Little Smokies

1 bottle barbecue sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chopped onion
Pepper
2 (16 oz.) packages little hot dogs


Stir together barbecue sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion and pepper in a separate bowl. Pour sauce over little hot dogs in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 2 hours, or until ready to serve.

Can use toothpicks for serving.

Sesame Beef With Chinese Vegetables

1 lb. gound beef
Stir fry vegetables {I used the frozen kind from Costco}
Stir fry sauce {I used Kikkoman}
White rice
Sesame oil
Pepper
Garlic salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
Sesame seeds

Brown ground beef in a few drops of sesame oil in a large pan or wok; drain off fat. Add vegetables to the pan {if they are frozen make sure they are unthawed first}. Add a lot of pepper, a little bit of garlic salt, and crushed red pepper flakes according to desired spicinesss. Cook thoroughly. Add the entire bottle of stir fry sauce and mix well. Let simmer on med-low heat for about 20 minutes. Serve over white rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Korean Beef With Broccoli

I don't think this is the best picture in the world, but don't be deceived; this dish is delicious! It's also really quick to make, is inexpensive, and the best part is, it tastes gourmet! This is definitely one I'm going to add to my meal rotation :) Enjoy!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers
Black pepper
Broccoli florets
5 green onions, diced
White rice

Heat sesame oil in a wok or a large skillet on the stove. Brown hamburger and garlic together. When the hamburger is almost done add the broccoli. Saute broccoli and hamburger together. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, black pepper, and crushed red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors together. Serve over sticky rice and top with green onions.

Beef & Vegetable Stir-Fry {EASY!}

I know I have posted several stir-fry like recipes, but of all of them, this one is the easiest to prepare because I just use the bottled stir fry sauce you can buy in the oriental section of any grocery store. For this particular recipe, this is the sauce I used. I also used beef in this recipe, but chicken, shrimp or tofu would be really good too. We were just in a "beef" mood at our house the other night :)

1 pound of beef {or any kind of meat you want}
Stir-fry sauce {I used Kikkoman, but any brand will do}
White rice

Favorite Vegetables:
Broccoli
Carrots
Snap Peas
Onion
Baby Corn
Bamboo Shoots
Water Chestnuts
Mushrooms
Etc... {you get the idea!}

Cook beef in a skillet or wok on the stove. When it's almost done, add vegetables and cook. When the vegetables are almost cooked add the stir-fry sauce {I use the whole bottle, but when I make this I make a pretty big batch too so we can eat it the next day}. Stir together and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Serve over piping hot sticky white rice.

p.s. to make this dish even easier and less expensive, you can also use pre-packaged frozen stir fry vegetables found in the freezer section of any grocery store.

Yummy!

Slow Cooker Chili Dogs

I love this recipe in the sense that it takes exactly 1 minute and 47 seconds to prepare. No kidding. Make it and time yourself ~ you'll become a believer! Oh, and it's super delicious too :)

4-6 hot dogs

2 cans chili

1 can cheddar cheese soup

Shredded cheddar cheese

Hot dog buns

Place hot dogs in the bottom of the crock pot. In a separate bowl, mix together the chili and the cheddar cheese soup. Pour chili and cheddar cheese soup mixture over hot dogs and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. When chili dogs are done, put over hot dog buns and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

I love recipes that don't require any measuring ~ and this is one of them! This Mexican soup is really quick to make, and it tastes even better the next day for leftovers. It's also perfect for when feeding a large crowd, and is very filling :)

1 lb. ground beef, cooked

1 can kidney beans (undrained)

1 can garbanzo beans (undrained)

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 can corn (undrained)

1 small can diced green chilies (undrained)

Diced white onion

1 packet taco seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir well, and let simmer in the crock pot on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Garnish with your favorite toppings.

Favorite Toppings:

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Avocado slices

Louisiana Hot Sauce {my favorite!!} or Tabasco

Tamale Casserole

6 beef tamales
1 can corn, drained
1 can black olives, diced
cheddar cheese, shredded

In a casserole dish evenly spread corn along the bottom. Line beef tamales on top of the corn. Top with a solid layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle olives on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. This is a quick and easy recipe and is really yummy! :)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

1-28 oz. can diced peeled tomatoes
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
1-12.5 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes
16 oz. fresh mushrooms
1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
1 T. Italian seasoning {or use fresh herbs ~ basil, parsley, oregano, etc.}
diced onion
diced green pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
salt & pepper


Brown meat on the stove. Then add everything together in the crock-pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve over pasta noodles. Top with fresh parmesan cheese. Makes the house smell wonderful all day!

Tin Foil Dinners

Heavy duty tin foil and add your favorite ingredients.

Some favorites are:
ground beef, chicken or any kind of meat (we used chicken)
carrots
onions
mushrooms
zucchini
peppers
potatoes
garlic
cream of chicken soup (I used the kind with herbs)
(you can also use BBQ sauce, which tastes a little better with the beef, but not so good on the veggies, so put it on after it's done cooking)


Put your meat and favorite veggies on a large piece of tin foil. Season with salt & pepper, drizzle a little olive oil over everything, and then top with cream of chicken soup. Wrap the ends tightly and make sure it's completely enclosed. Put on a grill or in a camp fire for 30-40 minutes, occasionally turning over. Or, if you do this indoors, you can also bake these in the oven at 350 for 50 minutes.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

This recipe comes from one of my most favorite and useful cookbooks, 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker. Not only is this lasagna delicious, but it's really quick and easy to make. I usually make it on Sundays before church, and then it's ready by the time we get home. Another thing I do is brown the meat and shred the cheese the night before, making assembly even faster!

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
1 carton (16 oz.) cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated (* I usually do 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 cheddar)

Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased show cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer 1/2 of the sauce and water, 1/2 of the cottage cheese, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese over the beef. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours. Makes 6-8 servings.