Philly Beef-Stuffed Sandwich

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 Tblsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, divided

2 pkgs. (10 oz. each) refrigerated pizza crust

8 oz. thinly sliced deli roast beef

8 oz. thinly sliced American cheese

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 Tblsp. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Place garlic into oil, add bell pepper, onion, and 1/2 tsp. of the oregano leaves. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Remove pan from heat. Unroll 1 pizza crust onto lightly floured surface and roll out to 12 x 9 inch rectangle, cover with half of the beef, cheese, and vegetable mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges of dough. Starting at longest side of rectangle, roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, press seam together to seal. Repeat with remaining crust and filling ingredients. Place rolls, seam sides down, on pizza stone or baking sheet. Join ends of rolls together to form 1 large ring; press ends together to seal. Combine egg white and water, brush onto dough. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp. oregano. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

I would recommend making a half batch for a small family. I made a half batch, and we still had some leftovers. This doesn't take long to make at all, and we all enjoyed it.

Beer Braised Beef Roast

1 whole Chuck Roast, 2 and a half to 5 pounds
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Onions, peeled and sliced thick
5 cloves garlic, chopped (I didn't use that much garlic)
2 cans beer
1 tsp ground Thyme
1/2 tsp. Rosemary leaves

Heat oil in frying pan over high heat. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Sear meat on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove meat from pan. Put onions and garlic in crockpot, pour in beer, and add thyme, rosemary, and salt to taste (about 1 tsp.). Add meat to crockpot and cook on low all day. I had it in for about 8 hours. Shred meat with forks and spoon juice and onions over top. Serve with very crusty bread to sop up the juice if desired.

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe that I modified a bit for the crockpot.

Dripping Roast Beef and Provolone Sandwiches

These take 13 minutes from start to finish, so easy and so good!

1 can condensed french onion soup
1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
Kaiser rolls
deli provolone cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat soup and Worcestershire in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Add beef and heat through, stirring occasionally. Divide beef among rolls. Top beef mixture with cheese slices and place sandwiches onto baking sheet. Bake 3-4 minutes or until sandwiches are toasted and cheese is melted. Serve sandwiches with remaining soup mixture for dipping.

Grilled Marinated Chuck Steak

I got this out of my most recent Taste of Home Magazine. It was in a section about budget cuts of meat and such and while I didn't use the exact cut, it was still yummy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 lbs boneless chuck steak

In a medium bowl, mix together the first 7 ingredients. Then place steaks into a large Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the steaks and let it sit in the fridge at least a8 hours or overnight.

Drain marinade from steaks and discard liquid. Grill steak, covered over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes per side or until meat reaches desired doneness. 145 for medium rare, 160 for medium, and 170 for well done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This is a great meal for a cool fall day! It takes a little prep work but comes out beautifully. You can also doctor it up any way you want. For example, I omitted the onions and added corn. You can also add some red wine for richer flavor.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut
into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth or chicken (I used chicken and it was just as yummy)
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 beef roast (3 lb) (I just use whatever cut I have on hand)
2 cups water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
pepper to taste

Directions: Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until tender. Remove meat and shred with fork. Skim off fat. Pour broth in small cups for dipping. Serve on rolls.

My thoughts: If you like a salty dip then add more soy sauce and some salt. Serve this with Angela's Spinach Penne Toss--Wonderful!

Cola Roast

1 beef roast (I just use whatever is closest to the top in the freezer, today it's an arm roast)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cans cola

Place roast in crockpot. Sprinkle with soup mix. Pour soda over all.
Cover, and cook on low 7 to 8 hours.

This is so easy, I love crockpot meals! The pop makes this very tender. And for leftovers, I shred the beef and mix it with barbecue sauce to make some yummy sandwiches.

Beef Jerky

1 lb. flank or round steak

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)

Pat steak dry with paper towel. Slice thinly across grain. In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Place meat in bowl, making sure each slice is coated with marinade. Place in refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Drain meat on paper towels, blotting well. Place meat on oven rack and cook at 140 degrees for 3-4 hours, or until dried to your desired consistency. Store in refrigerator.

My mother and father-in-law raise cattle, so their Christmas present to us every year is stocking our freezer with a year's supply of beef! So that will explain why I might be posting a lot of beef recipes on here! Every year I usually don't know what to do with the round steak that we get, it's not exactly the greatest cut of meat. We really like beef jerky, so I was thrilled when I found this recipe a couple of months ago. Beef jerky is expensive to buy, so even if you buy the round or flank steak to make it, it still comes out quite a bit cheaper this way.

A few things I've learned - today was the third time I have made it, and it turned out to be the best yet.

*Marinating for the full 48 hours makes it A LOT better.

*My oven's lowest temperature is 170 (the recipe says 140), it still turns out good.

*You have to slice the meat while it is still mostly frozen.

*The recipe says to place the meat directly on the oven rack. I place it on a wire cooling rack, then place that on the wire rack in the oven. I also put a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch drips. I just cleaned my oven two weeks ago, and don't care to do that again soon!