Freezer Tip! (precooked beef)

September 27, 2010 by
I thought we’d start out the week with a great tip.
I buy ground beef from a great butcher locally (It’s SUPER lean too, just how we like).
I have them package it in vacuum sealed bags in 1 pound portions for the freezer, and I also get some bulk and pre-cook.
I just cook it in batches, make sure all the fat is drained off –
(Mine is so lean that I have almost none to drain off.)
Then I portion it into freezer containers
(I buy take-out containers that are freezer-safe from Cash and Carry, they’re inexpensive, reusable, and work great. You can get them in pint and quart sizes).
Cover, label and freeze.
This comes in so handy when we need a quick meal.
For taco salad I unthaw a container in the microwave quickly, then saute it with a little water and taco seasoning.  Or maybe you need some quick sloppy joes?  Or nachos? Just think about dishes you use ground beef in and could use some time shaved off of the prep.
Filed Under: Beef, Freezer

Hamburgers

September 10, 2010 by
 
 
See that tomato? That gorgeous heirloom perfectly ripe yellow tomato?  It is the ONE and ONLY tomato as of yet to come out of my garden this year.  And possibly the last.  No, I’m not counting the small cherry tomatoes, not that it matters since I didn’t get hardly any of those either.  I planted 16 tomato plants this year and despite them being humongous and healthy and tons of green tomatoes hanging on, I think our wet long spring and short summer just did them in. 
So, what to do with our lonely tomato?  We decided to have a grill night and make our favorite hamburgers to pair it with.  (Probably our last grill night of the year at this rate!)  And yes, that tomato was the bell of the ball at our table, I’m not sure if it tasted so good because it was the only one we’ve had from the garden this year, our it really was the best tomato I’ve ever eaten.  I’m leaning towards the latter.   And I may or may not have snuck a slice or two by themselves….
 
HAMBURGERS
Recipe by My Stained Apron
 
1 pound hamburger
2 slices bread, torn
1/4 cup milk
3 minced garlic cloves
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
 
FOR SERVING:
Hamburger buns
lettuce
tomato
cheese of choice
 
Pour milk over bread in a small bowl.  Let sit for a couple of minutes.  Mix hamburger with garlic, salt, and pepper.  Mash bread with a fork to make a paste, mix into hamburger. 
Form into patties, indenting the middle of each patty slightly with your finger.  (This makes the middle cook through more evenly with the outside of the burger.)
Grill or cook in a skillet (cast iron preferably).  Top with cheese of choice. 
Other topping ideas: Bacon, sauteed mushrooms, sliced avocado, ham, pineapple, BBQ sauce
 
 
Filed Under: Beef Tagged With: , , ,

Bolognese stuffed zucchini and mushrooms

September 2, 2010 by
I told you, we really love this sauce.  It’s versatile, flavorful, and a total lifesaver when you need a quick dinner that isn’t served by a teenager in drive-thru.  I’m not much for “freezer meals” but I do love having a few things in the freezer that are components of a good meal.  And watch tomorrow for my husband’s favorite use of this sauce.
BOLOGNESE STUFFED ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS
Recipe by My Stained Apron
4 small green zucchini
8 mushrooms, about 1 lb.
Bolognese sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella or Parmesan
Scoop out the inside of zucchini using a spoon or melon baller, leaving a border of flesh and  being careful not to break the skin.
Pop stems out of mushrooms.
Lay zucchini and mushrooms in single layer in baking pans.
Spoon bolognese sauce into vegetables.
Sprinkle with mozzarella.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Filed Under: Beef, Pork

