BBQ Beef Mac and Cheese

I wanted to try this recipe over at Picky Palate and had it on my menu for the week. We had my lovely Sunday Roast a few days before, so I thought instead of making it with chicken, I might as well use my left over roast instead. It was very good! I have to say I like it with or without the BBQ beef. So I just might make the recipe for the mac and cheese occasionally... even though I do have a favorite recipe for that. Another thing I was excited about was the homemade BBQ sauce. My little one is allergic to something in BBQ sauce and we haven't quite figured it out yet, but everything in the sauce wasn't something we had a problem with. And he loved it!


BBQ Chicken Crusted Smoked Cheddar Mac
(I think she made this for alot of people, I halved it and it was still quite a bit!)

1 lb mini farfalle pasta (use any pasta of choice)
5 Tablespoons butter
5 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
4 Cups milk, I used 2%
5 Cups shredded Tillamook smoked cheddar cheese (you could use any cheddar cheese)

2 Cups shredded BBQ Chicken HERE is the recipe(or you could use shredded beef instead)
1 Cup shredded Tillamook smoked cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute stirring. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium high, stir continuously until liquid thickens and comes to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar cheese until smooth then add cooked pasta. Pour mixture into a large baking dish then top evenly with BBQ chicken. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

3. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Teriyaki Sandwiches

This was super easy and supper cheap to make. My hubby and I loved them. I was a little worried as I scooped the meat out of the crockpot because it looked a little dry, but it wasn't at all. It wasn't tough either. We were also both a little worried about the lack of cheese, but went for it anyway and it was awesome! I will definitely be making this often! (Sorry my picture is so awful.. I was so hungry I just snapped it.)


Teriyaki Sandwiches
adapted from taste of home

2 lbs boneless chuck steak (I didnt actually look at the pounds I bought but I only paid 2.17 for 4 small steaks.. PLENTY)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
French rolls, split
butter
1 can pineapple slices

Cut steak into thin bite-size slices. In a slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic. Add steak. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat with a slotted spoon; set aside. Carefully pour liquid into a 2-cup measuring cup; skim fat. Add water to liquid to measure 1 1/2 cups. Pour into large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and pineapple juice until smooth; add to pan. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add meat and heat through.

Brush rolls with butter; broil 4-5 inches from the heat for 2-3 mintues or until lightly toasted. Fill with meat and top with pineapple slices.

Navajo Tacos

Oh my I could eat these everyday! I usually only make them a few times a year though.. They are so easy but probably not the healthiest thing in the world. :) That's all I have to say... really, Navajo Tacos speak for themselves.


Navajo Tacos

Bread dough (I use rhodes frozen rolls. I let them rise and it usually only takes 1-2 per person, 2 if you like them big.. like me)
Canned chili (or better yet homemade chili.. you can use the left overs from this recipe if you have any)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped Tomatoes
1 can sliced olives
sour cream
oil for frying

Heat oil in fryer or large skillet. Take a handful of the bread dough and shape into a flat circle with your hands. Fry in hot oil turning when the first side is golden brown. When both sides are golden, remove and drain on paper towels. Top with chili and additional toppings. Enjoy!

(Safety tip: be careful when frying oil in a skillet, you don't want it to be too hot or else it could start a fire!)

Enchiladas with homemade sauce

Can we say yummy?! Ok I just love this homemade sauce, so perfect... in fact I will NEVER BUY CANNED SAUCE. This is just too good for that NASTY stuff. It's a little runny so it softens the tortillas ever so slightly without making them mushy. Did I mention the flavor? OH THE FLAVOR!! :) For the filling I used my left over beef from this recipe. Try it out, you may never go back to that nasty canned sauce again.


Yummy Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 c salsa (I use medium but if you like it really spicy go for the hot stuff!)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water

1 - Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 mins. Add the onion oregano,
chili powder, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato sauce.

2- mix together and then stir in the water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low
and simmer for 15 to 20 mins.

Enchiladas
Corn tortillas
cheddar cheese
shredded beef (or any other meat you want to use)
oil

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in a small skillet. Place one tortilla in the skillet and heat on both sides until soft, not crisp.(This helps the tortilla to roll easy and not crack) Move to a 9x13 pan and fill with cheese and shredded beef roll placing seam side down. Repeat until pan is full. Top with enchilada sauce and cheddar cheese. Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Fall apart, melt in your mouth - roast

I make this roast often. In fact, my husband would eat this everyday if I would let him.. but we usually have it every Sunday. He told me last night I make "the best roast ever". So, I thought I would share the recipe with you. I like to buy a cross rib roast, from my experience it always turns out soo tender. It's on sale right now at Smith's for 1.99/lb.. which is very good. I usually buy large roasts so I can use the left overs for other meals during the week, which I will share here as well.. after I make them this week. :) Another thing I like about this roast, it makes it's own gravy. I don't like gravy, but my husband does.. so I don't have to make a batch of gravy just for him, it's already done for me! Anyway here is my recipe for Sunday roast.


Sunday Roast

2-3 lb cross rib roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 tablespoons A1 steak sauce
1 table spoon Worcestershire sauce

Place roast in a crock pot and top with remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours or until it falls apart. Skim fat from the liquid in the crockpot and use the liquid for gravy.

Up next: Beef enchiladas with home-made sauce (using the left over beef)

Broccoli Beef

Greetings from Heber City! hehe. I'm just visiting here with my hubby at his grandma's for the week. Such a beautiful town! I love it! Anyways, I wanted to post my recipe for Broccoli Beef because I just LOVE it! It is often requested at our house and isn't very hard to make. I won't be including a picture... yet. I promise that I will add one as soon as I get home, which will probably be on Saturday. I will be making it for dinner that night. If you are too scared to try it out without a photo, just wait until then.. but I promise if you like broccoli beef you will love it! We all do! A little note.. The recipe calls for 1 3/4 cup beef broth. What I do is buy the beef granules (found near the bullion cubes) and make the exact amount that I need. That way I'm not throwing any out or keeping any in the fridge to probably just be thrown out because it was forgotten. It's really easy to make, you just add the granules to the amount of boiling water that you need. (it tells you on the container how man tsp to add per cup.) Just make sure you do that first so it has time to cool down before you add the other ingredients for the sauce.

Broccoli Beef

2 TBSP cornstarch
1 3/4 cup beef broth
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 lb boneless sirlion steak or top beef round steak cut into thin strips (I actually used 1 ranch steak that was .75 lbs for 2.99 and it fed 5 adults and my toddler, it was tender!)
4 cups fresh broccoli (you could use frozen.. but why? hehe)

In a medium size bowl stir together cornstarch, beef broth, soy sauce and brown sugar; set aside. (if you are making your own broth this can wait a minute until your broth has cooled a bit). In a large nonstick skillet fry beef over med-high heat until cooked and drain off any fat. Add in the garlic and continue to saute. Add broccoli and saute for an additional minute. Add your sauce and cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Great served over hot white rice!

Another note.. We like things saucy around here, so I usually double the sauce. Enjoy!