Week 54 Menu

Monday - Bacon Wrapped Hamburgers
Tuesday - Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches & fruit salad
Wednesday - Sweet & Sour Meatballs w/ rice
Thursday - Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
Friday - eat out
Saturday - Porcupine Meatballs & mashed potatoes
Sunday - Shepherd's Pie

Week 53 Menu

Monday - Unbelievable chicken (grilled)
Tuesday - Orange Chicken
Wednesday - eat out
Thursday - Hamburgers & Hot Dogs
Friday - BBQ chicken pizzas (grilled)
Saturday - yo-yo dinner
Sunday - Vegetable Frittata

Slow-Cooked Steak Fajitas

This recipe appeared on my menu a week or so ago and it was a big hit! It was a new one for us - we usually have chicken fajitas and I wasn't sure how I would like the steak version but it was great, and I'll definitely be making it again.

For the original recipe click here. I made a few changes (more like omissions) so I'll type up my version below.


Slow-Cooked Steak Fajitas

1 1/2 lbs beef steak (I just chose a cut that was on sale that week and the slow cooker does the magic)
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes w/ garlic & onion, undrained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
flour tortillas
sour cream
cilantro
salsa

Place steak in freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and slice thinly across the grain into strips. Place in slow cooker. Add tomatoes, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and salt. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Add onion and peppers. Cover and cook 1 hour longer or until meat and veggies are tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Using a slotted spoon, spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Add toppings and enjoy!

Tater Tot Casserole

In my search for various ways to eat red meat, I was reminded of a childhood favorite of mine: Tater Tot Casserole. I asked my mom about this a month or so ago and she told me that she had made it so much when we were little that she was STILL sick of it. Ha ha. It's not a tough recipe, and quite child-friendly. For a 9x13 size, just double the recipe.



Tater Tot Casserole
(makes an 8 or 9-inch square casserole)

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can of cream of mushroom (or celery) soup
1/4 cup sour cream or 1/4 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
bag of frozen tater tots

In a skillet, brown ground beef. When beef is nearly done, toss in diced onion and cook until meat is done. Remove from heat, stir in soup and sour cream (or milk). Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Spread in square casserole dish. Top with grated cheese and as many tater tots as can possibly fit (in one layer). Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and hot in the center.

Week 52 Menu

Sorry, the menu is a few days late being posted this week. There's nothing really exciting on it anyway!

Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - eat out
Wednesday - BBQ Chicken over rice
Thursday - Tater Tot Casserole
Friday - eat out
Saturday - Spaghetti & meatballs
Sunday - Meatloaf & baked potatoes

Honey Bun Cake

This is one of those recipes that I love, but I had totally forgotten about. I have two binders full of recipes that I print from the internet, one just for desserts and one for everything else. This Honey Bun Cake recipe is in the dessert binder which (surprisingly enough) doesn't get opened very often.

I have made it in a bundt pan as well as a 9x13 and both work great. I must warn you - this is a very rich cake, but oh-so-good! I made this last week, and this was the only photo I took before it was devoured. Gosh, I guess I'll have to make another one soon so you all can see a better picture!




Honey Bun Cake
from allrecipes.com

1 package yellow cake mix (18.25-oz)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8-oz) container sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)


glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
(note: I make a half-recipe of the glaze if I'm making this cake in a bundt pan)

Preheat oven to 325

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approx 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Spray pan (bundt or 9x13) with Pam. Pour half of the batter into the baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon (and nuts, if using) and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar mixture. Twirl the cake with a butter knife until it looks like a honey bun (I skip this step).

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Frost cake while it is still fairly hot. Serve warm.

To make frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

note: I let the cake cool before drizzling with the glaze - I find it soaks in too much for my liking if I glaze it warm, but that's my personal preference. Also, I have a fussy bundt pan and I need to grease and flour it (and not just use pam) or everything sticks - but again, that's just me!