Hula Joes

(Subtitle: This actually IS a 30 minute meal!)

I like Rachel Ray's recipes and her magazine, though I'm not a fan of her show. But it always seems to take me way longer than 30 minutes to whip up one of her 30 minute meals. (they also make the largest four servings I have ever seen.)

This one actually came together really fast.And it was SO, so good. Sweet and tangy and delicious! We served it on challah rolls with steamed baby carrots.

Hula Joes (Source: Rachel Ray, as found on Real Mom Kitchen)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 lb smoked ham
-1 1/2 lb ground pork (I only had a pound so used extra ham)
-Chopped sweet onion (recipe calls for 1, I used about 1/3)
-Minced garlic
-3 tbsp brown sugar
-3 tbsp red wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
-1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
-1 cup tomato sauce
-1 cup pineapple tidbits, halved, or fresh chopped pineapple

-Saute ham in olive oil in a large skillet until browned, then remove and set aside
-Add pork to pan and cook until browned and cooked through
-Add onion and garlic and cook until softened and translucent
-Return ham to pan
-In a medium bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, worcestershire, and tomato sauce
-Add to skillet and cook for one minute until bubbling
-Add pineapple and stir to thoroughly combine
-Serve on split rolls

Sunday Supper: Crockpot Italian Beef, Oven Browned Potatoes, & Green Beans

I was kind of sad this weekend. I'd been saving the weekend for months as the weekend I was going to go to Chicago to see our close friends before the baby comes, and it was not meant to be. Whenever they come visit us, they bring Novi's roast beef. It's one of my absolute favorite things (and I am NOT typically a roast beef kind of girl.)

So in the spirit of my missed Chicago trip, Sunday dinner is Italian beef sandwiches (made in the crockpot), with green beans and oven browned potatoes.

If the green beans look a tad insipid in this picture, well . . . they were. Sometimes digging through the freezer yields things better left uncovered!

Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches (Source: Lisa's Cooking Spot)
-3-5lb beef roast (I used a 4.25lb chuck which was on sale - yay!)
-1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
-3 beef bouillon cubes
-3 cups water
-Seasoning (I used red pepper flakes and Mrs Dash table blend)

-Place roast in crockpot stoneware and turn on
-In a small saucepan heat Italian dressing mix, bouillon, water, and seasoning on high
-Boil for three minutes, then remove from heat and pour over roast
-Cook 5 hours on high
-Remove beef and shred, returning to slow cooker (at this point I mixed in 1/2 jar of banana peppers)
-Serve on hard rolls with as much juice as desired

Oven Browned Potatoes (Source: Cooks.com)
-2lbs new potatoes, quartered, skin on
-3 tbsp olive oil
-Seasoning (I used steak seasoning)

-Preheat oven to 45o
-In a medium bowl, mix potatoes, oil, and seasoning (I coated the bowl with oil first, then added half the potatoes and drizzled with oil, then the remainder, drizzled again, and tossed with tongs)
-Spread in a single layer in a 13x9 pan, and bake for 30 minutes
-Flip potatoes and cook an additional 20 minutes