all together. Cover and set in the fridge.

2. Now place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix things together. Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients.

3. Divide into 4 patties (or 6 little ones) and place on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet. If you want to top with cheese, do so in the last few minutes of grilling.

4. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns and spread chipotle-lime sauce generously on each side of each bun. When the burgers are done to your liking let them stand for 5 minutes off the grill and then pop onto your prepared buns.

5. Top with tomato slices, avocado slices, and a crisp piece of lettuce.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

These are, literally, the best burgers I've had! Literally! I don't know what to say except that these were SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! Between LaDon, Jonas, and I well all liked different aspects about the burger better, but overall it's just a fantastic combination of tastes and textures. I, personally, loved the taste the chipotle-lime mayo added. I loved the cilantro taste in it. And, I think the burger would be really good if you just replaced the lettuce completely with cilantro. Yummy! I've been craving these burgers ever since we made them this week!

Source: Our Best Bites, Southwest Chipotle Burgers

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 2.5-3 lb beef roast (frozen is okay too!)

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 1-oz. pkg dry onion soup mix

2 c. water

2 cans beef broth *

6-8 large buns (Try this Quick French Bread recipe!)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced

* I just used 2 1/2 large beef bouillon cubes and added 2 c. water (in addition to the 2 c. called for)

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in a large pot oven medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

2. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

3. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

4. Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. The longer it cooks, the more tender it will be.

5. When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. *

6. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

* Rather than put everything under the broiler, I simply buttered the sliced open bread and put them on a griddle until they were golden, like a grilled cheese sandwich, and then placed the meat and cheese between the two pieces of hot bread. It melted the cheese and kept the whole sandwich from getting a little too much heat.

Freezer directions: 

1. Prepare roast through the first 2 steps above. After meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container, cover with onion soup mix and bouillon, and freeze.

2. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crockpot (frozen), add 2 cups of water, and set to high until warm or, even better, simmering. Turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.

* I used a frozen roast and basically skipped all of the instructions I could! Haha! I just dumped the roast in the pot, and sprinkled and covered according to step 3.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Loved this! The meat was so extremely tender and juicy and delicious! Can't wait to make these again! I think the original recipe calls for 6-8 loaves, but we demolished the meat in just 4 sandwiches! Easy and delicious. I'm tellin' ya!

Source: Our Best Bites, French Dip Sandwiches

Navajo Taco Meat

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion

1 can chili beans with sauce

1/2 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 pkt. of taco seasoning

Recipe:

1. Brown the beef and add onions.

2. Drain the fat off. I do this by placing the meat in a strainer and then run it under hot water.

3. Add taco seasoning and stir around until meat is evenly coated.

4. Add chili beans and tomatoes. Let simmer for a few minutes.

5. Serve on Navajo fry bread.

Rating: 4 of 5

This was much closer to how I remember Navajo taco meat tasting. Everything, but the meat sauce, I used came from the previous Navajo Taco recipe posted.

Source: my own. Used what I had on hand in the cupboards.

Creamy Chipotle Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2-3 lb. pot roast

10 oz. can of diced tomato with green chilies

8 oz. can Ro Tel enchilada sauce

7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. oregano

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 -1 c. heavy cream

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 c. cream cheese, somewhere between softened and melted

6 large tortillas

shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese

sour cream

cilantro, chopped

Recipe:

1. In a medium bowl, mix diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and garlic.

2. Place roast in crock pot and cover with tomato-chipotle mixture. Cook on high for 4ish hours.

3. Remove roast from crock pot and shred meat.

4. Using a fine strainer, pour juices from crock pot into a medium bowl. Reserve juices. Remove chipotle peppers from strainer. 

5. Replace tomatoes and green chilies (in strainer) in the crockpot. Pour about 2-4 cups of reserved juices into crockpot. Pour in heavy cream and stir together. Replace meat. Add black beans and corn. Continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes. (The key thing here is to have enough juice/sauce to coat the meat. It's not going to cook that long so it shouldn't dry out.)

