Tag Archives: Cook

Mean Lean Beef Stew

Posted in Crock Pot Thursdays, Time Management, Work Mom Balance by

Picture this:  Racing home to pick the kids up from the bus stop, to immediately turn around and drive one child to ballet and the other to soccer.  Repeat in reverse order and return home.  Almost 6pm, kids are beginning to work on their homework and Hubby is about to walk through the door.  What’s for dinner is on everyone’s hungry mind?

Unless I was Iron Chef-ing (the practice of cooking up meals all on one day for the week ahead) the previous Sunday, it’s either a quick pasta with butter or sandwiches on a defrosted hamburger roll from last summer.   All the while, my crock pot sits in the cabinet.

But folks, the weather is getting cold and the hours between work and after school activities and homework and dinner are short.   Whip out the crock pots, because The Harried Mom and are back – for a limited time and as our schedule permits – for some wholesome, delicious crock pot meals.

For my triumphant return to the Thursday Crock Pot Buddies, I decided to cook A Mean Lean Beef Stew.  Hearty, rich and full of nutritious goodness, this is the meal that keeps on giving.  This meal has comfort oozing with every bite and best of all – feeds a family of four at least twice.

Lean Mean Beef Stew

CrockPot2.13BeefStewIngredients:

2 pounds of beef cubes (filet mignon is the most tender)

4 potatoes cut in cubes (skin left on b/c I am too lazy it that is where all the vitamins are)

1 bag of small carrots rinsed

1 large white onion chopped

1 pint of large cherry tomatoes

8 ounces of water

8 ounces of beef broth

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

Directions:

Take the meat and place in a large bowl.  Add a dash of salt and pepper and set aside.

Add the remaining ingredients and the meat together in the crock pot.  Take a large spoon and mix everything together.

Add another dash of salt and pepper.

Set the timer to 6 hours and forget about it until then.

The meal is best served with a loaf of warm french bread and some butter.  Suggested sides can include either rice or pasta but the meal itself is just fine without it.  So now hop on over to The Harried Mom and check out what she is cooking.  If you have a blog, link up with us and share your post here.  If you don’t have a blog, post your comments here or on Facebook and remember……

There is Always Time for a Home Cooked Meal!

 

Grill More Girls – Getting it Just Right!

Posted in Grill-More Girls, Time Management, Work Mom Balance by

After a brief hiatus, the Grill More Girls are back and ready to help you fire up the grills.  Unlike our previous posts, this week, we are going to ease back into the routine by sharing some tips and suggestions to make your grilling experience great.  The Harried Mom is going to share with you all the right tools and gadgets that make grilling easy and fun and I am going to share with you a cheat sheet that I came across in the June issue of my all-time favorite magazine, Real Simple.

The trick to serving the perfect grilled dinner is to make sure the cooking temperature is just right.  If the temperature is too high, your meat, poultry and fish will burn and char and leave the inside of your piece uncooked.  If you leave on your vegetable or fruits on the grill a second too long, then you will have a mess to clean up.  The following is a quick rundown of the foods I grill the most. For a complete list, check out Real Simple’s June issue.  Print this and keep in handy!

In the week’s to come, I will share with you some of my easiest grilling recipes for each! 

Burgers – Direct uncovered.  High.  3 to 5 minutes on each side.  Internal temp of 140 degrees F for medium.

Steaks – Up to 1 inch thick, direct uncovered.  Medium-High. 3 to 5 minutes per side.  Internal temp of 130 degrees F for medium rare and 150 degrees F for medium.

Shrimp Kebab – Direct uncovered.  High.  1 to 2 minutes per side.

Sausage - Direct uncovered. High. 10 to 15 minutes, tuning occasionally.  Internal temp of 145 degree F (I recommend boiling in a large pot of water for 2 minutes before grilling).

Chicken Cutlets – Direct uncovered.  Medium. 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Internal temp of 160 degree F.

Eggplant – Cut 1/2 inch thick.  Direct uncovered. Medium. 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Pineapple - Cut 1/2 inch thick.  Direct uncovered. Medium. 2 to 3 minutes per side.

So now it’s your turn. Visit my cooking pal, The Harried Mom, and link up your suggestions and tips for grilling.

Don’t have a blog? Visit my Facebook page and share your recipe there.

Buon Appetito!

There is Always Time for a Home Cooked Meal – Grill More Girls Style

Posted in Grill-More Girls, Time Management, Work Mom Balance by

Taking a cue from my partner in crime, this week’s post was grilled by none other than my Super Hubby.  For those of you who do not know Super Hubby, he is the man I fell in love with my freshman year of college.  He is a Super Hubby, Super Chief Businessman, Super Daddy and Super Funny.  As ridiculous as this may sound, I still get butterflies when he walks through the door.

