A Tasty Meal for a Family On the Go

It’s that time of year when I reach into my upper kitchen cabinets and pull out the Crock Pot, which will hold a permanent spot on my kitchen counter during the next several months.   Why? Like many of you, the changing of the clocks also signals the start to a busy spring sports season. 

In this house that means four different teams (three baseball, one softball) which translates to a different field almost every night of the week. Baseball and softball nights always leave me with the dilemma of figuring out how and when to feed the family. More often than not, we’re eating in shifts this time of year. 

That’s where our crock pot comes in.  You see, with just a little bit of planning you can have a few easy dinners each week, suitable for your very hectic after school sports schedules, warm and ready for the kids zooming in and out of the kitchen between games, practices and homework!

I give myself the same pep talk every season. I’m going to be diligent about not doing takeout or at least not doing as much as last year. Surely I’ll be picking up the phone and calling in a takeout order or two, but I’ve been busy testing out some new family-friendly meals that I can make in my slow cooker. 

This Chinese Pepper Steak recipe is one of the newest ones I’ve tried and it definitely passed the test.  Severed over a side of brown rice, it’s a quick and easy meal that you can put together in the morning and let it slow cook for several hours while you get on with the rest of your busy day.

CHINESE PEPPER STEAK (from Mabel Hoffman’s Crockery Cookery):

4-6 servings

1-1 1/2 lbs boneless beef round steak
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbls. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tomato, seeded, peeled & diced
2 red or green bell peppers, cut into strips
3 Tbls. cornstarch
3 Tbls. water
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
4 green onions, finely chopped

Cooked Rice 

Trim fat from steak; slice into thin strips. Combine steak, garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW about 4 hours. Turn control to HIGH. Add tomato and bell peppers. Dissolve cornstarch with water in a small bowl and stir into steak mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in bean sprouts, sprinkle with onions. Serve with rice.