Mom's Delicious Lasagna

I love, love, love lasagna!  It's one of those comfort foods that I always can eat large amounts of!  My mom's homemade lasagna recipe is the best.  I love it!  That's all I need to say about that!

Mom's Delicious Lasagna

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or Italian sausage (whatever you prefer, I use Italian sausage)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 10 oz. pk. frozen chopped spinach (optional)
1 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 pkg. oven ready lasagna noodles or 8 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked al dente and drained
2 c. cottage cheese
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced

Instructions:

Saute the onion and garlic in oil over medium high heat until tender.  Add the meat and brown.  Add tomato sauce, paste, spinach, water, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

In a 9x13 baking dish, place 1/2 of the lasagna noodles across the bottom of the dish.  Layer 1/2 of the cottage cheese, 1/4 c. parmesan cheese, and half of the mozzarella cheese.  Add half of the meat sauce.  Repeat the layers.  Use the remaining 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese on top.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes and until hot and bubbly.  Remove pan from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before cutting into it.  Slice and serve.

Husband Rating:

Food for Thought: This is an easy make-ahead and freeze kind of meal.  I usually double or triple it if I am going to go through the work of making it and put a few in the freezer.  Simply make the sauce and assemble the lasagna.  Prior to baking, cover the lasagna and freeze.  When you plan to  cook it, set it in the fridge to thaw or plan for additional baking time.

Beef Recipes

Baked Spaghetti
Beef Barley Soup
Black Bean and Beef Taquitos with Red Pepper
Burgers
Cilantro Lime Marinated Flank Steak
Easy Pot Roast with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Garlicky Meatballs and Linguine
Grandma Swanson's Meatloaf
Grilled Thai Beef Salad
Julie's Super Sandwich
Mexican Quinoa Casserole
Mom's Delicious Lasagna
Spaghetti Bolognese
Tex-Mex Flank Steak Meal

Beef Barley Soup

Homemade soup is not my strength. I would like to get better at it but I am just not that good at it. My mother-in-law however is the queen of making homemade soups. Her's always turn out amazingly delicious without any kind of recipe.  You know, where she just kind of dumps whatever she has in her cupboards and fridge in a pot and it turns out delicious!  And, my husband always rates my soups against what his mom's are like. No pressure, right?

(And, by the way, I love my mother-in-law dearly!  She is wonderful, not your typical
MIL relationship in any way!)  :)

So, I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to invite my in-laws over for dinner on a night I decided to make a homemade soup. I mean, really?  Soup???? For the queen of homemade soups???

Luckily, Iowagirl's recipes haven't failed me in the past and this one followed suit.  This Beef Barley Soup was amazing!  Everyone loved it!  The soup was delicious, meaty, hearty, and healthy.  And, we had plenty left over.  I was able to freeze a big batch for another meal for our family in a few weeks.  The best kind of leftovers! 

Beef Barley Soup

Recipe adapted from www.iowagirleats.com

1lb lean ground beef

1 small onion, processed or chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 large carrots, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

3 c. kale, stems removed and chopped

1-14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes

3 c. frozen green beans

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

4-6 c. beef broth

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup barley

salt & pepper

Worcestershire sauce

 

Instructions

 

Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add ground beef, onion and garlic, and season with salt & pepper. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Add carrots and celery and continue to cook until carrots are tender, about 3-4 more minutes.

Add in kale, tomatoes, green beans, corn, 4 cups beef broth, basil, bay leaf and barley. Bring the soup to a boil.  Place a lid on top, lower the heat, and simmer for 60 minutes, or until the barley is tender. 

The longer you cook the soup, the better it tastes.  After the initial 60 minutes of simmering, I left it on low on the stove most of the afternoon before we ate it.  The flavor just kept getting better.  Keep checking to see if the soup needs more broth.  I added as much as 2 cups of broth as I was cooking the soup.

Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce and season with more salt & pepper to taste before serving.

 

Husband Rating: 8 out of 10 (highest soup rating possible - in his mind, soups can never be a 10)

 

Food for Thought: I had tons of leftover of this soup.  I froze it and plan to simply heat it up again for the meal.  If you are going to do this, plan to have some extra beef broth on hand.  Most likely you will need to add a bit when reheating the soup. 

 

 

Julie's Super Sandwich

When I was in high school, I loved eating at my friend Ellen's house.  Not that my mom couldn't whip up a mean meatloaf or stir fry, but it seemed like I always got to try these unique gourmet meals at Ellen's house that her mom would come up with.  And the Super Sandwich (not sure if that is what she called it, but it's what I call it) is one of her such meals. 

