Crock Pot Steak Strips with Dumplins

3/4 lb. boneless round steak cut into 1/2" strips
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. oil
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup beef broth
4 large mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
1/4 cup celery

Dumplins
1/2 cup self rising flour
1 egg beaten
3 Tbl. milk
1/4 tsp. parsley

Sprinkle steak with pepper. In a large skillet brown steak in oil over medium high heat. Transfer to crock pot. Combine soup, broth and veggies. Pour over steak. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

For dumplins, in a small bowl combine flour, egg and milk until blended. Drop by Tablespoons onto meat mixture. Sprinkle with parsley. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Do not lift the cover while cooking. Serves 2

This is another dish for those of you who wanted meals for 2. And of course, you can double the recipe to feed more. Changes can be in the soup using cream of mushroom or cream of celery instead of chicken. You can also use any lean cut of beef for this dish.

Simple Swedish Meatballs

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg (6 1/4 oz.) boxed chicken stuffing mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups water
1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing, eggs, onions and water. Shape into meatballs about 1" in diameter (about 32). Place in 2 foil lined 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. Mix gravy and sour cream in a large sauce pan. Add meatballs. Mix lightly and cook on low for 5 minutes. Serves 8 (4 meatballs each)

With the holidays coming up, this is a simple and delicious way to make meatballs. You can make the meatballs ahead and freeze by placing them in single layers on a baking dish, place into freezer until frozen and then transfer to a zip top bag.

Changes - use ground turkey or chicken. The boxed stuffing comes in several flavors so you can easily change your flavor by changing your stuffing.

One Pan Tacos

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
2 cups water
1 pkg Taco seasoning mix
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups chopped tomatoes

Brown meat in a large non-stick skillet, drain. Add water and seasoning mix, stir to blend. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn off heat. Let sit 5 minutes or until water is absorbed by rice. Serve lettuce and tomatoes on the side.

These can be served in taco shells, wrapped in tortilla or served as it is. I like to top mine with sour cream and extra shredded cheese. You can add chopped onions and peppers for more taste.