Special Dinner Made Easy

Beef tips. They're what's for dinner... and easy mint chocolate mousse. While my food photography skills need some work, these easy recipes are awesome! Tonight Chris came home with some great work news. In honor of the great news I whipped up one of his favorite meals.

I've been making beef tips for dinner since college.  Our good friends Scott & Kristin (who were recently married!) had just started dating. Scott wanted to try something new, so he made a version of this recipe; it was amazing and I've been making it ever since, with my own spin of course.  In fact, my family likes this recipe so much that many of them have started making it in their own homes. The true sign of great and easy meal!

Here's what you'll need...

• 1 crockpot (not a must but def makes it easier)

• 1 12' skillet (once again optional but I like it)

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Tri-tip beef (I like Costco's)

• Beef bouillon or beef stock

• 1 onion

• Cayenne to taste

• Italian seasoning

• 2 tbsp. flour

• 1 large plastic bag

• Rice (jasmine or texmati works great with this) 

I'll begin with the beef.  You can use any stew meat but I've tried all types with this recipe and Chris will testify that Choice tri-tip really is the best and it makes a big difference.  Plus, it often comes in bulk so one package makes about 4 batches.  One batch is about 3/4 of a pound and makes enough for Chris & I plus lunch the next day for me :)  

So step 1. Turn the crock pot on. Then cut the beef into bite size pieces. 

Place the beef into the large plastic baggie.  Add the flour, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and cayenne to the bag and toss. You can add these seasonings to taste.  I like mine pretty salty, Chris likes his spicy so I go heavy on both of these.  Feel free to add other spices as well. Sometimes I add chili powders, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin it just depends on my mood and how much time I have.

Now dice the onion and add it to the skillet with some olive oil.  Saute until soft.  Add the beef and brown on all sides. Sometimes at this stage I will add some red wine and deglaze the pan, however today I didn't have it on hand so no big deal. Still delicious. 

Once the beef is browned, add the onions and beef to the crock pot.  Cover with water and add bouillon cubes or beef stock. Put on the lid and you're done! Cook 6-8 hours.  

Now I like to do this before work so I have a delicious dinner AND a great smelling home waiting for me.  If you don't want to do this and have a couple of hours to hang out around the house you can do the same steps, but cook it in a soup or stock pot for about 2 hours over medium low heat. To serve cook up some rice (or egg noodles if you like), ladle the cooked beef tips over it and enjoy!!

Now... on to dessert! I wanted Chris to come home to something special but I didn't need a bunch of extra sweets hanging around the house to tempt me. Plus I was in a time crunch so... chocolate mousse!  It's tasty and super simple, just follow these three steps:

1. Melt some chocolate chips on a double boiler with a teaspoon or two of water. I used mint chocolate chips for some added flavor.

2. Cool the chocolate and fold in some Cool Whip. (I used the light version and it was just as good)

3. Enjoy!!

I hope you can use one or both of these recipes and really enjoy them, I know we did! And of course congratulations to Chris on his awesome accolade!

Cheers,

Courtney