Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup

It has gotten cold here in Indiana. I hate the cold weather but I love the food that goes along with it. Vegetable soup is one of my favorite meals but I have to have it homemade ( no vegetable soup out of a can for me!).
Here is a recipe that tastes yummy but is just a little bit different than your normal everyday soup.

Homemade Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup

1 pound ground beef
onion flakes
1 tbsp. flour
1 can diced tomatoes ( I use the ones that are seasoned)
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
celery salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup elbow macaroni
vegetables of your choice

Brown ground beef and onion flakes. Drain and transfer to soup pot. Add remaining ingredients except macaroni. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Add macaroni and cook until done. Enjoy!

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

I have an awesome new recipe for you guys to try! If you like stuffed peppers then you have to try these! I promise you will fall in love with them and never heat your house up by making them again. All you have to turn is turn your crockpot on, sit back and relax.

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

4 large green peppers
1 pd ground beef ( you may need a little more depending how big your peppers are)
1 onion, chopped ( or if you are lazy like me just use onion flakes)
one egg, beaten
one can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg of Spanish rice ( I used the Lipton kind that is in the bag)

Cut tops of peppers and clean out the inside. In a large bowl mix the ground beef, onion, egg, Spanish rice, tomato sauce and water. Fill peppers. It may be a little runny and that is okay.

In crockpot , dump the can of diced tomatoes on the bottom. Set stuffed peppers on top. Cook on low around 6-8 hrs.

Steak Marinade

I have to say that I am a lucky girl when it comes to eating steak. My wonderful Father-In-Law sends us Omaha Steaks for my birthday and they super yummy. If you have never tried them before you really need to. Not only to do they have steak, they also have chicken, pork chops, fish, hamburgers, sides and some of the best cheesecake you will ever eat. My mouth waters just thinking about that cheesecake.........back to the steak though. We took steak with us when we went camping and I tried a new marinade recipe for them. My husband who doesn't say much either way when it comes to food ( he just likes me to feed him) even said how awesome these were. The longer you let them marinate the better and more tender they are going to be.

Steak Maranide

4 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
2/3 cup terayike sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
liquid smoke
4 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on one side of steak. Pour 1/2 tsp oil on each side and knead spices/oil into steak. Repeat on other side. Add remaining ingredients, marinate at least 30 minutes before cooking or grilling.

Tasty Tuesday ( Cheesy & Beefy Tomato Corkscrew Pasta Bake)

I found this recipe on Kraft website. I changed it a little bit to fit what we like and that is what I am sharing here. Everyone in my family loved it, even my 8 year who refuses to eat just about anything that has hamburger in it. I hope you enjoy it to!

Cheesy & Beefy Tomato Corkscrew Pasta Bake

1 pkg, pasta ( you can use any shape that you want)
1 pd hamburger
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes ( I used homeade diced tomatoes that I had frozen form last summer)
1 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 pd velveeta, cubed

Cook pasta as directed on package and drain. Meanwhile brown hamburger with garlic and Italian seasoning. Drain. Add diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, dash of Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 8-10 minutes and then add drained pasta to hamburger mix. Spoon half of mixture in bottom of casserole dish. Top with velveeta. Add remaining pasta mixture and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 10 minutes

Easy Crockpot Beef Pot Roast

My husband brought home some meat from work the other day for me ( he is the meat manager at Kroger) and one of the things he got was a roast. I  like roasts but I get tired of fixing them with carrots and potatoes. I decided to do something different with it and I am glad I did. It was wonderful!

 Easy Crockpot Beef Pot Roast

1 pot roast, lean chuck, top round, 2 1/2 to 4 pound

 1 can (15 ounces) diced stewed tomatoes ( I used the tomatoes I had made and froze this summer)
2 Beef Bouillion Cubes

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 9 to 11 hours, or until beef is tender.

Freezer Friday (Marvelous Italian Mini Meatloaves)

I have a index box full of recipes that I have copied from various places ( books, magazines etc). Every once in awhile I go through it to find something new to make. I came across this recipe and decided to try it. I am not a big meatloaf fan at all so it was kind of surprising that I made it. I am glad I did though because we all loved it! It was easy to make and you can freeze them with no problem!

1 pd ground beef
1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing Mix
1 cup water
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. mix meat, stuffing mix, 1 cup water and 1 tsp Italian seasoning until well blended

Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray; make an indentation in the center of each with a spoon.

Spoon spaghetti sauce into center of each meatloaf.

