1 lb. round steak
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 c. water
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Cut round steak in thin strips (easiest when meat is slightly frozen). Mix water and onion soup; add mushroom soup. Pour over meat in 1-1/2 quart casserole. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Serves 3 to 4.

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 6 hrs.

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (1.61-ounce) package brown gravy mix
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
Hot cooked egg noodles or rice
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Place first 3 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Whisk together gravy mix and next 3 ingredients; pour evenly over beef and vegetables. Add bay leaf.
Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours, or LOW for 9 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish, if desired. Yield: Makes 6 servings.

–Southern Living, FEBRUARY 2006
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Sizzling Fajitas

1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds meat (boneless, skinless chicken breast, skirt steak or peeled and deveined shrimp)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 lime, juiced, for topping
Sour cream, for topping
Salsa, for topping
Guacamole, for topping
Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping

In a heavy duty resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, salt, pepper and your choice of meat. Seal and toss the bag around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator. *Cook’s Note: 15 minutes for shrimp, 20 minutes for chicken and 1 hour for skirt steak.
Preheat your cast iron servers in a preheated 400 degree F oven for at least 20 minutes, to get a good sizzle when you plate the fajitas.
Heat the outside grill or a large indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and place it on the hot grill, discard the marinade. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, skirt steak about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare and about 2 minutes for shrimp. Slice the chicken and steak into strips if you are using.
In a large skillet heat up the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and fry the onions and bell peppers until crisp-tender with some salt and pepper.
Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven with the servers for 15 minutes.

When you are ready to serve, remove the cast iron servers from the oven and quickly arrange the meat and peppers and onions on it. It will immediately start to sizzle from their fat and moisture. Serve sizzling immediately with the warm tortillas and other accompaniments.
–Paula Dean
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Parker’s Beef Stew

2½ lb. good quality chuck beef, cut into 1½” cubes
1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine (Cab sauv or other)
2 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2
1 lb. small potatoes, halved or quartered
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) chicken stock or broth
1 large (or 2 small) branch fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbsp.s Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate a few hours or overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 300º F.
Combine the flour, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 1 Tbsp. pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. Heat 2 Tbsp.s of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you’ll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.
Heat another 2 Tbsp.s of oil to the large pot and add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the m