6. Mix tomato sauce and cream cheese together in a small bowl.

7. Grease 9x12 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8. Lay out a tortilla and scoop meat mixture on to 1/2 of the torilla. Place a handful of shredded cheese on top and then roll the torilla. Place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until dish is full. (I actually ended up with extra meat so there would be enough to almost make 2 full baking dishes of enchiladas.)

9. Cover enchiliadas with tomato/cream cheese mixture. Top with cheese.

10. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheeses are melted.

11. Serve and top with sour cream and cilantro.

Rating: 4 of 5

This was one of those meals that I used whatever I had on hand. It actually turned out really well. I didn't measure anything so the measurements are all my best guess. The chipotle peppers add a pretty good kick, so I used the cream and cream cheese as a way to tone it down a bit. If looking to cut out some of that then you could just remove the chipotle peppers from the adobo sauce before the initial cook time. I really enjoyed this dish and would make it again!

Source: my own

Won-ton Taco Cups

Ingredients:

won-ton wrappers

1 lb. ground beef

taco seasoning

large tomato, chopped

cilantro, chopped

cheese, shredded

sour cream

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

2. Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning. Let simmer for a few minutes.

3. Press 2-3 won-ton wrappers into cupcake tin or mini cupcake tin. Where the separate won-tons met, I lightly brushed with water. Place in oven and cook for 5-8 minutes (the tops with be golden brown and the bottom should be bubbly.

4. Chop tomato and cilantro.

5. Place beef, cheese, tomato, cilantro, and sour cream in won-ton cup. Serve!

Rating: 4 of 5

I was on a cooking strike tonight. But after LaDon repeatedly stated that he wanted to eat some good food I felt bad letting the 27-year old man starve! We were out of tortillas so I mixed this little guys up. Quick and delicious. I think next time I might brush the won-tons with some olive oil before cooking. While eating these we decided you could make the cutest little taco shells with the round won-ton wraps for little kids, or as a taco appetizer of some sort.

Source: it's a Jamie creation

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 lb. beef chuck pot roast

1 t. cumin

1 t. chili powder

1 t. garlic salt

1 t. Mexican oregano*

1 pinch coarse salt **

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 4-oz can diced green chilies

1 10-oz can hot enchilada sauce***

1 20-oz can mild enchilada sauce

10 6-inch flour tortillas

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

2 c. shredded Monterey jack cheese

*I just used the oregano I had on hand

**I used Kosher salt as my coarse salt

*** Ok, so I didn't have the time to hunt down the cans of green chilies or enchiladas sauces. So, instead I bought 4 8-oz cans of Ro Tel's Zesty Tomato and Green Chili Sauce Original. This combo made for an alteration in preparation, but I think it still turned out fine.

Recipe:

1. Arrange the beef in the slow cooker and toss all the spices in, cover and cook on the lowest setting for 6 hours. *

2. Shred with two forks. Place in a bowl and add the diced chilies. Combine **

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

4. Mix the two enchilada sauces together in a bowl and pour a small amount in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

5. Evenly divide the beef mixture and cilantro at the edge of each tortillas; roll up tightly and layer in the dish seam side down. Continue until the dish is filled.

6. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.

7. Place in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

8. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

*I, like usual, cut the time in half and cooked on high. I actually, cooked on high with all the spices for 2 hours and then added 2 cans of tomato/chili sauce and cooked for another 1.5 hours.

** This step is skipped because of the sauce situation mentioned earlier.

Rating: 4 of 5
These were pretty good, but they weren't great. Maybe it's because I made some changes in the recipe, but they weren't crazy drastic changes. I think here's my problems with the recipe: I didn't like using pot roast as the meat. It was a little tougher than I anticipated. I loved the cilantro, but I thought the enchiladas were a little skinny. Next time I think I'll add some corn, beans, a little bit of rice, and some others to give it a bigger punch. Also, if you're in a hurry, this dish definitely doesn't need to be in the oven for 40 minutes. I actually only had mine in for 25ish. That happens when this are thrown together hot. I did like the tomato/chili sauce I used. It was the perfect amount of spicy for me.

