Beef and Gravy With Whole Potatoes

Beef and Gravy With Whole Potatoes - Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

I make this just for the "Brown Potatoes" as my kids would call it. They are the star of this dish. No need for seasonings or butter for this simple, homey meal.
I have tried cutting the steak into individual portion before cooking, but it seems to fall apart that way.
I really love the way the steak and potatoes absorb the gravy instead of being smothered in it.

Ingredients:
1 whole roundsteak
whole potatoes (1 for each person)
3 envelopes of brown gravy mix

Preparation:
In a  4 quart stock pan, add the whole steak and about 2quarts of water.
Boil until the steak is fork tender, about 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. adding more water when necessary.
Meanwhile.
Peel and boil the potatoes in another pan, until they are tender, but firm.
Then place the pan in the sink, and allow cold water to run over them until completely cool.
Allow the potatoes to stand in the cold water.
Back to the steak...
Once the steak is tender, remove it from the pot and set aside.
Mix the brown gravy envelopes with 2 cups of water. set aside.
Reduce the broth to about 2 inches, add the brown gravy and whisk while bringing to a boil.
The gravy should be very thin at this point, if not add a little more water. If it's too thick it can't be absorbed by the potatoes.
Place the steak into the pot.
Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot.
Reduce heat and simmer about 15-30 minutes (depending on the amount of water used) or until the gravy thickens slightly.

Remove the steak and potatoes from the gravy and serve. You can top them with more gravy if you like, but it doesn't really need it.
Serve alone or with fresh baked bread and a vegetable.

Swiss Steak

                                  Swiss Steak with peppers and tomatoes

I love just about anything with peppers and tomatoes. As a matter of fact these two consume most of my garden space.
This is how my Mom made this dish, but I'm sure there are other variations. This is a good way to use round steak, it becomes very tender this way. If you really want to smother it in veggies, use 2 peppers and a 29 oz. can of tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1whole lean steak (I use roundsteak or sirloin)
1 green bell pepper- cut into rings or strips
1- 15oz can of whole tomatoes- crushed
1- 15oz can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper if you like, but I don't use any for this.

Preparation:
To a 4qt stockpot, add the whole steak and about 2qts. of water. Adding more when necessary.
Boil for about 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. or until the steak becomes fork tender, but not falling apart.
When there is only about 2 inches of broth left in the pot, add the sliced peppers.
Boil for another 10 minutes to cook the peppers.
Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Cook just long enough to thicken the sauce a bit, about 10- 15 min.
Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes.

                             Parboil the steak until it becomes fork tender.

When there is only 2 inches of broth in the pot, add the bell pepper slices. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, and cook a bit longer just to slightly thicken.

Morasa' Polow - Jewelled Rice

                                        Morasa' Polow - Jewelled  Rice

I love this dish from Iran. Lightly sweet with a hint of citrus. Traditionally it should be prepared with dried barberries, sour cherries and Seville orange peel. Due to the lack of finding ingredient, I use substitutions.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked rice
1cup dried currants
1cup dried cherries or cranberries- chopped
 2Tbl. orange peel- slivered
2tbl. olive oil
1tsp. butter
A few saffron threads
1/4cup golden raisins
1/4cup dried apricots -slivered
1/2cup slivered almonds
1/2cup slivered or chopped pistachios
pinch of salt

Preparation:
Place all dried fruit in a bowl and pour in a little boiling water.
Place the orange peel into another bowl and add a little boiling water.
Allow to stand 10 minutes.
Drain the water from the fruit, but don't drain the water from the orange peel.
In a large skillet or heavy stock pan, heat butter and oil.
Stir in the saffron.
Add the rice, salt and fruit.
Mix very well, to allow the saffron to be blended throughout.
Add all other ingredients (including the water from the orange peel)
Mix well. Cover and allow to stand at least 10 minutes to steam and allow the flavors to blend.
Lovely.
Serve hot or room temp.

Cake Mix Cookies

                          Lemon Pretzel and Fudge Mint - Cake Mix Cookies

We all prefer to make cookies from scratch. But I really like the soft texture of cookies made this way.
They are super quick to throw together. Both of these variations are family favorites.

Cake mix cookies, no matter what variation you come up with, are always made with the same 3 ingredients:
Any cake mix
1 stick of butter- softened 
2 eggs

Preparation:
350* oven
A greased cookie sheet
Whip butter, beat in the eggs, stir in the cake mix, followed by whatever ingredients you may like to add.
Bake until the cookies are just set, then allow them to cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet to finish setting up.

For the lemon pretzel cookies I used a lemon cake mix and 1/4 cup finely crushed pretzels.
For the fudge mint, use a fudge or dark chocolate mix and Nestle's dark chocolate mint morsels.

                                        This makes dense chewy cookies.