Printable Recipe
Serves 4-6

Round steak works well--probably a pound or two, I don't know. Cut it into strips and flour it, then brown it in oil or butter

Add:
2 c. water
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms, drained

Stir together and let simmer for an hour.

Add:
1 c. sour cream right before serving

Serve over noodles (1 box or 1 lb package: twistie or farfalle work well) and fret that it’s not as good as your mom's.

Holly's Note:
This is my mom's recipe and no matter what I do, it’s never as good as hers. So every time she visits, we have her make it for us!

Printable recipe


Photo from Pioneer Woman.  I didn't get my own taken, I will replace this one with mine the next time I make this.

~3 pounds Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
1/2 cup milk plus about 2 cups for gravy
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour plus extra for gravy (I just used some of the remaining flour from coating for the gravy)
2 t. seasoned salt
3/4 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. black pepper
~ 1/2 cup oil for frying

Instructions (from Pioneer Woman)

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat: milk mixed with egg in one; flour mixed with spices in one; meat in one; then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.

Work one piece of meat at a time. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then dip in the milk/egg mixture. Next, place the meat on the plate of seasoned flour. Turn to coat thoroughly. Place the meat back into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Place back in the flour and turn to coat.
(So: wet mixture/dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture.) Place breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with remaining meat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it’s sufficiently hot. Cook meat, three pieces at a time, until edges start to look golden brown; around 2 to 2 1/2 minutes each side.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all meat is cooked.

Gravy:

After all meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow grease to heat up.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix flour with grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown color. If paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour and whisk.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk. Cook to thicken the gravy. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Add salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.

Serve meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!

Holly's Notes:
I have 1/2 a beef in my freezer or, rather, what's left of 1/2 a beef. We're making inroads on it very quickly.  Included in the mix of cuts are some cube steaks and so I prevailed upon the Pioneer Woman's cookbook for a recipe to cook Chicken-Fried Steak.  Her original recipe called for cayenne pepper and while I added it, I don't think I'll add it again.  It gave the crust a kick that I didn't think it needed.  


This was a hit.  My family enjoyed it and said it was definitely one to fix again.

Printable Recipe
Serves 4-6

1 lb. ground beef
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup diced onion
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 t. Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipoltle seasoning
1 can/jar red enchilada sauce
10 flour tortillas
cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef, drain and add onions, beans, tomato sauce and seasoning. Stir together until well mixed. Place about 2-3 Tablespoons of beef mixture onto a tortilla, top with a spoonful of enchilada sauce and some cheese. Roll and place in greased 9 x 13 pan. Mix remaining enchilada sauce with the remaining meat mixture and pour over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Serve with Spanish Rice, corn and salad.

Holly's Note:
This was another one of those recipes I just put together. I found several somewhat similar recipes online and then just concocted my own. These were yummy. Even my picky 8 year old said they rocked!

Try Chili Kenos, of our favorite, quick, stove top dinners here.  You can have this on the table in, literally, 30 minutes.

Printable Recipe

1 lb. ground beef
chopped onion
chopped carrots
chopped celery
1 pkg. taco seasoning or 2 T of homemade Taco Seasoning
1 can corn, do not drain
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can white beans, drained
1 can tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
2 cups water

Brown the meat, drain. Add the holy trinity of veggies: carrots, celery and onions, and saute. Add the water and taco seasoning. Mix well. Add the corn, beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Do you ever need a really good, really easy side dish? This one is about as easy as they come.

Rice Pilaf.

It's easy and versatile. You can use beef or chicken broth and bouillon, depending on the main course. It simmers on the stove top and is simply delicious. Pair it with a Roast Chicken for the perfect complement.

Printable Recipe

1 can Chili (we prefer no beans)
1 block/cube Cream Cheese

Place the cheese and chili in a bowl. Microwave it for about a minute. Stir it together and serve with tortilla chips.

Holly's Note:
This is the perfect dip for game days or any time you need a quick appetizer. It's our favorite.

Printable Recipe

In a crock pot, mix the following:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can consommé beef soup
1 envelope onion soup mix (Onion Soup Mix, 5T = 1 package)
1 can water

Make meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk, maybe a little less.

