Mongolian Beef & Garlic Noodles

I made this last week and I told Mike that I'm basically ready to go be a chef at P.F. Chang's right now. Ok, fine, maybe not, but this recipe was so easy and SO good, that I was pretty impressed with myself. I served it with garlic noodles and the whole thing together was AWESOME! Save the money and make Chinese food at home - you'll be surprised at how simple it is and how much better it tastes!

Mongolian Beef (this makes 2 large portions, or 3-4 small portions)

1 lb of thin cut round steak or flank steak (cut into thin strips, against the grain)
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/4-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced

Prepare the meat:

First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch.

Make the sauce:

Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

Cook the meat and assemble dish:

Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.

Garlic Scallion Noodles

8 oz (half a box) of angel hair or spaghettini noodles
4 tablespoons butter (half a stick)
5 cloves of garlic, minced or pushed through a garlic press
2 green onions (scallions) finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 or 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (based on your own personal preference of sweetness)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat. Melt butter. Add green onions and garlic. Stir and cook, without browning the garlic. Cook until the garlic smell is fragrant and filling the room, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and soy sauce, and cook for another minute. Increase the heat a bit and throw in the noodles. Quickly saute the noodles until they are all coated with the garlicky butter mixture.

Serve immediately. Garnish with additional green onions if desired.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Here's another new recipe I tried and another keeper! It doesn't use many ingredients and it goes in the crock pot and it's SO rich and flavorful! Another one that all of us loved. I made it today for our lunch after church and just cooked some green beans with a can of new potatoes and boiled my noodles when we got home. Lunch was ready in about 15 minutes. Perfect!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. Stew Meat (seasoned with garlic powder, pepper and seasoned salt)
1 Large Onion
2 Cans Golden Mushroom Soup
1 Can of Water
3-4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 package (8 oz) Cream Cheese (cut into pieces)
Cooked Egg Noodles

Pour soup, water and worcestershire sauce in crock pot and stir to combine. Season meat with garlic powder, seasoned salt (I used Lawry's) and pepper to taste. Add meat and onion to crock pot. (I just cut my onion in half and discarded it right before we were ready to eat, but if you want to slice or chop it and have smaller pieces throughout the dish, feel free). Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. About 15 minutes prior to serving, cook noodles and stir in cream cheese until it has melted. Drain noodles, add to pot, stir well and serve.

Paula Deen's Beef Stroganoff

What's my deal?! No recipes for 3 months and now 2 in one week! I just realized that I haven't posted this recipe yet and I have no clue why. It's so good. It's Paula Deen's recipe, so really why would it be anything less than amazing. Fattening, yes. But, you can work it off later, so just get in your kitchen and whip out the real butter and sour cream (not light or low fat - that would just be wrong), and pretend it's good for you. A couple extra laps around the track and it'll all even itself out.

I make this with a veggie - usually corn or green beans and while I'm at it, I whip up some Jiffy Brand cornbread muffins and it all goes together wonderfully!

Beef Stroganoff by Paula Deen

1 1/2 lbs. Round Steak (sliced into thin strips, against the grain)
House Seasoning (see below for recipe)
Flour
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Medium Onion, Chopped fine
8 oz. Fresh Sliced Mushrooms (optional - I usually use them, but chop them very fine and I don't use nearly 8 oz. - I leave them out some, too)
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Sour Cream

Cooked Egg Noodles (I don't use a full bag of noodles - about 1/2 to 3/4 bag)

House Seasoning
1 Cup Salt
1/4 Cup Black Pepper
1/4 Cup Garlic Powder

Combine all and put in airtight container for up to 6 months

Season the steak strips well with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, add olive oil and butter and quickly brown meat on both sides over medium to medium high heat. Remove steak from skillet and set aside. Add chopped onion and mushrooms to pan drippings and saute on medium for a few minutes or until onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. flour. Add meat back to pan and pour in beef broth and soup, combine well. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasonings if necessary adding salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream just before serving. Toss in cooked noodles and combine with sauce.

(Don't be shy when seasoning steak with the House Seasoning - it will just make your meat and sauce that much more flavorful!)

Beef Brisket

This is another one of my mom's awesome recipes. I've never made it for people when they didn't love it - it's awesome and turns out tender every time. Brisket is a more expensive cut of meat and this makes a lot, so make it when you have company or when you want leftovers to eat on for a couple days. The other tip I would give is to only buy this cut at a grocery store that has a butcher. In other words, not from Walmart. I always call my grocery store and tell the butcher that I need a 4-5 lb. brisket and ask him to trim it for me. They will get any fat cut off of it and have it packaged up when I get there. If you are local (Fort Smith area), I get mine from Harps or The Butcher Block. If you are from another area, look for a grocery store with a butcher or go to a meat market for this. You will get a better, more lean cut of meat that way. This is great served with lots of stuff - baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes, slaw, baked beans, etc., etc. It cooks all day on low, so you can stick it in the oven before you leave and it will be ready when you get home - not to mention, your house will smell divine! Enjoy this one - it's a winner!

Beef Brisket

4-5 lb. Brisket (Fat trimmed off)
4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke
Generous amount on both sides of meat of the following spices (rub into meat):
Celery Salt
Onion Salt
Garlic Salt
Paprika
Small amount (about 1/2 tsp.) Ground Nutmeg
2 good handfuls of Brown Sugar over top of meat

In a large baking pan (I use at least a 9x13), lay aluminum foil in bottom, double thickness. Season brisket with dry seasonings and lay on foil in pan. Pour worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke over brisket and top with brown sugar. Seal foil around meat and bake at 225 for 6-8 hours. When it's done and tender, allow meat to rest for a few minutes and then cut it in slices against the grain. Throw foil away, but reserve all the juices. Return sliced meat to baking pan with juices. Serve warm.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

If you are like me, you LOVE your crock-pot! Throw a bunch of stuff in there in the morning and that night - Wa-La - Dinner! This is a recipe that my mother-in-law has been making for YEARS! I can't even tell you the first time I had it, all I remember is that I loved it and have been making it for the almost 9 years we have been married. It is always good - and you can't mess it up! I have made many different sides to go with it. Everything from mac and cheese, pasta salad, baked beans or keep it super simple with some chips and a fruit salad. I hope you try it and enjoy it!

Italian Beef Sandwiches

2-3 lb. Eye of Round Roast

1 pkg. Au Jus (found by the dry gravy mixes)

1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix (found in the salad dressing aisle)

1 Onion - cut in half

1 Cup water

Put roast, water and onion in crock-pot. Mix the Au Jus and Good Seasons Italian in a bowl and add just enough water to make a paste. Pour over roast. Cook on high 7-8 hours. When the roast is tender, remove and discard onion and shred meat with 2 forks. Serve on sub rolls or kaiser rolls. I also add mozzarella or provolone cheese to our sandwiches!