24 hour potroast

YUMMY! The hardest part is smelling it for 24 hours, so fast Sunday may not be the best Sunday to make this.

1 roast

4 beef bouillon cubes

1 pkg Italian salad dressing mix

2 cups water

Put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 24 hours. Yes, 24 hours! No stiffing or turning necessary.

Crock-pot Mongolian Beef

This was a goodie and so easy! Everyone in my family liked it, except the 4-year-old who doesn't like anything that's not Cheeto-based. I don't count her opinion anymore.

1 lb beef flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain
1 medium white onion (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup light soy sauce or 1/2 cup Braggs liquid aminos
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger or 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup cut scallion, in 1 . 5 inch pieces (green onions)
1/3 cup fruity white wine

1 Slice the flank steak thinly across the grain - the strips should be 2 to 3 inches long each; set aside.

2 Combine the onion, soy sauce, broth, garlic, hoisin, brown sugar, ginger, and pepper flakes, then put the mixture into the crock pot.

3 Put the cornstarch in a large Ziploc bag; add the sliced beef and toss well to coat. (It practically kills me to use up a gallon bag for such a simple task, but I did, and the food was worth it in the end.)

4 Add the coated beef into the crock pot, gently pushing it into the liquid to cover; pour the white wine over - do NOT stir.

5 Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours; an hour before you're going to serve, turn the crock pot to high, add the cut scallions, stir, and cook for an additional hour.

6 Stir, and serve over rice or noodles.

Rosemary Garlic Beef (from Better Homes and Gardens)

ROSEMARY GARLIC BEEF
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 rosemary branches, leaves chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 pounds sirloin tips, in thin strips or 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together olive oil, vinegar, rosemary leaves, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a non-reactive 3-to 4-quart bowl. Immerse the beef in the marinade. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.

To cook, remove as much marinade as possible from the beef. Thread the beef on skewers, or on sturdy sprigs of rosemary. Sprinkle all sides with the remaining teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Grill over medium-high heat, turning every 1 1/2 minutes, until beef is deeply browned on the outside and still rare on the inside, 8-10 minutes (or to personal preference).

I marinated the steak (I used steak instead of sirloin tips) overnight and then all day. It was fantastic! We ate it with wild rice, rolls, and salad.

Cafe Rio Copy Cat Recipes

Okay so I finally tried some of these recipes

The Chicken is very good, the dressing was a little hot but if I remember right that is how Cafe Rio's is too.... I haven't eaten a salad there for awhile. I thought about trying that lime rice recipe but the one Patti posted on this site is good enough for me!

Chicken

5 lbs chicken breast- boneless skinless

1 small bottle zesty italitan dressing

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tpsp cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot.

Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 pkg of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix (There is a subsitution for this you can make from scratch in my book.)

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tomatillos, peel

1 clove garlic minced

1/3 bunch cillantro, chopped

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated. I tired using Plain Yogurt in place on Mayo and it was just fine.

other copy cat recipes

Asian Beef & Broccoli

from savingdinner.com

1 pound round steak, cut into strips (next time i would cube to make it easier on the little ones)
Salt to taste
Dash white pepper
1 big bunch of broccoli, cut into flowerets (cut stems into rounds, too)(You can easily add more veggies to this recipe! If you have anything hanging out in the crisper, use it up!)
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil (available in the Asian section of any grocery store)
1/4 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth (I used beef broth since it has beef in it)
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
3 cups brown rice, cooked
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
1-Toss beef with salt and white pepper.
2-Place broccoli in 1 inch boiling water; heat to boiling. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Immediately rinse with cold water; drain.
3-Mix cornstarch and soy sauce; stir in sesame oil and broth. set aside.
4-Spray nonstick wok or 12-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray heat over medium-high heat until cooking spray starts to bubble. Add beef; stir-fry about 2 minutes or until brown. 5-Remove beef from wok. Cool wok slightly. Add a little oil and rotate wok to coat sides. Heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and gingerroot; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in beef and broccoli. Stir in cornstarch mixture; cook and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened. Serve over brown rice.

This was a very yummy & tasty meal. we have broccoli 2 to 3 times a week so it is a nice change to have it included in the meal.

Tatertot Extreme

This is an old family favorite.

1 to 2 lbs browned ground beef (amount depends on your preference)
I brown my ground beef with dry onion and garlic powder or garlic salt.
2 cans Green Beans
2 cans cream of chicken soup
I add all kinds of seasoning: Italian, Garlic Salt, Salt & Pepper
mix everything together well & top with tatertots

bake at 325° for about 30 min

Trick Tip: If you don't have time to brown your ground beef line the bottom of the casserole dish with hamburger patties and top with everything else and bake. It works best if you can break one pattie in half for each end of the dish.