Philly Sandwiches

Trust me, this recipe is SO worth trying! My friend had her 5th baby a while back and I made a huge pan of these sandwiches (that's a lot of mouths to feed!) for their family, and they were all so excited. Their 3-year-old ate two whole sandwiches! They're that good!

Sirloin steak, thinly sliced (you can also use sliced roast beef)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. basil
Small, white onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
Swiss cheese, sliced
Hoagie buns

*Mix all spices together in small bowl. Rub LIGHTLY over one side of the meat. (Too much and they'll be way too salty!)
*Brown strips of steak in olive oil. When meat is no longer pink, place on hoagie bun.
*Saute onion and green pepper in seasoned oil. Place over meat on the bun.
*Cover meat and veggies with sliced Swiss cheese. Broil in oven until melted.

Hearty Beef Stew

This recipe was not hard at all but you do have to leave lots of time to do it--it cooks for a total of 2 hours and 15 mins so start this one early. I did begin to follow a recipe for this, but made several changes...here's my version:

Pam cooking spray

1 lb. beef for stew, cut into 1" pieces (just get a cheap steak)

Beef broth (1 3/4 cups)

1/8 tsp. pepper

3 med carrots, cut into slices

2 med potatoes, cut into quarters (I used 4 small golden Idaho potatoes)

1/2 tomato, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. flour

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. Ranch dressing

1/4 tsp. parsley

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

*Spray 6-qt. saucepan w/ cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 min. Add beef and garlic and cook until well browned, stirring often.

*Stir broth, pepper, and parsley into saucepot. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hr. 30 mins.

*Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook 30 mins more, or until vegetables are tender.

*Add tomatoes and Ranch (this is my little secret; I add Ranch to flavor ANYTHING, plus it helps moisten the meats). Stir flour and water in cup and stir into saucepot. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. ENJOY!! This is a manly soup that my husband loves, but has the veggies that I like. The nice thing about soups is that you can EXPERIMENT--add anything you that sounds good to you! You could substitute the carrots for green beans, add jalapenos or peppers, use sausage instead of beef, just try it out!

Baked Steak Burritos

These are delicious! You can try your own variations: chicken/ground beef instead of steak, adding corn, black beans, or onions...

1/4 cup butter/margarine

1 pkg (1 oz.) taco seasoning (I used 1/2 tsp garlic pwdr, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper instead)

1 can (16 oz.) refried beans

1 1/2 lb. beef boneless sirloin tip steak, cut into thin, bite-size strips (I don't really think it matters what kind of steak you use, as long as it's thin pieces)

12 6-inch flour tortillas (I used whole wheat and they tasted great)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz.)

1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce, hot or mild

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (4 oz.)

*Heat oven to 400 degrees. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in taco seasoning. Add beef strips; cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired doneness; drain.

*Meanwhile, place refried beans in microwaveable dish. Microwave uncovered for 2 minutes.

*Spread each tortilla w/ refried beans to within 1/4 inch of edge. Top each with beef and Cheddar cheese. Roll up, folding in sides. In ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish, place burritos with seam sides down. Pour enchilada sauce over burritos. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend.

*Bake, uncovered 7-12 minutes or until burritos are thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.