Source: Bev Cooks, Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Ingredients:

Meat:

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. lime juice

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. carne asada beef or flank steak *

1/2 c. finely chopped white onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

4 soft tortilla breads or tortillas

Guacamole:

2 avocados, peeled and seeded

1 T. lime juice

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. blacker pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (I'm throwing this one in there)

Toppings:

3/4 c. corn

1/2 c. finely diced red bell pepper

cilantro, chopped

cheese, shredded

sour cream

salsa

* We had some Wal-Mart ribeyes that we had purchased a long time ago (a mistake, because they are not good as a steak), but thought I'd give them a try in a taco. Besides, I had to use that meat)

Recipe:

1. Mix the corn and red bell pepper together. Set aside.

Meat:

1. Place oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl, whisking to combine.

2. Place beef, onions, and garlic into a large Ziploc bag and pour lime mixture inside bag. Close bag and with hands, massage beef with marinade to coat evenly.

3. Place in refrigerator and marinade for 1 hour.

4. Heat 2 T. olive oil in grill pan over medium heat. Grill beef until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.

5. Cut thin slices against the grain or on the bias.

6. Serve in warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Guacamole:

1. Place avocado, lime juice, salt, pepper (and garlic) into a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until well combined.

Rating: 5 of 5

Despite the cheap-o steak meat, these turned out fantastic! The meat tasted just like carne asada in a restaurant. So good. The guacamole, I've got to give a good score to as well. Simple. Tasty. Easy. The meat is super easy to prepare and cook as is everything in this recipe! I will definitely be making this one again!

Source: Picky Palate, Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Navajo Tacos

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

3/4 c. water

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 15-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1 16-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

up to 1 T. chili powder, optional

Fry bread:

3 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 1/2 c. warm water

2 c. vegetable oil, for frying

Toppings:

lettuce

tomato

sour cream

salsa

refried beans

shredded cheese

avocado

cilantro

Recipe:

For meat:

1. Crumble together onion and ground beef. Cook over medium-high heat until meat it cooked through.

2. Add 3/4 c. water, taco seasoning, corn, and black beans. Allow the mixture to simmer while you make the fry bread.

3. Add additional chili powder, if desired.

For fry bread:

1. In a medium size bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

2. Add water and stir together. Dough may be slightly sticky.

3. Pour the vegetable oil into a medium size saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat.

4. Divide dough into 6 pieces. On a generously floured surface, pat the dough pieces into a flat round shape about 5-6 inches across.

5. When oil is hot, carefully place dough round into the hot oil until the bottom side is golden brown. With a metal set of tongs, flip the round, and cook the other side until puffy and golden brown. Remove the bread and place onto a paper towel lined plate.

6. Pile meat and toppings on the fry bread and enjoy!

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Ok, first off, I thought the fry bread was really good. Definitely hit the spot for me. But, the meat sauce is not what I normally have for Navajo Tacos. When I think Navajo tacos, I think a bean and meat chili type topping. So, the fry bread, great. Meat, not so much and need to hunt for the perfect recipe.

Source: Recipe Shoebox, Navajo Tacos

The Best Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 T. vegetable oil

2 onions, roughly chopped

2 1/2 lbs. ground beef

2 T. tomato paste

2/3 c. smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce is in your fridge)

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

8-12 potato rolls

Recipe:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain the grease off the meat and onions.

4. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated.

5. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil.

6. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes.

