No Peek Beef Tips

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and thought it sounded warm and comforting on a chilly day. Today was a great day to try this, since we had nothing to do, and it takes 3 hours in the oven!

Here's what you'll need

 2 lb of stew meat or beef tips

1 packet of brown gravy mix

1 packet of onion soup mix

1 can of cream of potato soup

1 cup water

Preheat your oven to 300*

Begin by placing the beef in a 9x13 pan. Mine was still frozen, but it was fine. 

 

Dump the gravy mix, soup mix, soup and water into a bowl.

Mix well to combine.

Pour the mixture over the beef.

Cover it tightly with foil and pop it in the oven for 3 hours.

 

After 3 hours, take it out of the oven and remove the foil. Be careful, it will be super steamy.

Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. YUM!

Day 174: Skillet Chicken Mac and Parmesan

Day 174.

I found this recipe and thought it sounded nice and simple. It was, plus it was really good!!

Here's what you'll need.

1 26 oz. jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 1/2 cups macaroni pasta
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese


Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook pasta as package directs.


Drain well.


Combine the chicken and hot pasta into a large skillet with a lid.


Add in the pasta sauce.


And the Parmesan.


Stir well.


Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until the mixture is hot and bubbly, stirring occasionally.


Sprinkle the Mozzarella over the top. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.


As so.

Day 172: Crockpot Wild Rice Casserole

Day 172.

This recipe was awesome! Rice in the crockpot? Yes, please!

Here's what you'll need.

1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4 cups water
3-4 green onions
1/4 cup butter
Dried parsley


Place the rice into the slow cooker.


Add the onion soup mix to the water.


Stir well.


Add to the rice.


Throw in some dried parsley. I used a couple teaspoons worth.


Dice the green onions.


Add those to the crockpot.


Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish.


Add that to the pot as well and stir.


Cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.


It should look something like this.


We had some leftover chicken that needed used up, so I heated it in a skillet and threw it in with the rice.


Ta-da!

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I really liked the flavor of this dish. My only issue was that some of the rice was a bit crunchy. Next time, I may not add the wild rice and just use white, as it seemed the wild rice was what was not quite finished.

Day 166: Spicy Rub for Chicken

Day 166.

We used this rub on some chicken, but it would be really good on some shrimp as well. It was pretty spicy, so you may want to serve this over a salad.

Here's what you'll need.

2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper


Add all the ingredients to a bowl.


Stir well.


Coat one side of the chicken.


Rub it in, and coat the other.


I baked this at 350* for 25 minutes.

Day 165: Quinoa Chicken Stir Fry

Day 165.

I've always been a bit interested in quinoa, but was never sure of a good way to cook it. This recipe sounded good, and it was. Locals, I get my quinoa at Claybank Foods.

If you don't know what quinoa is, it's a grain that is basically a complete protein, making it very healthy.

Vegetarians, leave out the chicken. :)

Here's what you'll need.

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 carrots
1 medium red bell pepper
2 cups peas
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
2 green onions
4 grilled chicken breasts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Chopped garlic
Cilantro


Place the quinoa in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it lightly toast.


Dice the chicken and cook in a skillet until done.


Once the quinoa is toasted, add in 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.


While chicken and quinoa are cooking, chop all the vegetables.


After chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet. Place the oil in the skillet and add in the carrots.


Stir in the peppers and season with pepper.


Once the peppers begin to soften, add the chicken back to the skillet along with the peas.


Sprinkle on some cilantro. I only had dried, so that's what I used.


Once the quinoa is done, remove the lid.


Fluff it with a fork.


In a small bowl, beat the egg.


Remove the chicken and vegetables from the skillet. Add the quinoa in.


Add in the egg, stirring constantly until cooked, about 2 minutes.


Add the chicken/vegetable mixture back to the skillet. Also add in about 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, and the chopped green onions.


Stir it all together.



We had ours with some lovely naan bread that we had bought at Trader Joe's. Mmmm.