Category: BEEF

SWEDISH MEATBALLS REVISITED – made healthier, quicker for weeknights and yummier too! ALSO made into a SWEDISH MEATLOAF.

Traditionally this recipe is served with lingonberries – YUMMMMMMY!!
MEATBALLS*
1 Jumbo egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large slice white bread, crusts removed, and bread torn into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces ground pork, double ground
8 ounces ground beef, double ground
1 medium onion, grated or minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
Olive Oil, heavy coat

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk egg and cream together in small bowl. Stir in bread and set aside to soak.
  • Blend hamburger & pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, and salt smooth and uniform.
  • Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain.
  • Add mixture to beef mixture and blend until well mixed.
  • Form 1-inch round meatballs. You’ll have about 25-30. 
  • Bake 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
  • At this point you can either complete the recipe or freeze the meatballs for a later weeknight.

SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
Table salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Melt butter over medium high heat.
  • Once melted, add flour and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until flour is light brown.
  • Slowly whisk in broth.
  • Add brown sugar and bring to simmer.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in cream and return to simmer.
  • Add meatballs back to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.  If making the meatloaf, at this point pour sauce over the meatloaf and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
  • Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over noodles.
    *I doubled this recipe and also made a “Swedish Loaf” for the freezer that I can then just add the sauce over and bake one evening.

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    Fire Day Friday – Chorizo Joes

    Football season has started up. That means a lot of tailgating parties with typical hot dogs and hamburgers. But you can shake things up, because you know that the grill is capable of much more than burgers and dogs.
    Once the leaves start to turn, the winds begin to actually feel chilly, and weekends are about game day entertainment, try sloppy joes on the grill for something different. And these are much better than opening a can of that….that….Stuffwich stuff.

    Sloppy Chorizo Joes
    Ingredients
    1 lb ground beef
    1 lb Mexican Chorizo sausage
    2 Anaheim peppers
    1 sweet red bell pepper
    1 small onion, diced
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    6 oz can tomato paste
    2 cups water
    1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper, ground (I used my home made chili pepper blend)
    1/2 Tbsp cumin
    1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
    salt and pepper to taste
    8 hamburger buns
    Instructions
    Char the peppers over a hot grill, burner, or broiler a few minutes a side. Remove when charred and blistered, resting in a zip lock bag for 5 minutes.
    Peel the charred skin, slice open and de-seed the peppers (see video). Dice.
    Preheat a dutch oven over medium heat on the grill. Brown the ground beef and chorizo, then remove and drain.
    Add the onions to the dutch oven with 1 Tbsp of the reserved meat drippings and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
    Return the meat mixture to the dutch oven. Add the roasted chili peppers. Mix the water, tomato paste, pepper, cumin, and sugar together and then add to the dutch oven. Once this comes to a simmer, cover and kill the grill heat (shut the vents or gas).
    After 5 minutes, stir, season with salt and pepper to taste and remove to rest (covered) for another 5 minutes.
    Serve with plain white hamburger buns.

    BOEUF FLAMANDE aka BEEF IN DARK BEER, well sort of

    I previously posted this over at OUR KrAzy kitchen, but it is worth repeating ~ it was that good!

    I found this recipe in the bottom of grams pile of magazine/book clippings to try one day.  It just screamed, “try me for the guys”.  BOEUF FLAMANDE translates into ‘Beef Stew in a rich sauce made with beer’. But I don’t like dark beer so I adjusted the recipe and it worked really well. The guys we’re asking when we’re doing the leftovers.  This will be perfect on a cold winter’s night!

    BOEUF FLAMANDE
    1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/4″ cubes
    3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite size pieces (I used brisket)
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    3 tablespoons butter
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 large Vidalia onions, cut into thin slices
    2 large carrots, sliced
    1/2 cup flour + dredging flour
    1/2 cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
    3/4 cup Dr. Pepper (yep you read that right)
    3 cups boiling water
    3 tablespoons Better than Beef Bouillon
    1/2 teaspoon thyme
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
    fresh parsley sprigs

