91. Spicy Beef and Black Beans

From 2004 Southern Living Annual Recipes

In the course of this year, I haven't had many recipe misses, but, unfortunately, this was one.

For starters, the meat was really tough, which probably had to do with the cut of beef. Also, cut into strips, it was harder to eat in "nacho" form. I'm thinking it would have been better cut into bite-size chunks.

Also, this ended up being kind of a soupy mess in the oven bag. I scooped out my portion with a slotted spoon, but the presentation was pretty unappetizing. I'm wondering if both cans of tomatoes being drained would have helped with that. It was also very heavy on the black beans...I think one can would have been plenty.

Overall, I think this dish could work with a few tweaks...or you could just make standard nachos.

1 oven bag (Large size - 14- x 20-inch)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound boneless beef sirloin, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
Tortilla chips
Garnish: tomato slices, chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place oven bag in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add flour to oven bag; twist end of bag, and shake.

Drain 1 can tomatoes. Add tomatoes and remaining undrained can tomatoes to bag; squeeze to blend ingredients. Add beans and next 3 ingredients to bag. Arrange ingredients in an even layer.

Close oven bag with nylon tie; cut 6 (1/2-inch) slits in top of bag.

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and serve over tortilla chips. Garnish, if desired.

72. Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust

From 2009 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I've had this one on my list for awhile, thinking it would be a nice twist on the traditional "baked ziti" type of casserole, with polenta in place of the pasta.

And while this was good, it wasn't great. The polenta was delicious, with the steak seasoning and cheese, but the meat mixture lacked flavor. Perhaps I should have used hot Italian sausage...or Italian instead of plain tomatoes.

Some of the reviews on the SL site suggested pre-baking the layer of polenta to form more of a "crust," but I decided to follow the recipe, and I didn't mind the soft texture of the polenta.

Overall, this was an okay casserole that could be great with a few tweaks.

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground chuck
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in cornmeal; reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in steak seasoning and 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Spread cornmeal mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Brown ground chuck in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and transfer to a bowl.

Sauté onion and zucchini in hot oil in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in beef, tomatoes, and tomato paste; simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes. Pour beef mixture over cornmeal crust. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.



59. Lean Green Lettuce Tacos

From 2008 Southern Living Annual Recipes

When I saw this recipe, I was intrigued by the idea of adding vegetables to a traditional taco mix...and it totally worked. The zucchini and squash gave the dish great texture. The lime juice squeezed over the top at the end added a bright, fresh, citrus flavor.

I was going to serve these with a side of brown rice, but I ended up adding the cooked rice right into the beef-vegetable mix and serving it all together in lettuce leaves.

This was a delicious dinner...and it also made for a yummy cold dip with corn chips the next day!

1 small zucchini, diced

1 small yellow squash, diced
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1.25-oz.) taco seasoning
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
8 romaine lettuce leaves


Sauté first 3 ingredients in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in seasoning until blended; cook 1 minute.

Reduce heat to low; stir in tomato sauce, and cook, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro and lime juice.


Serve meat mixture in romaine lettuce leaves with desired toppings.

57. Lasagna Pizza Cups

From 2008 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I'm getting so excited about college football starting back up again, and that means it's time to start testing some game-day recipes. These fit the bill perfectly...the goodness of lasagna (pizza?) wrapped up in a little package. Bread, cheese, meat, and sauce...all good.

Don't even try to eat these with a knife and fork. You might think it would be too messy to eat with your hands, but everything stays together perfectly. Serve with warmed up sauce for dipping. You can see that I had these for dinner with a salad, but these will definitely make a reappearance on my tailgate menu this fall.

My only complaint was that the biscuit didn't have a lot of flavor. The next time I make these, I think I'm going to brush both sides with a little garlic butter to punch up the taste. And, I can't wait to try these with different fillings, like pepperoni or sausage.

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-oz.) jar pizza sauce
1 (7.5-oz.) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 375°. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well. Return meat mixture to skillet; stir in 1 cup pizza sauce. Remove from heat.


Press biscuits on bottom and up sides of lightly greased muffin cups. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoonful meat mixture into each biscuit cup; top with ricotta cheese (about 1 heaping teaspoonful each). Sprinkle with shredded cheese.


