Aloha Burgers

To make these burgers freezer friendly....prepare the hamburgers with the teriyaki sauce and freeze. Then pull them out when needed and proceed with the bbq'ing and makings!

8 pineapple slices

3/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 tbsp. butter or margarine

4 lettuce leaves

4 onion or sesame seed buns, split and toasted

4 slices Swiss cheese

4 bacon strips, cooked

Drain pineapple juice into a small bowl; add teriyaki sauce.  Place 3 tbsp. in a resealable plastic bag.  Add pineapple and rotate to coat; set aside. Shape beef into four patties; place in an 8-inch square baking pan.  Pour the remaining teriyaki sauce mixture over patties.  Marinate for 5 to 10 minutes, turning once. In a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender, about 5 minutes.  Grill or broil burgers until no longer pink. Place pineapple on grill or under broiler to heat through.Layer lettuce and onion on bottom of buns.  Top with burgers, cheese, pineapple and bacon.  Replace tops; serve immediately.

Meatloaf with Onion Gravy

When we're hungry for a change from my traditional meatloaf, I make this gravy-covered meatloaf and baked potatoes.

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs or crushed crackers
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

GRAVY
2 cups water
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4 to 6 tbsp. flour
1 cup water.

In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. In a shallow baking pan, shape into loaf. Bake at 350º for 1 hour, draining off fat half way through cooking.

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; stir in soup mix. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Combine flour with 1 cup water and gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Serve with meatloaf.

Pepper Steak for Crockpot

1 lb. round steak, sliced thin (see note)
3 Tbl. soy sauce
½ tsp. ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
4 oz. can of sliced mushrooms, drained, or 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 onion, thinly sliced

Put steak, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red pepper in quart sized freezer bag. Freeze flat.

To cook, thaw steak mixture overnight in refrigerator. Place in crockpot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

One hour before serving, turn crock pot up to HIGH and add green pepper,mushrooms, and onions. Stir once and cook for the remaining hour.

Serve over cooked rice.(Adapted from the Fix It and Forget It cookbook)

Pinterest Double Challenge: Beef Stew and Beer Bread

I knew it was going to be a cold, cloudy, sleety, NASTY day yesterday so it was a perfect day to try out not one but two recipes I found on Pinterest.  Beef Stew and Beer Bread.

I have made many different beef stews over the years, but they all had several steps to prep, which is very time consuming and not out the door quickly.  I've been looking for a fast one, that was hearty and flavorful so when I saw this recipe; Crock Pot Beef Stew it appealed to me. 

1 pound beef stew cubes
4 carrots, sliced
4-6 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 bay leaf
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) can tomato soup
1 (10 oz) package frozen green peas

Place beef cubes at the bottom of the crock pot. Layer carrots, then potatoes, placing bay leaf on top. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients and pour over beef and veggies.

Cover with lid and cook on low 6-10 hours.So yummy with Rhodes bread and honey butter. :)

I already had the beef stew meat cut up into cubes since I had bought some on sale a few weeks ago so I just poured the dethawed meat into the crock pot, then instead of using full carrots sliced, I used half a bag of mini carrots I had in the fridge and added the rest of the ingredients.  The only other change I made to this was at the last minute I realized I didn't have any frozen peas but I did have a big bag of frozen mixed veggies so I used those instead.  I then cooked it on low for 7 hours which was perfect. The start to finish prep time was 15 minutes, perfectly acceptable out the door quickly prep time in my opinion. 

Thick and hearty with just the perfect blend of flavors. We had two huge servings and have at least 3-4 more left.  It is definitely a freezer friendly meal as well.