Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (48 page)

Hot Beef Sandwiches

Evelyn L. Ward

Greeley, CO

Makes 10 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

3 lbs. beef chuck roast

1 large onion, chopped

¼ cup vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1-1½ tsp. salt

¼-½ tsp. pepper

1. Place meat in slow cooker. Top with onions.

2. Combine vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour over meat, but don’t disturb the onions.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

4. Drain broth but save for dipping.

5. Shred meat.

Note:

I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. I don’t do construction, but I provide lunch sometimes for work crews. These sandwiches are a favorite. I make the most colorful tossed salad that I can and serve seasonal fresh fruit and pie along with the sandwiches.

Middle Eastern Sandwiches (for a crowd)

Esther Mast

East Petersburg, PA

Makes 10-16 sandwiches

Prep. Time: 50 minutes

Cooking Time: 6¼-8¼ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

4 lbs. boneless beef,
or
venison, cut in ½” cubes

4 Tbsp. cooking oil

2 cups chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry red wine

6-oz. can tomato paste

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried rosemary

2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

pita pocket breads

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

1 large cucumber, seeded and diced

8-oz. carton plain yogurt

1. Brown meat, 1 lb. at a time, in skillet in 1 Tbsp. oil. As you finish one batch, place browned beef in slow cooker. Reserve drippings.

2. Sauté onions and garlic in drippings until tender. Add to meat.

3. Stir in wine, tomato paste, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours.

5. Turn cooker to High. Combine cornstarch and water in small bowl until smooth. Stir into meat mixture. Cook until bubbly and thickened, stirring occasionally.

6. Split pita breads to make pockets. Fill each with meat mixture, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and yogurt.

Serving suggestion: All you need to top this off is
salad
or
applesauce
.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Janie S. Canupp

Millersville, MD

Makes 5-6 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

2 lbs. ground beef

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

1-1½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 cup beef broth,
or
1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water

3 Tbsp. tomato paste,
or
ketchup

1½ cups sour cream

¼ cup flour

1. Brown beef in large skillet. Stir frequently to break up clumps.

2. When meat is no longer pink, add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté until onion is tender. Put mixture into slow cooker.

3. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, broth, and tomato paste. Stir into beef mixture in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 2½ hours.

5. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and flour in a small bowl until well blended. Stir into slow cooker.

6. Cover. Cook 30 more minutes, or until Stroganoff is thickened and bubbly.

Serving suggestion: Serve over buttered
noodles
or
rice
.

Variation:

Instead of beef broth or bouillon cube dissolved in water, use 10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup in Step 3.

Bonnie L. Miller

Louisville, OH

Christmas Meat Loaf

Wafi Brandt

Manheim, PA

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

Meat Loaf:

2 eggs

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

¼ cup chopped dried cranberries

1 tsp. parsley

1½ lbs. ground beef

Sauce:

16-oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce

¾ cup ketchup

½ cup beef broth

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

2 tsp. cider vinegar

1. Mix all Meat Loaf ingredients together in a good-sized bowl. Shape into loaf and place in lightly greased slow cooker.

2. Mix Sauce ingredients together in another bowl. Pour over meat.

3. Cover. Cook on High 4 hours.

4. Allow to stand 10 minutes before lifting out of cooker and slicing.

Tip from Tester:

After slicing and arranging the Meat Loaf on a platter, I ladled the Sauce over the slices. There was more Sauce than fit on the platter, so I put the remainder in a dish to pass. Then individuals could add more to their slices as a condiment. We loved it!

Meat Loaf

Colleen Heatwole

Burton, MI

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2 lbs. ground beef

2 eggs

⅔ cup dry quick oats

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

½-1 tsp. liquid smoke

1 tsp. ground mustard

½ cup ketchup,
divided

1. Combine ground beef, eggs, dry oats, dry soup mix, liquid smoke, ground mustard, and all but 2 Tbsp. ketchup in large bowl. Shape into loaf and place in slow cooker.

2. Top with remaining ketchup.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 4-6 hours.

Variation:

For a special topping for the Meat Loaf, make your own Sauce:

26-oz. can,
or
2 10¾-oz. cans, mushroom soup

6-10 fresh mushrooms, diced

1 Tbsp. onion flakes

half soup can water

¼ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. pepper

Combine Sauce ingredients in a bowl. Pour over Meat Loaf in Step 2 instead of ketchup.

Betty B. Dennison

Grove City, PA