And, now, it seems that I inevitably end up texting or emailing Ellen every few months asking her what her mom used to put on that great hot sandwich she used to make so that we can make it for a meal.  So, I am finally putting the recipe into print so I can make it for myself.  Thank you, Julie, for your great meals and cooking inspiration! 

(And, the picture just doesn't capture the truly yummy-ness of this meal.  Believe me!!!  I will try to get a better one next time!)

 

Julie's Super Sandwich

1 loaf focaccia bread (I couldn't find any so used a crusty garlic bread this time instead)
provolone cheese
red onion, thinly sliced
roast beef
large slice pepperoni
tomatoes, thinly sliced
Italian dressing
lettuce, optional

Slice focaccia loaf in half.  Spread 1-2 Tbsp. Italian dressing on each side of the bread.  Layer cheese, beef, pepperoni, onions, and tomatoes on the bread in the order of your choosing. 

Bake sandwich open faced in the oven at 375 degrees until hot and cheese is melting.

Remove from the oven and add lettuce if you desire.  Put the two halves of the sandwich together.  Slice and serve.  Yum! 

Husband Rating: 6 out of 10

Food for Thought: This is a great one for parties.  We have served this for one of our son's birthday parties, making up 2 or 3 of them ahead of time and baking them when the guests arrived and served with fruit, chips, side salad, etc.  It's a delicious hot sandwich and a nice easy way to serve a large crowd.

Cilantro Lime Marinated Flank Steak

I know it is a good meal when my husbad says to me, "Next time we have company, serve this."  It was delicious, presented well, and was easy to make! 

Cilantro Lime Marinated Flank Steak

Recipe from www.fortheloveoffood.net

1 c. fresh cilantro
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic
2 green onions, chopped
1 Serrano chili, seeded, chopped
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 lb. flank steak

Instructions:

Place cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic, green onions, Serrano chili, and sea salt together in a food processor or large bowl.  Food process or blend with an immersion blender until smooth. 

Place flank steak in large freezer bag and pour half the marinade into the bag.  Squish the bag so the marinade is completely covering the flank steak.  Place into the refrigerator and let marinate for 3-4 hours.  Reserve other half of the marinade as a dipping sauce.

Remove steak from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling.  Preheat grill to medium high heat.  Brush grill grate with oil.  Grill flank steak for 2-3 minutes per side for medium-rare.  Remove from heat and let the meat rest for 5-7 minutes before slicing and serving with reserved sauce.  Enjoy!

Husband Rating: 8 out of 10

Food for Thought: We served this with some grilled peppers and guacamole and chips and it was a delicious combination.  I also thought that it would be good sliced thinly and served in tortillas fajita style. 

Food for Thought:

Baked Spaghetti

I've never made baked spaghetti before but decided to try it because a friend requested it.  I made the recipe straight from Food Networks website as it was written.  But, Paula Deen, I am sorry because I spent the meal imagining the ways I will modify your recipe if I make it again.  That being said, the kids ate it up like it was their last meal.  So, although it wasn't to my personal taste preferences, they LOVED it. 

*For those who are interested, I will put my thoughts on adaptations in the Food for Thought section but the recipe is posted as I cooked it and as it was written on Food Networks website. 

Baked Spaghetti

2 cans diced tomatoes
2 c. tomato sauce
1 c. water
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1/2 c. diced onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. House Seasoning (recipe below)
1 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 1/2 tsp .sugar
2 small bay leaves
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
8 ounces uncooked angle hair pasta
1 c. grated cheddar
1 c. grated Monterrey jack

Instructions:

In a large stock pot, combine tomatoes through next 11 ingredients (bay leaves).  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown ground beef until cooked through.  Add to tomato sauce and cook additional 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

In a 9x13 casserole dish, scoop a layer of sauce.  Add a layer of 1/2 the noodles and a little less than 1/2 of the cheese.  Repeat the layers and finish the top with sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes uncovered.  Remove from the oven, add the rest of the cheese to the top and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. 

Husband Rating: He was out of town and didn't try it...

Food for Thought: So, I thought of a few different things I would maybe try in this recipe next time I make it.  I am not sure if I would try them all or just a few but here is the list:  chopped spinach and finely chopped carrots in the sauce, Italian sausage instead of beef, adding some pepperoni cut into chunks to the sauce, mozzarella cheese (because doesn't mozzarella make everything good), more garlic to the sauce, and finally, perhaps some fresh herbs like basil and oregano.  Let me know what you try!