Bake 30 minutes.
Top with cheese, bake 5 minutes

Tasty Tuesday~Taco Salad

I love taco salad! It is one of my very favorite foods. We make it a couple of different ones but the one I am going to blog about is made with Fritos. It is so simple it doesn't even need a recipe.

First you need to brown your ground beef and then add the taco seasoning ( just like you do for tacos)
Cut your tomatoes up. On a plate layer fritos, ground beef, shredded cheese ( we like to use mexican style) and top with tomatoes.
Of course you can add whatever toppings you want but this is a very yummy way to eat it!

Mozzarella Beef Roll-Ups

 

 

I had no idea what I was going to fix for dinner tonight. I was looking through my recipe book and came across this recipe. It had been awhile since I had made it so it was perfect to make for tonight. It is so simple to make that anyone can do it!

 

Mozzarella Beef Roll-Ups

1 pound ground beef
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 can (8 ounces) pizza sauce plus extra for the top if desired
28 slices pepperoni
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6 flour tortillas (10 inches), warmed
6 pieces (1 ounce each) string cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, pepperoni and oregano.

Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture off-center on each tortilla; top with a piece of string cheese. Fold one side of tortilla over filling and roll up from the opposite side.

Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. ( I always add more pizza sauce over the top but that is up to you!)

 Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

 

Tasty Tuesday (Spaghetti Inside Garlic Bread)

We eat a lot of spaghetti in my house. I love it and it is cheap and filling for everyone. Of course I have to make garlic bread with the spaghetti so when I saw this recipe I had to try it. I changed it a little to fit my family and it would be easy to change to fit yours to!

First you need a frozen loaf of bread, thawed out

Roll it out using a rolling pin. I used some non stick spray on the counter to help it from sticking.

Once it is rolled out I covered it with some saran wrap to keep it moist. While it was covered I cooked my spaghetti and browned my ground beef.

Uncover your dough and cut slits up both sides. Put on your cookie sheet

Add your cooked spaghetti and ground beef down the middle. I topped mine with mozzarella and parmesean cheese.

Criss cross your dough giving a braid effect.

Brush your dough with a egg white. I then sprinkled it with some more parmesan cheese and soem garlic powder.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Tasty Tuesday ( Velveeta Spicy Cheeseburger Dip)

Usually on New Years Eve I don't fix dinner, I just fix a bunch of snacks. Cheese Dip is always one of them. This year I tried a new dip and it was really yummy. The recipe came from Velveeta.

Velveeta Spicy Cheeseburger Dip

1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained

4 green onions, sliced

Combine all ingredients except onions in microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 min. Stir in onions.

Serve with RITZ Crackers and assorted cut-up fresh vegetables. ( we use tortilla chips)

-MINDY

Meatball Stew

It has been awhile since we have posted. The holidays have made everything crazy. I made this for dinner tonight and it is always good. If you are getting a bunch of snow like we are here in Indiana this is a great dinner to warm you up. You can also cook in the crockpot all day on high if you prefer.

Here is a great winter dish. It can be made in the crockpot or in the oven. I hope you enjoy!

Meatball Stew
1 pd hamburger
1 egg
Onion flakes
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1½ can tomato sauce-divided
¼ cup bread crumbs
Carrots-peeled and chopped into small pieces
Potatoes-peeled and chopped into small pieces

Mix hamburger, egg, onion flakes ,bread crumbs, ½ cup of tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Make into meatballs.

 Brown and drain fat off. Transfer to casserole dish (or crock pot) and add carrots, potatoes, 1 cup of water and 1 ½ cans tomato sauce.

 Bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours.

Tasty Tuesday ( Ground Beef Spiral Bake)

Ground Beef Spiral Bake
( I got this recipe from Taste of Home)

• 1 package (16 ounces) spiral pasta
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 jars (26 ounces each) spaghetti sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes.
• Stir pasta into meat mixture. Transfer to two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle each with 2 cups cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.
• Bake the remaining casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 2 casseroles (8 servings each).
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Freezer Friday ( Steak Sauce Sloppy Joes)

On October 1st I am going in to have a hysterectomy. To prepare I have been making up some meals and freezing them. This way no matter how bad I feel I know my family will have a hot meal on the table. I know the recovery is pretty long for this so Stephanie will be doing way more blogging than me for those couple of weeks. I am 33 years old and they are doing a full hysterectomy. I am really worried about being thrown into menopause like this but I know that somehow I will get through it. Hopefully I won't get to grumpy and make everyone mad lol.If you have ever  frozen quite a few meals to prepare for something like this I would love some recipes. You can post int he comment section or e-mail me at twocraftingmoms@gmail.com. I love to try new recipes as most of you know. I am looking for meals that I don't have to freeze in foil pans because of freezer space.
On to the recipe. I was looking for something new and came across this recipe from Taste of Home. I love their recipes. If you aren't familiar with then make sure to check them out at www.tasteofhome.com. I am not a big sloppy joe person but this one has a wonderful flavor.

