Taco salad my way!

I lb.ground beef

Taco seasoning

Lettuce 

Tomato

Shredded cheddar cheese

Taco scoops 

Taco sauce or hot sauce to garnish.

Fry hamburger in a little oil.  Add onion powder, garlic powder, paprika , salt and pepper.  Don’t skimp on seasonings. ****  If in doubt buy a taco seasoning packet and follow directions.

Rinse lettuce well.  I do it several times in cold water. Add chopped tomato .

 I chopped my lettuce the way I like it.  ( chopped salad version ).  Drain well.  Use salad spinner or as I do most times after I drain the salad well I use  a few paper towels to remove moisture.

I layer taco scoops first, cheddar cheese, hot hamburger mixture and my salad on top. I season the lettuce with a ratio of 1/3 olive oil and 1/4 red wine vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder dried parsley salt and pepper.  .  Note:  remember to add more olive oil than vinegar so it won’t be overpowered by vinegar. Add a Pinch of sugar if you’re not sure . The sugar will balance the mix.

 

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Today’s Salisbury steak meatballs with a twist. 9/28/2026

Note: a game changer using onion soup mix in small amounts.  I didn’t have any onions so instead of onion powder i had a package of onion soup mix. It really saved the day. The flavor was spot on and no necessary extra salt added or pepper.

Today’s recipe I added 1/4 of a package of onion soup mix to beef along with 1 tablespoon ketchup , 1 egg and 1/4 cup   beef broth. (Mix together) then add the breadcrumbs to the egg mixture . Mix thoroughly to combine. If mixture is too soft add a little more breadcrumbs.

After the meatballs had fried in the butter/ olive oil

And browned on both sides remove from pan and set aside.

Add 2 +cups beef broth, 2 tablespoon ketchup and 1/2 package of onion soup mix.  Bring to a slow boil. Once onions are soft add meatballs and cook until

Completely warmed. Thicken with flour if you want.  This time I did with a tablespoon flour added to 1/2 cup broth and whisk until smooth then added to the rest of the broth. It should thicken nicely.

It is getting harder and harder to come up with easy meals that require little work and can be made from start to finish in a little over an hour.

I had bought some fresh ground round steak at the store the other day and I had intended on making some burgers with it but wanted something a little different.

It's over 6 years that I have been bringing recipes from my kitchen to yours and I'm needing some assistence for some variety.  I'll be adapting recipes I think are of interest and easy to make for a little change. Hope you continue to like what you see and find a few more selections for dinner at your house.

Enjoy!

I adapted a recipe to my liking and it's a nice change. Original recipe my way.

l lb. lean ground round (I'm sure you can use lean chuck or lean beef too)
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 T. ketscup
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup beef broth
dash of Worcestershire if you like(I eliminated it)

1 T butter
1 T. olive oil
 1 medium onion sliced thin
2 cups beef broth

Mix meat mixture and form into meatballs size balls.

In a large deep skillet on medium to low heat place butter and olive oil.  Place meatballs and fry until browned on all sides. Remove meatballs from skillet and drain any excess grease.

In the same skillet place thinly slice onions and fry slowly until browned and slightly tender while scrapping pan. Add 2 cups of beef broth and simmer for a few minutes. Add meatballs and simmer until meatballs are warmed.  

To thicken mixture if you like you can thicken mixture before adding meatballs with a little cornstarch.


Serve with mashed potatoes. 

adapted from Ree Drummond

Re-post 8/20/22

Updated 9/28/2026

Crockpot Top round roast

2 lb. Top round roast 

2 cans beef broth 

Salt, pepper and onion powder 

Sear roast in vegetable oil

Add 1 can beef broth to crockpot.  Add roast seared and seasoned with 

 salt , pepper and onion powder.

Add another can beef broth.  Cover with lid.

Cook high 2 hours. Low 1 hour or until fork goes through roast easily.

Remove from crockpot and rest roast for 10 minutes. Slice as thin or as thick as you like. 

To thicken gravy add more beef broth (about 1 cup)to what roast was cooked in.  Add a drop of gravy master and whisk about  about 3 tablespoons flour and whisk until smooth.  ***I did remove the liquid and cooked in a pot on stove to thicken. Perfect!

Enjoy!

 

 

Stove top grilled flank steak

We don’t own a grille and don’t miss it.  My grille pan is awesome. This week I’m making most meals with this quality grille pan.  I find it’s very useful especially now that the weather has warmed,

Tonight dinner!  

Grilled flank steak grilled on each side 4 to 6 minutes depending on your desired wellness.

.

.Boiled potatoes and green beans seasoned with oo and red wine vinegar .  Chunky cucs and sweet onion.

SEASONING:

I allow steak to marinate several hours in refrigerator in a large zip lock bag before using.

