Cowboy Stew

During our trip out to Colorado, mom and I made Cowboy Stew- quite possibly one of my favorite dishes from my childhood. It's sweet and chunky. Filling and oh. so. tasty. Love love LOVE it. This can be made in a crockpot, or in huge cast iron skillets like the one pictured. This is fabulous with some thick crusty bread.

Cowboy Stew

• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can butter beans
• 1 large can Pork and Beans (we used plain Baked Beans)
  
• 1/2 lb bacon (we used thick cut ham)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup onion - diced fine
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses

-- Drain kidney and butter beans. Cook up the bacon in skillet, breaking it apart. Set aside.
-- Brown beef (keeping it chunky) with the onion. Drain and set aside.
-- Mix all beans and meat together in a 9 x 11 pan (or large iron skillet).
-- Mix the ketchup, sugar, and molasses together and pour over the protein.
-- Bake for one hour at 350 OR for 4 hours at 200. Also, you can cook it on low for 4 hours in a crockpot.

Beef and Broccoli Pasta

I originally tried this meal in its original form - a crockpot dish - and didn't really like it much. Too bland and the noddles end up all mushy. So with some tweaks and a lot shorter cooking time without the crockpot, it turned out so much better! As in, I'll be making it again as not only Scot, but also the two little guys, chowed down on it!

Beef and Broccoli Pasta

• 2 cups broccoli florets (12 oz frozen bag)
• 1 onion - thinly sliced
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1/2 t dried rosemary
• Beef bullion cube
• 1 can Italian diced tomatoes
• 1 lb ground beef - cooked and drained
  
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 T tomato paste
• A good splash of ride wine vinegar
  
• Pasta - whatever kind you want
• Shredded cheese or Parmesan
  

--Saute onion, garlic and spices in some Olive Oil
--Add broccoli and heat until bright green
--Add the bullion cube and can of tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer.
-- Add the cooked beef and the tomato paste and the splash of red wine vinegar.
--Serve over pasta with some shredded cheese on top.

YUM!!

NOTE: Next time, I may up the amount of tomato paste to make it more sauce-like, but the flavor was excellent