This one is a classic family recipe of ours. I grew up eating this pepper steak, before I even really knew that I liked Chinese food. This is also the recipe that taught David that he likes Chinese food. Now he happily eats at P.F. Chang’s, Opera, and of course, my Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry and Chicken & Broccoli Fried Rice. I’ve also got him hooked on these potstickers from Costco, but that’s another story.

This doesn’t have to be made in a crockpot, of course, but I’ve always had good luck making it that way. Taking advantage of the crockpot lets you use less tender cuts of beef. I make this dish as outlined below, but for those who like them, onions or mushrooms would be a welcome addition. You probably aren’t surprised to learn that we serve this dish with Alton Brown’s Baked Brown Rice, but white instant rice would be just fine, if that’s what you prefer. David skips the chow mein noodles, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re a necessity!

Crock-Pot Chinese Pepper Steak

• 2 cans beef gravy
• 1 pound of stew beef or roundsteak, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 large green peppers, seeded & chopped
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained
• 2 cups rice, cooked
• 2 TBSP hoisin sauce
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup tomato juice or vegetable juice (like V8)
• 1 Cup chow mein noodles

I enjoy cooking, but sometimes I want something quick and easy and this definitely qualifies. It’s simple, but it really hits the spot for a pizza craving, and the way I make it, it’s a lot healthier too. It’s delicious as it is, but if you’re not very health conscious, you could certainly use higher-fat ingredients. I don’t think you need to, though.

Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

• 1 pound 96% lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped (I skipped the onion)
• 16 oz. low-fat pizza sauce
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 17 slices Turkey Pepperoni
• 15 oz. refrigerated breadsticks or biscuit dough
• 2 c. part skim milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Veggie Toppings (feel free to add any vegetables you’d put on pizza: mushrooms, olives, whatever. I personally skip the veggies on my pizza, so I skipped them here too)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet, brown beef and pepperoni over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain beef and return to skillet. Stir in onion, tomato sauce, Pizza sauce, basil, garlic and Italian seasoning.

2. Add veggies, if using. Add quartered biscuits; stir gently until biscuits are covered with sauce. Spoon mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: I’ve made this one before, and I’m sure I’ll make it again. I like it better with breadstick dough than with the biscuit dough, but it was good both ways. The directions may sound strange, but the dough pieces puff up from inside the dish to take the place of pizza crust. It’s really good.

Beef Stroganoff is a dish that Leah and I both love. It’s not David’s favorite, but he tolerates it for us. If you aren’t familiar with the dish, it’s chunks of tender beef in a rich, creamy sauce, usually served over egg noodles. You’ll also usually find mushrooms in Beef Stroganoff, though I happen to live with a couple of mushroom haters. As you’ll see, I found a way around that.

There are a lot of ways to make Beef Stroganoff, I imagine. I have made this on the stove top before, simmering the sauce long enough to get the meat nice and tender, but it lends itself very well to slow-cooking, and that’s my preferred method. That’s how I cooked it for dinner tonight. (In my new slow-cooker, I might add).

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
Serves 4

• 1.5 to 2 pounds lean stew beef or trimmed round steak, cut into 1.5 inch pieces.
• 1 15 oz. can Beef Gravy (I use Campbell’s–two smaller cans are fine if you can’t find the larger one)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 preparation sauteed mushrooms, recipe to follow
• 1 package of egg noodles
• 1 cup of sour cream

1. Preheat about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef, garlic, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the beef shows some carmelization. Stir in the can of beef gravy and red wine.

2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

3. When the beef sauce is finished, prepare egg noodles according to directions on package. Right before serving, stir in sour cream. Sauce should be relatively thick; if it seems too thin, feel free to thicken with 2 tablespoons of flour whisked into a small amount of cold water. Serve over egg noodles. Garnish with extra sour cream, if desired.

Note: Mushrooms and Stroganoff belong together. If you’re cooking for mushroom eaters, you can take the easy way out, and add a large can (or two small cans) to the beef mixture as it goes into the crockpot. Or, you can take the more delicious way out, and toss in my sauteed mushrooms, outlined below. If, like me, you live with people who will not tolerate the fungi, just saute the mushrooms for yourself and add them to your portion. These fresh sauteed mushrooms have enough rich flavor on their own–they don’t need to stew with the beef all day to be tasty like the canned version.

Sauteed Mushrooms
My own creation

• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms (I used plain white button mushrooms, but feel free to be creative)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of sour cream

1. Add extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (the surface will shimmer) add the mushrooms in one layer. Cook just until the edges begin to brown.

2. Once the mushrooms start to brown, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add Parmesan cheese, cook for 1 more minute, and then sprinkle with flour.

3. Once the flour is golden brown, add the cream and sour cream and stir together. Remove from heat. The mushrooms should have a buttery aroma and a thick texture.

4. Enjoy! These will melt right into your Stroganoff sauce, but they’re also very tasty on their own.

The mushrooms should be bound together with the flour and cream mixture–it tastes like cream of mushroom, but much, much thicker. Also, the parmesan cheese forms a delicious crunchy crust at the edges of each bite–yum!

Throughout my tenure as a server at the Olive Garden, I had what seems like millions of breadsticks and at least 100,000 bowls of soup. This soup at the OG is a lot like chili, but with an Italian twist. This recipe recreates it pretty well, with a few punched up ingredients.

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Serves 8

• 1 lb. 93% lean ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)  (I buy pre-shredded carrots)
• 3 ribs celery, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained (I used San Marzanos this time, and they were amazing)
• 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 ½ cups vegetable juice (I used V8)
• 15-oz. can red kidney beans, undrained
• 15-oz. can great northern beans, undrained
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 4 oz. (1 cup) uncooked ditalini pasta (I used small shells)
• freshly grated parmesan and croutons or garlic toast for garnish

Brown the ground beef, in a stock pot, stirring to break it up until no longer pink and cooked through; drain off any drippings.

Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery to the pot; cook, stirring, 5 to 6 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Add remaining ingredients (except pasta); reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. When there are just 10 minutes of cooking time left, prepare the pasta as package directs for al dente noodles; drain.

Add pasta to soup and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.