    • Preheat oven 325 degrees.
    • Place the flour into a plastic bag.
    • Brown bacon pieces until crisp.  With a slotted spoon remove to drain.
    • Dredge beef pieces in the flour mixture.
    • Brown beef pieces in bacon fat*.  With a slotted spoon remove beef pieces to a colander to drain.
    • Add butter to saute pan. 
    • Saute’ carrots for several minutes.
    • Add the onions and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
    • Stir in 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper and thyme.
    • Whisk together the hot water, sugar and bouillon. 
    • Add Country Bob’s sauce, Worcestershire sauce, champagne vinegar and Dr. Pepper until well blended. 
    • Add to veggies.
    • Bring to a fast boil.
    • Lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.
    • Spray a casserole with PURE.
    • Add browned meat to the casserole.
    • Top with onions and carrots.
    • Pour sauce over top and blend well.
    • Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
    • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

    *May have to add a bit of butter or oil if not enough bacon grease.

    aprons 3

    BOEUF FLAMANDE aka BEEF IN DARK BEER, well sort of

    I previously posted this over at OUR KrAzy kitchen, but it is worth repeating ~ it was that good!

    I found this recipe in the bottom of grams pile of magazine/book clippings to try one day.  It just screamed, “try me for the guys”.  BOEUF FLAMANDE translates into ‘Beef Stew in a rich sauce made with beer’. But I don’t like dark beer so I adjusted the recipe and it worked really well. The guys we’re asking when we’re doing the leftovers.  This will be perfect on a cold winter’s night!

    BOEUF FLAMANDE
    1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/4″ cubes
    3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite size pieces (I used brisket)
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    3 tablespoons butter
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 large Vidalia onions, cut into thin slices
    2 large carrots, sliced
    1/2 cup flour + dredging flour
    1/2 cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
    3/4 cup Dr. Pepper (yep you read that right)
    3 cups boiling water
    3 tablespoons Better than Beef Bouillon
    1/2 teaspoon thyme
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
    fresh parsley sprigs

    • Preheat oven 325 degrees.
    • Place the flour into a plastic bag.
    • Brown bacon pieces until crisp.  With a slotted spoon remove to drain.
    • Dredge beef pieces in the flour mixture.
    • Brown beef pieces in bacon fat*.  With a slotted spoon remove beef pieces to a colander to drain.
    • Add butter to saute pan. 
    • Saute’ carrots for several minutes.
    • Add the onions and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
    • Stir in 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper and thyme.
    • Whisk together the hot water, sugar and bouillon. 
    • Add Country Bob’s sauce, Worcestershire sauce, champagne vinegar and Dr. Pepper until well blended. 
    • Add to veggies.
    • Bring to a fast boil.
    • Lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.
    • Spray a casserole with PURE.
    • Add browned meat to the casserole.
    • Top with onions and carrots.
    • Pour sauce over top and blend well.
    • Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
    • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

    *May have to add a bit of butter or oil if not enough bacon grease.

    aprons 3

    BUNLESS BURGER SERIES #3~BURGERS w/ CARAMELIZED PEACHES & RED ONIONS, GORGONZOLA CREAM CHEESE MAYONNAISE & MUENSTER

    2-1/3 pound burger patties
    2 teaspoons liquid smoke
    sea salt & white pepper
    grated Muenster cheese

    Caramelized peaches & red onions
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 extra large red onion, thinly sliced into rings
    2 small peaches, chopped
    2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

    Gorgonzola Cream Cheese Mayonnaise
    2 ounces cream cheese, softened
    2 ounces gorgonzola cheese crumbles, room temperature
    1/4 cup mayonnaise

    • In a small food processor blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Gorgonzola cheese crumbles.
    • Combine ground beef, liquid smoke, salt and pepper to the meat and hand form the patties.
    • Grill burgers inside or out.
    • In a large sauce pan melt butter.  
    • When sizzling add onions and saute’ until translucent. 
    • Add peaches and saute’ until juicy.
    • Add balsamic vinegar and continue sauteing until moisture has sizzled away.
    • Plate burger.
    • Spread on Gorgonzola mayo.
    • Top with peaches, onions and then sprinkle with muenster cheese.  
    • I use the pan lid over the plate for a minute to melt the cheese.
    aprons 3

    BOEUF FLAMANDE aka BEEF IN DARK BEER, well sort of

    I found this recipe in the bottom of grams pile of magazine/book clippings to try one day.  It just screamed, “try me for the guys”.  BOEUF FLAMANDE translates into ‘Beef Stew in a rich sauce made with beer’. But I don’t like dark beer so I adjusted the recipe and it worked really well. The guys we’re asking when we’re doing the leftovers.  This will be perfect on a cold winter’s night!