7. Serve the sloppy Joes hot with warm rolls.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

This was a pretty good recipe. I halved it and the servings came out to the perfect size for LaDon and I. I used Spicy and Sweet BBQ sauce so there was a little bit of a kick there that normal BBQ sauce doesn't have. It definitely doesn't taste like sloppy Joe juice from a can. It's delicious, although not the taste that I'm used to in a sloppy Joe. Easy, easy recipe. One thing I need to do is find something to do with the extra tomato paste. I would make this one again for sure. I'm wondering if I can figure out a way to do this in a crockpot so that we can eat it in the summer with corn on the cob and watermelon without heating up our A/C-deprived apartment.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, The Best Sloppy Joes

Easy Barbecued Ribs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. sweet paprika

1 T. light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

2 lbs pork baby back ribs, leave the membranes on the ribs to help hold them together *

1 c. barbecue sauce **

vegetable oil spray

*I used 3 lbs

** I used Hickory and Brown Sugar

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.

2. Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.

3. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low.

4. Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully (as they as tender) remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on, bone side up. Set to the side.

5. Skim any fat that has rise to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes.

6. Put your oven's broiler on to heat up and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element. When the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3-4 minutes.

7. Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 9 minutes, taking them out once or twice to baste with more sauce.

8. Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

Rating: 4.25 of 5

...and that's without all of the basting. I'm recovering from the flu, so I really didn't have the energy at the end of the day to finish this dish off. But, with that being said, LaDon really liked the ribs. I ate them, but couldn't take a thing. The meat was really tender which I liked about this recipe. I hate getting shreds of meat stuck in my teeth. So, if you're looking for a really easy rib recipe, then just putting them in the crockpot works out pretty well!

Source: MMM...is for Mommy!, Easy Barbecued Ribs

Ravioli Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 c. water

2 28-oz can crushed tomatoes *

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. minced parsley, fresh **

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 t. dried basil

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. onion salt ***

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. dried thyme

1 9-oz pkg refrigerated cheese ravioli ****

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

additional minced fresh parsley, optional

* I only had diced tomatoes on hand

** I only had dried on hand

*** I didn't have any onion salt, so I used onion powder

****We only had the frozen kind, so I just cooked it before hand according to the directions

Recipe:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the water, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, parsley, garlic, and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli according to package directions; drain. Add to soup and heat through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

This is NOT a soup. The recipe might claim to be a soup, but in reality, it turns out to be a thick and delicious meat sauce. The next time I make this I'll definitely be serving it as the sauce and put it with spaghetti noodles. I'll also cut back on the oregano and thyme. I thought those tastes were a bit too overpowering.

Source: TasteofHome.com, Ravioli Soup

Barbecued Beef

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 T. prepared Dijon-styled mustard

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 4-lb. boneless chuck roast, cut in half

Recipe:

1. In a slow cooker, combine ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Dijon-style mustard, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, and garlic powder; stir well.

2. Place chuck roast halves in slow cooker. Turn meat to coat with ketchup mixture. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook 7-8 hours.

3. Remove roast, shred with two forks, and return to slow cooker. Stir meat to evenly coast with sauce. Continue cooking on Low for about 1 hour.

Rating: 4 of 5

I love crock pot recipes for several recipes. One reason that I love them is because I can cut the cook time in half by turning the heat from low to high. Cutting the time worked perfectly today. The meat in this recipe turns out nice and tender. Easy to shred. The flavoring was good, but it wasn't out of this world good. Oh, and just FYI, the meat doesn't taste like barbecued beef until after you've shredded it and put it back into the crock pot. I tasted it while shredding and thought the recipe was a total flop (as in tasted like plain roast beer instead of barbecued) so I made up a batch of mashed potatoes and served the meat on top. It wasn't bad. This would definitely be best in sandwich buns, but I think it would probably make for an interesting taco with a little bit of lime juice, cilantro, cheese, and tortilla strips. Actually, now that I think taco, it did taste similar to Cafe Rio's Pork Barbacoa. Except that's better than this.

Source: AllRecipes Dinner Tonight, pg. 22

Teriyaki

Ingredients:

1 c. soy sauce

1 c. white sugar

1 t. ginger

1 t. garlic powder

a few pounds of beef such as stew bits, beef tip, or 1-inch cubes of steak

Recipe:

1. Mix all ingredients, except meat, in a large or medium bowl.

2. Place meat in bowl. Stir a few times so that all meat gets exposed to mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, or over night. Every few hours, stir the meat/marinade mixture.