Steak Sauce Sloppy Joes

3 pounds ground beef
4 medium onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup A.1. steak sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
15 hamburger buns, split

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onions, celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.
Stir in the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, chili powder, paprika and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened and heated through. Serve on buns. Yield: 15 servings.

 

 

Freezer Friday ( Johnnie Marzetti)

Johnnie Marzetti

1 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 pd ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg egg noodles. cooked
1 cup cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375. Heat oil in skillet. Add celery, onion, and green pepper. Stir until tender. Remove veggies and set aside. Add meat, cook until done. Return veggies. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, bay leaf, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Place noodles in baking dish. Spoon meat mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake for 15-20 min.

Tasty Tuesday ( Slow Cooked Steak Soup)

Slow Cooked Steak Soup

1 pd boneless round steak
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 pkg frozen cheese filled ravioli
2 1/2 cups water
Parmesan Cheese

Cut steaks into cubes and place in slow cooker. Add spaghetti sauce and water. Cook on low 8 hours. Add ravioli last 45 minutes of cooking.

Freezer Friday ( Sloppy Joes )

 Crockpot Sloppy Joes

• 1 pound ground turkey or lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard 
• To taste, chopped onion
• To taste, chopped celery

In a skillet, cook the meat til done, breaking apart into small clumps as it cooks. Meanwhile, collect all the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir in the cooked meat, cover and cook on high, stirring occasionally if possible, for 4 – 5 hours, longer is fine too.

Freezer Friday ( Meatloaf with String Cheese)

This recipe is so easy!! I am not going to post a meatloaf recipe because everyone does it their own way. All you need to do is make up a batch of meatlaof. Spray a muffin pan well and put meatloaf in each tin.
In the middle of each meatloaf add a small piece of string cheese and then cover with meatloaf.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
It was really good and my kids even ate it. I didn't get a chance to take a picture afterwards because someone showed up at my door but I think you would really enjoy it.

tasty tuesday

Smothered Sirloin Steak in Parmesan Peppercorn Sauce 

I found this recipe on pinterest here is the original pin http://pinterest.com/pin/58757970108449508/  

so go check it out 

I changed the recipe a little bit here is how I made it 

What You Need

1/2 cup Light Zesty Italian Dressing, divided

1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1 lb.), well trimmed

1/3 cup  Low Fat Sour Cream

4-1/2 tsp.  Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp. black pepper

1 onion, thinly sliced, separated into rings

Make It

POUR 1/4 cup dressing over steak in shallow dish; turn to evenly coat steak. Refrigerate 30 min. to marinate. Meanwhile, mix sour cream, 2 Tbsp. of the remaining dressing, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

HEAT remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add onions; cook 7 to 8 min. or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove onions from skillet; set aside.

REMOVE steak from marinade; discard marinade. Add steak to skillet; cook on medium heat 5 to6 min. on each side or until well done. Remove steak from skillet; cut into thin strips. Serve topped with the sour cream sauce and onions.

the original recipe calls to cook it till medium but I can not stand for my steak to be even pink in the middle so mine says cook till well done about 170 on a meat thermometer.   

Freezer Friday ( Souper Spaghetti)

Souper Spaghetti

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small green sweet pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 cups water
2 14-1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 13- to 15-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Dash crushed red pepper
2 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces


Directions
1.
In large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook meat, onion, sweet pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium heat until vegetables are tender and meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.
2.
Add water, undrained tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Bring mixture to boiling. Add broken spaghetti. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until spaghetti is tender. Serve immediately.

 

 

Late make it monday

Hey guys I don't know how many of you do pinterest but I do and I have been seeing everything done in muffin pans from pies to meatloaf.  Well I am not a big meatloaf fan but the guys here like it so I decided to make it fun and try making it in a muffin pan.  I am not going to give you a recipe because we all have our way of making meat loaf.  All you do is mix up the meatloaf the regular way.  Then instead of putting it in a loaf pan you fill the muffin cups up with the mixture.  And bake the same as regular.  We use very low fat meat so there was no grease to worry about but if you are worried about the grease you can just put a sheet pan under the muffin pan. Hey Mindy you can even make these.Ha HA