Easy Oven Ribs

August 18, 2010 by
Did you all enter the giveaway? Make sure to leave a comment here to enter the giveaway, before midnight tonight. Good luck!
Okay, yes, I’m calling these “oven ribs” even though I finish them on the grill.  Because usually ribs are cooked for hours and hours on the grill- not someone very reasonable for me to do with young kids.  You can use the grill to finish them, or a grill pan, if neither are available to you, I would use a hot pan to at least sear some BBQ sauce on them.  These go wonderfully with a platter of fresh corn on the cob and some (Not So) Dirty Rice.  Double yum!
EASY OVEN RIBS
Recipe by My Stained Apron
2 slabs Beef ribs (about 8-10 lbs total) (could also use pork)
1/4 cup paprika
2 T onion powder
2 T garlic powder
2 T sugar
2 cups apple juice
BBQ Sauce
Start by pulling the membrane off the underside of the ribs.
Cut ribs into sections of 3 to 4 ribs.
Combine the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar.
Rub spice mixture on ribs, coating well.
Lay out in a large roasting pan or split between 2 pans (I used 9″ by 13″ pans)
Pour apple juice over ribs.
Bake at 300 degrees for 2 to 3 hours, until meat easily comes off the bone.
Grill about 10 minutes, (grill pan is okay too), baste with BBQ sauce, turn, then baste and grill a few more minutes.
Filed Under: Beef

Beef with Rice Noodles

July 19, 2010 by
I LOVE stir frys. My hubby? Not so much. I’m definetely more of a veggie than meat kind of person, and I’m happy to say over the 9 years since we’ve been married I have gotten him to enjoy all kinds of vegetables he never would have touched before.  And he loves dishes like this now.  I don’t think he even realizes how much he likes veggies these days! : )
We like this fairly tame, but if you and yours like things with more kick, feel free to add some crushed red pepper flakes to add some more punch to it.  And no worries if you don’t have any rice noodles, you could use regular fettuccine noodles, or plain cooked white or brown rice as well.
BEEF WITH RICE NOODLES
Recipe by My Stained Apron
2 T oil
1 1/2 lbs petite sirloin steak
2 to 3 cups broccoli, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Rice Noodles (you could also use cooked rice or regular fettucine to serve)
Sesame seeds
2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
SAUCE:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp ginger
Heat oil in wok, slice beef very thinly (freeze for awhile to help).
Cook beef in hot wok, then remove and set aside.
Add carrots and broccoli to wok, add 1/2 cup water and cover to steam for a couple of minutes.
Pour off any water left. Add back beef along with garlic.
Whisk sauce ingredients together, add to wok.
To cook noodles, pour boiling water over noodles in a large bowl, enough to cover.
Let sit no more than 5 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Add noodles to stir fry. Top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Serve hot.
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

May 28, 2010 by
 
This recipe came from My Kitchen Cafe originally, and after I changed it a bit for our tastes we really like it. My husband doesn’t even like stroganoff, and this is the first recipe I’ve found he doesn’t mind. (Which is quite the stroganoff endorsement for him!)
 
SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF
2 pounds stew meat
1 tsp salt
dash pepper
2 onions, sliced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth or stock (I make mine from beef base)
1 T ketchup
1/3 cup flour
6 T apple juice
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream
egg noodles, cooked (I used 1/2 to 3/4 pound)
 
Put stew meat, salt, pepper, and onions in crock pot.
Mix garlic powder, Worcestershire, broth, and ketchup together and pour over meat.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.
Whisk flour with apple juice to make a thick but pour-able roux and stir into slowcooker along with the mushrooms.
Cook on high for 15-30 minutes. Stir in the sour cream.
Serve over egg noodles.
SOURCE: http://www.mystainedapron.com/, originally adapted from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

Filed Under: Beef, Slow Cooker Tagged With: , , ,

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

May 12, 2010 by
Since I always have my meatballs in the freezer, this is a ridiculously easy and quick dinner to throw together.
I use this recipe since it’s the one my mom always made and we all really like it. You could use a premade sweet and sour sauce, but I find them to be overly sweet and much more expensive than if you made it yourself.
SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 can (13 1/4 oz) pinapple chunks, in juice
1/3 cup vinegar
1 T soy sauce
Meatballs, cooked (I usually do about 3 cups)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Rice, for serving
Mix brown sugar and cornstarch together in a skillet.
Add pineapple with juice, vinegar, and soy sauce.
Stir in, heat to boiling.  Let boil for a couple of minutes to thicken, stirring.
Reduce heat and add meatballs, celery, and bell pepper.
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until veggies are crisp-tender.
Serve with rice.
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Freezer Meatballs

