Serving Up {Soup}: Beef & Red Bean Chili

Soup weather has come - and with a vengeance!  I know I am not the only one having CRAZY fall weather!  A week into October and I am hearing about snow falling in parts of the country and here in the Northwest we are keeping our canoes and kayaks handy in case we need to make a water getaway!  Sheesh!  We ended the month of September with all kinds of record breaking rainfall.  Who do I need to talk to arrange a few more days of sunshine?  Our house is getting painted and the rain isn't helping that project one bit!

When the weather turns cold, I immediately think "soup".  And while I may quickly tire of the cold, wet weather, I don't really ever tire of the soup.  This chili recipe is an adaption of my aunt's delicious chili.  I still remember my aunt making this when I was pretty young and touting that you could make the entire thing using "only your microwave" - that was when microwaves were cool and new and sat on their very own microwave stand.  30 years later we have learned a few things about those cool microwaves and I was happy to return this recipe to the stovetop where it belongs.  Same great flavor minus a few electromagnetic waves.  Serve with a hearty cornbread (I would suggest this recipe) and some delicious honey butter (come back on Thursday for that recipe) and you are ready for any weather that might be on the horizon.

One Year Ago: Sesame Chicken
Two Years Ago: Thai Coconut Ginger Broth

BEEF & RED BEAN CHILI     
(recipe adapted from aunt Marie)
printable version

2 lbs. hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
32-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
2 bay leafs
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice

Tie cloves and allspice into a small peice of cheesecloth and set aside the "spice bag".
Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add hamburger, onion and garlic.  Continue to cook until hamburger is no longer pink.  Drain excess fat.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Add spice bag and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered for one hour.
Flavor is best if you place cooked chili in the fridge overnight, with bay leaf and spice bag in place.
Rewarm and discard spices before serving.

Serving Up {Beef}: Sirloin Burger with Balsamic Mayo

I owe you an apology.  A really big one!  Like a 1/3 pound, mouthwatering apology topped with mushrooms and swiss cheese and dripping with balsamic mayo.  Oh wait, I think I have this burger on the mind!

I owe you an apology because I had planned to post this recipe last month while we were still knee deep in BBQ season....because this is the ultimate BBQ burger!  Sadly I am late in posting it but, at least here in the Northwest, the weather seems to be cooperating in extended our BBQ season out a few more weeks so maybe if you haven't put away your grill for the season you can grill this baby up and it will tie you over until next summer.  

One Year Ago: Baked Beans
                        Green Smoothie

SIRLOIN BURGERS WITH BALSAMIC MAYO     
(recipe from Rachel Ray)
printable version

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Steak Seasoning Blend (McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 crusty rolls, split
4 portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and pepper
4 slices Swiss cheese
3 Tbs. Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Coarse black pepper
1/4 pound baby spinach

Preheat grill pan or large nonstick skillet.  Saute onions in a small pan over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes until tender.
Combine meat with Worcestershire sauce, sauteed onion and steak seasoning blend.  Form 4 large patties. Drizzle patties with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil. Place burgers on grill or in a skillet. Grill or pan-fry burgers 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-well doneness.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a little oil and mushrooms. Season mushrooms with a little salt and pepper and saute until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pile the cooked mushrooms on top of the burgers just before you are ready to take them off the grill or out of the pan. Fold each Swiss cheese slice in half and rest on top of mushrooms. Place a loose tin foil tent over the burgers and turn heat off under pan or grill. Allow the cheese to begin to melt down over mushroom and burgers, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Toast your buns.
Combine balsamic, mayonnaise and coarse cracked black pepper in a small dish.
To assemble, place burgers with mushrooms and Swiss cheese on the bottom of the bun. Slather tops of buns with the balsamic mayo blend and baby spinach. Set burger tops in place.

