Sunday is for Supper: crescent burgers, shredded beef tacos, slow cooker breakfast casserole, slow cooker spaghettie sauce italiano

I want to challenge you.  I want to challenge you to sit down and have a meal with your family.  There are so many positive outcomes that comes from just reconnecting with your family over a shared meal.  We were blessed to have the chance to sit down together at every meal today:  breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It was awesome and a rarity.  During the work week we are usually rushing out the door to work and preschool, and breakfast becomes a grab and go type of event.  Lunch, of course, is on or own at our workplaces and preschool, but dinner is a time for us to be together.  I know this may change as the kids get older and we are pulled in different directions, so realistically for most, would be to sit down together at a meal 2-3 times a week.

When we sit down for dinner, we turn music on and talk about our day.  We all share what our favorite part of the day was.  Tessa loves this and will often look at us and say, "So, what was the favorite part of your day?"  Ry and I are taking a parenting class through church and they suggested playing a game over a meal called, "Sad, mad, and glad."  You take turns going around the table sharing one thing from the day that made you sad, mad, and glad.  We have fun with it and makes for a fun dinner conversation and I think Tessa thinks it's interesting to hear about things that actually made her parents sad and mad.

I hope you have a chance to sit down to a meal together this week!  My wish is that maybe one of these suppers will be one you can make for your family. 

Pinterest has become one of my go-to sites for recipes.  I usually spend part of my weekends scouring the internet and cookbooks for recipes to use for dinners for the week, but pinterest has it all in one place and it has been so fun to find new recipes to try.  Have fun trying these recipes:  crescent burgers, slow cooker breakfast casserole, shredded beef tacos, slow cooker spaghetti sauce italiano.

Crescent Burgers: (thanks to www.budgetsavvydiva.com)  Tessa took one bite of these and threw her arms around me and said, "Thank you Mommy!  These are so yummy!"  No lie, this actually happened.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of ground beef
worcestshire sauce
1 egg
1/3 packet of dry onion soup mix
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup cheddar cheese
1 roll of crescents

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  In a skillet heat a small amount of oil and brown meat.  In a medium size bowl mix – 1/2 cup of cheese, onion soup mix, couple drops of Worcestershire sauce, pepper; meat.  Unroll the crescents. Place a rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture towards the larger end of the crescent dough.  Place crescents onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.Brush the tops of the dough with an egg wash ( simply break and egg in a bowl and whisk egg until well blended and 1 tablespoon of water to the mix).  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg wash and bake for 10 – 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole: (thanks to the http://crockingirls.com)  I love my slow cooker and love when dinner is already done for me when I get home.  I think my slow cooker is too big, but it still does its job.  I think I need to go get a 4 quart one, though.

Ingredients:

1 Package of Frozen Hash Browns

1 Pound of Cooked Sausage

2 Cups of Colby Jack Cheese, shredded

1 Cup of Diced Peppers (green, red, yellow and/or orange)

1 Cup of Sliced Mushrooms

1 Can of Diced Chilis (optional)

1 Quart of EggBeaters (can also use 16 eggs)

                      

Directions:

Spray the slow cooker with Pam.

Starting with the frozen hash browns, layer the ingredients, repeating twice.  Shake the EggBeaters well and pour over the top.  cook on LOW for 8 hours on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

 

Shredded Beef Tacos: (thanks to http://userealbutter.com)  These were a true OMG moment.  These are amazing tacos!  Ryan and I totally stuffed our faces and did it again when we had leftover night!

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs eye of chuck (which is NOT beef chuck roast)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsps vinegar
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
1 1/2 tsps chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef stock
salt to taste
~ 24 corn tortillas
lettuce, queso fresco, salsa, guacamole, etc. (for toppings)

 

Directions:

Trim the fat and cut the beef into 1 inch thick slices. In a ziploc bag, combine the oil, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Place the meat slices in the bag, seal, mix it around and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature. Place all contents from the bag in a baking dish with the beef stock. Cover the dish and bake for 1 1/4 hours (I baked it for 2 1/2 hours) at 350°F. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes and then shred it with forks or process it quickly in a food processor with the plastic dough blade (I prefer the forks method). Salt the meat to your liking. Fry the tortillas lightly in a little hot oil.  Double the tortillas and stuff them with shredded beef, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, and salsa.

 

 

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce Italiano:  (adapted from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

 

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 4-oz. cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 bay leaf

2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 cup chopped green sweet pepper

12 to 16 ounces hot cooked spaghetti

 

Directions:

In a large skillet cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat browns.  Drain fat; discard.  In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Add meat mixture.  Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  Stir in sweet pepper.  Discard bay leaf.  Serve meat mixture over hot cooked spaghetti. 

 

553 cal, 23 g fat, 51 mg chol, 1,506 mg sodium, 62 g carb, 6 g fiber, 27 g protein.