Olivia's Yummy Asian Ground Meat

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 pound ground beef, chicken, or turkey (my favorite)

a fistful of finely chopped carrots (I buy the bag of shredded carrots at Trader Joe's!)

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely diced

2-3 C. spinach

1 generous squirt of sriracha sauce

1 small spoonful of garlic chili sauce (opt.)

1 generous squirt of ginger paste

coconut aminos, to taste

salt & pepper

1) Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil.

2) Brown the ground meat with the onion and carrots until cooked through.

3) Add all other ingredients and cook until spinach is wilted and flavors have melded throughout.

4) Serve with Olivia's Instant Pot Fried Rice.

Pan-Seared Steak in the Oven

Cuts of steak, approximately 1 pound each  at 1-1/2 inches thick (sirloin, ribeye)
1 Tbsp. olive oil per steak
2 tsp. APB per steak (in lieu of just salt and pepper, for more zing), or to taste

1) Let the steak(s) come to room temperature. Blot the steak(s) dry with paper towels or a rag.

2) Heat cast iron skillet(s) 6-8 inches under the broiler for 20 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, prepare the oil and spices.

4) Brush the steak(s) generously all over with oil and then sprinkle with spice mixture. Pat it into the meat so that it sticks.

5) Turn on a stove burner to high heat.

6) Very carefully transfer the hot skillet from the stove to the burner and drizzle a tad of olive oil in the pan.

7) Place the steak(s) in the pan using long, sturdy kitchen tongs. It should sizzle immediately.

8) Cook the steak(s) for 30 seconds on one side, flip it over, then cook for an additional 30 seconds on the other side.

9) Transfer the skillet(s) with the steak(s) back to the oven.

10) Cook the steak(s) in the oven under the broiler for 2 minutes per side. (Open the oven and carefully flip the steak, using the long tongs. If you need to bring the pan(s) out to flip the steak(s) cook a little longer than 2 minutes per side.) This will result in medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add 2 minutes to the oven time.

11) Remove the steak(s) from the oven and pan(s) and put it on a large cutting board. Cover it with aluminum foil and let rest for about 5 minutes.

12) Slice the steak(s) against the grain and fan slices out on a plate to serve. Serve immediately.

This original recipe appeared on thekitchn.com

NOTE: This recipe works beautifully for marinated tuna steaks as well, but you should only cook them under the broiler for 1 minute per side.

Aunt Kim's Andouille & Beef Burgers

1/2 lb. andouille sausage, cut into tiny cubes
3/4 C. pecans, toasted, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lb. ground beef (20% fat)
1 1/2 lb. onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
8 oz. crumbled blue cheese

For burgers:
Toss first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add beef. Blend gently. Shape mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill as usual over medium-high heat.
NOTE: These can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer patties to small baking sheet. Cover and chill.

For carmelized onions:
Place skillet on medium-high heat, either grill on stovetop. Cook until onions are golden, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cheri's Breakfast Meatballs

These were served at Evie's wedding on the table with the finger sandwiches and the hot hors d'oeuvres. They are naturally gluten-free, so they didn't have to be modified for our gluten-free guests.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 lbs. breakfast sausage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. instant minced onion
• 1/2-1 C. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Thoroughly mix together breakfast sausage with all 7 dry seasoning ingredients listed beneath "breakfast sausage" (above).
3. In a bowl, combine sausage mixture with ground beef, eggs, onion, and cheese; mix thoroughly.
4. Roll into 1.5" balls or drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes.
5. To freeze extra meatballs for up to 6 months: Cool, and then place the amounts you will use at one time on cookie sheets and freeze.  Place in a Ziploc bag until needed.
6. To reheat: Place defrosted meatballs in preheated 350°F oven, covered, and bake until hot (30-40 minutes).

Horseradish Sauce for London Broil

For the Horseradish Sauce:

• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp. prepared horseradish (not horseradish sauce)
• 2 tbsp. snipped fresh chives
• 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

My mom has asked for London Broil, twice-baked potatoes, and broccoli grape salad for her birthday dinner this year.  I think we'll try this creamy horseradish sauce to go on the meat.  Sounds yummy!

