onions | Not Just Sunday Dinner

Crock-Pot Cubed Steak

I have never cared to fry food. That does not mean I do not like fried food. I do enjoy fried chicken or shrimp occasionally. I do not prepare it at home because I’m not too fond of the mess and don’t care for the house smelling of fried food. So, if we get a craving, we go out for it.

I married a hunter, so I had to learn to love venison. At first, I would use ground meat in saucy recipes such as chili or spaghetti. Then over the years, I learned to appreciate that it was not pumped full of chemicals and hormones, and I began eating the backstrap and tenderloin. But, as much as I enjoy venison in its place, I still prefer beef for a juicy steak or hamburger, a tender chuck roast, and cubed steak.

I have tried crock pot cubed steak in numerous ways over my years of cooking. This recipe is hands down the absolute best I have ever tried.

Using locally grown beef that is the freshest around was a plus in this recipe! We recently discovered AAA Meats in Twin City, Georgia. Now, I don’t think I’ll enjoy eating the beef I had previously put in our freezer! AAA Meats offers excellent high-quality, great-tasting beef with no additives! If you are interested in trying locally grown beef give Abb a call at 912-682-3767. Be sure to tell him Amye sent you!

This recipe is easy and flavorful, and the gravy was terrific over mashed potatoes! For a lower sodium option, choose McCormick’s 30% less sodium brown gravy mix and unsalted Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup. I could not find a low-sodium French onion soup, but you may find it in a store near you.

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Crock Pot Cubed Steak

Course Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Equipment

Crock Pot

Ingredients

2 medium onions sliced
8 cubed steaks
2 .87-oz. envelope brown gravy mix
1 10.75-oz. can French onion soup
1 10.5-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Instructions

Place one sliced onion in the bottom of crock pot.
Salt and pepper cubed steak, to taste. Place four cubed steaks on top of onion layer.
Add another layer of onions on top of steak, then all four more steaks.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the brown gravy mix, French onion soup, cream of mushroom soup and water. Pour over steaks.
Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours.

Greek Pasta Bowl

Sometimes cooking can be a challenge for all of us. Our days are filled with work, meetings, sports, kids, and many other things. So often, picking up dinner is easier. Although that’s not always bad, there’s nothing quite as good as a home-cooked meal.

This recipe is ideal for a weeknight dinner when time is short. This easy, Greek-style dish is loaded with flavor. For this recipe, I used chicken sausage. I recently tried it for the first time. Now you can find it on my table at least once a week. It is available in various flavors, and it’s so very delicious.

The chicken sausage paired great with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, goat cheese, pasta, and arugula. Adding some starchy pasta water adds flavor and helps thicken the sauce.

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Greek Pasta Bowl

Course Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

1 16-ounce package Rigatoni pasta or pasta of your choice
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion chopped
2-3 cloves fresh garlic minced
12-ounce package Chicken sausage cut into rounds
1 14-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts drained
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili flakes or to taste
8 ounces goat cheese crumbled
1 cup arugula

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente.
While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and sauté onion until tender. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add sausage and cook until browned on both sides.
Add artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, chili flakes, goat cheese, cooked pasta and a couple of ladles of pasta water. Stir to combine and heat through. Add arugula and toss.
Remove from heat, Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. Serve.

Bread and Butter Pickles

I grew up in the small town of Cumming, Georgia. Back when it was actually rural and still considered the country. Lord willing, there was a big garden every summer. You not only enjoyed the bounty all summer, but you put up for the winter. Mama spent her summers canning and freezing vegetables, making vegetable soup and jellies.

We also had gardens early in marriage. However, we made several moves and ended up in subdivisions where a garden was not possible. So this year, Greg planted a garden. We have lived here a while now, but he finally had the time. I would not say it’s vast in size, but it’s producing like crazy!

Pickles seem to be my thing this year. I have made Greg’s grandmother’s lime pickles and some bread and butter pickles also.

I felt the b&b pickles needed more flavor. I also liked the crunch of Greg’s grandmother’s pickles. So, after a few tries and changes, my b&b pickles have evolved into something I am very proud to share.

If you, too, have a ton of cucumbers and need an excellent pickle recipe, give this a shot. I think they are delicious and I’m anxious to see what you think.

