Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Tips

We’ve been getting bombarded with rain all summer long here in the South. But the heat still reminds me that it’s summer. When the temperatures start to climb, I hate heating up the house even more with the oven, so I take out my trusty slow cooker. Even better, as I have stated in another post, slow cookers are great because you can dump everything in and forget about it for a few hours. This is my spin on another beef tip slow cooker recipe….which I will have to post at some point.

Here’s what you need:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of stew meat or 1 1/2 to 2 pound roast (whatever cut you prefer) cut into bite size pieces, onion, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, dried cilantro, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth or what I like to use -Better than Bullion, lime juice, can of diced tomatoes with chilies, can of black beans.

Place beef in a large bowl. Sprinkle on the cumin….

then the onion powder and garlic powder….

and dried cilantro.

Add the juice of one lime, or as you can see I like using my lime juice in a bottle. It’s a life saver when you forget to buy a lime.

Toss to coat the beef. Then throw the beef into the slow cooker.

Dice the onion and place onions along with the tomatoes into the slow cooker as well.

Add about 2 Tbs. of Worcestershire sauce to  1 Cup of beef broth.

If using beef bullion of Better than Bullion, follow directions in making 1 cup.

Pour over the beef, onions and tomatoes.

Cover and Cook on low for 6 1/2 hours.

Drain and rinse beans and stir into beef mixture. Add 2 Tbs. of cornstarch to 2 Tbs of cold water and stir until mixed. Stir into beef mixture and continue cooking on high for 20 to 30 minutes or until sauce in slow cooker is at desired thickness.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Mexican Beef Tips

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of stew meat or a 1 1/2 to 2 pound roast cut into bite size pieces
1 onion, roughly diced
1 Tbs. cumin
2 Tbs. onion powder
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 C. beef broth
2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

Place beef in a large bowl. Sprinkle cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice over beef. Mix to coat. Place beef into a slow cooker. Add onions, tomatoes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce into beef broth; pour over beef tomatoes and onions. Cover and cook on low for 6 1/2 hours. Stir in beans. To thicken the sauce in slow cooker add 2 Tbs of cornstarch to 2 Tbs of cold water, stir until mixed. Stir into slow cooker and continue cooking on high for 20 to thirty more minutes until sauce is at desired thickness.

Serve over rice.

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is a regular at my house with hubby and I. I usually fry the chicken in a skillet, then throw it all together in a baking dish, but this time I thought I’d keep it simple and all in one pan. Easy clean up right?

Here’s what you need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, bread crumbs (Italian or plain is fine), Shredded mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, and your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce– the jar kind or homemade.

First off, place the chicken between two sheets of waxed paper and pound thin. As I have said before, this is a great tension reliever. My cat is usually running out of the kitchen when I am doing this. Now that I think about it, hubby seems to stay far away as well.

Now that’s a nice big, flattened piece of chicken.

In a dish, add bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Mix together.

In another dish, crack two eggs and whisk lightly.

In a oven proof skillet, preferably cast iron, drizzle in canola oil, enough to cover the bottom. Heat to medium high heat.

Now, back to the chicken. Dip chicken first into the egg, coating both sides….

then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides as well. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

Place chicken into the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes. Now this can be the tricky part, turn chicken over. I say tricky because many times I have separated that delicious golden crust from the chicken. I think I may have even shed a tear or two from doing so.

Continue cooking about 2 minutes.

Spread some of the sauce onto each chicken breast. I like a lot of sauce on mine, but you can use a little or a lot depending on your taste.

Next, sprinkle on the Mozzarella cheese. Don’t be stingy with the cheese, the more the merrier I say.

Then add some of the Parmesan cheese on top as well. Slide it all into the oven and at 400 degrees and continue cooking for 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Now doesn’t that make you just want to dive right in with a fork in one hand?

Serve with spaghetti on the side if desired.

Enjoy!

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 C. bread crumbs
1/2 C. grated parmesan plus more for ontop of chicken
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Spaghetti Sauce

Directions:

In a dish, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. In another dish, crack two eggs and whisk lightly.

In a oven proof skillet, prefrably cast iron, drizzle in canola oil, enough to cover the bottom. Heat to medium high heat.
Dip chicken first into the egg, coating both sides, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides as well. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
Place chicken into the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and continue cooking about 2 minutes. Spread some of the sauce onto each chicken breast, a little or a lot depending on your taste. Next, sprinkle on the Mozzarella cheese, then some of the Parmesan cheese on top as well. Place in the oven at 400 degrees and continue cooking for 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Serve with spaghetti on the side if desired.

Home Fries

One thing I love for breakfast, besides bacon that is, are home fries. Those little diced potatoes that are fried in the pan til crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside….heaven.

Here’s what you need:

Potatoes, an onion, canola oil (or any other kind of oil you prefer), butter, salt and pepper.

Peel the potatoes and cut into small bite size chunks.

Dice 1/2 of the onion.

In a cast iron skillet, drizzle enough oil to cover the bottom then add 2 Tbs of butter. Heat to medium high heat.

Throw in the potatoes and the onions. The onions will get very brown, if you prefer your onions a little less done, throw them in with the potatoes about halfway through the cooking time.

Cook for about 8 minutes.

Turn the potatoes over and continue cooking another 8 minutes, then put them into the oven and continue to cook at 415 degrees for another 10 minutes, stirring at least once, until potatoes are done. I like to finish the potatoes off in the oven so I can have the stove free to finish the rest of breakfast while the potatoes cook.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve along side your favorite breakfast items. You can even crumble bacon into the potatoes to make it even more delicious.

Enjoy!

Home Fries

Ingredients:

Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
1/2 onion, diced
canola oil
2 Tbs. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a cast iron skillet, drizzle enough oil to cover the bottom then add 2 Tbs of butter. Heat to medium high heat.

Throw in the potatoes and the onions. The onions will get very brown, if you prefer your onions a little less done, throw them in with the potatoes about halfway through the cooking time. Cook for about 8 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and continue cooking another 8 minutes, then put them into the oven and continue to cook at 415 degrees for another 10 minutes, stirring at least once, until potatoes are done.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve along side your favorite breakfast items. You can even crumble bacon into the potatoes to make it even more delicious.