Meal Monday - 6/1/15

What a weekend!  I'm actually glad it's over.  We were super busy and didn't sleep all that well, so I'm looking forward to starting over fresh on this Monday morning.  Last night, we had some thunderstorms, which I love, and it's supposed to rain today and tomorrow, too.  (I love the rain.  It makes me want to sit on my porch with a cup of coffee or snuggle on my couch in sweats and watch a good Lifetime movie.)

 

I have two meals to share with you today.  The first is London broil that we had with a horseradish/sour cream sauce, corn on the cob, fresh bread, and my mother-in-law's potato casserole.  Oh, and beer.  Can't forget the beer.



 

I marinated the London broil with one of those McCormick marinade packets that you just add oil, vinegar, and water to, and then my husband grilled it (along with the corn on the cob).  It looks like a steak in the first picture above, but I promise you that it was a big piece of meat.  We slice it thinly for serving as you can see in the second picture.

 

The dish on the right in the second picture is a super easy potato side dish my mother-in-law makes.  You cut up potatoes into small squares, slice up some baby carrots, and chop some onions.  Put it all in a microwaveable dish and top with salt, pepper, and a few slices of butter.  Cover it with Saran Wrap and microwave for 4-5 minutes.  Stir, then microwave a few more minutes, checking the doneness of the potatoes with a fork each time.  When they're soft, it's ready. 

 

This is a fairly easy meal since there's not a whole lot to do.  In fact, the second meal I have to share with you is also pretty easy.  I tried a new recipe for shredded beef tacos with guacamole that I found in Family Circle, and IT'S A WINNER!

 

I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food, though I hardly ever make Mexican at home.  It's so much easier to order out, right?  Well, when I saw the picture for these in the magazine, and then when I saw how few ingredients it required, I was in. 

 

And I'm so glad I was.

 

The recipe for the shredded beef is below the picture, and then I just bought flour tortillas and warmed them on the stovetop (you can also do this in the microwave).  You can add any toppings you like, but we used shredded cheese, mango salsa, salsa verde, sour cream, and - of course - guacamole.  I didn't have time to make my own guac, so it was store bought, but I bet homemade would have been so much better.

 

I was thinking that the beef would be great on nachos, too.  Next time!

 

 

Beef Tacos with Chunky Guacamole (copied directly from Family Circle's May 2015 issue)

 

Makes 12 tacos, plus 3 cups beef mixture for another meal

Prep 15 minutes

Cook 12 minutes

Slow Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours

 

1 beef chuck roast (about 3.5 lbs)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, sliced (*NOTE: I only used 1 clove)

1 cup beef broth

12 fajita-size flour tortillas, heated gently

Chunky guacamole (recipe follows)

 

• Season roast with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add roast and brown on all sides, about 12 minutes total.  Remove and discard strings if roast is tied.
• Coat slow cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray.  Place roast in slow cooker and season with chili powder, cumin, and cayenne.  Top with onion, sweet pepper, and garlic.  Pour broth over top.
• Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
• Remove roast to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks.  Stir meat back into liquid in slow cooker.
• Wrap 1/4 cup beef mixture in each warmed tortilla and top with chunky guacamole.

Chunky Guacamole

Coarsely mash 4 ripe avocados in a medium bowl.  Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion, 1/2 cup quartered grape tomatoes, 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno, 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt.

 

* * * * *

 

Last thing to share...

 

We ended up going out to dinner a few nights ago with my mom, and I took this picture of the bread and butter that was brought out to our table because the butter rosettes were adorable.  Don't you think?  I love when places do little fancy things like this.



Hope you'll stop back tomorrow!  Here's to a great week.

(source)