Crock Pot Swiss Steak

Ever since reading last month's issue of Real Simple I've had comfort food on the brain. This recipe is my ultimate favorite comfort food item. It meets all my qualifications- easy to cook, warm and filling, melt in my mouth delicious and best of all, it brings back memories of my childhood. (Oh, and it goes great with mashed potatoes, which is a must!) My dad is the cook in the family, but I think this may have been one of my mom's specialties.

This recipe uses a tougher cut of beef which works great for crock pot cooking. I whipped this up for some friends and it served 4 adults and 2 toddlers, with plenty of left overs.

It's so simple and simply amazing. Try it. I promise, you'll love it. :)

GATHER:
2 lbs round steak, tenderized
3, 28 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup flour
salt/pepper, to taste


COOK:

Before throwing this meal straight into the crock pot, tenderize and brown the meat as follows.... Put the flour to a shallow bowl or dish; seasoned with salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the mixture and tenderize with a meat mallet. Repeat several times. Cut into bite size pieces and brown meat on the stove, in a medium sized skillet. Just a quick 2 minutes on each side will do.

Then throw the meat in the crock pot. Cover with the stewed tomatoes and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

SERVE:
When I think of Swiss Steak, I think of mashed potatoes. They are like peanut butter and jelly. They just go together. So, that's how I server it- over a heaping pile of creamy mashed potatoes. With a green veggie on the side.

Comfort food, at it's best.

BBQ Meatloaf

I grew up eating meat loaf. It was one of my mom's 10 go-to recipes. In order to get my brothers and I to eat it she added a cup of salsa to the mix. Anything with salsa is yummy in my book. I had planned to cook mom's version several times, but my hubby's grimace every time I mentioned it kept me from trying. He was not a meatloaf fan, at all.

That is, until I came up with this little recipe. This meat loaf is now his favorite meal of all time. And best of all, it's super easy to make.

GATHER:
for the loaf...
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 grated cheese
salt/pepper, to taste

for glaze...
2 tbsp favorite BBQ sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 tbsp honey

COOK:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease baking dish.

In a medium sized bowl, combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of cheese. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Form beef into loaf and place in the baking dish.

Tip: Place two slices of bread on the bottom of your dish before adding the meatloaf and the bread will soak up all the extra grease.

In a separate bowl, mix together all ingredients for the sauce. Spread over the meat loaf, coating all sides. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.

Bake for 30-45 minutes.

SERVE:
I usually serve this with a fresh, green salad and couscous.

Enjoy!