Final Beef Recipes

If you're looking for a new way to use ground beef, look no further! Three of the last four 'May is Beef Month' entries I received are tried and true, family favorite ground beef recipes. The contest is now closed, which means it's time for me to enlist help and draw for a winner . . . which will be announced by the end of the week!

In the meantime, enjoy these great beef recipes:

Dawn entered Green Onion Casserole

1 lb. ground beef, browned
Add: 1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 clove garlic
16 oz. tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
oregano and parsley, to taste
Simmer 15 minutes

Mix together: 1 cup sour cream
3 oz. cream cheese
6 green onions, chopped

Cook 8 oz. noodles as directed on package.

In a baking dish, layer - noodles, meat, sour cream/cheese,
& repeat. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

. . . and Italian Beef

5 lb. boneless chuck roast
2 tbsp. basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
5-6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups water

Place roast in a heavy pan. Add spices and water. Cook on low for 3 hours (or until done). Alternatively, can be prepared in Crock Pot on low for approximately 8 hours.

7-Layer Casserole comes from the recipe files of Lee Ann

1 cup uncooked rice
1 16 oz can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp seasoned pepper
1 beef bouillon cube
3/4 cup boiling water
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper, optional
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbls bacon bits

In 2 quart casserole, layer in the following order:

Rice mixed well with corn, half the salt and pepper, bouillon cube and boiling water
Half of tomato sauce that has been mixed with Worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning
Chopped onion and green pepper
Uncooked ground beef and remaining salt and pepper
Remaining tomato sauce mixture

Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes

And last but not least, Angie's Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs hamburger
2/3 cups rice
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk

Mix all together and shape into balls (I usually make them about the size of a golf ball or a little bigger -- using a scoop like from Pampered Chef)

Sauce

1 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 cup catsup
1 cup water

Bring sauce to boil, pour into baking dish (9x13). Add meatballs. Cover. Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees

Beef Month Contest - still time to enter!

The "May is Beef Month" contest entries I have received so far include:

Melanie entered The Ultimate Beef Stroganoff

Erin entered Sesame Flank Steak

Sarah entered her mom's vegetable (with beef!) soup

Bethany entered "Haystacks"

1 lb. ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg fridge biscuits
1-2 pkgs shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and drain grease. Return to skillet and add cream of mushroom soup. Mix in well. In a greased 9x9 pan, lay out biscuits to cover bottom and halfway up sides of pan. Pour in beef and soup mixture. Cover completely with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is slightly golden and biscuits have started to brown on edges(about 20 minutes).

My mother-in-law does this in a muffin tin. It looks really neat, but takes longer. I didn't have a muffin tin when I started doing this, so I had to modify! Now we call it a haypile!

E-mailed recipes include -

Megan's Kraut Burgers:

Filling:
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 head of cabbage (shredded)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add cabbage, salt and pepper. Cook until cabbage is tender. Set aside while you make the dough.

Dough:
2 C. warm water
1 tsp salt
1/3 C. oil
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 packages yeast
6 1/2 - 7 1/2 C. flour

Beat together water, salt, oil and sugar - add egg and then yeast, let dissolve. Add flour and knead until smooth. Put in an oiled bowl and let rise until double in size.

Once risen, pull off a small amount of dough and roll out. Add meat mixture and form the dough around it. Put the seam side down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown (approx. 20 minutes). These freeze really well.

If you have left over dough, make cinnamon rolls! Roll out into a rectangle. Butter the top liberally and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Roll, cut, and bake at 350 degrees.


Gary's Mustard Roast Beef

1/4 cup apricot preserves
2-4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2-3teaspoons reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon crushed black or mixed peppercorns
1 boneless beef sirloin tip roast, fat trimmed (about 2 pounds)

Mix all ingredients except beef in bowl. Spread on meat. Place meat on rack in roasting pan. Roast at 350 degrees to 140 degrees for medium or 160 degrees for well-done....30 to 45 minutes. The spicy coating makes this roast beef extra juicy and flavorful. 8 servings


And this entry, from my mom (this makes me smile, so I included the whole e-mail):

Here is my recipe. Wish I knew how to post it on your blog - another lesson needed!

