I decided this morning that I wanted to do a southern menu this week for our dinners. This generally makes the hubs a very happy man, because he loves my southern cooking. But then, he’s pretty easy to please where food is concerned, but that’s a different story. 🙂
So after spending a little quality time with some of my favorite cookbooks, I decided on the menu for the week, and we’re starting it off with beef tips and rice. A true southern staple. I don’t remember exactly when I had this for the first time, but I can tell you that I was well into my 30’s before I attempted to make it myself. I’m not sure why I was so intimidated by it, but I certainly was. Now I take shortcuts where I can to make it easier on myself, and get a little more consistent results. The recipe here is the one I use now, so even if you are new to cooking (or have many years under your belt), you should be able to make this with no problem at all.
1 package stew beef (larger chunks are better)
1 package brown gravy mix (I use McCormick)
McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning (comes in a grinder)
1 1/2 tbs Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
2 cups hot water
Rinse the stew beef under cold water and place in your crock pot.
Sprinkle with brown gravy mix. Twist the Steakhouse Seasoning 8-10 times over the meat.
Mix beef base into hot water and stir until dissolved. Pour over meat. Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
When it’s done, ladle over a bed of white rice and serve with your favorite vegetable and bread. (Warning, your house will smell amazing most of the day!)
If you are on a low sodium diet, you can use a low sodium gravy mix (or make your own if you are good at that), or simply add more water to reduce the sodium content.
A word about the ingredients I used. I wanted to include some photos of the things I use which makes this taste so great, which will hopefully make it easier for you to find.
Rolling in the Dough 