Chipotle Cilantro Lime Tri-Tip

This is a recipe that has a funny story in our family.  While pregnant with our first son I had this for the first time.  My husband had taken me to The Cafe, in Ames Iowa for a date night.  It was absolutely to-die-for delicious.  Everything I ever ate there was delicious, but this was one of those meals that I craved but couldn't afford to have EVERY OTHER NIGHT!  Joshua was determined to figure out how to make this yummy steak for me and I must say, his version is every bit as good!

Whenever we most recently made this we used the marinade on Sirloin, but it is so much better on a Tri-Tip.

Here's what you need:
3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons ground Chipotle Seasoning
1/2 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
1 Teaspoon Cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 Teaspoon of garlic minced
1 Bunch of finely chopped Cilantro

Marinate your steaks for at least 2 hours.
Grill to your preference. Serve with a pat of Cilantro Lime Butter on the top of each steak
Serve with some delicious Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and a beautiful salad  - AMAZING!

Pepper Steak Goulash

I enjoy using my Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Chili pot to make this.  Any good sized pot will work, but this is going to cook low and slow on the stove once you get it going... Here is what you will need:

1 round steak (I use a nice size and sometimes two depending on my crowd)
1 large can (20+ oz) of Crushed tomatoes (have an extra 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes on hand just in case your meat doesn't make much broth and you think you need more).
2 (14 oz) cans of italian style stewed tomatoes (or petite diced).
1 small can of tomato paste
3 Tablespoons of Sugar
1 tsp of italian seasoning
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of Basil
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves smashed and diced
2 - 3 Green Bell Peppers
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

1.  Slice your round steak on the diagonal into very thin strips.
2. Thinly slice your bell pepper into strips, and do a smash and dice on your garlic.
3. In your pot drizzle in olive oil - enough to just cover the bottom of the pot.
4. After piping hot put your meat in and season with salt and pepper.
5. Once the meat is just browned, add in your garlic and thinly sliced bell peppers.
Let this cook down just for a moment while you are opening all your cans.
6. Pour in all of the tomatoes and tomato paste,  add in the seasonings, bay leaf and sugar.  Stir this good.  Do not drain the oil off of your meat - this will add to the flavor of your dish.  If you feel like there needs to be more broth on this - add a little bit of beef broth.  (However it will be thicker when you serve it because the slow cooking should reduce your sauce intensifying the flavor.)
Let this cook all day long on a low simmer. Stir Occasionally.  The lower and slower the more delicious it is.

Serve this over a bed of rice! DELICIOUS!!!