Mix it together with your hands, really well. Form into balls, roll in flour, brown well and drain.
Add to the soup mixture. Cook on low, 6-8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Holly's Note:
This is the same soup base that is used for Beef Stew. The meatballs freeze really well too. After browning the meatballs, let them cool and then freeze them. You don't even need to thaw them before putting them in the soup base.

If you don't want to spend the time or mess to brown the meatballs, place the meatballs on a jelly roll pan and bake them at 350 for about 25 minutes. Nice and easy and a lot less mess.

Sloppy Joes are just a good meal. I often wonder where the name came from, but I've never done a search. We have an old family recipe that is called Western Burgers, but is basically a sloppy joe. It cooks up nice and thick and can be eaten like chili. Your house will smell delicious, as it cooks all afternoon.

It's perfect for a cold, windy, fall day. It's also made with ingredients you probably have in your pantry. It's sweet and smoky, more than spicy. But, for true comfort food, give it a try! You can find the recipe here.

Printable Recipe

2 lbs ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
½ cup tomato juice
1 ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. brown sugar
1 ½ T. vinegar
2 T. liquid smoke
1 T. chili powder
1 large can of chili

Brown the ground beef and onion together. Drain. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for several hours. I cook it all together and then dump it in my crockpot so it simmers until we're ready to eat. However long that is...

Serve over hamburger buns. My husband eats it like chili, with some tortilla or corn chips.

Printable Recipe

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 cup rice, uncooked
1 can chow mein noodles

Brown the ground beef. Drain. Add everything else except noodles. Stir it together and dump it into a 9 x 13 pan. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more. Sprinkle 1 can of chow mein noodles over the top. Cook 10 more minutes.

Printable Recipe


2 T. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/4 t. salt
2 cans (10 oz each) red enchilada sauce
½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Original)
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 T. BBQ seasoning
1 pinch/sprinkle cayenne pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 whole wheat tortillas

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on low-medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt, and let caramelize until soft and golden, about 10 minutes.

While onions are cooking, whisk enchilada sauce and BBQ sauce together until combined.

Add shredded chicken, BBQ seasoning and cayenne pepper to onions. Mix together thoroughly. Pour in about a half of a cup of the enchilada/BBQ sauce mixture and add half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until mixture comes together and remove from heat.

Pour a drizzle of enchilada/BBQ sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Take each tortilla and fill it with a little over half a cup of the chicken mixture. Roll each up and set it in the baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada/BBQ sauce on top of tortillas and add the remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.

Serves 4.

Holly's Note:
I found the original recipe at Tasty Kitchen from How Sweet It Is.  Now, the thought of BBQ sauce mixed with enchilada sauce was a bit weird at first and I wasn't sure how they would be.  But, these were fantastic.  Absolutely fantastic. I prefer them over regular enchiladas actually.  I might mix in some cooked rice next time

When I asked my husband if this was a keeper, his response was, "Oh, hell yes!" 

**This recipe works just as well with ground beef or shredded beef.  If using ground beef, just brown a pound of ground beef and drain it.  Then add it to the onions instead of the chicken.  If using shredded beef, you want about 2 cups cooked and shredded beef, the same as with the chicken.

Printable Recipe
Serves 4

2 pie crusts
1-2 cups leftover beef roast or roasted chicken, cut into chunks
1 cup leftover gravy (or make your own)
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup leftover veggies or frozen
1 cup cooked potatoes, diced

Prepare pastry for double crust pie. (Basically roll one out for the bottom and put it in a deep pie dish, and roll out the second one to go on the top!)

Mix all the leftovers together and pour into the pie crust. You can reheat it all if you want. Place the second pie crust over everything and pinch the edges together. Make some small cuts in the top crust for venting.

Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Holly's Note:
This is a fun way to use up those leftovers. I do this a day or so after I've made pot roast in my crock pot.

Brown 1 lb. of ground beef, drain fat and add:
some onion, either dried or chopped (about 1/2 a cup chopped or sprinkle on a bunch of dried!)
salt & pepper
1 t. cumin powder
¼ t. oregano
Sprinkle 2 T. flour over meat

Dissolve 3 T. chili powder in 1 cup hot water. Add to meat mixture. Simmer.