Anyhow, Super Hubby is grilling for this week’s post because I simply ran out of time and Mother Nature is still taunting us with sporadic rain showers.  Having to play chauffeur for our busy children, I left Super Hubby with one ingredient – and Oyster Cut of Turkey Filet or what we like to call, Turkey London Broil.   And what Super Hubby created was by far the best dish I have eaten since beginning the Grill More Girls feature.  Friends, meet Grilled Dijon Turkey Filet.

Ingredients

I think it’s time for a bigger grill!

1 piece of oyster cut Turkey London Broil (not many supermarkets carry this, but the butcher will cut it for you if you ask)

1 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of soy

1/2 a small lemon squeezed

1 small garlic crushed

1 tablespoon of Dijon sauce

Salt, pepper, oregano

Combine all ingredients and marinate the turkey filet for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Directions:

Grill on medium, 15 minutes on each side depending on the cut of the meat.  Slice and serve.

So now it’s your turn.  Visit my cooking pal, The Harried Mom, and link up your grilling recipe.  Don’t have a blog?  Visit my Facebook page and share your recipe there.

Buon Appetito!

There is Always Time for Home Cooked Meal with the Grill-More Girls

Posted in Crock Pot Thursdays, Grill-More Girls, Time Management, Work Mom Balance by

It’s 7:30pm on a Wednesday night and half of my family of four have returned from ballet lessons, errands and an unexpected search for a Pocahontas costume which is needed for the school play in less than 24 hours (which by the way, I was told needed to be purchased for the first time that afternoon).  Hubby and Little Man are expected shortly and I have one assignment on the mind – Grilled London Broil Quesadillas.

Knowing this week was going to be near madness, I planned ahead and grilled a lean piece of London Broil earlier in the week.  Marinated for six hours in a homemade garlic and herb dressing, it made for a fine dinner several nights ago.  I purposely selected a large oyster cut piece of London Broil so that we would have leftovers for this very meal.   Already sliced from the previous meal, this terrific meal is ready in minutes.

Ingredients

1 piece of London Broil oyster cut

1 cup of olive oil

1 gloved of garlic crushed

1 tablespoon basil (fresh is better)

1 tablespoon oregano (fresh is better)

Combine all ingredients in a deep dish and marinate up to 24 hours.  Grill on medium 20 minutes on each side for medium well.  Leave for 10 minutes after cooking and then slice.

~~~~~~~

1 tortilla wrap -10 inch

1 cup of shredded provolone and cheddar cheese

1 small tomato diced

sour cream

George Forman Grill, Frying Pan or Oven and yes of course, the outside Grill.

Take your warp and layer cheese, sliced London Broil and tomatoes on one half.  Fold over and cook.  Depending on which method you choose to cook the Quesadilla will determine the time needed to cook it.  I tend to use the George Forman Grill because it is quick and cooks evenly. However, each of the methods should not take longer than 10 minutes.

Once the cheese has melted, serve with sour cream and fresh tomatoes. One London Broil Quesadilla will serve one adult or two small children.

Now it’s your turn.  Do you have a quick go-to meal?  If so, share it with us.  Hop on over to The Harried Mom and post on her Blog Hop or visit my Facebook page and share your go to meal with me.  And remember, there is always time for a home cooked meal!

Buon Appettito!

There is Always Time for a Home Cooked Meal from the Grill-More Girls …Sort of!

Posted in Grill-More Girls, Time Management, Work Mom Balance by

I waited.  And I waited.  I waited.  However, shortly after Tuesday,  I decided to let Mother Nature win.

With Memorial Day on the horizon this weekend, I intended to dedicate this post to the All-American BBQ.  I was going to grill chicken, hot dogs, corn on the cob and peppers too.  On the side, I was going to prepare my broccoli cappelletti dish and my Italian potato salad. (OK, maybe not ALL American but 75% American).

But the weather never cooperated.  On the nights I could prepare this meal, I was either tied up with meetings or errands.  On nights I was home to whip up this feast, there was no one to cook for – or the heavens poured down buckets of rain.

In the end, I gave up on the grill and made a simple golden chicken salad.

Golden Chicken Salad

1 package of thin sliced chicken cutlets

2 cups of bread crumbs

1 fresh garlic glove minced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 egg

1 cup of olive oil

Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumbers, Olives, Cheese

Take the chicken and rinse each slice.  Place on a towel to absorb.  In the meantime, whip the egg in a shallow bowl and set aside.  Combine bread crumbs, garlic, oregano in a shallow bowl.  Place the oil in a frying pan and heat.

Take chicken and dip each slice in the egg wash, then bread crumbs and place in frying pan.  Make sure the heat is set between medium and low.  This allows the chicken to get crispy and golden.  Depending on thickness, each side should cook at least 5 minutes.

Once each slice is cooked, place over your salad and enjoy!

Now it’s your turn.  Hop on over to The Harried Mom to see what she is grilling or visit me on Facebook and share your recipe there!