I was at work chatting with some co-workers about our dinner plans. I explained that, at my husband’s request, I was going to attempt a Detroit style Coney Dog. “Detroit or Flint style?” one of them asked, while another nodded knowingly. “Ummm… yes?” was my ever-intelligent response. Despite having lived in Michigan for most of my life I have actually never had an authentic Detroit Coney dog (unless you count one from a chain restaurant in the Detroit airport during a layover on our honeymoon. And since it was less than delicious I won’t count it, so neither should you. Glad we settled that.) And I certainly have never had a Flint Coney dog. My one and only foray in to Flint, Michigan involved getting lost in what I can only describe as the ghetto, running out of gas, then my mom driving the wrong way on a one way street. Needless to say we didn’t exactly stop for dinner and chill after all of that.

From what I understand from my Mo-Town friends, this is a pretty authentic replica of a Motor City Coney dog. Apparently to make it even more authentic you can use a bit of ground up beef heart in place of some of the beef. In this case I’m ok with lacking a smidge of authenticity.

What I do know is that this beats the pants off any chili dog, Coney dog or just plain ole hot dog I’ve ever had. Slightly spicy and very hearty, it’s a definite Man-Food that this girl downright loved. Mo-Town rocks again.

One Year Ago
White Wine Chicken with Mushrooms

Two Years Ago
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Detroit-Style Coney Dogs
printable recipe
yields enough sauce for about 12 dogs

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth
4 ounces tomato paste
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

Directions:
Mix the chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, salt & pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the beef, chopping with a spatula to break into very small pieces. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté until the beef is browned and the onions and peppers are softened. Strain the beef mixture retaining 3 tablespoons of the fat, draining the rest.

Whisk the remaining beef fat with the flour to make a roux, stirring until golden. Stir in the beef broth, tomato paste and cider vinegar.

Add the beef back into the pot and stir together. Stir the seasonings into the pan and mix until combined. Let simmer for 15 minutes to an hour.

Serve over a hot dog in a bun. Traditionally served with chopped onion and mustard. Ever better if served with bottle of Vernors ginger ale!

Source: AmazingRibs.com

I firmly believe every busy mom needs to have a few dinnertime tricks up her sleeve. This, dear friends, is one of mine. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s pretty tasty. A great weeknight dinner that my kids devour.

Sure, it’s not exactly Beef Wellington, but who says every night has to be fine dining. We can slum it with hot dogs like the best of ‘em. I kid, of course, about the slumming thing. Sometimes hot dogs just rule.

Cheeseburger Pasta
printable recipe
serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef (this would be great with ground turkey also)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon butter or Olive Oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 ounces dry pasta shape of your choosing

Directions:
Sauté the onion in the butter until soft and translucent. Add the beef to the pan and brown, chopping into small pieces as it cooks.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

Once the beef is cooked through add the chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, pepper and flour to the pan. Mix to combine well. Pour the broth into the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth has reduced by half and is starting to thicken slightly.

Turn off the heat and add the milk and cheese to the pan, stirring to melt the cheese and combine evenly.

Mix the sauce with the pasta and serve!

Source: What’s Cooking in the Orange Kitchen

If I had to choose, if I absolutely had to, I think beef stroganoff would be my favorite meal. But please don’t make me choose. That would be cruel.

Normally when I make beef stroganoff I make the same recipe that my mom always made when I was growing up. But this time, I needed something fairly quick that I could make for dinner, so obviously making it in the crockpot wasn’t an option.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll tell you that Brian didn’t care much for this version. We determined that apparently he doesn’t like the taste of sherry. I liked it a lot and didn’t think it tasted too sherry-ish but next time I make it I’ll probably either use less of it or completely eliminate in and increase the amount of broth we use. That being said, it was nice having beef stroganoff on a whim and I’ll definitely keep this in my arsenal.

Lighter Beef Stroganoff
print this recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless sirloin steak, trimmed
3 cups (8 oz)  sliced cremini mushrooms
½ cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
¼ cup dry sherry
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¾ cup low-fat sour cream
4 cups hot cooked egg noodles
3 Tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Prepare egg noodles according to package directions.

Cut the beef across the grain into 2 inch slices, ½ inch thick.

Spay a large skillet with cooking spray and saute the beef strips for 2 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Saute the onions and mushrooms in the pan for about 4 minutes, or until the onion is tender and slightly golden. Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan and combine with the beef. Set aside.

Add the butter to the pan and melt, then add in flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, then gradually add the beef broth to the pan, whisking to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 1 minute.

Stir in the beef, mushrooms and onions, sherry, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 seconds, then stir in the sour cream.

Serve the beef mixture over noodles and sprinkle with parsley.

Source: Cooking Light

Brian immediately started planning out what we’d do with all of this delightful meat. His first choice was to use some elk back strap stuffed with blue cheese and covered in Asiago.  This recipe will be staying in my back pocket for next time I need to make beef steaks too.

Asiago Blue Cheese Stuffed Venison
print this recipe

Ingredients:
1 large venison steak or back strap  (any wild game meat or thin-cut steak will work)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
8 oz. blue cheese
1 lb bacon
kosher salt
crushed black pepper
crushed garlic
oregano
shredded Asiago cheese for garnish

Directions:
Turn oven to broil.

Filet the back strap in a spiral cut until it lays completely flat and about ¼ inch thick.

In a small bowl blend the cream cheese and blue cheese together until combined. Spread evenly onto the steak. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, garlic and oregano, then roll the steak into a spiral.

Wrap the steak with bacon, covering entirely. Secure the bacon and steak with toothpicks.

Broil for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Slice into ¾ inch sections and lay each section flat on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each piece with Asiago cheese and broil again until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Source: Adapted from Brian’s cousin Chris. Original source unknown.

