Beef Quesadillas

I have had my quesadilla maker for years and it's one of my favorite cooking tools. Typically I make chicken enchiladas but I'm glad that I tried out beef ones. They are great!

Ingredients

4lb boneless beef chuck roast
2 tbsp taco seasoning
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
1/2 cup water
Tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese


Directions
Place beef in crockpot. Add in all other ingredients (not tortillas and cheese yet). Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred meat and return to juices. Place meat on tortilla and top with cheese. Place second tortilla on top and place on quesadilla maker. Cook for five minutes.

Chili

I make my chili a bit different than "normal" chili. I don't like beans of any sort nor do I like chunks of tomatoes, both of which are found in many chili recipes. I do love spicy chili though, so I season this up with jalapenos and cayenne pepper. I found this recipe on The Food Network and have tweaked it to my liking. This can be made on the stove, but I typically throw everything into the crockpot.

Ingredients
1 1/4lbs lean ground beef
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
2tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1tbsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, chopped
38oz tomato sauce
1 14oz Mexican style stewed tomatoes with jalapeno peppers and spices.
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Directions
Cook beef in a skillet over medium high heat about five minutes until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Remove from heat. Add meat to crockpot along with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Cook on low for four to five hours. Serve and top with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Pizza Pasta

Pizza is one of my favorite foods so I was excited to try this pasta dish. It's simple to make, filling, and is just as satisfying as an actual pizza!















Ingredients
16 ounces rigatoni pasta
1lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 small onion, diced
1 28 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
4 ounces pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, cook beef with onion until beef is brown. Drain grease. Combine beef mixture with spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, and pasta and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.

Mmmmm Meatloaf

I took a ten plus year hiatus from eating any sort of beef, but that all changed once I started cooking for someone other than myself. Since I missed out on beef all those years I have some catching up to do!

My husband loves meatloaf and requests it often. I usually stick to a more normal recipe but decided to try this one out on a whim, compliments of Paula Deen. As you can tell from the ingredients, it's basically a cheeseburger in loaf shape :) While it was tasty, I will probably only make it every once in a while. It was a bit too greasy for my taste, plus I love my original recipe (which I will have to post)! However, it was nice to switch the meal up a bit.

Ingredients

1 pound ground chuck
10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 ounces of sharp Cheddar, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl (or stand mixer), combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well. Stir ketchup into meat mixture. Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.