Cheri's Beef Stroganoff

Hi,
After looking at my recipe that had little quantities, I came up with this one from Paula Dean with a great rating.  The following ingredients are on my recipe, but not hers.  I would consider adding all of them.  I left the item called cream soup thinking you would put what you want.  I would make homemade.  Other than the addition of those items, our recipes look identical.

garlic
fresh mushrooms (sliced)
2 ts + worcestershire
2Tb or so catsup

Ingredients
 a.. 1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
 b.. House Seasoning, recipe follows
 c.. All-purpose flour
 d.. 2 tablespoons olive oil
 e.. 2 tablespoons butter
 f.. 1 medium onion, sliced
 g.. 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
 h.. 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth
 i.. 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
 j.. Salt and black pepper
 k.. 1 cup sour cream
 l.. Cooked egg noodles

Directions
Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.


House Seasoning:
 a.. 1 cup salt
 b.. 1/4 cup black pepper
 c.. 1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

This is perfect for when I find that I have too many peppers on hand, either from a bountiful garden harvest or from an overzealous, duplicate Costco purchase.

The original recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book under "Stuffed Green Peppers." When I search online, there are only different recipes from them for stuffed peppers, so I suppose they've updated it several times since my "new" cookbook was published in 1989! It's a classic, though, and so easy. We love it!

We make this version instead of stuffing the filling inside whole or half peppers, as is traditionally done. We like it better this way.

Of course, to feed my large family, we need a large quantity. The recipe appears below in two versions: the first is already doubled(ish), the second is already quadrupled(ish). The original is half of the first, and fits in one 11x7 pan. One of these years I suppose that size will be right again for just the two of us, but for now, it's large quantities around here.

Casserole for 4-6 (Makes one 9x13 pan.)
This is the original post from 2009.

3-4 sweet bell peppers, coarsely chopped into chunks
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 15-oz can tomatoes, undrained
2/3 C. long-grain rice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper (or SPG)
1-2 C. shredded cheese (calls for American; I use the 2 C. Kraft melting blend bag)

1. First, cook the meat and onion in a skillet and drain.
(Often, I cook large batches of meat ahead of time and freeze them in 2-lb. quantities. If I've done this, I'll thaw it out and just saute the onion in olive oil and combine them. I like this better because the onion retains its flavor better and I don't have to drain grease out of the meat on the cooking day.)

2. Stir in undrained tomatoes (smash them up in small pieces with your fingers), uncooked rice, Worcestershire, basil, 1 C. water, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. (I use 1 tsp. SPG)

3. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until rice is tender (usually 20-30 mins.)

4. While that is cooking, I chop the peppers into chunks and generously line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with them. (You could easily half the recipe and use an 11x7 for a smaller family.) You want them on top of each other and almost halfway up the side of the pan. I always spray the pan first, but don't know if you'd really need to. By the time I finish getting the peppers ready, there are usually 5-10 minutes left on the timer for the meat mixture, so I put this pan of peppers in the preheated oven for a couple of minutes to soften them up just a bit.

5. When the meat/rice mix is ready, I stir in 1/2-1 C. of the cheese, then spoon the entire mixture on top of the peppers. I top with the remaining cheese from the package (usually about a cup) and put it back in the oven to melt the cheese. They originally suggest putting the meat mixture on it, baking it at 375 for 15-20 minutes, then topping it with cheese. I find that if I pre-soften the peppers just a tad the way I mentioned, this cooking time is overkill and I just go ahead and put the cheese on and stick it in the oven for a very few minutes until it is nicely melted. Everything else is hot and ready.

Casserole for a Crowd (Makes two 8x12 pans.)
This is a duplicate version I accidentally posted in 2015. It has morphed a bit over the years.

6-8 large sweet peppers of any color combination or variety
3 pounds ground hamburger (or combination of hamburger and Italian sausage)
1 large onion, diced
2 15-oz cans tomatoes, broken up (undrained)
1 1/2 C. long-grain white rice (uncooked)
1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dried basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning
2 C. water
2 tsp. SPG (homemade salt/pepper/garlic salt blend)
2 C. sharp cheese, shredded (I use a combination of sharp cheddar and parmesan, but any will do.)

1. Remove stems and guts from peppers, then cut into generously sized squares. Layer them in the bottom of 2 greased 8x12 pans. (If you're not going to pre-cook them a bit as indicated above, don't double them up too much or they won't cook well.)

2. Cook the meat(s) and onion until meat is done and onion is tender. Drain fat.

3. Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, Worcestershire, basil, water, SPG.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

5. Stir in 1 C. of the cheese. Spread this filling mixture on top of the uncooked peppers in your casserole dish(es).

6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through and peppers are crisp-tender.

7. Top with remaining cheese and let stand 1-2 minutes before serving.