Day 193.
I have been getting so many wonderful emails and comments with recipes! I'm having a ball sorting through them all.
Krystle emailed me and shared one of her family's favorite meals with me--peppercorn steak.
I just so happened to have a package of frozen steaks in the freezer, and gave it a try yesterday. Her original recipe called for using canned tomato soup, but after a trip to the grocery store, I learned that many cans of tomato soup are thickened with wheat starch--not good in our house. So I tweaked a little, and was quite happy with the results!
The Ingredients.
--4 to 6 steaks (use whatever is on sale, it's going to tenderize nicely in the crock; don't buy expensive meat.)
--1 cup tomato sauce
--1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea Perrins is GF)
--1/4 cup of water
--2 chopped bell peppers (I used one yellow, one green)
--1 chopped yellow onion
--8 oz sliced mushrooms
--1 T Italian seasoning
--1/4 t black pepper
The Directions.
Put the meat in the crockpot; mine was still frozen solid. Cover with the chopped vegetables. Pour in the tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and water. Add the Italian seasoning and black pepper.
No need to stir.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. I cooked our dinner for 6 hours on high.
The Verdict.
I liked this! I liked how the steak lifted out of the juice without falling apart, and was able to be sliced like a steak cooked in the oven or on the grill. The flavor with the tomato sauce and the Worcestershire was greats---rich and peppery. I've never used that much Worcestershire before; usually I use only a few tablespoons at a time.
This makes a lot of sauce. I bet you could use the remaining sauce as a soup base or to make a fabulous gravy. We ate our meat and veggies separate on the dinner plate, with a spinach salad.
One kid ate 2 whole steaks and proclaimed that it was the best steak she had ever had and asked if she could eat it every day for "dinner, lunch, and breakfast. And maybe sometimes for snack. After I eat my banana. Of course." And then there was a lot of eye rolling---we've had the same banana in the fridge for the last three days. She opened it, took a bite, then said she was full. There's been a lot of banana talk around here lately...
thank you, Krystle, for a great meal, and a keeper recipe!
44 comments:
This sounds yummy and easy to make. I will have to try it ASAP. Have a wonderful day. :)
Gotta try this today! I wonder how it would do to mask a bit of freezer burn! Not that my freezer would create anything like that! Ha!
Love the banana comment, reminds me of a kid I know. (Um, not mine of course!)
BTW, I am using my crock SO much more thanks to you, even bought a new little dipper, so much fun! Thanks so much!
just wondering--how many people in your family are celiacs? thanks for providing such a great recipe source for gluten-free meals!!
Now I know what to do with that beef I have! thanks. CR.
Stephanie,
I've been "lurking" for a few months and thoroughly enjoy reading your new posts every day! I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your recipes and appreciate not only your committment to your blog readers but also your committment to more home-cooked meals for your family. That's something I'm working on myself and I'm getting lots of inspiration from you. Just wanted to let you know...Also, great job on TV!
Mmmm....sounds really yummy and easy. I will definitely be trying this!
OK. I have am giving this crock pot cooking a chance. I had all the food items on hand.. so it is cooking right now. I am excited to see how this tastes.
you are blowing my mind with steak in the crockpot! Hubby is a mid-western boy and loves his beef so any recipe where I can make a steak in the crockpot and not screw it up is grand! thanks for posting this and thanks to krystle for sending the recipe to you!
it was definitely easy, Courtney--it took all of 8 minutes to prepare.
MaryLu, the Crock-Pot rocks at masking freezer burn. I can't tell you how many pieces of meat have been "saved" by cooking all day in the crock in our house.
QOTUJ, I have on celiac in the house, but we decided as a family it would be easier if we all went GF when at home.
you're welcome, CR!
Emily, that's so nice of you to say! you totally made my day today.
yay, saraK!
Ginger, holy cow, you are fast! I hope it works well for you!
Amiryah, I was pleasantly surprised at how the steak held up. We still needed a steak knife to cut it, but it was tender enough for the kids to manage, and we didn't need to chew forever... which happens when I make steak on the stovetop because I have NO idea what I'm doing!
xox
steph
HI.I saw you on Rachael's show and admire what you are doing. I will be a frequent visitor here as I use one at least three times a week. THANKS SO MUCH for this blog!! : ) Carol
hey girl!
i got a TON of hits on my blog from your site on Wednesday! I don't know where you mentioned me, but THANKS!!! ;-)
I HAVE to buy a smaller crock put. I never use mine because it's SO huge!!