Grilled Thai Beef Salad

A first for Hungry Like the Wilfs  - "A Guest Blog Entry".  I didn't actually cook this meal but I definitely enjoyed it and needed to post the recipe.  While at the cabin this past week, each couple took a night to cook and this recipe came from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  It was absolutely amazing and easy to do!  We will definitely be repeating this recipe at our house.

Grilled Thai Beef Salad

Recipe from Ellie Krieger, also found at www.foodnetwork.com

1 lb. flank steak or top-round London Broil
3 Tbsp. lime juice divided
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1 1/4 tsp. red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce
1/2 head lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)
3 shallots thinly sliced, (about 1/2 cup), divided
1/2 c. cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried
1 c. basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. lime juice, soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and chili-garlic sauce.  Pour half the mixture into a large freezer bag and add the steak.  Add additional 2 Tbsp. lime juice to the freezer bag and set aside to marinade 4-24 hours.  (The longer you marinade, the more tender the meat.)

Reserve the rest of the marinade mixture to use as dressing for the salad.

Prepare grill to medium high heat and grill steak to medium-rare (about 5 minutes per side) or to desired done-ness.  Allow to sit at least 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Combine lettuce, shallots, cilantro, and basil and toss with remaining dressing.  Divide salad among 4 plates and top with beef slices and shallots for garnish.

Husband Rating: 10 out of 10

Food for Thought: The beef could easily be prepared ahead of time and frozen.  Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

Burgers on the Grill... Nothing Fancy!

Tonight we did my favorite, no frills grilling meal - cheese burgers with grilled potatoes on the side.  My recipe is definitely nothing fancy and probably the basic one everyone uses but we all love it.  Even the boys seemed to devour their meal down.  I served the burgers and potatoes with steamed green beans on the side.  Yay for summer meals!

Basic Burger Recipe

1 1/3 lb. ground beef (we used organic)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. minced yellow onion
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Burger Extras:
sharp cheddar cheese
avocado
lettuce
tomato
onion
buns

Instruction:

To make the burgers, simply combine all the burger ingredients and mash together with your hands.  Divide into four balls and flatten into patties.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat.

Grill burgers 5 minutes a side until medium or medium well done.  Flip only once.  About 1-2 minutes before removing from the grill, top with a slice of cheese.
I served the burgers on buns with avocado, grilled onions (see below), and other various condiments.

Grilled Potatoes and Onions

4-6 medium red potatoes
1 yellow onion
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

Wash potatoes and slice thinly.  Soak potatoes in a bowl of cold water for 20-30 minutes prior to grilling.  Remove potatoes from water and dry.  While soaking potatoes, slice onion thinly.

Place  potatoes and onion slices in a ziploc baggie and add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Zip bag shut carefully (making sure it is shut all the way or you will have it all over your floor when you shake it like I did a few nights ago!).  Shake the bag until all is well coated.

Over medium high heat, place potatoes and onions on a grill pan.  Do not disturb for 10-15 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until potatoes are tender and starting to char and carmelize.

If you don't have a grilling pan, simply wrap the potatoes and onions in tin foil and place on the grill.  Flip foil packet once after 15 minutes and continue cooking another 15 minutes.  Remove from grill and carefully open packet to remove potatoes. 

Hint: If you like the crispy, darkened potatoes, divide them into smaller foil packets.

Husband Rating: 6 out of 10

Food for Thought:  The burgers are easy to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer.  To do this, simply make the patties and then flash freeze on wax paper on a plate or flat surface for about 2 hours before transferring to a freezer bag.  When you are ready to eat, simply take straight from the freezer and grill!  Yummy!

Mexican Quinoa Casserole

I don't do many casseroles especially when the weather is warmer but this one was delicious, simple to make, and full of healthy fresh ingredients.  I plan to make it again.  We served it with some homemade tortilla chips (I sliced up tortillas, sprayed them with cooking spray, topped with sea salt, and baked for 5-10 minutes at 425 until crispy). 

Mexican Quinoa Casserole
Recipe adapted from Quinoa 365

Taco Seasoning:
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper

Casserole:
1/2 c. quinoa
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 yellow, red, or orange pepper, diced (I used yellow)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. prepared salsa
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. sliced black olives

Instructions:

Combine taco seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside for later use.
Cook the quinoa to package directions.  (If it doesn't specify amount of water for that measurment of quinoa, use 1 c. water)
In a greased 2 qt. casserole dish, spread the zucchini, pepper, and carrots.  Sprinkle vegetables with 1 tsp. taco seasoning.