Barista Burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
¼ c minced onion
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
5 T soy sauce
5 T honey
1 1/2 t freshly grated ginger
For a spicier burger add ¼ t of Emeril’s Essence or Bayou Blast

1. Preheat a grill. In a large bowl, blend the ground round, ground chuck, onion, garlic, soy sauce, honey, Emeril's Essence and ginger.

2. Shape the mixture into six patties. Grill to taste. Serve on sourdough buns with lettuce, tomato and onion.

These are just the best hamburgers ever. Since I already own the [Healthy Beef] cookbook I’m sharing it just because I love the recipe.

Thanks to my wonderful daughter for the cookbook and the Best Food Writing 2005 - where I got this recipe to begin with.

If you Google "barista burger" you can get the article and the recipe in case you lose things like I do.

(Like most people in her generation, learning to use new technology is sometimes a challenge . . . but I'm pretty impressed that my mom has caught on to the ubiquitous use of Google! Oh, and the barista burgers - it's definitely worth your time to read the story behind the burgers - and try them for yourself!)

Need to Be(ef) Inspired?

Aren't the new BEEF ads awesome? They definitely inspire me to cook a steak. I hope they will inspire you to enter a recipe in my Beef Month recipe contest, which ends Friday. I'm giving away a copy of The Healthy Beef Cookbook . . . just leave a comment or e-mail me at kenzie[dot]d[at]gmail[dot]com to share your favorite beef recipe and you'll be entered to win. Even if you recipe is very simple - as in "put steak on grill, cook until medium" simple - that is fine, go ahead and enter! The Healthy Beef Cookbook is definitely worth the few minutes it will take you to post a comment or send an e-mail!

tiger cake: a shout out to my alma mater

The University of Missouri's College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has a new alumni page on their website. This is relevant to Kenzie's Kitchen for two reasons - first, because I'm a CAFNR grad . . and well, I'm the author of this blog; and second, because the new page has links to alumni blogs, including mine! How cool is that? Of course, a tiger cake is only appropriate to celebrate the new alumni page.

Tiger Cake
From Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup flavorful extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
5 cold large eggs
1 cup cold milk


Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan (or used two 6-cup loaf pans, lined with parchment).

In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa, sugar, and water together until well blended. Set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly and sift together onto a piece of wax paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl (with the whisk attachment if you have it), beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and pepper until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and add one-third of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended. Stop the mixer and add half of the milk. Beat just until it is blended. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk, and then the remaining flour.

Pour 3 cups of the batter into another bowl and stir in the cocoa mixture. Pour one-third of the plain batter into the prepared tube pan (or divide it between the loaves) and top with one-third of the chocolate batter. Repeat with the remaining batters. Don't worry about marbling the batters-that happens beautifully during the baking.

Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for either the tube pan or loaf pans. Cool the cake in the pan(s) on a rack for about 15 minutes. Slide a skewer around the tube pan or slide a thin knife around the sides of the loaf pans to release the cake(s). Invert the pan(s) and invert again, setting the cake right side up on a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Note: Natural cocoa powder is a must here. Dutch-process adds an unpleasant taste because it reacts with the leavening and the olive oil in the cake.
(Recipe from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich)

Fun facts:
1. Did you know that alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother?" Hmm . . . Mizzou as a nourishing mother???

2. In modern language, alma mater is a term of academia, used in place of the college or university one graduates from. It is from the motto "Alma Mater Studiorum," from the oldest continually-operating, degree-granting university in Europe - the University of Bologna, in Italy. (How did we survive without Wikipedia?)

3. Dutch-process cocoa is alkalized, creating a milder flavor, but also destroying the flavonols (good-for-you antioxidants) in the process. Dutch-process cocoa is good for hot chocolate, but natural cocoa powder is typically better for baking because it retains more chocolate flavor and does not react with other ingredients.

4. I worked for the Mizzou Athletic Department while I was in college . . in the skyboxes at Faurot Field. This is where I learned to "plate" desserts using chocolate, caramel, and raspberry syrup . . . a skill I haven't used since. Bonus fun fact: Mr. Meat and Potatoes played football at Mizzou until he tore a ligament in his knee - ouch!

