Tater-Topped Casserole

This issue of Food and Family was basically a thousand variations on the casserole. Perfect for the month of December because I never really felt like cooking much because of everything else going on. I could just throw these together in a few minutes and get other things done while they were baking. Plus Ben seemed to like most of them.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion - finely chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 c. milk

1 c. frozen mixed veggies - corn, peas and carrots

1 c. shredded chedder

1 lb. tater tots

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375. Brown meat with onions in skillet. Drain and spoon into 8 inch square dish.

2. Mix soup and milk. Pour over meat mixture. Top with layers of mixed veggies, cheese and potatoes.

3. Bake 45 min until potatoes are golden brown and casserole is heated through.

Steak/Potatoes/Broccoli Weight Watchers

I used 3 different Weight Watchers recipes for this meal. The steak is called Steal au Poivre. The broccoli is Microwave Broccoli with Spicy Garlic Oil. The potatoes are Mashed Potatoes Gremolata. The steak had a really good sauce and Nick really liked it. The broccoli was really full of flavor and a cinch to make. And the potatoes were good too. I cut the potato recipe in half since it is meant to serve 6. We had a ton of leftovers still. I started the potatoes first and while I waiting for those to cook is when I started cooking the meat. I threw the broccoli in the microwave when the meat was almost done. Bonus - you get an entire steak and potatoes meal for only 7 points.

Steak Ingredients

4 (3oz.) beef tenderloin steaks - 3/4 inch thick - trimmed of visible fat

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

3 tsp. olive oil

1 onion - chopped

2 garlic cloves - minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced - or 1/2 tsp dried

1 c. reduced sodium beef broth

2 tsp dijon mustard

Steak Instructions

1. Sprinkle the steaks with the salt. Press the pepper onto both sides of each steak. Heat 2 TBSP of oil in a large skillet over med/high heat. Add the steaks and cook until a thermometer reads 145 for med-rare. About 3 min on each side. Transfer the steaks to a plate. (we cooked them a little longer and I would still call it med/rare)

2. Heat the remaining 1 tsp oil in the same skillet over med/high heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened - about 2 min. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook until mixture reduces by about 1/3. Stir in the mustard.

3. Add the steaks with any accumulated juices to the skillet. Cook until heated through, about 30 seconds on each side.

Serving size - 1 steak with 3 TBSP sauce - 4 points

Potato Ingredients

2 lbs red potatoes - peeled and quartered - I kept the skins on

2 tsp. olive oil

1 garlic clove - minced

1/2 c. reduced sodium chicken broth

2 TBSP fresh parsley - chopped

3/4 tsp lemon zest

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Potato Instructions

1. Combine the potatoes and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the potatoes are fork tender - 15-18min. (once the water was boiling is when I started the meat)

2. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Heat the oil in the same saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant- about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until dry - about 2 min.

3. Meanwhile, microwave the broth until hot

4. Coarsely mash the potatoes with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Stir in the hot broth, parsley, zest, salt and pepper until blended. (this step made me add to the registry list - I never realized that I didn't have a potato masher. I also never realized what a PITA it is to mash potatoes with a wooden spoon. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you like very lumpy mashed potatoes.)

Serving size - 1/2 c. - 2 points

Broccoli Ingredients

1 lb. broccoli crowns - cut into florets - I love broccoli crowns. Way easier to deal with than the whole head of broccoli

2 TBSP water

4 tsp. olive oil

1 garlic clove - minced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

4 lemon wedges - I just used the same lemon I zested earlier. Not pretty but functional

Broccoli Instructions

1. Combine the broccoli and water in a large microwavable bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and prick a few holes in the plastic. Microwave until the broccoli is crisp/tender - 3ish minutes. Stir once, halfway through cooking. Drain and return the broccoli to the same bowl.

2. Combine the oil, garlic and crushed red pepper in a separate bowl. Microwave until the garlic sizzles - about 30-45 seconds. Add the oil mixture and salt to the broccoli. Toss to coat and serve with the lemon wedges.

Serving size - 1 1/4 c. - 1 point

Deviled Beef Short Rib Stew

This recipe came from a "Cooking with Beer" cookbook I picked up at the Target Dollar Spot (my favorite spot in Target). The picture isn't the greatest but it had a lot of flavor. I wouldn't however say it was beer flavored but good anyway. Plus it's a crockpot recipe which I love! Also, I cut the recipe in half and we still had more than enough for leftovers.