As a substitute for tomato soup, I use tomato puree or sauce and a bit of Vance's Darifree powder. Before I became casein-free, I would add a pinch of sugar and a splash of milk. This works well in my old porcupine meatball recipe.
My hubby loves pepper steak. Cant wait to try this one.
I am buying a brand new crockpot when we move and alittle baby crock for small sides. :)
Natasha
I just ordered a Little Dipper on Amazon because I've been dying to make that bean & pesto dip recipe! I've been staring at the ingredients in my cabinet...it should be here Monday! :)
That pepper steak looks YUMMY!!
Yum! I am so happy to find this because my partner has to be gluten-free... I am going to love going through all of these recipes! Thank You!!!!
It was wonderful.
I served it with buttered egg noodles and steamed carrots and other veggies.
My husband loved it and my kid went back for seconds.
I am a crock pot converter... what is for dinner tomorrow?
Ginger
I've been lurking for awhile, but I have to say that the photo for this is AMAZING! Thanks for all your effort - your blog rocks!
My friend Wendy just forwarded me the link to your blog. I'm seriously jumping up and down about it out of pure joy! I cook A LOT and hate to turn on my oven this time of year. I love the format of this blog, the way it is organized, the pictures and verdicts! Everything about it is awesome.
I just added it as a link on my own private blog and forwarded it to ALL of friends as well (one of which has a daughter that is a celiac, I'm sure she'll appreciate it).
Thanks a million,
Brandie from Goodyear AZ!
I love this blog! I tried your lasagna and wrote about it over at weightloss.dreamhost.com. Tonight I tried Rice Krispie treat and I think I'll make this steak, too.
yumm- I have bookmarked you, keep up the good work!!
I've popped a link on my blog and am such a fan! You inspired me to buy a crock and now theres no stopping me! I use it most days! Tonight is Salmon in foil packets with diced onion and tomato sprinkled with dried herbs. This has been a family favourite for years, but I have always baked in the oven. Have it in the crock right now! Used your blog for hints on fish cooking! Keep up the good work! You are truly amazing!
..xx.. Wendy.. Liverpool UK.
Would you do this with a roast? If you had 5 potatoes and 4 carrots andn a big onion would you increase the liquid?
Thanks so much! I love trying your recipes!
Rose
Hi Rose,
You could most certainly make this with a roast. Don't change the amount of liquid; it's got plenty for a roast--and a roast will create it's own juice/gravy, too.
-steph
all of your recipes look and sound great thanks for your resolution. I need help where can I find a 1 1/2 quart crock pot
Hi Grammy,
I found my 1.5 qt Crock-Pot at Walmart during an After-Thanksgiving sale for $5.
I just scoured the 'net for one, and it seems that the only 1.5qts you can buy now don't have a temperature control knob. WEIRD!
I don't know what to tell you---you can get a newer one without the knob from Target, Kmart, or Walmart now, or cross your fingers and hope Crock-Pot comes up with another one in this size with a temperature knob.
I'm sorry that it doesn't seem to exist right now!
xox
steph
I have been wanting to try this steak recipe but I got home too late this afternoon (I should have done it this morning but I was in a rush) so I put all the ingredients in a dutch oven (after quick browning the steaks on the stove) and it's in the oven now.
I did, however, make the Thai curry yesterday in the crock pot and it was delicious. My daughter is eating the leftovers right now!
This was *fantastic* I would never have thought to put tomato sauce and italian seasoning in pepper steak.
When everything was done, I took out the meat and veggies. In a saucepan I made a roux of flour and butter and stirred it into the broth. It thickened nicely in the crock. I then added back the veggies and sliced steak.
This is a great freezer meal btw. I have all my feezer bags full of pepper steak and sauce for those busy evenings, just add rice!
My dinner came out D E L I C I O U S ! Despite the fact that I had to cook it in a dutch oven and not a crock pot (ran out of enough hours) it was so good, my family ooh-d and aah-d during the whole mealtime! THANK YOU!
This looks yummy and with just a few ingredients very easy to make. Printing it up for one of our Sunday dinners. Thanks for sharing.
I think this will become a family fav in this house of 3 steak lovin lil boys ok 4 if ya count the hubs!!! testing it tomorrow!!!!