May 10, 2010 by
I’m not a huge meat-eater, but my husband feels like something is missing sometimes if there’s no meat with a meal.  That’s when these really come in handy.  I’ll warm some up and serve as a side dish with dinner, either alone or with sauce, (I keep home canned sauces and some premade on hand), to remedy.
I also use them with pasta, for sweet and sour meatballs on rice, or teriyaki meatballs, or throw them in a pot with some BBQ sauce and serve on buns with cheese.
They have a ton of uses, and are so easy to make ahead of time.  I never have problems with them sticking together, so you can just pull out however much you need of a big container kept in the freezer, or pre portion into smaller containers for ease.
You can jazz them up with your favorite seasonings, but I really like these basic ones so they’ll be more versatile.  And you could use ground pork in place of half the beef, but we like these since they’re healthier.  And making them yourself takes no more time than running to the store to buy some pre made (and not to mention- SO much cheaper!)  And I don’t know about all of you, but I like knowing what is in the food I serve!
FREEZER MEATBALLS
4 lbs ground beef (I buy 98% lean from my butcher) I’ve started making these with half ground pork- amazing!
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 C breadcrumbs
1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 T kosher salt
2 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire
Blend all ingredients together well.  Shape into one inch balls.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees, until well browned and cooked through.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  When cooled, divide into freezer containers or bags.
Use within 3 months.  Makes about 144 meatballs.
Filed Under: Beef, Freezer

Pot Roast

May 7, 2010 by
Sorry I’m cutting this a little close, but I wanted to share this AMAZING roast recipe in case you want something super easy for Mother’s Day.  The sauce that accompanies the roast is one of the best of things you’ll ever eat. I found the idea in the “The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook”.  I had never thought of pureeing the vegetables with the stock.  I’m not sure why, since I’m always trying to find ways to sneak them into things! I hope you get a chance to try it soon, I don’t even like roast very often, but this? I could make every week!
 
POT ROAST
 
Roast (I usually do about 4 lbs and have leftovers for sandwiches)
3 T oil, divided
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 T dried thyme)
3 carrots, cut in 2″ lengths
1 rib celery, cut in 2″ lengths
1 onion, large chopped
 
Heat 2 T oil in pan over medium high heat, sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of roasts.
Sear each side of roast in hot oil.
Set roast in slow cooker.
Heat 1 T oil in same pan.
Add carrots, onion, and celery.
Cook for just a few minutes.
Lift roast up and put vegetables in bottom of slow cooker, then place roast on top of vegetables.
Add 2 cups chicken broth to pan and turn heat up to high.
Scrape up all the bits on bottom of the pan.
Boil for about 5 minutes.
Add crushed garlic, bay leaves, and thyme.
Cook for a couple minutes, then pour over roast.
Cook for about 8 hours on low or 6 on high.
Roast should be very tender and falling apart.
Move to carving board and tent with foil.
Skim fat off the top of the liquid in slow cooker as best you can and discard bay leaves.
Puree the vegetables with the liquid with an immersion blender (or in a blender or food processor.)
Serve sauce with roast.
Filed Under: Beef, Slow Cooker Tagged With: ,

Shepherd’s Pie

March 8, 2010 by

Shepherd’s Pie may not be the most “authentic” Irish dishes, but it’s a must have in my home.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

2 lbs ground beef, or chopped steak
2 onions, chopped
2 leeks, chopped, optional
2 carrots, chopped
2 T flour
2 cups beef stock or broth
1 T dried parsley
1 tsp sage
1 tsp ground thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas, optional
6 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed
3 T milk
6 T butter, divided

Cook meat in skillet over medium heat. Add onions, leeks, and carrots. Saute until vegetables are slightly tender. (If dry you could add 2 T butter at this point).
Add flour, stir in and cook about 1 minute.
Stir in beef stock, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Continue cooking about 5 minutes, or until gravy thickens. Add peas, if using.
Spread in casserole dish. Stir in milk and 3 T of the butter to potatoes.
Spread potatoes on top of casserole, careful to seal the edges all around with the potatoes.
Score potatoes with a fork if desired, and dot with remaining 3 T butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are golden.



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Filed Under: Beef, Irish