Serving Up {Beef}: Homemade Sloppy Joes

My daughter loves sloppy joes and will ask for them regularly, which I am glad of because I don't always think about sloppy joes when I am planning the weeks menu.  This is our go to recipe for sloppy joes and it is really good.  It is the only recipe I use.  Seriously - I stopped looking at sloppy joe recipes after finding this one.  The key is the BBQ sauce.  The result is a smoky, BBQ flavor which seems to satisfy everyone at our home.

One Year Ago: Ravioli with Balsamic Browned Butter

                       Spinach, Pear, Prosciutto & Gorgonzola with Balsamic Vinaigrette

SLOPPY JOES     
(recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
printable version

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2/3 cup smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce is in your fridge)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. You can make the sloppy joe up to 2 days in advance and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.
Serve over buns.

Serving Up {Pasta}: Rigatoni

Pasta is pretty much a staple in our home.  The kids kind of demand it!  Okay, so I admit that they don't have to ask more than once as I am a pretty big fan of pasta too.  This super easy, super quick, super delicious pasta dish is one that I grew up eating.  It just never goes out of style!

One Year Ago: Coconut Banana Muffins
                        Cashew Chicken Salad

RIGATONI     
(recipe from Linda W.)
printable version

1 pkg. rigatoni noodles, cooked and drained
1 pound hamburger or sausage, browned
2 pkgs. dry spaghetti sauce mix, Italian flavored
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
8 ounces mozzerella cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese, cubed

Combine the cooked meat, sauce mix, tomato sauce and water in a large dutch oven pan.  Heat and add 1/2 of the mozzerella cheese and 1/2 of the cream cheese; melt slightly.  Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles and stir to combine.  Add the remaining cheese cubes and transfer all to a large baking dish.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serving Up {Beef}: Shredded BBQ Beef

Can you believe that when I was growing up I did NOT like anything that had BBQ sauce on it?  What was I thinking?  I think I am definitely making up for that in my later life.  I mean, nothing says summer like a messy, drippy BBQ beef sandwich.  And this recipe, with it's made from scratch sauce, is a great way to kick off summer.  

This is one of those "everyone in the family is happy to eat it" meals.  We seem to have a few more of those as my kids get older, but still, with seven eating (if everyone is home) trying to please everyone is tricky.  Having all 7 THRILLED is priceless! 

And the added bonus - I threw mine in the slow cooker to keep the heat out of my kitchen and the results were just as delicious as when I have cooked it in the oven.  It's always a bonus when it can be done in the slow cooker!

One Year Ago:  OREO Ice Cream Cake

                           Mom's Corn Bread

SHREDDED BBQ BEEF     

printable version

1 boneless beef chuck roast (approx. 4 lbs.)

3 Tbs. cooking oil, divided

2 large onions, chopped

1 cup ketchup

1 cup beef broth

2/3 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tbs. worcestershire sauce

2 Tbs. prepared mustard

2 Tbs. molasses

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. peper

1 Tbs. liquid smoke, optional

In a large dutch oven, brown roast on all sides in 1 Tbs. of the oil.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onions in the remaining oil until tender.  Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour the sauce over the meat.***

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours, then turn the roast over and bake for another 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.  Remove the roast and shred and then return to the sauce until ready to serve.

Serve on kaiser rolls or buns.

***At this point you could tranfer it all to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat shreds easily.

Serving Up {Beef}: Bolgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)

I had a completely different post ready to go until I realized that of the eleven posts done in the month of March, seven of them were breakfast recipes.  The other four were treats.  Time to post at least one real meal recipe for the month.  And what a terrific recipe this is!

To think that as recently as January, I had never eaten Bolgogi Beef!  My sister-in-law lived in Korea for 18 months and during her most recent visit to Portland she introduced me to Bolgogi - first in the form of her leftovers from Korean take-out and the next day we had it wrapped up in a Koi-Fusion burrito.  Yum!  Since that weekend of enlightenment I have ordered it at a crepery served in a savory crepe, I have made a homemade version and I have returned to Koi-Fusion for another bolgogi burrito.  I guess I realized that I have been missing out and have just been making up for lost time!  

