Succulent Short Ribs

Succulent Short Ribs

{Printable Recipe Here}

Cooking Spray

3-4 lbs short ribs (can also use country style ribs)

1-2 bottles Emeril's Original Essence seasoning

Olive oil

3-4 Cans Campbell’s Soup Beef Consommé

Spray the inside of a large crock pot and set aside. In a shallow baking dish pour out contents of one of the seasonings. Roll each short rib in seasonings on all sides. Heat a few tbsp of olive oil into a large skillet pan on Med heat. Once oil is hot, lightly brown ribs on all sides. Transfer Ribs to crockpot. Cook on HI 4-6 hours or on LOW all day.  Serve with rice, potatoes, or other side. Enjoy!

**The day I made these, I used pork country spare ribs (as pictured), because that is what I had in the freezer. Pretty much any type of rib is good in this recipe!

Fried Nacho Tacos

Fried Nacho Tacos

{{Printable Recipe Here}}

Three of my favorite words. Mmm... These are "Nacho" Mama's Tacos!

All kidding aside, if you are like me and love recipes with 5 ingredients (6 if you count the cooking oil, but who's counting?) or less and cooks in 20 minutes or less, then this is a must try! This recipe came about because I didn't have any motivation to cook an elaborate dinner tonight and my food storage/deep freeze is always stocked with these items.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasonings
1/4 C. water
1 can cheddar cheese condensed soup
18 soft corn tortilla shells (white or yellow)
cooking oil

Step 1.
In small skillet brown ground beef over Med-Hi heat. Drain fat.

Step 2.
Stir in 1 packet of taco seasonings, and ONLY 1/4 C of water. (This is less than the packet instructions.) Stir until seasonings are evenly distributed.

(I know, I know - it looks like Kitty had an accident, but I promise it's sooo delish!)

Step 3.
Stir in cheddar cheese soup until well mixed. Turn off heat.

Step 4.
Heat 2-3 tbsp cooking oil in new skillet. (I love my electric skillet for this.)

Step 5.
On a plate, place a stack of about 18 tortillas and microwave about 1 minute. This helps keep the tortillas pliable and from tearing when folding.

Step 6.
Place one spoonful of cheesy-meat mixture on one-half of a tortilla shell.

Step 7.
Fold tortilla in half and fry a few minutes each side, until golden brown.

Step 8.
Placed fried tacos on a plate lined with paper towel to help absorb excess grease.

Step 9. EAT & ENJOY!!!

p.s. I love to dip mine in homemade ranch dressing. MMMMMMM!

Lazy Lasagna

I remember the first time I had lasagna.  It was down in Southern Indiana, visiting my Aunt Glenda. It was the most scrumptious comfort food I could ever imagine.  When I first became and adult and discovered a "Lazy" version, it was PERFECT!  I've tweaked it over the years to suit my kids' taste, and while it's certainly not gourmet, we rarely have leftovers.

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp oregano
1 large (32 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
16 oz cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 C grated Parmesan
1 box lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 C shredded cheese
3/4 C water

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray pan and saute garlic and onion until tender.  Add ground beef and oregano and cook until browned.  (Can also use garlic and onion powder if preferred.)  Drain fat and add spaghetti sauce, stirring to heat through.  In small mixing bowl combine cottage cheese, sour cream and Parmesan; set aside.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Spoon 1 1/2 C meat sauce into bottom of pan, spreading evenly.  Layer with uncooked lasagna noodles, adding broken pieces to ends if needed.  Spread half the cottage cheese mixture over noodles, followed by half the remaining meat sauce and 1 C shredded cheese.  Repeat with 2nd layer.  Using spatula, create space between lasagna noodles and edges of pan.  Pour the water around the edges of pan.  Cover tightly with foil and bake 50-60 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 15=20 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

For Sunday dinner, I assemble this the night before, cover with foil and refrigerate.  Then I stick it in the oven as soon as I am home from church.

Supper Skillet

1 medium onion chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef

1 bell pepper or other veggies as desired

4 medium red potatoes, chopped and steamed

salt and pepper to taste
other seasonings as desired (basil, chili powder, smoked paprika, etc.)

1 C shredded Cheddar (or cubed Velveeta)

3-4 eggs, prepared to liking

Lightly spray skillet with cooking spray. Saute onion and garlic. Add meat and brown, stirring often. Add in other chopped peppers or vegetables, and continue to stir fry over low-med heat. Steam potatoes in covered microwave-safe dish or in microwave steamers bags. Add to skillet, along with additional seasonings, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and stir frequently to melt. In separate frying pan, prepare eggs as desired (scrambled, sunny-side up, etc.) You can either serve eggs over the skillet or fold in.

*shown here with Mac& Cheese Toast

Beef Stew

2 tbsp oil (I prefer olive or canola)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 lbs beef chunks

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

4-5 medium red potatoes

4 tsp soup base

4 C hot water

2 C Cold Water

2 packets brown gravy mix

salt and pepper to taste

In large stock pot saute onions in oil over Med-Hi heat. Add meat chunks and Worcestershire. Stir-fry meat with the onions until the meat is browned and onion is tender. Add remaining veggies and continue to stir-fry. In separate small bowl mix soup base (or bullion cubes) with hot water. Slowly add to pot. In small bowl whisk together 2 C cold water with both gravy packets. Slowly pour into pot; stir. Bring to boil and then turn heat to low. Let simmer till meat is tender 2-3 hours (depending on thickness of meat).

*I used left over sirloin from dinner the night before. Since it was already cooked, I simply cut it up and added it to the stir-fry AFTER adding all of my veggies.

TIPS: I usually make this the night before and only let it simmer about an hour and stick it in the fridge. Then, the next morning, before going to work, I toss it in the crock pot, adding a little more water or broth is necessary, and cook on LOW all day. It also goes from freezer to crock pot well, but you will definitely want to add a little more water or broth for that. My kids LOVE eating this with Ritz Crackers or Hot out-of-the-oven corn bread.