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Add beans, quinoa, and remaining taco seasoning and stir.  Spread beef mixture on top of the vegetables.

Pour salsa over evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with cheese and olives on top. 

(If freezer cooking, freeze now.  Thaw in the fridge and cook following instructions below).

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and vegetables are tender crisp.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Husband Rating: 5 out of 10

Food for Thought: This meal could easily be adapted to be vegetarian by omitting the beef and adding an additional can of black beans.  The beef could also be subbed out for chicken or ground turkey.  I also plan to maybe add a few more vegetables, maybe an additional pepper next time, because the veggies turned out so tasty.

Tex-Mex Flank Steak Meal

My husband has to travel to Phoenix for work and always loves to go to this same hole in the wall Tex-Mex place when he is there.  He says their food is the best.  So, needless to say, I was pretty excited when he said this dinner turned out better than anything he could have gotten at that restaurant!  The meal consisted of a marinated flank steak with an avocado sauce, roasted tomatoes and bell peppers, and cilantro-lime rice.  It was outstanding and probably enhanced by the fact we ate after the kids went to bed.  Somehow a meal without tears, fighting, food all over the floor and in small children's hair is so much nicer!   (An added bonus - minus the time to marinate the meat, this meal took us less than a half an hour to put together, my kind of meal!)

Flank Steak Marinade

1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. soy sauce
2 green onions,chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 lb. flank steak

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or freezer bag.  Marinate for 4-24 hours in the fridge.

Heat a skillet to high heat.  Add entire contents of bag to skillet.  Cook meat 2-4 minutes per side, browning on all sides but leaving meat medium to medium rare in the middle (cook to your liking). 

Remove from heat, cover with foil and let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.  Slice thinly and serve over rice, topped with Avocado Sauce.


Avocado Sauce

2 ripe avocados
1/4 c. cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. lime juice
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mash avocado with a fork until fairly smooth (think consistency of mashed baby food).  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Serve over flank steak.


Roasted Tomatoes and Bell Peppers

1 each red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 c. cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking dish with tin foil (for easy clean-up).  Lay vegetables out on the pan in a single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil and stir the veggies to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake veggies in the oven 20-30 minutes or until they are tender and just browned on the bottom side.  Do not stir while baking.


Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 c. brown rice
1/4 c. cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. butter (optional)
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice

Cook brown rice according to package directions.  When it is finished stir in cilantro, butter, and 1 Tbsp. lime juice.  Taste and add additional lime juice to your taste preferences. 

Husband Rating: 10 out of 10 (a first for the Wilfs!)

Food for Thought: This meal was great as is but I do think it probably could be adapted to the grill.  Simply grill the meat until medium and cook the vegetables in a grilling pan or on kabob skewers.  Yum!

Garlicky Meatballs and Linquine

This is my kind of comfort food - a good meatball with sauce and pasta.  I know my kids are going to eat it and unknowingly get a few good veggies in there too! 

Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2012

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. Panko
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large jar tomato basil sauce
1/2 c. finely chopped spinach (see hint below for spinach)
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot
16 oz. spinach linguine

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1/3 c. pasta water when draining.

Combine beef and next 6 ingredients (through egg) and shape into 1 inch meatballs.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add meatballs and cook 5-7 minutes browning on all sides.

Reduce heat to medium low, add tomato basil sauce and reserved pasta water.  Cover and cook additional 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. 

Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese.

Food for Thought:  This is an easy freezer meal.  Simply assemble the meatballs and brown them.  Let them cool before freezing them.  When you are ready to eat, place meatballs in a skillet and add the sauce ingredients and cooked until hot all the way through. 

For the spinach, a good friend recently told me that she buys the large containers of fresh organic spinach at a store like Costco and finely chop it in her food processor.  Then, she freezes the chopped spinach in ice cube trays and pops the spinach cubes out into freezer bags so that she can easily add spinach to any of her meals.  I did this and it was so easy!  I like to toss spinach in just about anything but don't always need the large 10 oz. package worth.  This way I can pick and choose how much I add and I know that it is something the boys will unknowingly consume!  Yay! I plan to keep up my stock of chopped spinach in the freezer now that I know this trick.  (I haven't tried this for carrot yet but may do so.  It seems like it should work the same way and again, carrot is an easy veggie to add to many meals without impacting flavor greatly.)

Spaghetti Bolognese

Having a good bolognese sauce is a nice departure from the usual spaghetti with red sauce that we have.  This was delicious and fairly easy to make.  I want to make a big double or triple batch next time and freeze some for easy future use!  And, I do love a meal that has a few hidden veggies built right into it! 