Oh. My. Goodness. I just discovered your site. You're the MAN!! You must be very creative to do this for a whole year, I only have a few crock pot recipes I use. I'm thinking that's going to change now! I especially like that you have recipes for people with gluten problems. I have a few friends with that allergy, and I always stress over what to make for dinner. Not any more! Thank you so much for sharing these yummy recipes!!!
Kathy D.
Made this tonight. Skipped the onion and mushrooms (my husband won't eat either), eyeballed all amounts, and cooked for only about 4 hours on high. Used a good quality (thawed) steak, so it didn't need to cook forever to tenderize -- and I got started late!
The steak was tender. The peppers tasted simply outstanding -- my husband, who hates veggies, had a second helping. We weren't so crazy about the sauce on the steak, though; we each covered it in steak sauce to mask the flavor, and I didn't keep the leftover sauce.
This was my first try making steak in a crockpot. The meat was so moist and tender that I am sure to try it again -- but probably with a different sauce. The worcester flavor was a bit strong for us.
Thanks!
~Dawn
I've been reading your blog for a while now and this is the first recipe I've tried. I was looking for an easy dinner for tonight and tried this. I didn't have any steaks on hand, but did have some pork chops in the freezer. I didn't have the peppers so I left those out, my son, who is a picky eater, looked at his plate and said "yum". He cleaned his plate and had seconds.
I served this over egg noodles and slightly thickened the sauce with cornstarch. (I didn't care for the texture from the corn starch though, so I won't do that again.)
I'll try this again with the steaks and peppers.
I've think I'll also make the tapioca - I like tapioca but don't make it often enough -- too much stirring.
Thanks for all the recipes!
Made this over the weekend knowing that I'd use it on Monday. Hubbie thinks flavors "meld" better when a dish has time to sit. I was surprised that even after 5 hours on high the steak really held together so it could be sliced. The flavor of the Worchestershire was a bit strong so I thickened it with some beef stock & served over noodles. Very tasty.
Made this over the weekend knowing that I'd heat & serve on Monday. Hubbie thinks some dishes are better after sitting so the flavors can "meld". I was surprised that even after cooking 5 hours on high (my meat was not frozen) the steak was OK to slice. The Worchestershirs flavor was a little too strong for me so I thickened the sauce with beef stock.Very good
phyllis morena@hotmail.com
bummer... this didn't work for me as a steak. I wonder if my crockpot is hotter on the low setting or if I let it go too long. My T-bones fell off the bone and are now some really yummy steak fajitas.
I had cooked a back up sausage pasta bake. So, we are going to have Steak Fajitas for dinner tomorrow night. I must admit that the flavor was really good. I just drained everything and was left with the onions, bell peppers, steak and mushrooms. It will be a perfect fajita filling.
I'm not giving up on this idea! I think that I just need to cook it for a much shorter period of time.
I made this tonight, like always I tend to overcook whe using my crock pot. However, it was still wonderful. My steaks fell apart so they were served over rice...YUMMY
HI, STEPH.
I WAS READING RRAY AND FOUND YOUR RESOLUTION.
I JUST FOUND MY NEW BEST FRIEND. YOU AND MY CROCK POT COLLECTION, I HAVE 5 DIFFERENT SIZES AND ONLY USE THEM FOR PARTIES, OR HOLIDAY GET TOGETHER.
MY RESOLUTION WAS REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. SO NOW I CAN REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIME,& ENERGY (MINE, AND ELECTRICAL) HA! HA!
I HAVE LOOKED OVER SEVERAL RECIPES AND DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE TO TRY FIRST!THEY ALL SOUND AND LOOK DELICIOUS!!!!!
TRACY D.
SOUTHERN IL
Didn't like the flavor of this recipe sorry, maybe too much Worshtoshire sauce? Although the meat was tender.
Loved this recipe. My in-laws loved it too. My father in law even gave it a huge compliment; "I could eat this again." Trust me, that's huge. Thanks for the inspiration.
Made this over the weekend. HUGE hit with the family! Off to find out what to try next.
Tonight I heated the frozen portion we had saved from our first meal 4 weeks ago and served it over noodles. Just as delicious as the first time around and really easy clean up!
Tried this today....super easy and super yummy!! A real hit with DH which is hard to come by! So glad I found you and was inspired to break out the crockpot I hardly ever use!! Thanks!!!
Love your site! I have finally purchased a crock pot and I have this cooking at home as we speak... :)
This is my first time ever cooking using a slow cooker and I am hoping it saves me lots of time cooking while I am at work!
Thank you!!
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