Pan-Seared T-bone Steaks with Red Wine Reduction
print this recipe

Ingredients:
4 T-bone steaks
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for searing meat in the pan
2 teaspoons minced shallots
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
¾ cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus 4 sprigs for garnishing plates
1 ½ cups beef stock
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450°

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan and once heated, saute the shallots and garlic. Add the wine to the pan to deglaze and mix in the rosemary. Simmer the wine until it’s nearly evaporated, then add in the stock, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat to keep warm while cooking the steaks.

Pour a Tablespoon or two of oil into a large oven-proof skillet. Blot the steaks dry on both sides, then salt liberally with kosher salt and pepper.

Once the oil has started to smoke add the meat and sear for about 4 minutes, flip and sear the other side for about 4 more minutes or until browned.  Place the skillet into the oven and roast until internal temperature reaches 120° for medium-rare, about 6-8 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Food Network

As much as I love to cook, its sometimes nice when Brian takes over the cooking for the evening. Even better, when he makes some as fantastic as this chili! I love finding great crockpot and freezer-friendly recipes. This is also one of those foods that gets even better after freezing- something about all those peppers and spices sitting mixed with everything else. It’s so flavorful! Because this freezes so well we make a huge double batch of this every time.  The recipe below reflects the double batch.

Chili
print this recipe

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef or venison
2 red peppers, diced into larger chunks
2 yellow peppers, diced into larger chunks
2 1/2 C frozen corn
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 30 oz. can chili beans
1 medium onion, chopped
2 C canned black beans
3 T. chili powder
Tabasco  to taste
sour cream and cheese to top, if desired

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown and drain the beef. Chop the peppers and onion. Add these into the crockpot. Add in the rest of the ingredients, aside from the sour cream and cheese, and mix well.

Simmer for 8-10 hours on low. Garnish with sour cream and cheese, serve.

Source: A Brian original

Brian and I are often in need of fast but tasty dinner options. What with 2 kids, jobs, and long commutes each day we unfortunately don’t often have time in the evenings to make the time-consuming but awesome dinners I’d like to prepare. Thankfully these sloppy joes are both delicious and quick and easy. It’s a standard dinner option in our house.

The recipe below is for a double batch. We always make a double, if not triple, batch of this since the sloppy joe beef freezes and re-heats so well. The measurements for the ingredients are an approximation since we tend to add them to-taste instead of by measurements.

Sloppy Joes
print this recipe

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 1/2 c catsup
2 T brown sugar
1/4 C vinegar
1 medium onion, diced
olive oil or butter for sauteing

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the onion in a bit of olive oil or butter until softened. Add in the ground beef to the pan and brown the beef, then drain any excess grease.

Add in the catsup, vinegar, and brown sugar. Simmer until completely heated. Serve on a bun.

Source: a Laura original

Tacos are one of the few things our family could eat once a week, every single week and never get tired of. In fact, we do eat them pretty much every week. All this time I’ve been buying those little seasoning packets, and using double the seasoning amounts because they were good, but just not spicy or flavorful enough for us.

Then one day a few weeks ago I was looking at the packet and the ingredients list had only 3-4 ingredients. One of the ingredients was “spices”. Um, a bit ambiguous, don’t you think? I for one like to know what is in my food. Along came this fabulous recipe. I’d made taco seasoning from home once before and it was good, but missing a little something. This was perfect. I added in a bit of red pepper flakes to give it a bit more oomph and I was pleased with the results. This taco seasoned beef made the absolute best taco salads the next day that I’ve ever had. It would make an absolute killer batch of wet burritos or cheesy taco pasta bake, too. I am never going back to those little packets again!

Taco Seasoning
print this recipe

Since its been a few weeks now since I’ve had them, they started to sound exceptional again. However, now that we have 2 children, we’re trying to stay home even more. So, to the Internet I went to try to find a wet burrito recipe (which, BTW, was surprisingly hard to find!) and I came across this one. It did not disappoint. It wasn’t, obviously, exactly like the restaurant version but they were amazingly good!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, thawed
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 small onions, chopped
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 can Refried Beans
1 can tomato sauce + 1 can water
1 pkg Burrito Seasoning Mix
Cornstarch + Cold Water
4 large flour tortillas
1-2 bags Shredded Mexican or Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Green/Red Sweet Peppers
Sour Cream, Salsa, Guacamole (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375°.

Brown the ground beef in the oil with the garlic & onion. Once browned, add taco seasoning & refried beans. (The original directions don’t specify to do so, but I kept this simmering on low to heat the beans up)

To make the sauce, mix the tomato sauce, 1 can of water and burrito seasoning in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 part cornstarch to 3 parts of cold water, then whisk slowly into the tomato sauce until it is thickened to your preferred consistency.

The original instructions say to add sauce to the bottom of the pan, and also to spread it over the top of the burritos. Since this makes them a bit smooshy for leftovers, I would recommend adding the sauce after you bake the burritos, right before eating if you plan to reheat them at a later time.

Spread the meat/bean mixture into 4 burrito tortillas, then add any fillings you’d like. I did lettuce and tomato.

Roll up each tortilla and lay them in the pan. Cover with cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Cover with sauce, then serve.

Source: grouprecipes.com 

Such an ugly picture. Such a tasty dish.

Don't judge this recipe by my poor photography attempt. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
15-ounce can tomato sauce
8 ounces medium shell pasta (I used bowtie since I’d run out of shells)
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown and drain the ground beef. Mix in the taco seasoning and the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Mix together the softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Set aside.

Lightly mist the bottom of a 9×13 pan with oil. Pour the pasta into the bottom of the pan, then smear the cream cheese mix on top.

Spoon the sauce mix onto the top, then sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Source: Cooking This and That