Roast Beef/Pot Roast

Beef rump roast, sirloin, chuck roast 

Beef broth or beef bullion cubes

Carrots, onions, potatoes

Salt and pepper roast and cover with flour. Brown in bacon grease or oil. Add beef broth or water and cubes.

If you want pot roast, add vegetables cut into large chunks. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for three to four hours or in a crock pot.

Sweet-Sour Beef Stew

1 ½ lbs. beef stew meat

 ¼ c. brown sugar

2 tablespoons cooking oil 

¼ c. vinegar

1 c. chopped carrot 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 c. sliced onion 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce Hot cooked noodles

Brown meat in hot oil Add next 6 ingredients and ½ c. water and salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat till meat is tender. Combine cornstarch and ¼ c. cold water and add to thicken Serve over noodles

A lot of these recipes are done from memory. These are the recipes I always come back to. Maybe it's because they remind me of the time we had all our family together. I think it is also because they are easy and no fuss recipes. They are kind of our comfort foods.

Beef Stew

1 can Golden Mushroom Soup 

1 lb. stew meat

2 cans Cream of Celery soup 

carrots, potatoes, celery, onions - diced

1 envelope of Lipton's Onion Soup

Mix all ingredients together in roasting pan and bake in 350 degree oven for 3 hrs. or until vegetables are tender.

Can also cook this in a crock pot.

Mexican Lasagna

1lb hamburger 

1 can green chilies

½ onion 

1 can refried beans

1 green pepper shredded cheese

1 can enchilada sauce flour tortillas

Brown hamburger, add onion, green pepper and enchilada sauce. Simmer 10 minutes. Layer tortillas in a 9X13 pan. Spread half meat mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle can of green chilies over meat mixture. Add a second layer of tortillas. Spread on can of refried beans. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese (Mexican flavor adds extra spice) over beans. Add another layer of tortillas and spread with remaining meat mixture. Top with 1 cup of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meatballs (Megan M.)

Meatballs (Megan M.)

1 or 2 packages meatballs

 3 cups brown sugar

3 cups Ketchup 

¼ c. while vinegar 

½ cup soy sauce

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low.

Lasagna (Mom)

1lb. hamburger 

onion, chopped 

¾ tsp. pepper

2 cloves garlic 

½ tsp. oregano

6 oz. can tomato paste 

12 oz. cottage cheese

2 ½ c. tomatoes Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tsp. salt 

Lasagna noodles, cooked, small package

Brown the hamburger, onion, and garlic. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano. Cover and simmer 20 minutes while cooking noodles. In a cake pan alternate layers of noodles, cottage cheese, meat mixture and Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes. This can be made ahead and refrigerated. Then allow 15 extra minutes to bake.

Hamburger Gravy (Mom)

½ lb hamburger, browned and rinsed

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon flour

½ tsp. salt

1 cup milk

Make a white sauce by melting butter in saucepan. Blend in flour, salt and dash of pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook quickly, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add hamburger to sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes.

In our poor college days we ate this a lot because it was inexpensive and filling. As we were raising our family, and money was tight this helped us through some months when there was more month than money. Our kids didn't seem to mind. Binny asked for this recipe. I think it's because he always loved mashed potatoes, and not necessarily the gravy.