Go Tigers!

May is Beef Month!

And what a better way to celebrate than to give away a copy of the Healthy Beef Cookbook?














All you have to do to enter is post a comment (or e-mail me at kenzie[dot]d[at]gmail[dot]com) with your favorite beef recipe. Entries are due Friday, May 23 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information on Beef Month, visit the Missouri Beef Industry Council's blog, and then grill a steak or burger and celebrate Beef Month!

[Kind of] Homemade Granola Bars

My husband acts like a crazy person in the spring. In addition to farming, he has been getting up at 4:00 a.m. to go turkey hunting. When I get up a few hours later, I always find remnants of his breakfast left in the kitchen. Pop Tart wrappers, the plastic from a package of vending-machine-type-cinnamon rolls, or - on a good day - a bowl that contained Lucky Charms. I have to admit that if I got up at 4:00 a.m., I would be so disoriented there's no telling what I might consider a good breakfast, but . . . seriously, I thought it was time for him to have something a little more nutritious for breakfast.

I was looking through an old copy of Everyday with Rachael Ray (getting ready to throw it away) and found a recipe for No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars - perfect. They're portable, so he can even eat one while he's driving [to the farm where he hunts], and I had control of the ingredients. This certainly isn't a health food recipe, but I think it's a big step above Pop Tarts.












Granola Bars

4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 cups granola (without fruit)
1 cup Rice Krispies
Your choice of add-ins:

I added:
Almonds, flax, wheat germ, and peanuts to the base recipe. I topped some bars with chocolate chips, some with fruit (dried cranberries and golden raisins), some with pretzel stick pieces, and left some plain.

Other options:
Coconut, pecans, walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, raisins (or any type of dried fruit), peanut butter chips, etc.

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over medium to medium-high heat; lower to medium-low heat and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Add granola, Rice Krispies, and sturdy non-melting ingredients (nuts, fruit, pretzels, etc.) to the saucepan; stir until ingredients are evenly coated. Add flax and wheat germ at this point, if using. Transfer to 9x13 ungreased baking pan and press firmly to fill pan evenly (or use 9x9 pan for thicker bars). Press in toppings (chocolate chips). Refrigerate for 15 minutes to help set bars, then cut to desired size.
3. Optional: Once bars are cut, place on parchment paper and label each variety; cover; cross fingers and hope husband will eat granola bars instead of Cap'n Crunch in the morning. If not, consider incorporating Cap'n Crunch into granola bars next time. Just kidding. Kind of.

Note: Although this recipe calls for butter, it could easily be made dairy free if you use a substitute for butter

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

As if . . . I needed another cookbook. Between the approximately 75 cookbooks I own and the infinite possibilities online, I should be able to find just about any recipe I ever need - without owning another cookbook. However, I found a copy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours for under $10 recently, and I could not resist. It had been on my wishlist for a while. I even bought a copy for a good friend for her wedding shower. For many months, I did a good job resisting the temptation of buying a copy for myself . . . but that was until I found it at an amazing price. It was almost as if it was meant for me to buy it.

Baking From My Home to Yours has tons of recipes that look and sound wonderful, from simple breakfast sweets to fancy celebration cakes. For some reason, the first recipe I chose was peanut butter cookies. Not because I needed a new peanut butter cookie recipe, but because I had all the ingredients and I knew they wouldn't take too long to make.

The cookies were easy to make - and even easier to eat (I recommend sharing them so you don't eat the whole batch yourself). They had a perfect texture, not too dense nor too light, neither too crispy nor too chewy. The peanut butter flavor was light, so don't expect a super peanut-buttery cookie from this recipe. The pinch of nutmeg and salted peanuts make these cookies a bit more grown up than your standard peanut butter cookies - but you could always leave those out if making the recipe for kids (or picky adults).













Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (not the "natural" type)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts
About 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Line baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
   
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.
3. Working with a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment (or hand mixer and a large bowl), beat the butter on medium speed until light and creamy, one to two minutes. Add peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat 3 minutes more. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanuts.
   
