SLOW COOKER BEEF AND BROCCOLI
Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
Tender sweet and savory beef strips and gravy served over steamed broccoli and rice
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 pounds Flat Iron Steaks, cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
- 1 cup beef consomme (you can sub beef broth)
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- Fresh or Frozen broccoli florets, steamed until crisp tender (as many as you like)
- Hot cooked brown or white rice
- Toasted sesame seeds and sliced radishes, for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Place beef strips in crock of slow cooker.
In small bowl or 2 cup glass measure, combine the consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil and garlic. Pour over meat. - Put lid on and cook on LOW for 6 -7 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.
- Turn slow cooker up to HIGH. Combine the cornstarch and the water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve.
- Add to the beef mixture in the slow cooker and mix. Allow to cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- To serve, plate the rice, top with broccoli and then beef and gravy mixture. Finish with sesame seeds and radishes, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Cook time: 08 hrs. 00 mins.
Check out more recipes at 25 Dump and Go Slow Cooker Recipes.
And for dessert, try these Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies!
Contact A New Leaf by February 15, 2018, and let us help you get organized.
Pay for 3 hours and receive a 4th hour at no charge!
Create a Freezer Inventory list, and keep it close to your freezer. That way you’ll know what’s in your freezer.
Check out 20 Household Items You Didn’t Realize Had Expiration Dates.
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If you’re looking to make some changes in 2018, check out Leo Babauta’s The 5 Keys to Forming Any Habit.
Ask yourself, “How can I be more productive?”
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Happy New Year!
It’s mid-January, and winter has certainly arrived.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Or did you decide not to make any this year? Do whatever feels most comfortable for you.
Chances are you don’t remember the last time you cleaned out your freezer.
We’ve had a lot of extremely cold weather already this winter. Take advantage of it, and clean out your freezer.
CLEAN OUT and ORGANIZE YOUR FREEZER
Step 1 – Remove Food
Remove all frozen food from your refrigerator freezer or deep freezer. Place food in an alternate location–refrigerator freezer, deep freezer, garage or a neighbour’s freezer. Or you can store food in coolers filled with ice. I use laundry baskets to hold frozen food and put it in our garage.
Discard any items that show signs of freezer burn or that won’t be eaten.
Step 2 – Clean Out Freezer
- Check your owner’s manual.
- Turn off and unplug your deep freezer. Leave the doors or lid open.
- Once the ice is melted, remove any water.
- Wipe out your freezer and any shelves or baskets with warm soapy water. I prefer to use baking soda and warm water.
- Don’t forget to wipe down the outside of your freezer too.
Food Storage Guidelines
How Long You Can Freeze Everything, In One Chart
How Long You Can Store (Almost) Anything in the Fridge, Freezer and Pantry
Step 3 – Refill the Freezer
Once your freezer is clean, plug it in and turn it on. Check your owner’s manual regarding the length of time required before putting food back into the freezer.
Some suggestions:
- Group like items together–meat, vegetables, butter, ice cream, etc.
- Place containers in your freezer to hold small items.
- Keep frequently used items close to the front or top to allow easy access.
- Label items so everyone can find them easily.
- Put a date on items and/or containers.
Clean out your freezer on a regular basis–just before green bin or garbage day.
Remember – Many food items have best before dates. It’s helpful to follow the First In, First Out principle. Use the oldest items first. When unpacking groceries, place new items behind/under the older items. This seems like it should be common sense, but I’m surprised how many clients don’t do this.
Now that you’ve cleaned out your freezer, keep going and clean out your kitchen cupboards too. Check out our archived Organizing Your Kitchen blog post.
Get started and turn over another leaf!
Until next month,
CHEESY CHICKEN STUFFED SHELLS – Courtesy of CentsLessMEALS
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo pasta shells
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 10.5 oz condensed cream of chicken soup
- 4 oz herb & garlic cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Boil and drain pasta shells until al dente. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
- In a medium sized dish combine the shredded chicken, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley, and salt & pepper to taste.
- Pour cream of chicken soup into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir in evaporated milk and whisk until mixed.
- Add cream cheese to soup mixture stirring over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Fill pasta shells with chicken mixture and place in a 9×13 pan. Top with sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until hot & bubbly (about 25 minutes).
Looking for new cookie ideas this year? Check out 50+ of the BEST Christmas Cookie Recipes.
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In early November, I was in Toronto to attend the annual Professional Organizers in Canada conference. It was filled with learning, networking, catching up with organizing colleagues I hadn’t seen in a year or two, meeting new professional organizers and enjoying great food!