3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. On a skillet or frying pan, cook meat on medium heat until center is no longer pink. Place cooked meat in a jelly roll in the oven to keep warm until the remaining meat is done.

OR

Skewer meat on moist sticks and cook on a grill (don't ask me how long because I have no idea. I've only ever cooked it inside.)

4. Skewer it or serve on hot rice.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

This recipe is great, but if you don't get good meat it can be a flop. I really like it with more tender meat, but tougher meat is fine too. It's easy and savory.

Source: my mom

Beef Jerky

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. Lean (90%) ground beef

3 t. NON-iodized salt

1 1/2 t. Accent

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/3 t. crushed or ground red pepper

1 1/2 T. meat tenderizer

1/2 T. black pepper

2 T. brown sugar, heaping

1/4 c. liquid smoke

1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

Recipe:

1. Mix salt, accent, garlic, red pepper, tenderizer, black pepper, and brown sugar together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, layer spice mixture between layers of raw beef. Mix the meat and spices together by hand until spices mixed well throughout.

3. Take a ball, about the size of a man's fist, and place between two pieces of wax paper. With a rolling pin, roll to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and, roughly, in the shape of the dehydrator tray.

4. Transfer meat to tray rack and coat the top with the liquid smoke mixture. Repeat this step until all trays are filled, or meat is used.

5. Use dehydrator according to directions.

**Time for meat to dehydrate will vary according to number of trays on dehydrator and whether or not it has a fan. A dehydrator without a fan will take about 12-18 hours to complete and trays will need to be rotated every couple of hours(no need to rotate in middle of night). With a fan, a small batch will take about 6 hours.**

**If you don't have a dehydrator, the jerky can be dried in the oven as well. Set the oven to 140 degrees, and place the meat on racks. Air needs to circulate. Place a pan under the rack to catch the drippings.**

Rating: 5 of 5

I'm not sure if this is an acquired taste or not just because I grew up with it. I think it's awesome! One thing I really like about this recipe vs. store bought beef jerky, is that it is much easier to chew and doesn't get stuck in your teeth as much. Also, you can make it as thick or thin as you like it. I like mine practically crispy. If you're too scared to make a batch, then I'll make some for you and you can sample it! Seriously, delicious! Oh, and as a bonus, the house smells soooo good for a day.

Source: my mom

Beef Chimichangas

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t. taco seasoning mix, or more to taste *

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 c. sour cream

1 4-oz can chopped green chilies

2 T. distilled white vinegar

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 c. margarine

6 7-in corn tortillas

* I didn't have any taco seasoning on hand, so I just substituted it with ground cumin and a little ground red pepper

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef, onion, garlic, taco seasoning, and oregano in a skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat up into crumbles as it cooks, about 8 minutes.

3. Drain off excess fat. Stir in sour cream, chilies, and vinegar until well mixed. Remove from heat, and mix in the cheese.

4. Melt margarine in a small skillet over low heat. When melted, dip each tortilla into the margarine for about 30 seconds, or until soft. Place the softened tortilla onto a baking sheet, and fill with about 1/3 c. of the meat mixture.

5. Fold the right and left sides of the tortillas over the filling, then the top and bottom, making an envelope that completely encloses the filling. Flip the tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.*

6. Bake in the preheated oven until the tortilla is crisp, about 15 minutes.

* I think the next time I make these I will either get bigger corn tortillas, or not fill them as full, or just use large flour tortillas. The 7-inch ones are so small that I could hardly wrap around the prescribed 1/3 c. filling. Also, rather than dipping it in butter next time, I think I will just spray the chimichangas with cooking spray before they go in the oven.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I thought the taste was "authentic" enough. We didn't do any garnishing like tomatoes or guacamole, but we will next time. I didn't really think to get any toppings when I went shopping. Daniel loved the chimi which is great since all the beef cooking I do is to raise his iron levels. Dipping the tortillas in the butter did make them turn out nice and crispy, which is why I love chimichangas in the first place. I love that I was able to get the crispy aspect without having to fry anything.

