Blue Cheese Meatballs with Tomatoes and Basil

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is the most delicious animated film ever made. Yummy food raining down from the sky, thanks to Flint's (voice of Bill Hader) machine that turns water into food. The food is delicious, but the town's a mess! The one is fun for the whole family.

Our recipe for Blue Cheese Meatballs with Tomatoes and Basil will satisfy even the pickiest eater's cravings. Moist meatballs wrapped around a blue cheese center and covered with tomatoes and basil, Italian style. Here's wishing you a "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" day!
 
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Blue Cheese Meatballs
10 oz. ground Sirloin
1/4 cup milk
Dash Sea Salt
Dashes freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
9 Tablespoons Blue Cheese Crumbles

In a bowl, combine the ground sirloin, milk, sea salt, black pepper and garlic.  Mix well.   Make 9 equal sized meatballs. Use your thumb to make a hole in the middle of each meatball. Add 1 teaspoon of Blue Cheese Crumbles to each meatball and close.

Add meatballs to a baking dish. Place in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Tomatoes and Basil
2 Tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped, (remove outer skin)
1 Tablespoon fresh Basil, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 Tablespoon, shallots, chopped
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
Dash sugar
Dash Sea Salt
Dashes freshly grounded black pepper

Add all tomatoes and basil ingredients to a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir. Cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook 15 to 18 minutes.

Picture 1 - Serve Blue Cheese Meatballs in soft sub or French bread with mozzarella or provolone cheese topped with tomatoes and basil.

Picture 2 - Serve over your favorite pasta.

Serves 3

(2010)

The Ultimate Cheeseburger

Reel Good Recipes concludes Black History Month with the 1975 classic "Cooley High" starring Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. This film brings back bittersweet memories for those of us who remember the music, youth and love of the decade like no other, the 1960s.  

Our recipe for the Ultimate Cheeseburger pays tribute to Martha's Restaurant, which was a little corner "joint" where the Cooley High kids hung out. No one made better burgers - big, juicy and bold, just like Martha. Let this cheeseburger take you back to a time when food was good, simple and easy, even when life was not.

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1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 
Dash seasoned salt
Dash lemon pepper
Dash crushed red pepper

Add butter to a saute pan over medium high heat. Add shallots, red wine vinegar, dashes of seasoned salt, lemon pepper, and crushed red pepper. Saute for 3 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

1/2 lb. ground sirloin
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
Dash salt
Dashes freshly ground black pepper
2 slices provolone cheese
2 slices cheddar cheese
6 crunchy waffle fries - prepared according to package directions
2 gourmet hamburger buns
Optional toppings - shredded lettuce, Dijon mustard, ketchup, jalapeno peppers, light mayo.

Add ground sirloin, milk, seasoned salt, salt and black pepper to mixing bowl. Mix well. Make four equally sized thin burgers. Add 1 slice of provolone cheese to two burgers. Top with the other burger and press closed. Preheat a grill or large saute pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Add 1 slice of cheddar cheese to each burger. Turn off heat, cover and let rest in pan for 5 minutes (cheeseburgers should be medium well, but you can adjust the cooking time to your liking).

Warm 2 gourmet hamburger buns. Add a cheeseburger to each bun.  Top with sauteed shallots and waffle fries.  Optional:  Add lettuce, mustard, ketchup, light mayo, jalapeno peppers or other condiments.

Serves 2 to 4.

Beef and Mushrooms - Gourmet Meal on a Budget

Want to know how to treat yourself to a fine dining restaurant quality meal at a fraction of the cost? Our recipe for "Beef and Mushrooms - Gourmet Meal on a Budget" is the answer! Move over super high-priced Fillet Mignon, Porterhouse and Bone-In Rib-Eye Steaks.  We are braising reasonably priced Beef Shanks and slow cooking them to tender perfection. And, all of this savory goodness is blended with fresh mushrooms and vegetables in a banging wine sauce. Our featured film "Fun with Dick and Jane" stars comic actor genius Jim Carrey as a married man who finds himself out of a job. He and his wife (Tea Leoni) have to seriously down-size their way of life. They are living on a super tight budget, that is, until they come up with a crazy over the top answer to their money problems. Jim Carrey and our Beef and Mushrooms recipe, who knew living on a budget could be so much fun!