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Bread and Butter Pickles

Author Amye Melton

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

10 pounds small pickling cucumbers (approximate weight)
2 cups pickling lime
2 cups water
3 tablespoons kosher sea salt
1 bag ice (regular size bag is fine)
3-4 medium yellow onions peeled and sliced
8 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
8 cups sugar
4 tablespoons mustard seed
2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
2 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
2 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher sea salt

Instructions

Day 1: Wash and slice the cucumbers 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, discarding the ends. In a large, clean, food-safe 5-gallon bucket mix the pickling lime with water. Whisk until the lime is dissolved. Add the cucumbers. Allow to stand at room temperature for 12 hours, stirring every 4 hours.
Wash jars, lids, and rings on a very hot setting, in the dishwasher.
Day 2: Drain the cucumbers and rinse the cucumbers and the bucket well, making sure there is no lime left on the cucumbers or in the bucket.
Peel and slice the onions, set aside.
Layer 1/3 of the cucumbers and onions in the bucket, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon kosher sea salt and top with 1/3 bag of ice. Repeat until you have used all of the cucumbers and onions. Cover and allow to stand at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
After 3-4 hours, working over the sink, remove the ice and place the cucumber and onions in a colandar to drain. Be sure to discard all of the ice.
In a large non-reactive pot combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, whole cloves, and kosher sea salt. Stir and heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the cucumber and onions and stir. Bring back to a boil and boil for 30 miinutes, stirring occasionally.
I err on the side of caution and go one step further to sterilize my jars. Wet the clean jars and microwave them for 1 minute on high. Add the new jar lids and rings to a pot of water and bring them up to a simmer.
To begin canning your pickles, remove jars from the microwave. Using a jar funnel, fill each jar with pickles, gently pressing to pack the pickles in the jars. Fill the jars and add brine to within 1/2-inch of the top of the jar. With a clean, wet cloth, wipe off the jar rim. Please a hot, sterilized lid on top and secure with a ring. Continue to fill each jar.
Using a jar lifter add the jars to a hot water bath. Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 15 minutes. Remove hot jars, using a jar lifter, to a dish towel covered counter. Allow to cool off at room temperature. You should hear the lids start to seal. Check the lids after they have cooled to make sure they all sealed. At this point, if the lid did not seal, remove the lid and begin again with a new lid.

Cheesy Onion Casserole

Christmas is all about traditions to me. I try to keep the traditions from my childhood and the ones Greg and I have started as a family, going today. I’m not sure we had a traditional Christmas Eve meal when the kids were smaller. I think that maybe it was whatever I could get on the table in the rush of the season.

When we lived in Florida, at the kid’s request, it became shrimp every Christmas Eve. Since moving back to Georgia, it seems that Christmas Eve dinner has never been the same. This year I plan to try something new and bake a prime rib. That should please everyone, and I will not have to spend all day in the kitchen.

This casserole has the taste of a French Onion Soup. It is packed with flavor and should pair wonderfully with the prime rib. My plan is to saute’ the onions a day or two ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator. Then assemble and bake the casserole on Christmas Eve.

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Cheesy Onion Casserole

Course Side Dish

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large yellow onions sliced into rings
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 (10-ounce) can Cream of Chicken soup undiluted
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
sliced French bread (sliced 1/2-inch thick)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and saute until translucent.
Add a few turns of freshly ground pepper and stir.
Pour onions into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish.
Top with 2/3 of the Swiss cheese and set aside.
In a medium bowl mix soup, milk, and soy sauce. Pour over the cheese and onions.
Top with French bread slices.
Bake at 350℉, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and gently push the bread down into sauce.
Top with remaining cheese.
Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Pot Roast Stuffed Potatoes

Years ago, when I was in college, there was a nearby restaurant that served all kinds of stuffed baked potatoes. My friends and I loved going there for lunch and trying the many different variations. One that I enjoy making at home is the Pot Roast Stuffed Potatoes.

Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods on a cold evening, and this recipe is the very best! I recommend using amber beer for an earthy, delicious stew. Even if you want to skip the potato, you should really give this stew a try.

However, is you enjoy a tasty potato and you have never tried baking them coated in salt, without foil, I urge you to give it a try. These potatoes have a lighter, flakier texture than any foil-wrapped baked potato. The oil and salt allow the potato skin to bake up perfectly crispy. Brush off the salt before serving, and it will be the yummiest potato you have ever put in your mouth!

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Pot Roast Stuffed Potatoes

Course Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

2 pounds chuck roast cut into chunks
All-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups diced onions
1 cup beer
1 cup beef broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced (optional)
4 large russet potatoes
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt or sea salt
Sour cream optional
Butter optional

Instructions

Coat roast in flour and set aside.
Heat a little oil in a hot skillet and sear beef. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
Add beef to a slow-cooker.
Add in the carrots, onions, beer, broth, thyme, paprika, soup mix, salt, pepper and cream of mushroom soup.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove the thyme stems. Using two forks, shred the beef in the crock pot.
Preheat oven to 425℉.
Pour about 1/2 cup salt in a small bowl, set aside.
Using a fork, prick the potatoes a few times.
Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Add a little oil and then rub to coat the potatoes.
Coat the potatoes with salt. Place on a large baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hours, or until tender.
When the potatoes are cooked. Carefully rub the salt off. Cut potatoes and add some butter. Spoon stew into the potato and top with sour cream, if desired.