Heather's Bytes

I grew up on the beef stroganoff that many others did: ground beef and a can of cream of mushroom soup with sour cream over egg noodles. It doesn’t sound terribly appetizing but it’s not bad for what it is! (Read: a quick dinner!)

When I’ve made it for my own family I’ve substituted the cream of mushroom soup with cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic, chopped onions, maybe some sliced fresh mushrooms and a little extra sour cream. Over time even that got boring so I stopped making it.

I recently found a new spin on that childhood classic, and I’m never looking back! Though I’m not a huge fan of using condensed soups in many recipes, there are a few where they work well, and this is one of them. And to make things even better, it’s made in the crockpot. Mike took the leftovers for lunch today and he said it actually tasted better and stayed creamy.

The original recipe can be found here, but the version I used with my own tweaks is below:

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

1-2 lbs cube steak, cut into one-inch pieces
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup (no substitutes!)
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 14 oz can beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream

In the crockpot, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and beef broth. Cook on low for 5-6 hours (or on high for 3). Stir in cream cheese and sour cream about half an hour before serving, stirring every ten minutes or so.

Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.

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The title of this post is actually misleading – the only part of these taquitos that get made in the crockpot is the shredded beef filling!

Taquitos (also referred to as rolled tacos, though I refuse to call them that) are a favorite of the whole family. A local quickie Mexican restaurant sells them, but I’ve only gotten them a few times because they taste like they’re just heated-up frozen taquitos from a box (and yes, we’ve tried those too!).

Anyway, so I wanted to figure out how to make these myself, and here’s what I’ve come up with. The first time I did it I tried to shred the beef with two forks, which, as you can imagine, took forever. Now I transfer the beef and about 3/4 of the liquid into a food processor, pulse it a few times, and voila, done! I also like my taquitos extra-crispy (see picture above) so I let mine cook just a tad longer in the oil.

I’ve got these in the crockpot right now (Cinco de Mayo!) and the house smells amazing after just a couple of hours.

Recommended equipment:
~ 1.5 to 2 qt crockpot
~ Heavy-bottom pan
~ Splatter screen
~ Cooling/draining rack
~ Tongs

Crockpot Taquitos

~ 1.5 – 2 lbs beef stew meat, or other beef of your choice (other than ground)
~ 1 packet of taco seasoning mix, or homemade taco flavors of your choice
~ 1 4oz can of chopped green chiles
~ 1 cup of water (or beef broth)

Put all ingredients into a small crockpot (I actually use my little guy for this, you don’t need a lot of room and it only goes up about halfway) and gently stir to combine. Set on low and let cook for about 6-8 hours.

Transfer beef and about 3/4 to 1 cup of the liquid into a food processor (you can add more liquid as you need to, especially if it looks dry). Pulse just a few times to get the beef shredded up (or, if you’ve got kids in braces like I do, you can shred it a bit finer, too).

Using warmed up corn tortillas (place about three tortillas and a cup of water in your microwave and microwave for 30 seconds), place about 2-3 tablespoons of shredded meat (I don’t actually measure, just put in what looks right) just off-center on the tortilla and roll up.

Shallow fry (about 350 degrees and no more than 1/2″ of oil) in a heavy-bottom pan on one side for about 30 seconds or until golden brown, and turn over. I use my tongs and a fork to keep the taquito in the oil just long enough that it doesn’t come apart, and after it’s “set” it’ll sit by itself in the oil just fine. I do three taquitos at a time in the pan so it doesn’t get overcrowded.

Remove finished taquitos from the oil onto a rack to drain and immediately sprinkle just a bit of salt on top. Serve warm or at room temperature with sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, and whatever else you want!

This is one of my many favorite meals: Korean-style short ribs. One of the reasons I like it so much is because the majority of it’s made in the crockpot, so a lot of the hard work is done for me and the house smells wonderful all day — how can you beat that? I like to serve it over white rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

If you can’t find short ribs or you have a bunch of people to feed (short ribs can be pricey), you can also use a pound or so of beef stew meat — it works really well and is already in perfect bite-sized pieces.

Korean-Style Short Ribs

1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c packed light brown sugar (you can scale it down to 1/3 c)
2 Tb sesame oil
2 Tb rice vinegar
2 Tb minced fresh ginger
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 lbs beef short ribs

3 Tb cornstarch
3 Tb cold water

Mix soy sauce, sugar, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper in a small bowl. Place ribs in a 5-quarter slow cooker and pour sauce over. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 9 hours.

Transfer ribs to a platter, and skim and discard excess fat from liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water and add to liquid. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove meat from ribs, place over rice and top with sauce, green onions and sesame seeds.

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I know it’s been a bit since I last updated, but I’m going to embrace the excuse that parents everywhere have used for decades: “But it was the holidays!” There, I feel better.

Today’s recipe is one I’ve made for years. It first appeared on the back of a Minute Rice box and I gave it a try, and though it was a hit with the kids, Mike wasn’t too crazy about it. That’s worked out well, though, as it’s become a meal the girls and I make when Mike’s out of town for work.

This can easily be chalked up to “trashy eats,” and I’m fine with that! It’s quick, easy, filling and cheap, and it doubles easily for leftovers.

Easy Cheeseburger Rice

1 lb lean ground beef
1 3/4 cups water
2/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
2 cups uncooked Minute rice, or other quick-cooking rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef in large skillet; drain.

Add water, ketchup and mustard. Bring to a boil. Stir in 2 cups uncooked Minute rice.

Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Cover; cook on low heat 5 minutes.

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