2 beef shanks (about 1-1/2 lbs)

Dashes salt and freshly grounded black pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 bay leaves

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 red onion, chopped

Dash salt

6 baby mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)

2 tomatoes, skin removed and cut into cubes

1 teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce

 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/3 cup water mixed with 2 teaspoons of flour for thickening

8 oz of fettuccine (cooked according to package directions) after draining, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and dashes of salt. Mix well

Optional - Top finished dish with pinches of fresh cilantro

Add salt and black pepper to beef shanks. Place large sauce pan over high heat. Add olive oil. Brown both sides of beef. Add red wine, chicken stock, bay leaves, celery, garlic, red onions, and dash of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn heat back up to high and add mushrooms, tomatoes, Chili Garlic Sauce, red wine vinegar, and water and flour mixture. After boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve Beef and Mushrooms over fettuccine and (optional) pinches of fresh cilantro.

Serves 4

(2005)

Best Ever Braised Beef Shanks in Pomegranate Juice w/ Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes

 

 

Braised Beef Shanks

Beef shanks, 2 lbs
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Dashes of salt and black pepper 
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup red onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each, bottled crushed- Rosemary, Marjoram and Thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups water

16 oz POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

Place soup or large pot on stove over high heat. After pot is hot, add olive oil, heat and add beef shanks. Brown beef on each side for about 5 minutes. Add celery, red onions, garlic, Rosemary, Marjoram, Thyme, salt, black pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, cover, then lower heat to a simmer. Let cook for 1 hour. After an hour, drain all the liquid through a colander, but keep all the vegetables with the beef. Return to stove, turn up heat to high and add the POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. 

Slices should be super tender. Add to a serving dish and drizzle the pomegranate sauce and vegetables over the beef. Serve with Ultimate Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes.

Ultimate Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes

5 red potatoes, medium sized

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 Tablespoons butter

Salt and black pepper to taste

Fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450. Place garlic in a baking pan and place in hot oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and peel off outer skin layer.  Set aside

Peel and chop red potatoes. Rinse clean. Place in a pot and cover with cold water. Boil uncovered over medium high heat for approximately 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain.

Add the potatoes, garlic, milk, butter, and salt and pepper to mixing bowl. Use electric mixer to beat until light and creamy, but try to keep tiny bits of potatoes for texture.

Spoon potatoes into a serving dish and top potatoes and beef shanks with fresh parsley.

Serves 4 to 5, add your favorite vegetable or salad

For the first time ever Reel Good Recipes is featuring a "meat and potatoes" dish inspired by the best TV series ever, HBO's 'The Wire.' A solid and gritty urban drama series that is brilliant on so many levels. No holds barred in subject matter, "The Wire" featured intriguing characters that are still talked about today, even years after the finale season.

Please enjoy the video of 100 of The Wire's best quotes. It's just a little taste of the fun and madness that is "The Wire."

Our recipe for Braised Beef Shanks with Pomegranate Juice is amazingly super tender and loaded with the fruity taste of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. The Ultimate Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes are the perfect match to our beef shanks. Just like "The Wire" this dish will leave you wanting more!

Visit POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice at : http://www.pomwonderful.com/

 

Steak and Onions - Gangsta Style

2 - 6 -oz. Rib Eye Steaks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon corn starch mixed with 1/3 water
Dashes (according to taste) season salt, paprika, black pepper, and salt
Optional, dash of ground cayanne pepper if you want a little heat

Rinse steaks, pat dry and add dashes of season salt, paprika, black pepper, (optional ground cayanne pepper) and salt. Set aside. Over medium high heat add olive oil and garlic. Let garlic brown on both sides in oil.  Remove garlic and add steaks. Cook on each side for 5 minutes. Remove steaks from pan. Drain pan. Turn up heat to high and add butter, Worcestershire Sauce, and corn starch mixture. Let boil for 2 minutes, add red onions. Lower heat, return steak to the pan. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

Serves 2 to 3

(1983)

The baddest gangsta on film has to be my guy Scarface. Al Pacino is "no joke" in his portrayal of the Cuban Drug Lord and total bad ass Tony Montana, all man and all beef! We drew our inspiration from "Scarface" for our recipe Steak and Onions - Gangsta Style. It's a in your face dish with bold flavors and shamefully satisfying. Like our guilty pleasure "Scarface."