Spaghetti Bolognese

Recipe adapted from http://www.letsdishrecipes.blogspot.com/


1 Tbls. olive oil
4 slices bacon
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (16 oz.) box spaghetti

Directions
Preheat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add bacon and oregano and cook until bacon is crispy.  The bacon will naturally crumble as the sauce cooks so no need to chop it up.

Add chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook until vegetables are slightly softened, about 7 minutes. 

Stir in ground beef and cook until no longer pink.

Then stir in canned tomatoes, water, and 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions. 

Serve sauce over pasta; garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Husband Rating:  7 out of 10

Food for Thought: Any kind of sauce like this is easy to freeze and nice to have on hand for a quick dinner.  After you cook it, simply pour into a freezer bag and freeze.  When you are ready to eat, just heat it up on the stove and cook up some noodles. 

A way to increase the hidden veggies in this would be to either add additional chopped carrots or add some pureed carrots to it.  It wouldn't change the flavor too dramatically but would pack in a hidden vitamin punch.

Grandma Swanson's Meatloaf

A family favorite - my grandma's meatloaf.  I remember having it many times as a child.  My mom would tell me to make it and invite my best friend from high school over to have some, as it was a favorite of her's whenever she would eat over.    I am so glad that my husband and kids love it too!   I served it with Winter Rainbow Gratin (still figuring out how to make those words a hyperlink so until then, here's the link to the posting with that recipe http://www.hungrylikethewilfs.blogspot.com/2012/04/winter-rainbow-gratin.html )

Grandma Swanson's Meatloaf

 3 slices soft bread
1 c. milk
1 egg
1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1/4 c. minced onion
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp each: pepper, dry mustard, celery salt, garlic salt
1 Tbls. Worchestershire Sauce
Brown sugar

Instructions

Beat the egg, then add milk and spices.

Tear up the bread and put into milk mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Add the hamburger, mix thoroughly.

Put in loaf pan and top with brown sugar. If freezer cooking, freeze it now covered in tin foil.  Set out to thaw before cooking.

Bake for 75 minutes at 350 and additional 20 minutes at 325.

Husband Ranking:  8 out of 10

Food for Thought: This is an easy meal to double and keep on hand in the freezer.  If you don't have a spare pan to freeze it in, line your loaf pan with plastic wrap.  Place meat in there and flash freeze for about an hour.  While it is firm but not yet fully frozen, pull the meat loaf out of the pan, wrap in a layer of tin foil, and store in a freezer bag.  When you are ready to cook it, let it thaw for a bit before unwrapping it.  Once it is soft around the edges, unwrap it and place it in the loaf pan to finish thawing. 

Black Bean and Beef Taquitos with Red Pepper

Black Bean and Beef Taquitos with Red Pepper

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 tsp. cumin
1 can diced tomatoes
1 red pepper diced
2 cups shredded taco cheese
8-10 whole wheat tortillas

Optional: tomatoes, avocado, salsa, sour cream

Instructions:
Cook beef, garlic, and onion until fulled browned.  Add black beans, corn, taco seasoning, cumin, and diced tomatoes.  Heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in damp paper towel and warm in microwave for 30-60 seconds. 

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In each tortilla, add a scoop of beef mixture, some red pepper and shredded cheese.  Roll and place on cookie sheet.

After rolling each tortilla, spray all of them with cooking spray on top.

Bake taquitos for approximately 10-12 minutes, flip and bake additional 10-12 minutes until crisp.

Serve with optional ingredients.

If freezer cooking, freeze after filling tortillas.  Wrap each tortilla in wax paper and store in ziploc baggie.  Thaw on sprayed cookie sheet and then bake as described above.

Easy Pot Roast with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Easy Pot Roast with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Pot Roast Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lb. beef roast
6 carrots, peeled
2-3 large baked potatoes, peeled and cut up
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into quarters
1 package au jus seasoning

Brussel Sprouts Ingredients:
25-30 fresh brussel sprouts
approx. 1 tbls. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine roast, carrots, potatoes, onion, and au jus seasoning in slow cooker.  Add enough water to cover roast.

Set slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours

For brussel sprouts, cut ends off brussel sprouts and remove any yellow leaves. 

Place brussel sprouts in a ziploc bag with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Seal bag and shake to coat sprouts.

Spread brussel sprouts in single layer on baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.  Stir every 10 minutes to ensure even baking.  They are done when tender with some brown leaves.