Ingredients

4 lbs beef short ribs - trimmed (I used beef stew meat instead and it worked fine)

2 lbs small red potatoes - scrubbed and cut up

8 carrots - peeled and cut into chunks

2 onions - cut into thick wedges (I ran out of onions but it would definitely help the flavor)

1 bottle beer

8 TBSP. brown mustard

3 TBSP worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP cornstarch

Instructions

1. Broil ribs 6 inches from heat on rach in broiler pan 10 min or until well browned, turning once (I just put them on a cookie sheet and it worked fine). Place veggies in bottom of crock pot. Place meat on top of veggies.

2. Combine beer, 6 TBSP mustard and 2 TBSP worcestershire in medium bowl. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on high 5 hours or until meat is tender.

3. Transfer meat and veggies to a platter to keep warm. Strain fat from broth and pour broth into saucepan. Combine cornstarch with 2 TBSP cold water in a small bowl. Stir into broth with remaing 2 TBSP mustard and 1 TBSP worcestershire. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to med/low. Cook 1-2 min or until thickened. Stir often. Pass gravy with meat and veggies.

Steak and Potatoes (w/ a side of Green Beans)

The steak is an Emeril recipe and the green beans are weight watchers. I did the baked potato all on my own :) The steak is with a garlic butter sauce which was very yummy. We modified the recipe (I included the original below) since we weren't going to eat as much meat at it called for. We ended up splitting one steak. The green beans were with carmelized shallots. I like using shallots because they taste similar to onion but Nick who doesn't really like onions, likes shallots.

Ingredients - Steak

4 ribeye steaks - each about 1 1/2 inches thick

1 TBSP salt

2 TBSP olive oil

4 TBSP unsalted butter, divided

4 TBSP minced garlic, divided

Instructions - Steak

1. Season the steaks evenly on all sides with the salt and let come to room temp for at least 20 min.

2. Heat a large saute pan over med high heat and add olive oil. When oil is almost smoking, add 1 TBSP plus 1 tsp of the butter. Add the steaks and cook, undisturbed for 6 min - or until well browned on the first side.

3. Turn the steaks over and top each steak with 1 TBSP of garlic and 2 tsps of the remaining butter. Continue to cook the steaks on the second side for 5 min for med rare.

4. Remove the pan from heat, tilt pan slightly to remove some excess rendered fat from the pan. Turn steaks so that garlic and butter are in the pan. Allow steaks to sit for 15 seconds. Transfer steaks to a platter and pour the garlic butter drippings over the steaks. Allow steaks to rest for 5 min before serving.

Ingredients - Green Beans

1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans - trimmed

2 tsp olive oil

6 med shallots - peeled and thinly sliced

2 TBSP fresh parsley - chopped

2 1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper

Instructions - Green Beans

1. Heat a large pot of water to a simmer. Steam green beans until tender - about 5 min. Run steamed beans under cold water for 30 seconds to stop cooking and set aside
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add shallots and cook, stirring often (add a little water if they start to stick), until golden and tender - about 5 min.

3. Add green beans to skillet and toss over med heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, toss to mix and coat.

Beef Stew

Nick and I were both working late tonight so I decided to go with a crock pot meal. This cooked for about 9 hours and I could smell it cooking as I walked up to the door! I served it over pasta but it would be fine by itself.

Ingredients

1 lb lean beef round - cut into 1 inch cubes

cooking spray

1 onion - chopped

2 c mushrooms - sliced

2 garlic cloves - minced

2 carrots - sliced

15oz can pinto beans - drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c canned beef broth

15oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place beef in crock pot

2. Coat skillet with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic - saute over med/high heat for 5 minutes. Add to crock pot. Add carrots to crock pot. Put half of the beans into crock pot.

3. Put remaining beans in blender. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and puree. Add mixture to crock pot. Add remaining broth, tomatoes and spices.

4. Cook on high setting for 6-7 hours.

Taco Pizza

Definitely kid friendly. Ben loved it. There are a ton of variations to this recipe. You can pretty much add anything you like on a taco. Add sour cream and black olives. Add some jalapenos for spice. Super easy to make and a hit with everyone.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

12 taco shells or equivalent of tortilla chips

1 package taco seasoning

1 prepared pizza crust

1 c shredded cheese - mexican style

1 c shredded lettuce

1 tomato - chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Cook meat with taco seasoning mix.

3. Place pizza crust on cookie sheet and top with cooked meat. sprinkle with cheese

4. Bake 8-10 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted

5. Top with lettuce and tomatoes (and any other toppings). Crush taco shells and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with salsa if desired.