    BOEUF FLAMANDE
    1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/4″ cubes
    3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite size pieces (I used brisket)
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    3 tablespoons butter
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 large Vidalia onions, cut into thin slices
    2 large carrots, sliced
    1/2 cup flour + dredging flour
    1/2 cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
    3/4 cup Dr. Pepper (yep you read that right)
    3 cups boiling water
    3 tablespoons Better than Beef Bouillon
    1/2 teaspoon thyme
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
    fresh parsley sprigs

    • Preheat oven 325 degrees.
    • Place the flour into a plastic bag.
    • Brown bacon pieces until crisp.  With a slotted spoon remove to drain.
    • Dredge beef pieces in the flour mixture.
    • Brown beef pieces in bacon fat*.  With a slotted spoon remove beef pieces to a colander to drain.
    • Add butter to saute pan. 
    • Saute’ carrots for several minutes.
    • Add the onions and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
    • Stir in 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper and thyme.
    • Whisk together the hot water, sugar and bouillon. 
    • Add Country Bob’s sauce, Worcestershire sauce, champagne vinegar and Dr. Pepper until well blended. 
    • Add to veggies.
    • Bring to a fast boil.
    • Lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.
    • Spray a casserole with PURE.
    • Add browned meat to the casserole.
    • Top with onions and carrots.
    • Pour sauce over top and blend well.
    • Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
    • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

    *May have to add a bit of butter or oil if not enough bacon grease.

    EASY STUFFED PEPPERS

    I quit eating stuffed peppers because green peppers just didn’t agree with us anymore.  Then I started making them in red or orange peppers and only giving us each a  large half.  Now we love them again.
    EASY STUFFED PEPPERS
    2/3 pound ground beef
    1 clove garlic, minced
    3 green onions, minced
    salt and pepper to taste
    8 ounce can tomato sauce
    2 slices ham
    3/4 cup minute rice, prepared
    1 large red or orange pepper
    2 slices mild cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup grated (I sometimes use mozzarella for a different taste)
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.
    • Drain fat.
    • Add in tomato sauce and rice.
    • Salt and pepper to taste.
    • Wash, cut in half and clean out pepper.
    • Layer ham slice on inside.
    • Fill with meat mixture.
    • Top with cheese slice and sprinkle grated over casserole portion.
    • Bake 30 minutes.

    aprons 3

    EASY STUFFED PEPPERS

    I quit eating stuffed peppers because green peppers just didn’t agree with us anymore.  Then I started making them in red or orange peppers and only giving us each a  large half.  Now we love them again.
    EASY STUFFED PEPPERS
    2/3 pound ground beef
    1 clove garlic, minced
    3 green onions, minced
    salt and pepper to taste
    8 ounce can tomato sauce
    2 slices ham
    3/4 cup minute rice, prepared
    1 large red or orange pepper
    2 slices mild cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup grated (I sometimes use mozzarella for a different taste)
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.
    • Drain fat.
    • Add in tomato sauce and rice.
    • Salt and pepper to taste.
    • Wash, cut in half and clean out pepper.
    • Layer ham slice on inside.
    • Fill with meat mixture.
    • Top with cheese slice and sprinkle grated over casserole portion.
    • Bake 30 minutes.

    aprons 3

    BUNLESS BURGER SERIES #2 ~ CARAMELIZED RED ONION BLEU CREAM CHEESE BURGER

    There used to be this awesome burger joint in Pasadena that gave you a piece of pie with every burger.  After the burger and fries I never had room and always took my pie home with me.  It was just never the same as eating it with the burger, so my new idea is to eat dinner and dessert together!  Sounds reasonable to me. 🙂 I found this great new locally made meat seasoning at the grocery store today.
    BUNLESS BURGER SERIES #2 ~ CARAMELIZED RED ONION BLEU CREAM CHEESE BURGER

    2 1/3 pound burger patties
    2 thick slices of tomato
    2 teaspoons liquid smoke

    Caramelized red onions
    2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
    1 extra large red onions (about 4 medium), halved, thinly sliced into rings
    2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

    Bleu Cream Cheese Mayonnaise
    2 ounces cream cheese, softened
    2 ounces bleu cheese crumbles, room temperature
    1/4 cup mayonnaise

    • In a small food processor blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and bleu cheese crumbles.
    • Combine ground beef, liquid smoke, salt and pepper to the meat and hand form the patties.
    • Grill burgers inside or out.
    • In a large sauce pan melt butter.  
    • When sizzling add onions and saute’ until translucent.  
    • Add balsamic vinegar and continue sauteing until moisture has sizzled away.
    • Plate burger.
    • Top with tomato, onions and then cheese.  
    • I use the pan lid over the plate for a minute to melt the cheese.

