Spoon Tacos

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon taco sauce
14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 ounces refried beans
tortilla chips
lettuce
cheese
fresh tomatoes, diced
olives, sliced

Sauté ground beef, onion and celery. Stir in salt, chili powder, and taco sauce.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, cheese and refried beans.  Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 for one hour.  Or simmer all ingredients over stove for at least 30 minutes.

Serve sauce over tortilla chips (I prefer Fritos Scoops) and top with lettuce, additional shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, olives, and other toppings as desired.

Teriyaki Steak

2 to 4 1/2 pounds top round steak, cut 1/8 inch thick
paprika
ginger
nutmeg
brown sugar
20-ounce bottle Teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
onion powder

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with paprika.  Sprinkle 1/2 to 2/3 as much ginger and nutmeg.  Lay steak evenly across the spices.  Cover with lots of brown sugar.  Pour Teriyaki sauce over meat.  Mix soy sauce, water and onion powder and pour over Teriyaki sauce.  Marinate overnight.


Grill on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. 


[This is a secret recipe from Uncle Rick.  Don't ask him for more accurate measurements because Mom was not supposed to pass it on.]

Bee-bim Bop

Bee-bim=mix, bop=rice, so this common Korean dish is mixed rice. We made it for the first time before we brought Tyson home, and the kids love it so much it's become a regular in our dinner rotation. The meat is essentially bulgogi, and you can use any combination of veggies that you'd like.

2 cups white rice

Marinade
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
5 teblespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, roasted (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Meat
1 pound tender, lean beef (such as sirloin tip)

Vegetables
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced1 pound fresh spinach, washed
1 (6-oz.) bag fresh spinach
8 ounces bean sprouts

Other ingredients
4 eggs
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Serve with
Sriracha (Asian chili sauce)
Kimchee

Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove.

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or gallon-size plastic bag.

Slice the beef across the grain into very, VERY thin slices. (You'll want a good, sharp knife for this.) Add the beef to the marinade. Seal the bag and mix it together with your hands, then squish the beef (we tell the kids to "give it a massage") for 2-3 minutes. This makes it nice and tender. Set the beef aside.

Break the eggs into a large measuring cup. Beat the eggs with a fork until the whites and yolks are completely mixed together.

Put a teaspoon of vegetable oil into a small nonstick frying pan and heat over medium heat for about 1 minute. Pour about 1/4 of the egg into the pan. Rotate the pan quickly so the egg spreads out in a thin layer on the bottom. Cook the egg for 1 minutes. Using a wide spatula, flip the egg over and cook the other side for 1 minutes. You now have an egg "pancake." Flip the pancake out onto a cutting board and leave it there to cool. Repeat until you've cooked all the egg, adding a little more oil, if needed. When the pancakes are cool enough to handle, stack them on top of each other to make a neat stack. Rill up the stack tightly. Cut the roll into 1/4-inch slices. Put the slices into a medium-sized bowl, unroll them, and toss them around a little, so they look like a bunch of yellow ribbons. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying-pan or wok over a high flame and stir-fry the carrots over high heat until tender. Empty the carrots into a bowl and set aside.

Repeat with the mushrooms.

Blanch spinach in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and let cool for a few minutes, then squeeze some of the water out. Put 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the frying pan and stir-fry the precooked spinach for 2-3 minutes until tender. Empty the spinach into a bowl, season it with salt and pepper, and set it aside.

Boil 1 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Add bean sprouts to the boiling water. Cover the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the bean sprouts and empty them into a bowl.

Put the large frying pan over high heat. Heat the pan for about 30 seconds. Take the bowl of beef and marinade and dump it into the frying pan - all of it at once. When the beef hits the hot pan, it will sizzle loudly. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, spread the beef out in the pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes until all the red meat turns brown. Turn off the heat. There will be cooked beef and some gravy in the pan.

To serve, put the rice, the bowls of egg strips and vegetables, and the pan of meat where everyone can reach them. Each person puts a pile of rice in the middle of a soup bowl or plate and some meat and vegetables on top. (Be sure to pour a couple of spoonfuls of meat juice on your rice.) Top with egg ribbons. If you like spicy food, add some Sriracha.

Now "bee-bim" everything together. It's ready to eat (with some kimchee on the side, if you like.)

