David W's Italian Beef

Good friends of ours brought us this delicious Italian beef after the birth of our first child. It has been a family favorite ever since.

Combine in a crock-pot:

• 4 lbs. chuck roast (trimmed)
• 2 Tbsp. mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. pepper
• 1 cup water

Cook on low for 24 hours.

My husband and I like ours served on a Hoagie roll with cheese. He adds mayo and mustard to his. The kids like the beef on a standard grilled cheese. It's even good by itself with some healthy sides.

We divide ours up into family-sized portions. It freezes wonderfully. We re-heat it in the microwave... remember it is originally cooked for 24 hours, so it is really difficult to overcook it. It is also an easy meal to serve at parties.

If you are going to make this for large crowds, just make sure to have enough beer and kraut to cover the dogs. It makes a great dish for a buffet and it's a lot easier than having someone grilling dogs for the masses.

Rotisserie Chicken & Noodles

Chicken:

• Cut Rotisserie chicken off the bone (We only like the white meat, but you can certainly use the whole bird.)

Noodles:

• Cook 4 cups of egg noodles according to the directions on the package

Sauté until fragrant over a med-high heat:

• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 2 Tbsp butter

 Add:

• Chicken
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 can chicken broth

Cover and simmer on a medium-high heat until chicken is heated through. Drain noodles and pour into chicken mixture. 

Add:

• 1 Tbsp parsley

Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Hot Dogs with Beer & Kraut

We don't have hotdogs very often. When we do, we do it right! Here's an easy recipe to make hotdogs worth your while.

Put in a crock-pot:

• 1 package Hebrew National hotdogs
• 1 can Frank's Bavarian Style sauerkraut (Do NOT drain or rinse. This isn't regular kraut. You want all of the tasty goodness to flavor the dogs.)
• 1 beer (whatever you have on hand is fine)

Cook on low for 5 hours or until dogs are heated through. Check them an hour before serving. If they are still cold, turn it up to high. You can't ruin these things.

I like my dog served on a bun with chopped onions, sliced tomatoes and celery salt. I like my kraut on the side, but you can throw it on top of the dog if you are feeling adventurous :) 

If you are going to make this for large crowds, just make sure to have enough beer and kraut to cover the dogs. It makes a great dish for a buffet and it's a lot easier than having someone grilling dogs for the masses.

Black Beans and Rice

Rice (I cook mine in a rice cooker for 54 minutes. You can cook the rice on the stovetop or bake it if you do not have one.):

• 1½ cups Brown Rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cloves pressed garlic

While rice is cooking prepare the following vegetables:

• ½ large white onion – chopped
• 1½ jalapeño peppers – deveined, deseeded & chopped
• 7 – 8 campari tomatoes – chopped

Beans:

• In a large sauté pan, brown 2 cloves grated garlic in 2 Tbsp. of butter
• Add 2 cans Black Beans (drained and rinsed). Set burner to a medium–low heat.
• Add 1 cup frozen corn
• Add 2 tsp. Ground Cumin
• Add salt (I use Kosher salt) & pepper to taste
• Cover and heat through. Stir occasionally.

Add the rice and vegetables to the beans. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to mixture. Stir and cover. Stir occasionally until heated through. 

Serve alone or top with homemade salsa. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes on 50% for a quick, satisfying and healthy lunch.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Trim & cut 6 chicken breasts into 1½ inch pieces. I get approximately 6 nuggets out of each breast. Place chicken in glass container. Cover with milk and allow chicken to soak in the refrigerator for 3 hours. (I would imagine the longer the better, but this is a good place to start.)

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together:

• 6 pieces of bread that have been chopped in the food processor. (This is what I save the heels of our bread for.)
• ½ tsp. basil
• ½ tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. parsley
• ¼ tsp. garlic salt
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (I have made the nuggets without the cheese. They are still very tasty.)

In a separate bowl:

• Melt ¼ cup of butter. (You will probably need more butter. When the cold chicken hits the warm butter, it begins to solidify again. Add more butter to the bowl and melt it as this happens.)   

Dip the chicken nuggets in the butter. Then move them to the breadcrumb mixture. Be sure the entire nugget is covered with crumbs. Place the coated nuggets in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs on top of the nuggets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip chicken on pan. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. 

Wrap the leftovers in foil and freeze. I put enough to feed my family in each package. To reheat: Bake nuggets at 375° for 7 minutes. Flip chicken on pan. Bake an additional 7 minutes or until chicken is heated through. 

This makes for a quick and easy meal and they taste as good as the first time. It’s definitely worth the original prep time. I usually double the recipe and have enough nuggets to feed my family of four 5 times.