    BUNLESS BURGER SERIES #1 ~ GOLDEN FUNGUS BURGER

    Over at THE Motivation Station I’m going to be doing a series of posts about eating on $1 a day per person.  Trust me it can be done.  One of the awesome things though is that it can be done and make you feel like you’re eating like a gourmet while doing it.

    This is my first recipe in the BUNLESS BURGER SERIES.  Bread in general is expensive and can be timely to make.  It also doesn’t help on my diet so thought I would try going “bunless” and we are soooooooooooooooo glad we did.  With planning to eat the burger with a knife and fork I was able to add so many more ingredients that would have otherwise made the bun mushy and slippery.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

    So simple, but oh so yummy too.

    GOLDEN FUNGUS BURGER
    2 1/3 # burger patties
    1/2 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
    4-5 large button mushrooms, sliced thin
    1 large Roma tomato or 4 baby Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
    1/4 cup Chablis
    1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
    • Grill burgers inside or out. I add just a touch of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the meat and hand form the patties.
    • In a large sauce pan melt butter.
    • When sizzling add onions and saute’ until translucent.
    • Add mushrooms and saute until tender.
    • Add wine and continue sauteing until moisture has sizzled away.
    • Add tomatoes until heated through.
    • Plate burger.
    • Top with onion mixture and then cheese.  I use the pan lid over the plate for a minute to melt the cheese.

    aprons 3

    SLOW COOKED MEAT BALLS

    On the weekends when we are going to be home all day, I LOVE the smell of something scrumptious cooking and this recipe is one of my favorites. The great thing about this recipe though is that it’s great for working moms during the week too.

    SLOW COOKED MEAT BALLS
    1 1/2 pounds ground beef*
    4 slices stale sourdough bread made into crumbs
    1 JUMBO egg, beaten
    1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
    1 can cream of golden mushroom soup
    1 1/2 cups beef broth
    1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and herbs
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    1/4 teaspoon thyme
    1/2 teaspoon basil

    • With your hands mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion and half the seasonings.
    • Form into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.
    • Spray the bottom of the slow cooker lightly with PURE.
    • Gently lay the meatballs in the bottom of the slow cooker.
    • Mix together the soup, broth and tomatoes.
    • Pour over meatballs.
    • Cover and cook 7-9 hours on low.
    *I like to make my own ground beef when brisket is on sale. It makes for a richer tasting beef flavor! Thank you Tyler Florence!

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    Pizza Casserole: Lovin’ From The Oven

    This recipe was originally meant for the slow cooker, but after making it, I realized it would have been a lot easier to simply bake it.  Any crock pot recipe that isn’t easy, that makes you cook two or three things separately, just shouldn’t be a crock pot recipe in my opinion. So that being said, the pictures you are about to see take place in a slow cooker.   You will have to use your imagination.  (Tamy, this would look great in your new white roaster!)

    Pizza Casserole: 
    1 package egg noodles, cooked
    1 1/2 pounds ground beef (a combo of beef and pork would be great)
    1/2 onion, chopped
    1 jar spaghetti sauce
    1 small can mushrooms
    1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
    + your favorite pizza toppings (1 cup ham or pepperoni, green peppers, black olives, etc)
    3 cups each shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese (I added some Provolone, too)
    Cook the hamburger with the onion.  Combine the meat with the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning. 

    For Crockpot: Spray crock with PAM.  Layer the meat sauce, then noodles then pizza toppings then cheese three times.  This completely filled my large crock pot.  Cook on low 3-4 hours.
    For Oven: Spray a very large casserole or maybe two 9 X 13 pans with PAM and layer 2 or 3 times like you would in the Crockpot.  Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and all is heated through.  (Note: you could eat one and freeze one before you baked it)