This was my Christmas Eve dinner for many years!

Peloponnesian Pot Roast

Ingredients
2 1/2-3 pound Beef pot roast
8 cloves garlic-cut in half
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Hot cooked spaghetti
3 cups tomatoe sauce
2 tablespoons brown vinegar
1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
6-8 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

Method

Make slits in top of roast with tip of sharp knife; insert garlic halves into slits. Sprinkle roast with salt & pepper. In large skillet, brown meat on both sides in hot oil. Take meat from skillet & put into small roaster.

Combine tomato sauce, vinegar, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon & allspice. Pour mixture over meat in roaster.

Cover and roast at 350 degrees for about 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat to cutting board; keep warm.

Bring juices in roaster to boiling; boil, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced a bit. Remove the cloves from the sauce. Remove the garlic from meat, if desired. Cut meat into serving portions & serve over spaghetti with a little sauce over the top.

My BIL likes to cook, too. Even though he's legally blind he makes incredible dishes. I've posted it before but this is my favorite:

JIMMY'S BROWN SUGAR MEATLOAF

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all ingredients except brown sugar and ketchup. Shape into a loaf. Place on a baking sheet and top with brown sugar. Spread sugar to cover the top. Top the sugar with ketchup. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear. Serves 8. Patti's note: I don't use the loaf pan, I just shape it and put in a roasting pan and after about 20 minutes I put potatoes and carrots in the pan to roast with it.

Hamburger Steaks

1 lb ground round/80% lean(You need a little fat from the meat to make this taste good)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 med yellow onion/sliced
salt & pepper/seasoning salt
4 TBL canola oil
2 cups beef broth
Dash of Kitchen Bouquet(for color)optional

Pat ground beef into 4 patties.
Dredge in flour with salt, pepper & seasoning salt to taste. (I putthe flour on a little bread plate and lay the patties on the flour). Put 4 TBL cooking oil into skillet, heat, then drop patties into hot skillet. Brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add 1 sliced onion, cook till glassy. Remove to a plate. Add remaining flour to skillet, stir till it starts turning brown, making a roux with a little of the oil & juices still left in the pan....or add 2 TBL butter if needed. Now add 2 cups beef broth, adding slowly, whisking as you go, add the Kitchen Bouquet(optional). Once it's thickened, add the onions back in, more salt & pepper if needed. Serve the onion gravy over the patties.

Oh Walnutcreek, I always loved that episode of hers and vowed to make that dinner someday for DH and I. A very small roast, to be sure, as it is very expensive.

I haven't tried the below recipe. My sister sent it to me and said her family really enjoyed it. It is in my to try folder.

Beef Birmingham

1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound beef for stew, cut in thin strips
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup beef bouillon
Dash pepper
Hot cooked rice or noodles

Saute garlic, beef, onion, and celery in hot oil until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients, except for rice, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer one hour, or till meat is tender. Add additional liquid during cooking if needed. Serve with hot cooked rice or noodles.

Tried and true!

Beef Stroganoff (Affordable, Easy)

1 large sweet onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced, if desired
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
1 lb ground beef
2 T olive oil, or veg oil
1 T Dijon mustard
1 c sour cream
1 ý Tbs flour
1 Tbs hot sauce of your choice (I use Louisiana hot sauce)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can Consommé (if you donâÂÂt have this, use beef broth)

In fry pan, sauté onions in oil/grease until tender. Add mushrooms and sauté also until tender. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Pour in can of consommé.

Simmer on low heat until it comes to a boil.

Combine sour cream with flour, and stir into meat mixture. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Simmer on low heat until thickened.

Serve over rice, pasta, potatoes or French fries.

Salisbury Steak with Onion Mushroom Gravy
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 jar (12 ounces) beef gravy*, divided (in original recipe; can use beef gravy listed below)
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced, or 1 jar (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup water
Combine beef, 1/4 cup gravy, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and onion powder; mix well. Shape into 6 oval patties.

Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Brown patties over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

In same skillet, saute onions and mushrooms until tender. Stir in gravy and water and simmer for 1 minute. Return beef to skillet; cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until beef is cooked to desired doneness.

Beef Gravy

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 t beef base
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
Black pepper, to taste
Splash of Worcestershire sauce or Kitchen Bouquet, if desired

Melt butter in skillet. Add flour; stir and cook until roux is golden brown or a little darker. Add beef stock, beef base, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and Worcestershire or Kitchen Bouquet, if used. Whisk to assure no lumps. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until thickened.

This is a dish I created. It is pretty good for something easy and fairly quick.

Baked Meatballs & Gravy

1 bag frozen meatballs (about 18-20 meatballs)
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup milk
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed golden mushroom soup

In large skillet melt butter and oil and brown several meatballs at a time, turning carefully with spatula. As meatballs brown, remove to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. To the drippings in skillet add the 1 cup milk and the soup; cook and stir just until mixture begins to boil. Pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 350ð for about 60 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles. This recipe for meatballs serves 4.