Bolgogi is a marinated Korean BBQ Beef.  Don't let it's ethnic origin intimidate you - it's really easy to make at home and my kids love it.  Serve it over sticky rice, with a side of kimchi (purchase at an asian market), and you are set!

BULGOGI (Korean BBQ Beef)     
(recipe from Leesh & Lu’s Recipe Box)
printable version

1 - 1 ½ lbs rib-eye or round steak, thinly sliced
1/4 of a medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into medium moon shaped slivers
1/3 cup of soy sauce
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 - 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
2 pinches of black pepper
1/4 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced

Combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, green onions, sesame seed, red pepper, black pepper and ginger; whisk until most of the sugar has dissolved. Add beef and onion slices and massage the marinade with your hands into each slice of beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, although 4-6 hours is preferred.

To pan fry, place a few slices of beef in single layers and in a hot oiled frying pan and fry each side until cooked. Some people prefer to cook the bulgogi until some of the edges have turned dark brown and crispy.

Serve with a bowl of hot sticky rice, and kimchi.
Another great way to eat bulgogi is to wrap bulgogi, rice, and kimchi in a leaf of lettuce. Ssam-jang (find at Korean store) mixed with just a little bit of honey is also a great sauce to dip bulgogi in.

Serving Up {Soup}: Beef and Barley Stew

Happy 2012!

It is good to be back. I didn't intend to go dark for over 2 weeks, but Christmas got the best of me. I guess all those food bloggers that posted throughout the Christmas break went into it better prepared than me :)

After my overload of cookie posts in the month of December, I am excited to post some yummy, hearty stews and soups. That is what I really crave this time of year and most of the soups that I make on a regular basis come together really quickly! I try to brown hamburger and sausage the day that I buy it, then I stick it in the freezer, which allows me to truly "throw" a soup together with very little effort on my part.  Perfect for the busy dinner hour.

This first soup is remarkably easy, yet it tastes so yummy! I have been making this Beef and Barley Stew since I got married and have never tired of it.  Serve it with some delicious corn bread and it is simply perfect for a day when you need to get warmed up from the inside out, which for me is most days!

BEEF AND BARLEY STEW        Pin It
printable version

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1 46-ounce V-8 juice (can use tomato juice but V-8 has more flavor)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup medium pearl barley
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
frozen corn (optional)

Brown ground beef with the onion and celery until beef is cooked through and the vegetables are soft. Drain the fat. Stir in the carrots, vegetable juice, water, barley and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer - cover and allow to simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the barley and carrots are tender.
If adding frozen corn, add it just the last five minutes before serving.

Serving Up {Beef}: Creamy Beef Taco Meat

I have to admit something.  This summer break is kicking my fanny!  I was really looking forward to the school break - mostly looking forward to slower paced mornings and no homework at dinnertime.  Yet my days are flying by and I'm not accomplishing anything!  Thank goodness for quick meals like this one.

This is a simple way to spice up your average taco meat to use in tacos or as part of a taco salad.  I have been preparing our taco meat this way for as long as I can remember.  I frequently will make a large batch of this meat and then freeze it in portions to feed our family.  It's nice to have meal prep involve nothing more than thawing out a package of already prepared meat.  Who knows, if it's that easy dinner may be the only thing on my  "to do" lists that actually gets done this week.

CREAMY BEEF TACO MEAT     
printable version

1 lb. ground beef
½ C. water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 (7 oz) can diced green chilies
1 C. taco sauce
3 oz. cream cheese, softened

Brown ground beef and drain fat. Put meat through food processor to coarsely grind it (or just break it up well with a spatula).  Return meat to the pan and stir in water and seasoning mix.  Bring to a boil – reduce heat to low. Add chilies, taco sauce and cream cheese; stir until cream cheese is melted and meat is heated through.
Use either over taco salad or use in taco shells. Top with favorite taco toppings.

Serving Up {Sandwich}: Philly Steak

I will clarify right now that I am not from Philadelphia.  I have never even been to Philadelphia.  And this recipe is from my aunt who is Australian (not a suburb of Philadelphia).  So I am not making any claims as to how authentic this Philly Steak Sandwich is to something actually served in Philadelphia.