Add:
1 can kidney beans, drained.
1 can corn, drained
1 small can tomato sauce

Simmer til you’re ready to eat. Add some shredded cheddar cheese (about 1/2-1 cup), stir 'til melted. Serve with chili-cheese flavored corn chips.

Holly’s Note:
I have no idea why this is called Chili Kenos. It was in a church cookbook that my mom's ward did years ago and it came from an old family friend. The original recipe called for the corn chips to be added to the meat mixture. I serve the corn chips on the side. It’s better for re-heating that way. No soggy corn chips. This is one of those childhood meals that is very comforting.

In our house, this is called "Spice and Chips" courtesy of my son!

½ cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked beef
1 cup frozen veggies
1 cup cooked potatoes, diced or mashed
1 cup beef gravy
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 t. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 ½ cups milk
whatever seasonings you like

In a sauce pan dump the onion, beef, veggies, potatoes and gravy. Stir together until heated through. Combine flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt, seasonings and milk together. In a greased, round casserole dish, pour the batter. Pour the beef mixture on top of the batter. Do not stir. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Holly's Note:
This is a great, cobbler-type recipe. It's a great way to use up leftovers after you've made a beef roast. I always make extra potatoes and extra gravy so we can have this a day or so later.

1 box large pasta shells
1 lb ground beef
1 lb bulk sausage
4 eggs
1 cup flavored dry bread crumbs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 cups (about a 28 oz jar) Pasta sauce (or a double batch of homemade Marinara sauce)
grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta, drain. Cook sausage and beef together until no longer pink. Drain. Mix with eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, and spices. Pour some sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Fill each shell with the meat mixture. Put the filled shells in the pan. Cover with the rest of the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake at 375 for about 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Holly's Note:
These freeze well. (Thaw them and then add the sauce and bake as directed.)

1 package corn tortillas
1/2 to 1 lbs ground beef
1 can refried beans
1 can/jar red enchilada sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
dried onions

Brown ground beef and drain. Add onions and refried beans, stir together until mixed. Add a little sauce if you need to. In a round casserole dish, layer the tortillas, meat mixture, sauce and cheese, until you run out. Bake at 350° for about 20-30 minutes or until it's bubbly.

Holly’s Note:
This originated in college because I could never get my corn tortillas to roll without breaking. I gave up and layered it.

Printable Recipe

~2 lbs stew meat (use either stew meat or cut up a chuck roast)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can consommé beef soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can water
potatoes
carrots
corn
peas/beans

Mix soups, onion soup mix and water in crockpot. Add stew meat (roll in flour and brown it first in a little bit of oil), chopped potatoes and chopped carrots. Cook on low 6-8 hours. About 1/2 hour before serving, add 1 can corn and 1 can peas or green beans. Serve with cornbread or wheat bread rolls.

Holly’s Note:
This is mom’s original recipe. This is another of those comforting meals. Stew always makes me feel good, no matter what else is going on. It’s as if eating it calms my soul and tells me that all is right with the world. This is also the same soup base for Meatballs and Gravy.

4-5 medium-sized potatoes, or about 2-3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 beef bouillon cubes
handful of bread crumbs
1 T. cornstarch, mixed in about a 1/4 cup of cold water until dissolved
some frozen mixed veggies or leftover veggies

Cook the potatoes and mash them with butter and cream, or reheat your leftover potatoes adding some liquid if necessary. Set aside.

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add the onion, water and bouillon. Bring it to a boil and simmer gently for about 2 minutes, stirring well. Add the cornstarch-water mixture, bread crumbs and any other seasonings you would like, as well as the vegetables. Let it simmer for a few minutes (you may want to let it simmer longer to cook off some liquid if there seems to be too much). Put it into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes.

We have a yummy bbq seasoning that I add to mine. Shepherd's Pie can be a bit bland, so add your own kinds of seasonings, even if it's just salt and pepper.

Run a fork across the top of the potatoes to make some ridges. These get crusty.

Cook at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Holly's Note:
My sweet British Mother-in-Law showed me how to make Shepherd's Pie, and my Father-in-Law wrote out the original recipe for me. I've adapted it a bit for our tastes, and it's one of my favorite meals and my husband tells me that it tastes just as good as he remembers his mom's being. It's an easy recipe, but also a good use for leftovers.