Swiss Steak Deliciousness

According to my grandfather, Swiss Steak is one of those old-timey recipes that just aren't made correctly anymore. I have been surprised at the number of people who have never heard of it (except that I wasn't surprised when Swiss people didn't know about it, or Scandinavian people in general, as it is an American name for a dish that is actually more Italian in flavor). As I've said before, it's a tradition in my family; almost everyone requested it for their birthday dinner, which was why I was so thrilled to serve it on Will's birthday.

In reading about Swiss Steak on the good old Internet, I found this vintage advertisement eschewing the virtues of meat with this to say about said dish:

"Swiss Steak . . . put it in the pan . . . turn on the heat and sniff its steaming fragrance as it simmers, bubbles, and browns . . . smothered in its own gravy . . . That's hearty flavor for you."

So here's to an old-fashioned dish that's high in flavor, full of good-for-you ingredients, and that the kids will actually eat. It does take a bit of prep work and more time that your average weeknight meal, but the efforts are well worth it. Enjoy!

Swiss Steak

Prep time: 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes for pressure cooker, 5 - 6 hours for crock pot or slow cooker

You will need:

At least two pounds of higher quality beef steak or roast, at least 1 inch thick, cut into thick strips

vegetable oil*
1 tbsp salt
approximately 1 cup flour
4 carrots
2 green peppers
1 onion
3 or 4 ribs celery
4 small (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
a lot of oregano
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp Steak Sauce

* Note: This recipe cooks up best in a pressure cooker. If you don't have one, though, you can use a slow cooker or crock pot (I'll give directions for both).

1. As noted above, cut beef into thick strips. Place into a bowl, and add 1 TBSP salt, coating beef thoroughly.

2. Flour beef lightly and brown on all sides.

3. To the pan containing the beef and the drippings, add all vegetables, peeled and coarsely chopped. Mix well.

4. Add all sauces, pepper, and a very liberal sprinkling of oregano.

5. Place all ingredients in the pressure cooker. Bring cooker up to cooking stage and let cook for 45 minutes. (If using a slow cooker or crock pot, you will need to cook on High for at least 5 - 6 hours. When the meat easily falls apart, the dish is done.)

6. This dinner is traditionally served over mashed potatoes, although my mom says that it's also good over a baked potatoe.

*The vegetable oil is for browning the meat. Add it to your already hot pressure cooker and this will keep the swiss steak from sticking to the pan at clean-up.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Collin Turns 10, Roast Beef

Collin Turns 10

Collin turned 10 today. The big 1-0. We had a little party here with roast beef, new potatoes, carrots, brownies, and Graeter's ice cream, the best ice cream in the world (Oprah Winfrey called their Peach ice cream one of her "Good Things" a couple of years ago and sales went through the roof). The big shindig is this Saturday at the in-laws, where hopefully 8 kids and the family will come.


Collin trying to look fly on Thanksgiving

In a few months, I'll have a 15 year old. Kendall will be going to high school next year. Where do the years go, I ask. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and we were talking about how we don't really feel any older than we did in high school - o.k., maybe we're a little achier or tired, but overall, when I look in the mirror and look at my kids I wonder when I got older and where the time went. I remember my Grandpa Howard telling me that he looked in the mirror one day (he was around 80 at the time) and he yelled out, "Who the hell is that old man?" So apparently the years keep speeding by no matter how hard we try to stop them.

Roast Beef

1 roast, whatever size you want
1 package onion soup mix
3 - 4 heaping tsp chopped garlic
1 package carrots
around 4 large potatoes, or a package of new potatoes
1 large onion

Speaking of Grandparents, my grandma was the person who truly taught me to cook. Her recipe for roast beef is easy, foolproof, and can be used for pork, too. And when you have eaten the roast, you can reserve the broth that was made, add in some more that you bought at the store to boil some thick egg noodles, and add the leftover beef, and you have beef and noodles!

In a large slow cooker, put around 1 cup of water, add the beef. Coat the beef with onion soup mix and the garlic. Add the carrots and the potatoes, cut up if they are large potatoes, whole if they are new potatoes. Cook on high for around 5 - 8 hours (just check on it periodically if you can to make sure that there is enough juice in the crock pot, add more water if there isn't). Enjoy!

See, super easy, always moist beef (or pork) that just falls apart. You don't even have to sear the meat (I spent years doing this, and one day just didn't, and the roast was just as juicy). And I have placed completely frozen roasts in the cooker and they have been delicious, too.