Source: AllRecipes, Dinner Spinner iPhone app

American Lasagna

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped *

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. chopped fresh basil **

1 t. dried oregano

2 T. brown sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

1 29-oz can diced tomatoes

2 6-oz cans tomato paste***

12 dry lasagna noodles ****

2 eggs, beaten

1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. dried parsley

1 t. salt

1 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

* Of course, I substituted with dried chopped onion ~1 palm full

** I just used dried basil

*** I didn't have any tomato paste, so improvised and just dumped in some spaghetti sauce. Close enough.

**** To cut prep time I used oven ready lasagna noodles. It means no cooking the noodles to make the soft before oven cook time. It's awesome. This allows the cook to skip Recipe step #4.

Recipe:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat.

2. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 t. salt, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4. **skip if using oven ready noodles** Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.

5. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, and 1 t. salt.

6. Layer 1/3 of the noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over top.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Rating: 4 of 5

Um...easy lasagna that doesn't take a long time to cook....apart from the 30-45 minutes of simmering. The recipe author suggested putting the lasagna all together the night before and letting the flavors blend and then cook it the next day. But, I thought the flavors were pretty strong and blended enough. It's a tasty lasagna with just a tad bit of sweetness. I really liked it. It makes a lot and is plenty for LaDon and company.

Source: iPad app for AllRecipes

Roast Beef and Gravy

Ingredients:

1 3-lb boneless beef chuck roast

2 10.75-oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted *

1/3 c. sherry, wine, or beef broth **

1 envelope onion soup mix

* I don't like cream of mushroom so I used cream of chicken.

** Seeing as I don't drink alcohol, I usually don't cook with it either. I used beef broth.

Recipe:

1. Cut roast in half; place in a slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat in tender.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I actually really liked this recipe. Talk about easy. You get the main dish plus gravy at once. Love it! Definitely will be making this again. I liked the flavoring of this recipe too. It wasn't so powerful that I couldn't taste the meat, but not so weak that I felt like it wasn't doing anything. Did that makes sense? I dunno. I liked it!

Source: AllRecipes, iPhone app

5 Can Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 pkgs. taco seasoning

1 large can tomato juice

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can kidney/red beans, drained

1 can garbanzo/navy beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

Recipe:

1. Brown ground beef with 1 chopped onion. Drain. Put in crock pot and add the remaining ingredients. *

2. Allow soup to simmer for several hours then serve with grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. Feel free to substitute the vegetables with ones you like best.

* Instead of browning the beef before hand, I just threw it in the crock pot and mushed it with a spoon after a few minutes. Worked for me, but if you're going to be gone all day I would brown it before hand.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

We really liked this soup. And talk about easy! I love crock pot meals. If you liked the Chicken Tortilla Soup, then you'll probably like this. It tastes very similar to the Chicken soup, but with beef! We also added sour cream to the garnish list. Cilantro also would have tasted good, but the cilantro in the garden has gone to seed.

Source: Jamie's Cookbook, Recipe by Mickey Pulsipher

Cheesy Italian Tortellini

Ingredients:

½ lb ground beef

½ lb Italian sausage, casings removed

1 16-oz jar marinara sauce

1 14.5-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 9-oz package refrigerated or fresh cheese tortellini

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Recipe:

1. Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium-high hear until browned. Drain.

2. Combine the ground meats, marinara sauce, and tomatoes in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

3. Stir in the tortellini, and sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes on low, or until the tortellini in tender.

Rating: 3 of 5

This really was a good recipe. We just thought there was too much meat. I also prefer the Italian sausage taste to beef, so I think next time I will double the batch and only use 1 lb. of Italian sausage. I've come to discover that tortellini is not my favorite pasta. I would also try using cheese ravioli next time.

Source: Allrecipes, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Italian-Tortellini/Detail.aspx