Easy Beef Tips

I have this specific recipe in my slow cooker right now. I'm waiting for my daughter to let me know if she wants mashed potatoes or egg noodles so I can have it ready when she gets home. I'll be going out to dinner with a friend. I want to taste this before I go. I've been wanting to make it for a long while.

The recipe calls for 2-2.5 pounds of beef, but I had only bought 1 pound from our tiny full-service grocery. I like them because they have a real butcher. Everything is cut fresh and this meat had been run through a grinder with very large holes, so it was perfect for beef tips. It was like thick strips of meat, but they were round because of the grinder. Because I didn't have the ingredients to make it right away (I was actually thinking of making pepper steak when I first bought the meat), I had triple wrapped it and put it in the freezer. I took it out yesterday and thawed it and today I put it together in the cooker.

The slow cooker I am using has a removable pot, so I was able to brown the meat right in the same pot it would be cooked in, so no need to dirty a bunch of pans. The small bowl and container I used to make the gravy and flour the meat are easy to clean, so I'm not too worried about those.

So, if you made this, what would you eat it with? Mashed potatoes? Egg noodles? Or rice (which my daughter won't touch, so I didn't ask her about that)?

Here is the link to the recipe: recipesthatcrock.com/slow-cooker-beef-tips-gravy/

Credit for photo belongs to the website where I got the recipe: www.recipesthatcrock.com.

Hamburger Helper Cheesy Enchilada

I was supposed to go out to dinner the other night, but the person who was going to take me, after making a big production of where we were going to go, suddenly decided we were going to go somewhere else. Because he's done this numerous times in the past to the point of extreme annoyance, I decided not to go out at all and make something at home. I'm glad I did.

From Google images - this is how I ate mine!

I went to our trusty pantry and pulled out the box of Hamburger Helper Cheesy Enchilada. I didn't really look at it, other than the name and that it would be Mexican inspired. I assumed it would be pasta as all of them usually are. (Obviously, I failed to look closely at even the photo on the front of the box - and, yes - I am the kind of person who tries to assemble things without reading the instructions.) 

I had already decided that I would incorporate some vegetables because we had a half can of corn my daughter had opened and left in the fridge plus two small portions of limas and green beans in the freezer. That way we have more of a one pot meal than anything. When I realized this particular HH was a rice dish, I wasn't sure the veggies would work out well. I did it anyway.

The instructions said to put the rice in with the hot water and milk, so that's also when I added the three small portions of vegetables. I lowered the flame and put the lid on and let it simmer the 20 minutes required. 

Of course, being the lazy butt that I tend to be, I didn't stir during that time, so I had quite a mess on the stove and counter from the hot liquid escaping past the lid. But, the end result was wonderful!!! 

The flavoring was mild and only hinted at being Mexican-esque. The vegetables incorporated themselves quite well without altering the overall flavor. Even my daughter ate it and she's not a fan of either lima beans or rice. 

I have one more box of this flavor in the pantry. I will not hesitate to make it when I'm craving a rice dish.

I admit it - I don't keep promises well!!

At least, not promises I make to myself about my blogs. 


I seems I haven't posted anything on either one since May. I need to slap myself!


I can't talk much about cooking because I haven't done much in the past few months. However, I will tell you that I finally made the No Boil Baked Ziti recipe I have posted from last year just a couple days ago. And, this time, I actually used ziti instead of rotini. It turned out wonderfully! I also used cottage cheese instead of ricotta - other than having curds instead of a smoother consistency, there was no difference!


Last night, I went to eat at the local diner and enjoyed some Flounder Francaise. If you haven't tried this, you ought to. It's really quite good. The flounder is covered in an egg batter and fried and set on a bed of cooked rice. It is all then covered with a creamy lemon sauce (not super lemony, which I like). I had two huge pieces of flounder and so much rice! The only thing I didn't like was the pimentos they added. I also had cream of broccoli soup, which was pretty good. 


If you're not much of a fish eater, try the Chicken Francaise instead. The chicken breast is flattened before being battered, so the piece of chicken looks huge when it arrives. It's also much more tender since it was flattened.


I had wanted to get breakfast for dinner, but they don't have grits after 3pm and I didn't want home fries. I just don't digest potatoes as well as I used to, so when I can substitute something, I do. Grits remind me of cream of wheat and I eat them the same way.

Lack of Motivation Keeps Me Wordless

Wow. I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted here. I haven't wanted to cook and because of that I haven't written anything. This lack of motivation hasn't really let up. I'm sure part of it is because I hate cooking for just me. My daughter rarely eats what I make or doesn't come home in time for dinner. I don't like putting out the effort to make something no one will eat, or not eat much of.


But, I have eaten. And, I've enjoyed what I ate.


We wanted to go to Red Lobster for their $15 four-course special, but there were so many people there that they were standing outside waiting for their numbers to be called. That's not for me. So, we went to Don Pablo's Tex-Mex instead. I usually have something traditionally Mexican, but this time I went for one of their Texas barbecue choices. I got their half-slab of ribs and the grilled chicken breast. They were delicious!! Lots of meat on the rib bones and juicy and tender boneless chicken. I might opt out of the BBQ beans next time because they were not quite what I expected, but everything else was great.


Then I had the opportunity to go to Texas Roadhouse. I swear, I died and went to heaven that night!! I had the pulled pork and grilled chicken combo. The chicken breast was butterflied (about twice the size of what I'd had at Don Pablo's) and slathered in a rich, spicy BBQ sauce. The pulled pork was tender, smoky and saturated in the same sauce. I had the option of two sides, so I chose salad and a baked sweet potato. All this for the same price Don Pablo's charged me for the meal I had there. The salad was crisp and fresh, but I was disappointed with the ranch dressing. It was very sour-creamy, as though it had been thinned too much with buttermilk. Otherwise, it was a very nice salad with shredded cheese, chopped hard boiled egg and croutons. The baked potato came with cinnamon butter and brown sugar, but I only used the cinnamon butter. The potato was so perfectly cooked there was nothing left but the skin when I was done. 

We also had their Cactus Blossum (their version of a Bloomin' Onion) and it was delicious! I had plenty of leftovers to bring home. I only ate half of the chicken, half of the ribs and a small portion of the onion to bring with me. Their rolls are also delicious, too, and come out fresh every 15 minutes. So soft with honey butter to put on them, they're wonderful!!


A couple days ago, we went to Bassett's Memphis BBQ that just opened near us. I had pulled brisket and pulled pork with macaroni and cheese and collard greens. The macaroni and cheese and the collard greens were outstanding! I love collards cooked like they cook them. I'll take them any day over spinach. The meats were smoky and tender with loads of spicy BBQ sauce and more on the table if we wanted it. The meal was just about as heavenly as the one I'd had at Texas Roadhouse.


Then there's tonight. Again, I wasn't in the mood to cook. But, this time, my guy friend cooked for me. He'd been wanting to make Kedgeree for a while now. It didn't sound too appealing to me, but I reserved judgment until tasting it since it contained Basmati rice (I love it), garam masala (I love it, too), smoked fish (never had it - couldn't pass judgment) and hard boiled eggs (I don't love them at all). It actually wasn't half bad. Even with the eggs in it - the flavor of the eggs wasn't noticeable and the fish having been smoked didn't taste fishy. But, there were bones and that really detracted from the pleasures of eating it for me. I had to be on constant alert to make sure I didn't swallow any fish bones. If there was a way to make it with boneless smoked fish, I'm sure I'd enjoy it a whole lot more.