DIT in the Kitchen {Challenge #1}

Typo? Did I mean to say DIY?

Nope. It's DIT today, people. And by DIT, I mean Do It Together. While I can be a control freak about projects as a whole, when it comes to matters of the kitchen, I am happy to relinquish some responsibility.

Plus, it's fun.

There is no better way to save money when co-habitating then to cook as many meals as possible. Dinner for two every night at a restaurant? Major cha-ching. So with budgets in mind, we've decided to forego the lazy ways of old, and actually plan out our meals. We've even made it a bit of a challenge - pour through my cookbooks to find worthy recipes, and then give them a shot! See who can find the best recipe, who is the most efficient grocery shopper, who prepares the best meal... it's like Top Chef for the cooking-challenged.

Thus far, we've been pretty good about alternating whose night it is to cook, but after working all day I've found that the time spent cooking alone is valuable time together that goes to waste. So we've arrived at DIT.

DIT Challenge #1: Homemade Beef and Broccoli {in the slow cooker}
Recipe by Betty Crocker, amended by SJ

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef boneless top round steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup condensed beef broth
• 4 tablespoons teriyaki baste and glaze
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil {not necessary}
• 2/3 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice {white or brown}
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons waster
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets

Recipe

1. Mix beef, onion, broth, teriyaki baste, sesame seed and sesame oil into a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours.
3. 35 minutes prior to serving, cook rice in 1 1/3 cups of water, or in accordance with package directions. 
4. While rice is cooking, mix broccoli with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water in small bowl. Add to beef mixture in slow cooker, re-cover, and cook on low for 30 minutes, or until broccoli is the desired texture.

So, why did we pick beef and broccoli for our first DIT challenge? To put it simply, we are obsessed with Asian food. Sushi, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, cold, hot, hibachi, frozen in a bag - anything. Unfortunately, with this obsession comes unfortunate wallet and waistline side effects, so, as part of our New Year pledges we decided to try this to safeguard both! The ingredients cost a total of about $15-$20 depending on what you already have in your fridge, and one serving is a mere 335 calories. Perf.

The prep time was legitimately 20 minutes max, but we thoroughly enjoyed playing with knives and yummy ingredients together... and the ease of the recipe.

It's in the slow cooker now, and I will be sure to follow up with photos later this evening. Thanks to Betty Crocker for supplying us with our first challenge!

SJ