Beef Stroganoff

When I was a kid, beef stroganoff was one of our favorite meals. It was probably the most common birthday meal request in our home. Mom made two different recipes, and this was considered the "fancy one" because it's made with steak, rather than ground beef.

1½ pounds round steak
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Fresh mushrooms
1 can beef broth
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup flour
Water

Cut steak into 2 x ½-inch strips across the grain. Brown over medium heat in skillet, then turn heat to low. Simmer long enough to tenderize meat.

Add onion soup mix, soup, mushrooms, and broth. Bring to boil. Thicken with flour/water mixture. Add sour cream and serve over egg noodles.

Beef burritos

As a warning, this is one I kind of made up, recalling something my mom used to make. I like to adjust the recipe to may feelings that day, so feel free to add spices that you like.

Ingredients:
Beef Chuck Roast ~ 2# (will serve 4-6 people)
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Chili Powder
Onion, sliced into half rings
Black beans
Green Chile (optional)
Potatoes, the frozen cubed kind (or o'brien, which has a few extra ingredients)

Season the chuck roast* with garlic salt (~1 tsp per side), cumin (~1/2-1 tsp per side), and chili powder (~1/2 tsp per side). You can also add other spices you like, such as oregano, real garlic, cayenne, etc. Slice onion into thin half rings. Place meat and onion in slow cooker (crock pot) on low for ~6-8 hours or until the meat is easy to shred. Remove meat and shred and place back in slow cooker.

*Any cut of meat will generally work, such as round or rump roast. Use a cheap cut of meat because the slow cooker will allow for the tougher stuff to be broken down and shredding the meat makes it plenty tender.

Drain can of black beans and add. Add a small can of green chiles or fresh roasted chiles as desired. If you have access to Bueno's green chile sauce (usually in the frozen section), it is really good. Sautee potatoes (~1 cup) in 1 Tbls butter until golden brown. Add to slow cooker. Mix and season to taste.

Serve on warm tortillas with your choice of toppings: sour cream, cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc.

Beef Brisket Marinade

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

½ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

½ cup butter

½ cup ketchup

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried mustard

Cut brisket into ½ inch strips leaving about an inch at the bottom, allowing for more of the meat to be marinated. [Don’t cut off the fat as it will easily fall off once it’s cooked.] Combine onion, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and red pepper in a gallon-size bag. Add meat and marinate for up to two days. Once marinated, take out the meat and pour marinade into a pan. Add the remaining four ingredients and boil. Reduce sauce to approximately ½ cup and use to baste. Cook meat in a disposable casserole pan on the grill for 1 to hour on medium, basting the meat periodically and turning it over halfway through. Place brisket directly on the grill for the last 10 minutes.

Mock Lasagna

6 ounces egg noodles, cooked (al dente) and drained
8 ounces lean ground beef, cooked and drained
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
26 ounces spaghetti sauce

Mix softened cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese in one bowl. Add spaghetti sauce to ground beef and combine. In 3 quart crockpot put a little sauce in the bottom. Then layer noodles, cream cheese, and meat sauce twice. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
minced onion to taste
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Mix above ingredients and form into balls. Brown in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Sauce:

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar

Mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is disolved. Combine mixture with remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.

Add meatballs, pineapple chunks (drained) and bell peppers (1 to 3). Heat thoroughly. Serve over hot rice. [Note: It's a lot of sugar, so I used Splenda and it tasted just as good.]

Beef Stroganoff

1 pound round steak (cut into strips)
½ cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 small can sliced mushrooms
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
½ cup sour cream
up to ⅓ cup water (optional)

Brown meat and onion in butter. Add mushrooms and soup. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add water depending on consistency, then add sour cream last. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve over egg noodles.

Mexican Casserole

1-1/2 lbs ground (or shredded) beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
8 oz grated Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (11 ounce) canned corn
1 (4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles, drained
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dozen flour tortillas
1 cup grated Jack cheese

Brown beef, drain. Combine with remaining ingredients, except tortillas and Jack cheese. Layer in greased 9x13-inch baking dish with 6 tortillas, meat mixture, 6 tortillas and meat mixture. Top with Jack cheese. Bake uncovered at 325 for 30 minutes.

Try precooked chicken chunks, rather than ground beef with green sauce, rather than the red.