Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (53 page)

Sloppy Beef Sandwiches

Colleen Konetzni

Rio Rancho, NM

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.

1½ lbs. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

½ cup water

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

1 jar salsa

1. Cook beef and onion in skillet with ½ cup water until meat is no longer pink. Stir with wooden spoon to break up clumps. Drain off drippings.

2. Place beef mixture into slow cooker. Add olives and salsa. Mix well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

Serving suggestion: Divide sandwich meat among
buns
and sprinkle with 2 cups shredded
cheese
and ½ cup chopped
lettuce
.

Barbecue Sauce and Hamburgers

Dolores Kratz

Souderton, PA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

14¾-oz. can beef gravy

½ cup ketchup

½ cup chili sauce

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

6 grilled hamburger patties

1. Combine all ingredients except hamburger patties in slow cooker.

2. Add hamburger patties.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve in
buns
, each topped with a slice of
cheese
if you like.

Tips:

1. Freeze leftover sauce for future use.

2. This is both a practical and a tasty recipe for serving a crowd (picnics, potlucks, etc.). You can grill the patties early in the day, rather than at the last minute when your guests are arriving.

No-More-Bottled Barbecue Sauce

Lauren Eberhard

Seneca, IL

Makes 2-2½ cups sauce

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 1½-qt.

1 cup finely chopped onions

¼ cup oil

6-oz. can tomato paste

½ cup water

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed juice is best)

3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. prepared mustard

2 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 3 hours.

3. Use on hamburgers, sausage, pork chops, ribs, steaks, chicken, turkey, or fish.

Note:

Sauce will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Pizzaburgers

Deborah Swartz

Grottoes, VA

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1-2 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 lb. ground beef

½ cup chopped onions

¼ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. pepper

8 oz. pizza sauce

10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown ground beef and onion in skillet. Drain off drippings. Place in slow cooker.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 1-2 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve on
hamburger buns
.

Don’t apologize if your house is not spotless. Your guests will feel more relaxed when they invite you.

Karen Sauder, Adamstown, PA

Yum-Yums

Evelyn L. Ward

Greeley, CO

Makes 12 servings

Prep. Time: 35 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

3 lbs. ground beef

2 onions, chopped

10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup

1½ cups tomato juice

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1. Brown beef and onions in skillet. Drain off drippings. Place in slow cooker.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

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

Serving suggestion: Serve on
hamburger buns
.

Note:

This is a great recipe for serving a crowd. A club I am a part of serves it when we do fund-raisers. Our menu is Yum-Yums, marinated bean salad, and strawberry short cake. We make the food in our homes and carry it to the meeting site.

Dianna’s Barbecue

Lauren Eberhard

Seneca, IL

Makes 12 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 1-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

4 lbs. ground beef

oil

24-oz. bottle ketchup

¼ cup prepared mustard

2 Tbsp. vinegar

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup water

1 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet, in oil if needed. Drain off drippings. Place beef in slow cooker.

2. Stir in all other ingredients.