What I am willing to lay claim to is that this is one really good sandwich.   The ginger in the marinade is what really sets it off for me.  I love fresh ginger!  Note that you cook the meat with the marinade - don't be discarding any of that goodness!  The cream cheese/dressing spread is the other part of this recipe that really sets it apart.  Be generous with that spread and just realize that you may need a couple of extra napkins to catch the juice as it drips down your arm and off your elbow.  It's just okay - nobody here is judging you.

PHILLY STEAK SANDWICH     
(recipe from aunt Marie)
printable version

3 pounds round steak, THINLY sliced into long strips
2 medium green peppers
1 onion
French sandwich buns

Marinade:
2 Tbs. burgundy cooking wine
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Spread:
8-ounce cream cheese
small bottle Russian dressing

Marinate the beef strips for at least one hour in the marinade.
Slice the onions and peppers into thin strips.  Brown the onions in hot oil and add the green peppers, cooking until tender.  Set aside.
Cook the beef with the marinade in hot olive oil at high heat until the meat is just browned (DO NOT overcook).  Add back the onions and peppers just to heat through.
Prepare the buns by generously spreading the cream cheese/dressing mixture onto both sides of the bun.  Top with meat and veggies.

Serving Up {Beef}: Smoked BBQ Brisket

The weather prediction for our Memorial Day was wet and cold!  Welcome to Portland!  I thought that Memorial Day was supposed to be the kick-off to summer, which ought to include being able to plan a perfect barbecue.  In defense of our weather patterns, Monday turned out to be a beautiful day but I had already planned our "BBQ" around  the predicted storm.

My bad weather BBQ consisted of throwing a brisket into the crock pot for a Smoked BBQ Brisket.  I served a side of Potato Mac Salad (recipe to come), homemade rolls, green salad (with this dressing), fruit and a limeade punch.  Bring on the rain - my BBQ will weather the storm!

SMOKED BBQ BRISKET     
printable version

1 3-6 pound Beef Brisket (Costco carries good brisket)
1/2 - 1 bottle Liquid Smoke (I like the Stubb's brand and the Mesquite flavor)
1 bottle KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce

Place brisket into a crock pot turned to low.  Poke the beef numerous times with a fork or knife.  Pour liquid smoke all over the beef, using half of the bottle if your beef is a smaller cut or the entire bottle if your beef is a larger cut.  Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours.  Cover the beef in BBQ sauce (using at least half of the bottle of BBQ sauce but more if you prefer).  Replace the lid and continue cooking on low for 6-8 more hours, until the beef shreds easily.
Shred the beef and serve as an entrée or on buns for a meat sandwich.

Serving Up {Sandwich}: Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwich

I admit that my children are picky eaters.  I routinely have at least one child declare that dinner is "disgusting".  Every day.  No matter what is served.

This recipe is not only delicious but it is one of the few meals that EVERYONE in our little family eats with a smile - and frequently requests are made for seconds.  Because of that, and because it's ridiculously easy (thank you crock pot), I have delivered it on more than one occasion to a neighbor in need of dinner.  I figure if it passes our household taste test then it's safe to serve to just about anyone.

 

SLOW COOKER ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH     Pin It
(recipe from Melanie B.)
printable version

1 ½ cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 0.7-ounce package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 5-pound chuck roast

Combine water, beef broth and all seasonings. Whisk to combine.

Place roast in slow cooker and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. When done, remove the bay leaf and shred the meat with a fork*; if you shred the meat ahead of time and allow it to sit in the juices, it will absorb more juice/flavor.

Serve on crusty rolls.  Frequently my husband will add a smear Dijon on his roll which is a nice flavor.  Our favorite addition (my husband and myself anyway) is to top our beef with coleslaw for an added flavor burst and a bit of a crunch.

* My tip for shredding cooked meat (beef or pork or chicken) is to use your potato masher.  It makes the task much faster than the two fork method.