Bake at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of pizza cups to loosen from sides of pan. Remove cups from pan, using a spoon.


Place remaining pizza sauce in a small microwave-safe glass bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 30 to 45 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Serve pizza cups with warm sauce.

46. Steak-and-Spinach Salad With Hot Pan Dressing

From 2005 Southern Living Annual Recipes

Back in January, a good friend and I started getting together one Friday night a month for me to teach her how to cook. A self-proclaimed disaster in the kitchen, she wanted to learn how to make dishes she didn't think she had the patience or ability to pull off. Tons of laughter and great conversations later, we've made some delicious dishes and really gotten her out of her comfort zone.

Last night, we killed two birds with one stone by making a recipe for my challenge...with fantastic results.

The steak, not a cut I would normally choose, was cooked perfectly (medium rare) with a great sear. The warm dressing for the salad had a deep, rich flavor, finished off with a burst of acidity from the lemon juice added at the end. Throw in tangy feta cheese on top and a piece of crunchy garlic bread, and this was a dinner that was so incredibly satisfying...and very easy to put together.

1 (1 1/2-pound) top sirloin steak1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon butter, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 medium portobello mushroom caps, sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese

Sprinkle steak evenly with salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Melt 1/2 teaspoon butter with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Add steak, and cook until well browned on one side, about 6 minutes. Turn steak, and cook 3 more minutes (rare), 4 minutes (medium-rare), or 5 minutes (medium). Remove steak from pan, and set aside.

Melt remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter with 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms and garlic 4 minutes. Stir in wine, broth, and balsamic vinegar, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cook 4 to 5 minutes.

Toss together spinach, tomatoes, onion, and hot mixture in pan; divide evenly between 4 plates. Squeeze lemon, drizzling juice evenly over top.

Cut steak into 1/2-inch slices, and arrange over salads. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top.

22. Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Burgers

From 2006 Southern Living Annual Recipes

Today was a beautiful spring day, perfect for grilling, so I thought I'd try out a new burger recipe.

I love me some pimiento cheese, and I recently had a p.c. burger that was delicious at the newly opened FLIP restaurant (owned by former Top Chef contestant Richard Blais) here in Birmingham.

I really wanted the jalapeno pimiento cheese, but I haven't been able to find it at Publix lately, so I topped my burger with a few pickled jalapeno slices instead for some kick.

But, overall, the burgers were just okay. After the photo above was taken, I realized that the burgers weren't cooked all the way through, so they went back on the grill. Be sure to cook a few minutes longer than the recipe states. By the time they were done, a lot of the cheese had cooked out. Even with pinching the edges to seal the patties over the filling, they come open during cooking.

Ultimately, I would suggest, to get the same flavor, to just cook the burgers as you normally would and then top them with a dollop of pimiento cheese once they're off the grill. Stuffing them just made them more difficult to cook.

2 lbs. ground chuck

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1-1/3 cups prepared pimiento cheese

1 tsp. salt

Combine ground beef and pepper in a large bowl until blended. (Do not overwork meat mixture.) Shape into 8 (4-inch) patties. Spoon 1-1/2 tbsp. pimiento cheese in center of each of 4 patties. Top with remaining four patties, pressing edges to seal. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with salt.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until beef is no longer pink.

3. Beef With Red Wine Sauce

From 2006 Southern Living Annual Recipes

Talk about winter comfort food! There's nothing like a delicious meal simmering in the crockpot on a cold day, making the house smell amazing.

This was similar in taste to Beef Stroganoff, but the wine definitely added depth to the flavor (and fewer calories without the sour cream!). I liked that I didn't have to brown the meat beforehand...and it turned out tender and juicy.

As I peered through the lid throughout the day, I was concerned that the sauce seemed really thin, but it thickened up nicely in the last hour of cooking.

3-pound boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, sliced (I omitted)

1 lb. fresh mushrooms, halved

1 (1.61-oz.) package brown gravy mix

1 (10.5-oz.) can beef broth

1 cup red wine

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Place first three ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour evenly over beef and vegetables.

Cover and cook on high for six hours. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles or rice.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking, which is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.