Moroccan Beef Stew

Serves 8

1 lb stewing beef, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 parsnip, chopped
1 sweet potato , chopped
1/2 small butternut squash,chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 28 oz can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup each dried apricots and pitted prunes (optional, I used apricots)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala (if you can't find this, Target sells it. I had to borrow some from my neighbor)
pinch of allspice
pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 cups beef stock (check after a few hours, may need to add some more)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Slivered almonds (optional)

1. Toss beef with the flour in slow cooker.

2. Add all veggies, tomatoes, fruit, spices and broth. Stir well. (I had to transfer this to a huge stock pot to be able to stir it all.)

3. Cook in slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or until meat is cooked and veggies tender.

4. Top with slivered almonds and chopped parsley. Serve over couscous, rice or mashed potatoes.

Results: OK, I admit, this is a lot of work. A LOT! But it smells amazing and was very delicious. Chris in particular LOVED this. Neither boy would touch it, which left lots of leftovers for me and Chris. Simmered with a little extra beef stock, they were just as delicious (if not more so, since they had extra time to soak in the flavors.)

This recipe came from Alice in Paris loves Art and Tea.

Crock Pot Pho

This recipe came from Two Pink Hippos

Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time 4-6 hours

6 cups beef broth or stock (I only had 4 cups, so I added 2 cups water)
2 inch chunk of ginger, peeled
3/4 tsp anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 sliced green onions
1 lb thin sliced beef (I used pre-packaged sliced meat and only used 3/4lb)
4 oz rice noodles
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Suggested Toppings: per bowl
1/4 lime wedge
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4-1/2 tsp of red chili sauce
cilantro, garnish to taste
bean sprouts, garnish to taste

1. Add all the beef broth into the crockpot. Then add the meat, green onion, ginger, fish sauce, cinnamon, anise, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 4-6.

2. Add the rice noodles to the pot. Push them under the liquid to cook thoroughly, about 15 minutes.

3. Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with bean sprouts, squirt of lime wedge and cilantro. Add hoisin sauce and red chili sauce for additional flavor.

Results: No one liked this except me! I thought the flavors were fantastic. The boys wouldn't even try it, and Chris "just didn't like it." Too bad, suckers...I'll probably make this one again.

Steak, Fried Onions, and Potatoes Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Serves 4

1 lb very thin-cut beef (I used top round, thinly sliced and advertised as "skillet steak")
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for coating the meat
Grill seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese**
Salt and black pepper
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped arugula or watercress
1/2 cup canned fried potato sticks
1/2 cup canned fried onions**

**Notes: The original recipe called for 1/3 lb of blue cheese, which would have been a little more than 5 oz. I used 5 ounces and it was WAY too much. I would halve it, and go from there. Trust me. Also, if it's not Thanksgiving, it's surprisingly difficult to find fried onions. I finally found them with the canned vegetables.

1. Preheat a large grill pan (I used a skillet) over high heat. Coat the meat with olive oil, then season on both sides with grill seasoning. Cook the meat for 3 minutes on each side, then let it rest for 10 minutes to cool.

2. While the meat cooks, assemble the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Worcestershire, mustard, and red wine vinegar. Stream in about 1/3 cup olive oil while whisking constantly. Stir in the blue cheese. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

3. Chop the rested steak into bite-size pieces. Place the chopped greens in a salad bowl and toss with the chopped steak, potato sticks, fried onions, and blue cheese dressing.

Results: Rachel Ray said this recipe was (wait for it...) YUM-O! and with fried onions, how could she be wrong? It was just OK in my opinion, but Chris really liked it. There was way too much blue cheese, but I will say I loved the crunchy onions and potato sticks in the salad. This recipe was SOOOOO easy to make, so it's worth repeating on a busy night. I think I would add tomatoes or a red pepper to the salad.