1/4 cup Soy sauce

3 tablespoons Olive oil

2 teaspoons Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce( optional) I’m

****Not fond of Worcestershire sauce 

2 teaspoons Brown sugar or honey

3 cloves Garlic, minced

Black pepper to taste 

Easy meal and perfect warm weather meal.

One pan stuffed pepper casserole

• Hi. The below recipe is as is in all recipes.  I adjusted recipe and ingredients to my liking.  They were almost spot on.
  
  
  ***Note: I par cooked my rice before adding it to sauce mixture.
  
  
  ****Also make note I substituted crushed tomatoes for what was called for and used green peppers as it was all I had available.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This was definitely delicious.  A little thinner than if I had cooked the rice in the sauce.  I personally prefer  a casserole looser than too thick. This is Very similar to stuffed pepper soup. 
• If I had cooked the rice in the sauce as the recipe called for it would have been more casserole like.
• Enjoy!
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  
  

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 pinch cayenne

  • 2 green bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 orange bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 cup raw basmati or other long grain white rice

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

     2 cups tomato sauce or puree

  • Note: I used crushed tomatoes 

  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth 

  • 6 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided( I used a cheese blend and it was milder than a cheddar.  Delish!

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees .  I baked mine at 350° since my rice was par cooked.

1. Place an ovenproof pan over high heat, add olive oil, then the beef, and a big pinch of salt, and cook for about 1 minute, breaking the meat into smaller pieces. Add onions, and continue cooking, crumbling the meat, until it starts to brown and onions turn translucent. about 5 minutes. Brown the meat deeply for the best flavor.

2. Reduce heat to medium-high, or to medium if the pan seems very hot, and add butter and garlic. Cook, stirring, until butter melts, about 1 minute. Add black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add bell peppers, and cook and stir until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add rice and stir until it is coated with the fats from the pan, about 1 minute. Add remaining salt, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and beef broth, and raise the heat to high. Stir together and wait for the mixture to simmer. Turn off heat, and sprinkle with some of the cheese, saving about 1/2 cup for the top. Use a spoon to poke and stir the cheese in evenly. Cover the pan tightly.

   
   

   Note; Cooking time for me was 30 minutes covered.  Allow to set and add about 1/4 cup mixed cheese blend!

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover, and check rice for tenderness in a few spots. If rice is not tender, cover and continue to bake. Once rice is tender, remove the casserole, uncover, sprinkle over the rest of the cheese, and turn on the oven’s broiler. 

   
   

   Adapted my recipe to All recipes. 

Pot Roast crockpot 2 ways.

Today’s crockpot roast top round . 8/9/2026

Seared the roast in vegetable oil.  Added to crockpot along with 1 pkg. onion soup mix and 11/2 cups water.  Cook on high 3 hours.  Yummy!  Note: I removed the roast, shredded with fork and strained the juice to remove onions. You do not have to but I do so most times when using this method.

1- approximately 3 lb. Chuck roast( a bit of marbled fat is great)

Salt and pepper slightly both sides

4 T vegetable oil

In a large pot place oil on medium heat.  When heated add roast and sear on both sides.

In crockpot add 1 cup beef broth

Add seared roast 

To the roast add I package onion soup mix mixed into

1 cup hot water.  Mix well.  Add to top of roast and cook on high approximately 4 hours or more. Make sure the meat pulls apart with fork.  That is how you’ll know it’s cooked and juicy!

Enjoy!

Option:

Layer carrots on bottom as well as cut in half potatoes then add the above.

Rigatoni lasagna

It’s cold and our winter has been horrendous.

I  haven't gotten out to shop so today’s Rigatoni lasagna was a quick  decision.

I had HUGE RIGATONI that I planned on stuffing with ricotta but since hubby loves meat ravioli I am using all the ingredients for meat ravioli filling in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1-17 oz. package HUGE rigatoni(I had bought them at TJMAxx). Cook according to the directions. RINSE SLIGHTLY.

1 container (15 oz.)Skim milk ricotta (add dried parsley and some shredded mozzarella)

1 lb. Ground beef browned with salt pepper onion and garlic powder.

1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach (thawed) and drained well.

2 quarts marinara sauce

Pecorinos Romano cheese

In a large baking pan place some sauce, add half of par cook rigatoni 

Sprinkle meat mixture around, top meat with seasoned ricotta then some marinara.  Top with remaining rigatoni and cover all with marinara.  Add as much mozzarella and pecorino as desired and refrigerate until

Ready to bake.

Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour before baking and bake @350° covered for approximately 45 minutes.  Remove cover and bake longer if mozzarella is not melted about 10 minutes more.

Allow to rest for approximately 5 minutes and spoon or cut into square portions.

Enjoy!

FROM MY KITCHEN YO YOURS ,