Cubed Steak and Gravy

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5 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 lb. cubed steak

Gravy:
3 Tbs. butter
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 c. water

Combine flour, black pepper and  seasoned salt on a large plate.  Coat cubed steaks in flour and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Add onions and saute until soft and lightly browned.  Remove onions from skillet, reserving oil.

Add 3 tablespoon of additional oil to skillet.  Add cubed steaks and let cook until brown, about 5-7 minutes per side.  Remove from pan. 

To make the gravy:  melt butter in the skillet.  Stir in flour, seasoned salt and black pepper.  Cook until medium brown.  Add water, stirring until well combined.  Reduce heat to medium and let simmer until thickened.  Return onions and steak to skillet and let cook until steak is heated through.  Delicous with rice or potatoes.  

Serves 4.

Reel Good Recipes is shining its spotlight on gifted Artist Ice Cube. He is a Rapper, Actor, Director, Writer, and the list goes on. Our recipe for a delicious Cubed Steak and Gravy is in honor of of Ice Cube.  Enjoy the clip below from one of his funniest films, "Friday."

Taco Pie Extremo

In a large skillet, cook the following 10 ingredients over medium high heat for 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Drain and set aside.

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1/4 pound ground beef

1/4 pound ground spicy sausage

6 small white mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Taco seasoning
Dashes black pepper
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1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust (1/2 package)
1 -14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 -16 oz. can refried beans
1 cup Mexi-Style Cheddar Jack Cheese, shredded

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unfold pie crust and press into 9" pie pan, leaving edges up (do not press down edges). Prick bottom and sides with a folk (to vent). Bake 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Layer in pie crust: meat mixture, refried beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle top with cheese and parsley.

Bake 25 minutes on cookie sheet at 350 degrees until lightly golden.

Optional, serve with sour cream, lettuce, black olives and/or jalapeno peppers.

Serves 10.

While on vacation in Mexico, a cute little pampered chihuahua named Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore) finds herself in the adventure of a lifetime. Our feature film, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is a must-see for animal lovers. Their antics take us on a beautiful tour through Mexico with lovable and not so lovable animals along the way.

Our recipe for Taco Pie Extremo was inspired by the Mexican restaurants along Chloe's travels. Just the right amount of spices, meat, vegetables and cheese, all baked up in a flaky delicious pie crust. Our Taco Pie is "the Extremo"!

Ultimate Philly Cheese Steak with ReelAwesome Sauce

ReelAwesome Sauce
Mix the following 7 ingredients in a bowl and set-aside:
1/3 cup light mayo
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 roasted garlic cloves, minced (roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes)
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons roasted red peppers, chopped (from jar)
1 Tablespoon jalapeno pepper, chopped (from jar)
Dash of salt and black pepper

1 -1/2 pounds boneless rib-eye steak, thinly sliced (rinsed and patted dry, add dashes of salt and black pepper)

1/3 cup onion, thinly sliced

4 Kraft Velveeta Cheese Slices

2 - 8 inch soft sub rolls

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons softened butter

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add steak, then and onions to the skillet. Cook 4 minutes on each side. While still in the pan, divide steak into two equal parts and top each with 2 slices of cheese. Allow cheese to melt. Stir onions in the side in pan. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 teaspoon of butter inside each sub roll. Heat roll in a pan over medium high heat for 40 seconds on each side. Remove from heat.

Open rolls and add ReelAwesome Sauce to both sides. Place steak and cheese onto each roll. Top with onions.

Serves 2 to 4.

Tom Hanks won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1994 for "Philadelphia", a controversial film about a gay Lawyer with AIDS who is fired from his firm. His law partners are homophobic and so is his own lawyer, played by the fabulous Denzel Washington. After the dust clears and all the ugliness of prejudice is laid out on the court room tables, the people of "Philadelphia" and the world learn a valuable lesson. Music icon Bruce Springsteen's haunting Original Song "The Streets of Philadelphia" won the Oscar for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.