This is my go-to Shepherd's Pie recipe. It's called Cottage pie because it uses beef. I learned that. :)

Cottage Pie (Anthony Sedlak of The Main)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup diced onion, about 1/2 medium
1 cup diced celery, about 1 stalk
2 cups diced carrot, about 2 medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup red wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
mashed potatoes

Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to large saucepot over medium high heat. Add ground beef.
Allow excess liquid to bubble away; stir and cook until meat is well browned and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat using a colander.

Deglaze pot with red wine, scraping up browned bits and let reduce slightly.

In another large pot, add remaining vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; cook until golden, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic, stir briefly and add tomato paste. Brown paste slightly and sprinkle in flour. Cook out for a minute or two

Add in red wine from deglazing beef, scraping up crispy brown bits from bottom of pan.
Add beef stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Return browned meat to pot. Simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes.

Remove lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes; liquid will reduce and thicken. Remove rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400. Spoon filling into the bottom of a 10-inch round casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes.
Grate parmesan cheese on top and dot surface evenly with butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake on middle rack until top is golden and filling is warmed through, about 20-25 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Butter Beef
Allrecipes.com

Easy, melt in your mouth onion-buttery beef from your slow cooker! Serve over cooked egg noodles.
________________________________________
INGREDIENTS

3 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1/2 cup butter
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

DIRECTIONS

Place the beef and butter into a slow cooker. Sprinkle the onion soup mix over. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours, or High for 4 to 5 hours. Stir once or twice. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

p.s. Could you imagine adding a cup of red wine to it, or using pot roast instead of stewing beef? Yum!

This post was edited by luckygardnr on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 17:24

Haven't made this in a while, but we really like it.

From KTT Recipe of the Day March 16, 2009

Mongolian Beef
from Pink Bites

1 lb of flank steak or cube steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced
Rice, for serving

1. For the meat, make sure the steak slices are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Slice them into strips, then add the cornstarch to the beef. Place the slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch. Begin to cook the rice while you prepare the rest of the meal.

2. For the sauce, heat half of the oil in a large wok or pan at medium-high heat and add the garlic and the ginger.
Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don�t worry if the sauce doesn�t look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

3. Place the meat in the same pan and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok/pan and let it cook along with the meat.

4. You can cook down the sauce to reduce it to thicken or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy. Serve it hot with rice. Serves 2.

This is the best meatball recipe I've come across. I never could make them tender and as delicious as an Italian family from my hometown made them. These are close enough--at least in my memory.

Meatballs (Allrecipes)

2 lb. ground beef, ground veal or ground pork or a mixture
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 c. freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and pepper
2 c. crumbled stale Italian bread (I use whatever white bread I have and make crumbs in the food processor)
1 c. lukewarm water (you may not need all of it)

Combine meat(s) in a large bowl with garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley,salt,pepper and breadcrumbs.

Slowly add water 1/2 c. at a time until the mixture is very moist but holds its shape once formed into balls. Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop or your hands, form mixture into evenly shaped balls and place on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. (I just use parchment paper.)

At this point you can broil them, bake them or freeze them on the cookie sheet, transfer into a freezer bag and into the freezer. I tend to make smaller meatballs and get about 24-27.

To broil: Preheat the broiler. Spray a large baking sheet with Pam. Broil for 10 minutes or until nicely browned and alsmost cooked through.

To bake: Preheat oven to 350. Place on a sprayed or one lined with parchment paper and bake 20-25 minutes.

Sloppy Joes

2 pounds ground round
1 green pepper
2 large onions
1 T sugar
2 T dry mustard
1/3 cup vinegar
1 12-oz bottle chili sauce

Brown beef. While browning, quarter green pepper and onion and place in blender; pour inn the vinegar and blend until chopped. Pour mixture into ground round and stir thoroughly. Add sugar, dry mustard, vinegar and chili sauce and mix thoroughly. Slowly simmer for 1 ��" 1 ý hours. Serve on buns.

Here is a recipe I got from a co-worker quite a number of years ago. My son loves this recipe.

BEEF JERKY

1 1/2 pounds flank steak or roast
1 teaspoon seasoning salt or liquid smoke*
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce

Trim as much fat as possible from meat. Freeze meat until it is semi-frozen. Slice into 1/8" slices.

Mix remaining ingredients for a marinade. Marinate meat in a covered bowl. Shake occasionally to make sure the meat is well coated.

Cover bottom of oven with foil for easy cleanup.

Lay meat strips directly on oven rack. Turn oven to 125 degrees. Prop oven door just barely open. The meat will take 4-8 hours to cook. TEST OFTEN until it gets to the degree of doneness that you prefer. It may not take 4 hours or it make take 8 hours. TEST OFTEN.

*Do not use concentrated liquid smoke. I use only the liquid smoke - have never used seasoning salt.