4. Pour the 1/2 cup sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Place two inches apart on baking sheet. Dip the tines of a fork into sugar and press the tines against each ball of dough twice, making a crisscross pattern.
   
5. Bake 12 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back at midway point. When done, cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let cookies sit on baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks. Repeat with remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.
   

Apple Pie Shake

Based on the title alone, you'd never guess an apple pie shake could be good for you . . . and the taste of the shake doesn't give away its healthful nature either. I came across this recipe in a preview of the new, updated "You: The Owner's Manual" by Drs. Roizen and Oz. They call it a Double Apple Cinnamon Smoothie, which to me sounds like the name of a healthful (read: not very tasty) smoothie. Because it tastes great, I thought it would be better to call it an Apple Pie Shake. Then people might actually be encouraged to try it - and benefit from the "healthy" nature of the recipe.

Drs. Roizen and Oz preface this recipe with information about the benefits of cinnamon in controlling blood sugar levels. The Apple Pie Shake provides a good amount of cinnamon, in addition to being a low fat source of protein and potassium . . . but the bottom line is this: it tastes great!

Apple Pie Shake

1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (not thawed)
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
3/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1/8 tsp. apple pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Cover; blend on high for 1 minute. Pour into frosty mugs and top with ground cinnamon. 2 servings. (I halved the recipe and made it in my Magic Bullet)

Per serving: 204 calories; 3.4 g fat; 5.6 mg cholesterol; 34.9 g carb; 9.1 g protein; 2.7 g fiber; 266 mg sodium; 566 mg potassium; 4 points.

Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

I should call this recipe "Happy Stir Fry," because, well, it made me very happy!

I got home from the grocery store just a few minutes short of 8:00 p.m. I was already kind of in a rush to get dinner ready because I don't like to eat too late . . . so I enlisted help from Ken. He rinsed and cut the green beans; while he was helping he said "Isn't it Grey's Anatomy on?" This doubled - no, make that quadrupled - my hurry! In 30 minutes, I prepped, cooked, served, and photographed this dish. Everyday Food had the prep time listed as 45 minutes. Apparently their test kitchen staff wasn't missing the first half of Grey's Anatomy!

As soon as the picture was taken, I ran downstairs, plate in hand, to watch the second half of Grey's. Ken, who was on the phone, stayed upstairs. As soon as I took a bite of this "happy" pork and green bean stir fry, I knew the recipe was a keeper. It had great flavor and just a touch of heat. Plus it has lots of vegetables and lean meat, and it was FAST! However, I worried that Ken might not feel the same way. He's not a very experimental eater. I thought he might balk at the vegetables, the sesame, the ginger, and/or the heat from the red pepper flakes. During a commercial break, I checked on him - still on the phone, but getting a second serving from the skillet! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to find a healthy, fast new recipe we both love.Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

1 lb. pork chops or tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/4 inch slices
coarse salt
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. oil (olive or vegetable)
1 tbsp. toasted sesame ginger seasoning (I used Victoria Taylor's)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, sliced into thin strips
1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
cooked brown rice, for serving

1. Season strips of pork with salt. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame ginger seasoning; set aside.
   
2. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add red pepper flakes and pork. Cook, stirring, until pork is no longer pink and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
3. Meanwhile, cook green beans 2 1/2 minutes in a Zip n' Steam bag in the microwave.
   
4. Add remaining oil to the skillet, then add green beans, red pepper strips, and 2 tbsp. water. Cook until peppers are tender, 2-4 minutes.
   
5. Add pork, peanuts, and sauce mixture to the skillet; cook until pork is coated with sauce, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately over brown or white rice.
   

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food.

The Show Me Spring Contest Winner . . .

. . . is Melanie of My Kitchen Cafe! Congratulations, Melanie - and thanks for sharing your Pasta Chicken Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach and Bacon. It looks great and I can't wait to try it. Melanie's name was randomly drawn from all the entries. If you entered and didn't win - don't worry, you'll have another chance . . . watch for the announcement of a new contest soon!


(Melanie - e-mail me at kenzie(dot)d(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll get your package of Missouri goodies on its way)