Our recipe for the Ultimate Philly Cheese Steak is another "Two Spoons Up" recipe. I spent some time in the streets of Philadelphia when my daughter attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Their cheese steak is world famous and Reel Good Recipes has done "the City of Brotherly Love" proud!

Beef with Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Sauce

1 cup white rice, cooked according to package directions

_____________________________

1-1/2 lbs boneless steak (premium cut such as New York Strip, Sirloin, Fillet Mignon or Rib-Eye) cut into strips

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Dashes of black pepper

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Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

1 - 9 ounce jar Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1/2 Serrano or Jalapeno Pepper, seeds removed and chopped (If you are bold, use the whole pepper)

1 Tablespoon butter

3/4 cup water

Pinch of sugar

_____________________________

2 Tablespoons olive oil for saute/fry pan

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped for garnish

Season beef with seasoned salt, garlic salt and black pepper.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef and cook about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Set aside.

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium saute pan over high heat. Bring sauce to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer 3 minutes.

To plate dish, layer rice, sun-dried tomato sauce and beef. Garnish with chopped basil.

Serves 4 to 5.

2005

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is about a married couple who are assassins on the "down low" who are hired by competing agencies to kill each other. Brad Pitt as Mr. Smith and Angelina Jolie as Mrs. Smith are not your ordinary couple in this film or in real life. Our recipe for Beef and Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Sauce has all the favor, spice and heat of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, just like this video clip of their super hot Tango dance!

Ox Tails (Beef) Stew

Just like Mama used to make!!

Big Mama's House (2002)

Martin Lawrence is an FBI agent who disguises as Big Mama for a case and falls in love with her granddaughter Sherry (Nia Long). This is my favorite Martin film because it delivers "big" on laughs.

Mama's Ox Tails Stew will melt in your mouth. "Big Mama's House" is like most mom and grandmom's houses, filled with good eats. The beef in Ox Tails is just wonderful when you take the time to cook it with love and care, the way mama's do.


2 packages of Ox Tails (approximately 10) remove excess fat, rinse, add dashes of salt and pepper
2 Tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup red onion, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup celery, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 cups water
4 cups chicken stock
1 -1/2 cups red wine
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
5 fresh on-the-vine tomatoes - remove outer skin (dip in hot water and peel) - cut into large cubes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 cup uncooked bow-tie pasta
1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon each if using dried thyme)
1 Tablespoon fresh basil (1/2 teaspoon each if using dried basil)
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Dash Cayenne Pepper


Using a large soup/stock pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add Ox Tails. Sear about 6 minutes on each side.

Turn up heat and add water to pot. After it boils, lower heat and cook for 1 hour. After an hour, drain all the water from pot, rinse Ox Tails, and return to heat.

Add garlic, red onion, celery and Bay Leaves and black pepper.
Turn heat up to high and add chicken stock and red wine. After pot boils, reduce heat to simmer, and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

After 2 hours, turn up heat add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, hot sauce, bow-tie pasta, basil, thyme, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper - after boil, lower heat to a simmer and let cook 8 minutes.

When cooking is completed, remove bay leaves.

Serves 6

Lady Blues Blue Cheese Crusted Steak

Lady Blues Cheese Crusted Steak pays tribute to Blues and Jazz singer Billy Holiday (Lady Day). This dish is named for Lady Day, because of its edgy blue cheese topping. The ordinary steak is now, extraordinary!


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Topping:
½ cup Progresso Bread Crumbs (unseasoned/plain)
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon blue cheese crumbles
3 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoons olive oil
4 – 4 to 6oz. boneless Rib-Eye or other prime cut boneless steaks, rinsed and
seasoned with salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare topping by combining bread crumbs, blue cheese, butter and garlic powder. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook steaks about 5 minutes per side. Remove, drain on paper towels.

Place the steaks on a baking sheet. Top each steak with 2 ½ tablespoons of topping. Pat down evenly.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Serves 4.
 

 Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Diana Ross was nominated in the lead actress category for her brilliant portrayal of Blues and Jazz singer Billy Holiday aka "Lady Day". It does not matter which actress won for 1972, Diana Ross gave the best performance. The moving and shocking scene where she and her man Louis (Billy Dee Williams) are at home and Billy needs her “fix” real bad. Louis is aware and tries to keep the drugs from her. Billy freaks out and attacks Louis, and finally pulls a razor on him. She was willing to kill him to get to her drugs. Billy Holiday’s huge talent and life were destroyed by heroin, and Diana Ross made you feel her pain.

Steak N’ Avacado – Bravo!

Inspired by The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

Clint Eastwood is at his finest traveling throughout the southwest with a cigar in his mouth and his finger on the trigger. The search for gold has everybody running fast and loose. The good the bad and the uglys final showdown is a tension and nerve fest of the highest degree. We got some real crazy cowboys on our hands. Good stuff!

The old southwest with its grit and bark and knee slappin grub. Steak and Avocado – Bravo takes its lead from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This dish shares the essence of the southwest where all things are possible, and this recipe for Steak and Avocado – Bravo is golden!!

1 – Pillsbury Refrigerated Garlic or Regular Flavor Breadsticks (10.6 oz)

1/2 – 1.06 oz package Tenderizing Beef Marinade (such as Lawry’s Spices and Seasoning Mix)
2– 8oz Boneless Rib-Eye, Sirloin or other premium steak, rinsed and cut in halves at an angle
1 Tbs Olive Oil
4 slices Provolone Cheese
1 cup chunky salsa, divided
1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and cut into thin slices

Bake breadsticks according to package directions except do not twist breadsticks. You will have 2 sections of 5 breadsticks.

While bread is baking, place steaks in a large zip lock bag. Add beef marinade per package directions. Let marinate only 10 minutes.

Remove steak from bag, discarding excess marinade. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Cook steak about 7 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and place on paper towel.

Remove breadsticks from oven. Top each breadstick section (2) with 2 slices provolone cheese. Return to oven for an additional 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is lightly golden.

Cut each bread piece in half at an angle, making 4 triangles. Top each with 2 tablespoons of salsa, one piece of steak, an additional 2 tablespoons of salsa, and 3 or 4 slices of avocado.

Place open faced sandwiches on a platter and garnish with remaining avocado and salsa.

Serves 4.

Shank-alicious Seared Beef Stew

Inspired by the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption is a gem of a movie. From the moment you hear Red’s voice (Morgan Freeman) talking about his first impression of the new fish or convict Andy (Tim Robbins) you know a bit of movie magic is going to happen. One of my favorite scenes is when the evil and crooked warden realizes that Andy as not only escaped, but taken his money and dropped a dime on him to the media. Andy's posters of Rita Hayworth and Raquel Welch served more than one purpose.

This beef stew recipe is inspired by “The Shawshank Redemption." Andy Dupree’s redemption took over 20 years, but the good news is my Shank-alicious Braised Beef Stew only takes 2 hours and 20 minutes. Both are worth the wait!

2 large beef shanks (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds), fat removed

1 package beef marinade (I like Lawry's or McCormick packaged marinades)

1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup red onion, coursely chopped
1/3 cup celery, coursley chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 cups water
2 teaspoons of “Better than Bouillon” chicken base
1 large (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes and (its juice), put in a bowl and slice tomatoes in half
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ cup uncooked white rice
1 – 14-16oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables
1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon each if using dried thyme)
1 Tablespoon fresh basil (1 teaspoon each if using dried basil)

Marinate beef shanks for at least an hour in beef marinade.

Using a large soup/stock pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef shanks. Sear about 6 minutes on each side.

Add 2 of the mined garlic, red onion, celery and Bay Leaves and black pepper.

Turn heat up to high and add water and “Better than Bouillon" chicken base. After pot boils, reduce heat to simmer, and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

After 2 hours add tomatoes, sugar, hot sauce, rice, basil, thyme and 1 minced garlic clove. Let cook 10 minutes.

Add frozen vegetables and cook an additional 10 minutes.

When cooking is completed, remove the beef shanks and place on a plate, cut beef from bones and chop in medium size pieces. Return beef to the pot (you can discard bones or return back to the pot for additional favoring).

Remove bay leaves.

Serves 5 to 6.