Slow Cooker American Chop Suey

Being from New England, hubby often requests American chop suey.  It's a traditional New England comfort one-pot dinner... simple and good.  I put my new Ninja 3-in-1 cooking system to the test and it rallied!  I set it to the stove top setting and browned the beef and then switched it to the slow cooker setting... again, clean-up was a cinch!  The Ninja rocks!  This is a recipe that I found online (thanks Stephanie O'Dea) and modified a bit.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)

5-6 slices of bacon, chopped

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pkg. fajita veggies from the produce aisle (or slice your own; 1 onion and 1-2 peppers)

1 26-ounce jar pasta or marinara sauce

3 cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup water (plus more if necessary at the end)

Minced garlic to taste

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1 1-pound package elbow macaroni, uncooked

Shredded cheese for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Brown the ground beef and bacon in skillet with extra virgin olive oil.

Place the beef mixture in 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the fajita veggies (peppers and onions).

Add the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and water.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the pasta and cheese, and stir to combine.

Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.

About 30 minutes prior to serving, stir in the uncooked elbow macaroni.

Continue to cook until the macaroni is al dente, about 30 minutes.
(Add more water if it becomes too dry).

Serve in pasta bowls and top with cheese.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

 I just had to use my new Christmas gift from Ken today!  It's a Ninja 3-in-1 cooking system and I am singing and dancing with joy! 

Since I got a kinda late start this morning, I'm not going to try anything other than a slow cooker dinner this time.  Beef stroganoff is a dish that I haven't made in ages and I just happened to have a chuck roast in the refrigerator.  I modified some recipes that I found online and the result is, in my opinion, stroganoff perfection.  It turned out with just the right amount of gravy, perfect consistency, and savory taste.  I served it over egg noodles with a side salad of mixed greens, mandarin oranges, glazed pecans, and dried cranberries.  Way to go Ninja!  (The non-stick interior really makes an easy clean up).

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds chuck roast

1 can golden mushroom soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ cup beef broth

1 onion, chopped

1 package fresh sliced mushrooms

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 package beefy onion soup mix

Minced garlic to taste

Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 teaspoon of each)

4 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces sour cream

DIRECTIONS:
Place mushrooms and onions in slow cooker.

Place roast over the mushrooms and onions.

Add soups, broth, soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper.

Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

In the last hour of cooking, stir in the cream cheese and sour cream.

Continue to cook 30 minutes to an hour until cheese is melted and mixture is creamy.

Serve over egg noodles.

Iron Skillet British Cottage Pie

The holiday celebrations are over and it's back to relatively normal life...except for the fact that hubby is feeling a bit "under the weather".   So it's time for one of his favorite comfort dinners:  choices are shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Since I haven't made a cottage pie in quite a while, that won the draw!  This one brought me back to England and the British Isles and the wonderfully delicious cottage pies that I enjoyed in pubs and restaurants.  I love cooking with cast iron skillets so I made an easy one-pot dinner of this one by using my cast iron skillet and by using frozen mashed potatoes.  Result?  Yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground sirloin

1 onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 16-ounce package frozen peas and carrots

2 Tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 ½ cups beef broth

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 package Ore Ida frozen steam & mash potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste
 Paprika for sprinkling on top

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Saute onion in olive oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Add ground beef and cook until meat is browned and crumbly.
• Stir in flour, cinnamon, and Italian seasoning and continue to cook over medium heat.
• Add beef broth ½ cup at a time and continue to stir.
• Add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often until desired consistency.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Make mashed potatoes according to package instructions (or you can make your own, using about 4 baking potatoes).
• Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef and vegetable mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until heated through.