With the warmer temperatures coming before too long, you may find that there will be days it will be too warm to cook. Or, you may have a time where you want to make a good, hot main course for dinnertime, but as busy as you are, you may feel you won’t have much time to prepare it. The solution to both of these issues? The slow-cooker, also known as the “Crock -Pot”! This ingenious invention is one of the best kitchen appliances ever made. I enjoy this appliance so much, I actually own TWO of them! Those of you who have one know what a real lifesaver they are!
I’d like to pass along the ingredients for a main dish that will utilize the slow cooker, and that’s for “Crock-Pot Onion Steak”. This is much like “Swiss Steak” in that it uses tomatoes to go with the beef, so it’s definitely a good recipe. It’s also incredibly fast to make, too.
You begin with round steak, cut into serving pieces. You could also use cubed steak, if you wanted to. The beef is seasoned with salt and pepper and goes directly into the slow cooker. Dry onion soup mix goes over the meat, followed by canned tomatoes that are mixed with some tapioca to help in thickening it. All that’s left to do is to cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4 hours. Serve this with some potatoes, rice or noodles, a green vegetable, a hot bread and a good dessert and that squares away dinner!
In case you’re not very familiar with tapioca, it’s found in the baking section of the grocery. It’s marketed under the name “Minute Tapioca” and it’s used for puddings and other recipes that sometimes require thickening. Not like cornstarch at all, it’s an ingredient that works very well to thicken, especially fruit pies.
Have you also considered using the slow cooker to make candy? A good while back, I shared a recipe for “Crock-Pot Candy” which is a clever and innovative way to make candy. To get the recipe, follow this link:
http://zoomdune.com/article/get-out-the-slow-cooker-and-make-candy
For those days you want to keep a kitchen cool or want to have a hot dinnertime treat ready when you come home from a busy day, this tasty way to prepare steak will do the trick!
CROCK-POT ONION STEAK
- 2 lbs. round steak, about 3/4 inch thick (cubed steak can be used, also)
- salt and pepper
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
- 1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup tapioca
Cut steak into serving pieces. Season with salt and pepper and place in the cooker. Sprinkle the onions soup over the top of the meat. Mix the canned tomatoes with the tapioca and pour over all. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4 hours. Yield: 4 servings.
