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This is so flavorful and satisfying -- perfect for a cold winter night. And better the next day! I found this in a Betty Crocker publication that's sold in the supermarket checkout lane. But I get it in the mail because my Aunt Laura subscribes to it for me. SLOW COOKER FRENCH ONION BEEF 1 1/4 -pound boneless beef round steak (1/2- to 3/4-inch thick) ...

Have you kept your resolutions? Are you thinking about making new ones? If you follow this blog, you know I haven’t kept to my resolution to update weekly. If one of your resolutions has to do with meal planning, I have a review for you that may be helpful. It is never too late to adopt this skill that will be so helpful in running your household smoothly. I have been a meal planner for years. I look at my calendar and figure out which nights are busy and will need a quicker meal. Some nights might be a church or family dinner for which I will have to take a covered dish. Some occasions mean we will be eating out. I look up all the recipes, take note of the ingredients and make a grocery list for that week. I don’t just think about dinner, I consider lunches and sometimes breakfasts. There are some meal planning services that will give you a week of dinners and a grocery list. Emeals.com is one that I tried is focused on saving money and it makes up the menus and lis...

This is a perfect fall recipe using fall flavors. I made it as soon as I brought home my 50 pounds of Kennebec potatoes and 50 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes from the family farm of my childhood friend, Debbie (Davis) Crawford. I wrote about the Davis sisters at the Davis Bros. Farm last year and reprinted the story here . The cider makes the beef incredibly flavorful. I'm sharing this so you can savor it too. I also like how the stew is served in a bowl of mashed potatoes. This is food for meat-and-potatoes men, but the cider and white-cheddar potatoes give it a gourmet flair. My business partner told me her husband would love it. I have to plan to have them over for dinner. ELSA'S CIDER BEEF WITH CHEDDAR SMASHED POTATOES 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 3 tablespoons butter 2 pounds top sirloin, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 1 pound turnip...

This recipe comes together quickly and is hearty and tasty -- three of my favorite things. You could make it meatless or swap out the beef for ground venison or ground turkey. The recipe is from spice company McCormick. I found it in their Recipe Inspirations line -- pre-measured spices in a pack with the recipe on the back. You do not have to have the Recipe Inspirations product to make this recipe. I have included the measurements for you below. From that line, I would like to try their version of the Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Masala. BEEF QUESADILLA CASSEROLE Makes 8 servings. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained 1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (op...

This yummy little meat main dish is just as good on a cold night (temps here are in the teens) as it is on a warm evening when you don't want to heat up the kitchen. In the first case, you can add red pepper to make it as hot as you can stand; in the second, it's a stir-fry so it's time on the stove or grill is minimal. It's called Bulgogi in Korean (and alternate spelling abound) and translates literally as "fire meat" (if you believe Wikipedia.) My roommate the second semester of my freshman year was from South Korea, but as we lived on campus in a city with a population of about 5,000 people and I wasn't the foodie then that I am now, I didn't learn about Korean stir-fry from Min. Nope, I had it at a Fifty Miles Fresh potluck Morgantown Farmers Market hosted a couple of years ago. Then it was prepared with venison, though the recipe calls for beef -- use either, they're equally delicious! BULGOGI 1 pound thinly sliced round steak (slice it whe...