Pumpkin Chili

2lbs ground beef
1 medium, or 1/2 large onion, chopped
2 (16oz) cans mild chili beans
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 to 1 cup beef broth
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp brown sugar -OR- 1/2 a Hershey bar

Brown beef with chopped onion.  Drain off excess fat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer.  Serve hot with traditional chili toppings.

Recipe modified from original found HERE.

Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes aka "Crumbly Cheeseburgers"

1 lb ground beef
1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
1/2 of a green pepper, chopped
1-2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp beef bouillon granules (or two cubes, crushed)
water
hamburger buns
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2ish cups milk
1/2 cup colby/jack shredded cheese
4-5 slices of American cheese

Brown beef in skillet with vegetables.  Drain fat.  Sprinkle flour and bouillon over beef and stir to coat.  When bubbly again, pour a little water into beef to get beef to stick together and make a thick sauce/gravy.

In separate saucepan, while meat is cooking, melt butter.  When bubbly, whisk in flour.  When bubbly, slowly whisk in milk.  Heat on med-high heat, stirring frequently, until milk mixture starts to bubble and thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until completely melted through.

Spoon meat onto toasted hamburger buns.  Top with a generous spoonful of cheesesauce.  Enjoy!

*my kids also liked having a squirt of ketchup on the bun, making it more like a "crumbly cheeseburger."

Recipe by Meredith

Corned Beef and Sweet Potato Hash

8 oz. corned beef
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
1 medium yellow onion
4 Tbsp butter
1 jalapeño pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
freshly cracked pepper and unrefined salt, to taste

Finely chop the sweet potatoes, onion, and corned beef in small, fairly consistent pieces (I did about 1/4-1/2"). Heat the 2 Tbsp of fat in the pan over medium-low heat, add the onions and jalapeño, and saute until onions become translucent. Then add the potatoes and the corned beef. Saute for for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Then add remaining 2 Tbsp of fat, turn up the heat, stir, and fry until potatoes become slightly crisp and golden. Remove from heat, add fresh thyme leaves, and season to taste with freshly cracked pepper and unrefined salt.

Recipe found online HERE.

Beef with Broccoli

1 cup thinly sliced beef
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups broccoli, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup beef broth

Toss beef in soy sauce. Stir fry salt and garlic in oil. Add beef; cook until done. Removed and set aside. Add broccoli, onions, and mushrooms with small amount of water; cook until crisp tender. Mix cornstarch with broth; add to vegetables along with beef. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with rice.

Recipe from Jenn

Asian Lettuce Wraps

• 16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef, pork, or chicken
  
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Campout Stew

1 lb beef stew meat
3-4 large carrots, cut into chunks
4 stalks celery, cut into chunks,
2-3 large potatoes, cut into chunks
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
tomato juice
salt & pepper

Cook stew meat in large pot. Add onion. Once meat is brown, drain off any grease. Add tomatoes, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Add enough tomato juice to completely coat all ingredients (3-4 cups). Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until all veggies are tender (approx. 20-30 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Recipe by Meredith

Chili

1 to 1 1/2 lb ground beef, turkey, or venison
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 packet chili seasoning
2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15oz) cans chili beans - mild or hot
garlic powder
onion powder (optional)
salt & pepper
hot sauce

Brown meat in skillet. Add and cook onions with meat. Once meat is cooked through, drain grease. Transfer meat & onions to soup pot. Add chili seasoning, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to boil. Add garlic powder, onion powder (if not using onions), salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Serve hot with cornbread or Fritos corn chips. Top with cheese and sour cream.

Recipe by Meredith

Chicken or Beef Spedini

chicken breasts
thinly cut beef (like breakfast steak)
Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
garlic powder
1/2 to 1 stick butter or margerine, melted
lemon juice

- Pound chicken with a meat tenderizer until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. If making beef, no pounding is necessary.
- In a bowl, combine butter and lemon juice.
- In another bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Dip meat in butter bath and then into crumb mixture, coating evenly on both sides.
- Roll meat into a log and set aside. Repeat dipping a rolling until finished.
- Cut logs into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. They will look like little spirals.
- Place slices on skewer.
- Broil skewers for 5-6 minutes, then flip and broil another 5-6 minutes. You may have to flip them and do a final 5-6 minutes, depending on how thick the slices were cut.

TIPS
- I soak my bamboo skewers in water for a couple of hours before sticking the meat on them. It prevents the bamboo from charring during the broiling.
- After rolling up the meat, I refrigerate for an hour or so; it makes it a lot easier and less messy to cut into slices.
- You may substitute lemon zest for lemon juice. Just add it to the dry ingredients.
- As far as the dry ingredients go, sorry about the non-measurements! I usually do half crumbs and half cheese, and then garlic to taste.

Original recipe from Mary

Meatloaf

1 to 1 1/2 lbs hamburger, or ground turkey
8 oz tomato sauce, or ketchup
3/4 cup oats
1 egg
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients. Bake at 350 for 1 hour in greased loaf pan.

Recipe from Mary

Barbecued Beef

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbsp Worchestershire suace
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 4lb boneless chuck roast

Place chuck roast in slow cooker. Mix all ingredients and pour over chuck roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove roast from slow cooker, shred with a ford, and return to slow cooker. Stir meat to evenly coat with sauce. Continue cooking approximately 1 hour.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Beef Cubes

1 1/2 lbs stew meat
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup cooking wine
1/2 pkg dry onion soup mix

Mix all together in casserole dish. Cover and bake at 300 for 3 hours. Serve over noodles or rice.

Recipe from Mary

Mushroom Round Steak

1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2-3 Tbsp oil
round steak, cut into 5 or 6 pieces

Pound steak in flour. Brown meat in oil in skillet. After meat is brown, drain, then pour soup plus 1/2 cup water on top. Sprinkle in dry soup and fresh mushrooms (optional). Simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check every 30 minutes. Serve with rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Recipe from Mary