What's For Dinner Tonight? Sweep Steak, Baked Mac & Cheese, Spinach Salad

So simple, but really tasty. If I use a mix, I go for organic if I can. I was using a great organic french onion soup mix, but it's been discontinued (boo!). I'm trying 2 Simply Organic French Onion Dip packets for this since I already have them. You could also make your own with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

*Remember to be careful with dry mixes since the HPV salmonella recall. Check www.foodsafety.gov to see if you have anything that's been recalled)*


Sweep Steak   

2-3 pounds round steak or pot roast
1 (2 oz) package of onion soup mix

Put the meat on a sheet of aluminum foil big enough to wrap it in,  Sprinkle the onion soup mix on top of it, fold the foil, airtight, around it, put it in a baking pan, and bake at 300°F for 3 hours (or 200°F for 9 hours).

You can also open it up about an hour before it’s done and surround it with potatoes and carrots.

From The Compleat I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken


Serves 4-6. Ready in: 3 hours, 10 minutes

---

Skip the boxed stuff and treat yourself to a super cheesy, tangy mac and cheese. You can adjust the sharpness of the cheddar and amount of mustard and cayenne to suit your family's tastes. This makes a leftover that always gets eaten here.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese


1 (16 oz) package macaroni
1 ½ pounds sharp cheddar, shredded
1 tbsp butter
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
½ tsp mustard powder
½ tsp cayenne (optional)
Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook pasta in lightly salted water until al dente; drain. Combine mustard and cayenne into the evaporated milk.

Grease a 2 quart casserole. Place a quarter of the macaroni in the bottom followed by a layer of cheese. Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering three times, saving some cheese for top. Pour evaporated milk mixture over top.


Bake, covered, for 50 minutes. Add remaining cheese to top and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until golden and bubbly.


Serves 6-8. Ready in: 1 hour, 15 minutes

---

Spinach Salad

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach
1 medium red apple, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
1 cup seedless grapes, halved


In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until combined.

In a large bowl, toss spinach with apples and grapes. Pour dressing along sides of bowl*, and toss to coat.

(*Pouring dressings directly on top can damage delicate spinach and make it soggy)

Serves 4. Ready in: 10 minutes

Happy Eating!

An Irish Feast For St. Patty's Day!

Corned beef is a brined cut of beef, usually brisket, that was made popular by Irish immigrants in America. It has become a traditional food for St. Patrick's Day in America.  Make sure your corned beef is trimmed of fat for this stew. The corned beef makes excellent leftovers, especially as a sandwich.

Crock Pot Corned Beef And Veggies

4 large potatoes, cubed

3 pounds corned beef

1 large onion, quartered

4 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 bay leaf

1 small cabbage

4 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons brown mustard

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Small handful of fresh dill, chopped

Place potatoes on bottom of crock pot. Lay beef on top. Surround beef with onions, carrots, and bay leaf. Cover everything with cabbage.

In a medium bowl, combine beef broth, mustard, sugar, pepper and dill, pour on top of beef and cabbage.

Cook on high for about 8 hours. Serve topped with additional dill.

-

Soda bread is a sweet, flaky, round loaf of bread made with buttermilk. If you'd like, add about a half of a cup of raisins while kneading the dough.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all purpose flour

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and softened butter. Stir in one cup of the buttermilk and egg. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round shape and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter with remaining buttermilk. Brush this mixture on top of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the dough.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, brushing the top of the loaf periodically with butter/buttermilk mixture.

Serves 10. Total prep time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

What's For Dinner Tonight? Beef Stroganoff

I've been getting used to the warmer weather here, so today's burst of cold air caught me by surprise. I immediately knew tonight was going to be a total comfort food night. For this beef stroganoff, I used ground beef, since I stockpiled it during a great sale at Farm Fresh. I serve it over egg noodles, but it's also great over other types of pasta, rice, and potatoes. Easy, warm, and tasty for those cold nights!


Beef Stroganoff


4 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet, sautee onions, garlic, and mushrooms in half of the butter over medium heat until soft, remove from pan.

Brown ground beef in same pan. Add remaining butter to pan and melt. Mix in flour. Stir in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and cook until thickened slightly.

Add onion and mushroom mixture. Stir in sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through, but do not boil. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Serves 4 (easily doubled). Total prep and cook time: 25 minutes.



I served this along with asparagus sauteed in a little butter and olive oil and my favorite bread machine bread.

Happy eating!