Round Steak a la Crockpot
4-6 pieces of round steak (1.5 to 2 lbs)
1 cup beef broth
2 cans cream of mushroom
1 package onion soup mix
1. Mix the last three ingredients together. It may look a little lumpy, but that's okay!
2. put the round steak in the crockpot and pour gravy mix on top of the steak.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
I would serve this with pasta and frozen lima beans cooked in chicken broth. Cook the lima beans for around 45 minutes in the chicken broth for the best results.
crème de la crockpot
A Little Survey
Sesame Chicken with Parmesan Lemon Jasmine Rice and Green Beans
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2-4 chicken breasts
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1/2 cup flour
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1/2 tsp pepper
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2 tbsp. sesame seeds
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shallow bowl with soy sauce
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4 tbsp. butter
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1 lemon
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1 cup jasmine rice
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parmesan wedge
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2 cans green beans
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5 bacon strips
1. Mix flour, pepper, and sesame seeds together on a shallow plate.
2. Dredge the chicken first in soy sauce, covering it completely, and then roll in flour mixture.
3. Place chicken in a shallow casserole dish. Melt butter in the microwave for around a minute, then drizzle all over the chicken. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on chicken thickness. Should be 160 degrees cooked.
4. Once chicken is in the oven, fry the bacon in a saucepan. Once the bacon is cooked and crispy, pour both cans of green beans with the juice into the pan. Let simmer.
5. Mix 2 cups water with 1 cup of jasmine. Bring to a boil, and boil and turn to a simmer and cover with a lid for 20 minutes. When finished, finely grate the lemon peel into the rice and mix in 1/2 cup of parmesan. Dinner is served!
The "Impress Your Coworkers" Dessert
1 frozen Sara Lee pound cake
1 lb strawberries
1 lb blueberries
1 pkg cream cheese set out to come to room temperature
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 thawed container cool whip topping
Cut the pound cake into slices and then into 1 inch squares. Layer your trifle bowl with 1/2 of the pound cake.
Beat with the mixer the room temperature cream cheese. In another bowl, make the vanilla pudding following the pudding directions. Add the pudding to the cream cheese mixture. With a spatula, fold in the cool whip mixture, but do not beat with the mixer. Add 1/3 of this to the trifle bowl and spread over the pound cake.
Decorate the next layer with 1/3 of the fruit mixture. Repeat layers, Pound cake first, then pudding mix, then fruit. End with the fruit layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be made up to a day ahead, but keep cool.
Easy, Peasy Pork Chops
Chops
For "tired teacher" nights...
Pork Chops a la Jennifer
2-4 pork chops (semi-thick)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of your pork chop (with a bone, you will have to cook a little longer), and then salt and pepper both sides.
2. Heat 3 TBSP of oil (add more if the pan becomes dry) and heat the oil on medium heat in a skillet. ONLY WHEN HOT (you can smell when the oil is heated), fry on one side 2-3 minutes, flip, fry on the other side 2-3 minutes. (I always check with a good meat thermometer. I aim around 155 to 160 degrees).
BEFORE YOU FRY THE MEAT, prep your carrots, onion, and potatoes. I would throw a washed russet potato in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour. Get whole carrots (they don't get slimy like baby carrots) and peel them, cut the carrots in half, then cut those in half. For Stefan and I, I use 4 carrots. Cut your onion roughly into big slices, then big dices. Put your carrots in water and cover them. Boil 10 minutes. Drain the carrots and leave in the collander. Use about 2 TBSP of butter, heat up medium heat, then fry your onion. Fry onion about 5 minutes (butter will burn if it's too hot, so play around with the temp) and add your carrots back in a toss. These can sit on low on your stove.
Your potatoes should still be cooking at this point. At around the 15 minute mark until your potatoes are ready, start the pork chops.
