Two Beef Recipes and One For Spinach

I really like to find recipes that have some short-cuts to make them fast to put together without sacrificing flavor; it doesn't matter if a recipe is easy to fix if nobody likes it! In my clippings box this week I found two beef recipes and one for spinach that qualify for the fast category. You and I will have to determine if they are good and worth keeping (around here a new recipe means a "thumbs up-thumbs down" vote).
I think that all three of these recipes are good candidates for the flavor vote since the seasoning for both beef recipes includes dry onion soup mix, and the spinach recipe is topped with buttered cracker crumbs. The stew recipe uses frozen meatballs and cooks all day in your slow-cooker; there's a time-saver on a school night or after work. I'm anxious to give these a try; hope you will, too!

Newspaper Recipe Contest (no date available)


Easy Beef Goulash
(Doris L. Rayman, Somerset, Pa.)

1 to 2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 Lb. ground beef (chuck)
3 C uncooked medium egg noodles
2 C water
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Heat oil in medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally w/ a fork to break up meat. Drain off any excess fat.
Sprinkle uncooked noodles over meat. Combine water, tomato sauce and onion soup mix. Pour over noodles in skillet. Do not stir. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer about 30 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Stir and serve.
Note: You may have to add a small amount of water if the noodles seem to be sticking. This is very easy and quick for those hectic days.


Spinach Casserole
(G.G. Crabtree, Lansing, Michigan)

1 package frozen spinach
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French Onion Rings
6 TBSP butter or margarine
cracker crumbs

Cook spinach according to package directions. Heat soup and cream cheese to soften. Mix with spinach; add onion rings. Pour into casserole. Melt butter; add enough cracker crumbs to absorb butter. Spread buttered crumbs on top and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.



This recipe is from one of the Reiman magazines, maybe Country Woman, I'm not sure.

Meatball Stew
(Iris Schultz, Miamisburg, Ohio)

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 pkg. (16 oz.) fresh baby carrots, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen cooked meatballs
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) beef gravy
1 C water
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tsp beef bouillon granules

Place the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and meatballs in a 5 qt. slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over meatball mixture. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Yield: 6 servings.

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Update on Window cleaning experiment from yesterday's post: I have concluded that the best combination for a no-streaks window is to use a microfiber dusting cloth on your Swiffer Dry Mop pole and Sparkle Glass Cleaner. Also, it is best to hose the window down first to loosen the dirt. My windows are looking beautiful! I still have to clean my screens, though. I think that whoever said, "Housework can kill you if it's done right!" was correct.
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I will be participating in the recipe swaps at LifeasMom and JoyofDesserts.