Noodle Salad

This is based off of a dish at one of our favorite restaurants: Taqueria Tsunami, in Marietta, GA.  I just made it up based off of what I could tell of the ingredients...it's pretty close!

• soba noodles
• 1 avocado, chunked
• 1 mango, chopped
• 2 green onions
• flank 1 lb flank steak (or equivalent)
• Thai peanut dressing/sauce

Cook the noodles per the instructions on the package.  The ones I buy come in 3 little bundles, I use two of them.  Rinse them in cold water once they are done.

Season the steak with some type of Asian marinade. Grill or broil it, then slice it into fairly thin strips, 2 or 3 inches long.

Put the noodles, the vegetables, and the dressing in a bowl and toss, then throw the steak (still hot) in on top.

It's awesome!

Aunt Audeen's Winter Chili

This is Aaron's version of his Aunt Audeen's Chili.

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2 tbs vegetable oil
4 lbs ground beef
4 bell peppers (different colors)
1 large onion
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
2 small cans tomato paste
2 cans ranch style beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans whole kernel corn
2 cans ranch style beans w/jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
3 tbs black pepper
3 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbs seasoned salt
4 1/2 tbs cumin

Brown the meat. Chop up all the vegetables and lightly sauté them. Open the cans. Do not drain. Throw everything into a giant cooker and stir. You may need to add 1 – 2 cups of water, depending on how wet your canned vegetables are - just make sure that it is wet when you start cooking. Make sure you don't have any tomato paste globs. Cook for approximately 2 hours on medium heat.

Beef Stroganoff

This recipe was inspired by one I found on cdkitchen.com. I made a few adjustments to fit our taste.

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1 pound stew beef cut in chunks
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup red wine
1 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream

Put all ingredients, except for sour cream, in crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add sour cream before serving. Serve over hot egg noodles.

Pork Taco Meat

I got this recipe from my mom. It makes a lot, and it is a good change to tacos.

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2 1/2 lb pork butt roast-trim off excess fat
2 cups salsa
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp cocoa powder
kosher salt

Mix all ingredients except for the roast. Put in crock pot and put the roast on top. Cook on High for 4-5 hours, or Low 7-8 hours. Turn it once or twice during cooking. When done, take out roast and shred meat. Then put the shredded meat back in the juice. Use in place of hamburger meat for tacos.

We have always used flour tortillas and had soft tacos, but I am sure it would be good in hard shells as well.

Beef and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Horseradish Mayonnaise

We had these the other night for dinner...and they were awesome!

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1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp prepared horseradish

8 slices sourdough bread

2 cups arugula

8 slices (or so) of beef brisket (or roast beef if brisket is not available)

8 slices provolone cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened, and divided

Preheat a non-stick skillet or griddle to medium-low heat.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish. Use this spread and make a sandwich with the bread, beef, arugula, and cheese. Make sure you put the spread on each piece of bread.

Spread the butter on one side of each sandwich and drop them in the skillet (butter side down, of course). Butter the remaining side. Cook the sandwiches 4 to 5 minutes per side or until they are golden brown. You know how a good grilled cheese sandwich should look. Eat them while they are hot!

Pasta Fagioli

2 - 14 oz cans italian tomatoes
2 - 14 oz cans double strength beef broth
1 jar Prego traditional flavor spaghetti sauce
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained

Combine above ingredients, cooking on medium heat for 30-40 minutes.

Add:
1 cup pasta (macaroni noodles)
16 oz can northern beans
16 oz can kidney beans - drained and washed

Continue to cook until pasta is tender.

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

This is a dish that my mom made when we were growing up. Aaron's friend, Adam, calls it "Potatoes from the Warp."


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1 lb. hamburger meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 large baked potatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger meat, drain and rinse grease off. Add soup and sour cream. Heat through. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Spoon mixture onto opened baked potato, add shredded cheese. Enjoy.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is one of my absolute favorite dishes, so I thought I would sneak it on here.

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1 lb ground chuck
1 can French style green beans (strained)
1 can cream o' mushroom soup
tater tots

It's this easy:

Loosely put the meat in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Don't pack it in. Lightly salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the green beans, spreading them out evenly over the meat. Add the soup as the third layer. Again, spreading it out evenly. Now, the cover the top with tater tots. Pack as many on there as you can.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook for about 45 minutes. Just make sure the meat is done. Can be a little "juicy" if you don't buy lean beef. This recipe doubles easily if you are feeding a crowd. Just make sure you use a large enough casserole dish that the meat layer doesn't get too thick. All you need is a few dinner rolls and you've got a meal!

French Dip Sandwiches

This recipe came from my friend Laurie Jewell.

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1 beef chuck roast (3 lbs.) trimmed
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp pepper
8 french rolls, split

Place roast in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth; shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth; skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls.

I usually double the recipe (except for the roast), because I like lots of au jus.