Cowboy Steak flavor is as big as Texas

Posted on June 4, 2012 by bilrob

Cowboy Steak flavor is as big as Texas

Texas cowboys working near the Rio Grande border loved their cowboy steak flavored with Mexican spices. I tasted a modern version that had a hint of ginger. The spice mixture forms a crisp coating over the steak keeping the meat juicy with a burst of flavor. A Texas-style cowboy steak can be about 18 to 20 ounces. But, that’s Texas. Here’s a more manageable version adapted to fit our lifestyle.

The steak and the side dish Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Zucchini can cook in the same oven. Start the potatoes and zucchini while the steak marinates and then move them to a bottom shelf and place the steak under the broiler.

To shorten the cooking time for the potatoes, I place a foil lined baking sheet under the broiler while it preheats. The heat from the tray will help speed the cooking.

This meal contains 522 calories per serving with 33 percent of calories from fat.

Helpful Hints:

Any type of steak can be used.

Slice potatoes and zucchini in a food processor using a thick slicing blade.

Crushed garlic cloves are used in both recipes. Crush all of them at one time and divide.

Countdown:

Preheat broiler.

Mix rub ingredients and marinate steak.

Prepare potatoes and vegetables and broil.

Broil steak on top shelf.

Fred Tasker’s wine suggestion: A juicy, spicy steak would go nicely with a juicy red Australian shiraz.

ADOBO RUBBED COWBOY STEAK

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 medium garlic cloves, crushed

3/4 pound sirloin steak (skirt, flank, or strip can be used) fat removed

Olive oil spray

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Combine cumin, ginger, thyme, cayenne and garlic in a bowl. Spoon spice mixture over both sides of steak and press in with the back of a spoon. Spray both sides of steak with olive oil spray. Let sit 15 minutes while you prepare the potatoes and vegetables.

Place steak on baking tray in broiler. Broil 5 minutes. Turn and broil 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare. A meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. Broil a minute longer for a steak about 1-inch thick. Slice steak and pour pan juices over it. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 313 calories, (38 percent from fat), 13.3 g fat, ( 6.3 g saturated fat), 50.7 g protein, 1.2 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 127 mg cholesterol, 95 mg sodium.

GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES AND ZUCCHINI

Olive oil spray

3/4 pound red potatoes

1/2 pound zucchini

2 medium garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Line a baking tray with foil and spray with olive oil spray. Wash potatoes, do not peel. Slice about 1/2-inch thick. Slice zucchini about 1/2-inch thick. Mix garlic and olive oil together on the baking sheet. Add the potatoes and zucchini and toss to coat. Spread potatoes and zucchini over the sheet to form one layer. Place under the broiler for 10 minutes. Remove and turn over potatoes and zucchini.Return to boiler for 5 minutes. Remove tray to lower shelf for about 5 minutes while steak cooks on upper shelf. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 210 calories, (26 percent of calories from fat), 5.9 g fat, ( 0.9 g saturated fat), no cholesterol, 5.3 g protein, 35.4 g carbohydrate, 3.3 g fiber, 15 mg sodium.

SHOPPING LIST

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Dinner in Minutes.

To buy: 3/4 pound sirloin steak (skirt, flank, or strip can be used), 3/4 pound red potatoes, 1/2 pound zucchini, 1 small package ground cumin, 1 small package ground ginger, and 1 can olive oil spray.

Staples: dried thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic, olive oil, salt and black peppercorns.

(Linda Gassenheimer is the author of 14 cookbooks including her newest, “The Flavors of the Florida Keys” and “Mix ‘n Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes.” Visit Linda on her web page at www.DinnerInMinutes.com or e-mail her at [email protected].)

2012, Linda Gassenheimer.

Bill & Sheila’s Barbecue

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Government to Increase E. Coli Tests in Raw Beef

Posted on June 1, 2012 by bilrob

Government to Increase E. Coli Tests in Raw Beef

In a ruling that appeared to side with consumers, the Agriculture Department announced that it would expand testing for E. coli in raw beef trimmings beginning next week.

The announcement came on the heels of a decision on Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration to deny a petition by the Corn Refiners Association to change the name of the sweetener high-fructose corn syrup to corn sugar on nutrition labels.

“We think they both got it correct, although to varying degrees,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist at the Consumers Union.

Dr. Hansen said the F.D.A.’s ruling on corn syrup was particularly important, since some consumers have adverse reactions to high-fructose corn syrup and might have been misled by a change in the name. “The only sweetener they really can eat is dextrose, and there is dextrose called corn sugar, so this could really have had an impact on them,” he said.

He was less impressed with the Agriculture Department’s decision to begin testing some raw beef products for six additional strains of E. coli that produce the so-called Shiga toxin — O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145 — which, like their better-known cousin, E. coli O157:H7, can cause severe illness and death. “They need to be looking at all raw beef products, not just some of them,” Dr. Hansen said.

The department first proposed testing for the additional strains late last year, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of confirmed cases of illness caused by these strains had exceeded the number caused by E. coli O157:H7.

The testing was to start in March but was delayed after members of the industry protested. The new tests will be done on raw beef trimmings, which are used in ground beef.

“These strains of E. coli are an emerging threat to human health and the steps we are taking today are entirely focused on preventing Americans from suffering food-borne illnesses,” Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture, said in a statement. “We cannot ignore the evidence that these pathogens are a threat in our nation’s food supply.”

In a statement, Todd Allen, the vice chairman for the beef industry’s beef safety committee and past president of the Kansas Livestock Association, said the industry welcomed the additional testing because it would help ensure that the safeguards the industry has put in place are working.

“As an industry, we will continue doing all we can to raise healthy cattle and provide consumers with safe, wholesome beef,” Mr. Allen said.

The Corn Refiners Association, which represents companies like Archer Daniels Midland, National Starch L.L.C. and Cargill, said the F.D.A. had denied its request on “narrow, technical grounds.”

The F.D.A. ruled that under its definition, sugars were crystalline in form and thus high-fructose corn syrup as a syrup could not be called a sugar. “They would have had to change two regulatory definitions — that of a sugar and that of a syrup — in order to accommodate what is essentially a marketing ploy by the Corn Refiners, who are upset that high-fructose corn syrup has a bit of a bad reputation,” said Marion Nestle, the author of “Food Politics” and a blog of the same name and a professor at New York University.

In a statement released late Wednesday, Audrae Erickson, the president of the Corn Refiners Association, said consumers are confused about what high-fructose corn syrup is. “Consumers have the right to know what is in their foods and beverages in simple, clear language that enables them to make well-informed dietary decisions,” she said.

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Barbecue Beef Can Be Enjoyed All Year Long

Posted on April 28, 2012 by bilrob

Barbecue Beef Can Be Enjoyed All Year Long
By: chef rodgers

Beef and barbecue go hand in hand when it comes to summer grilling. No matter if you are barbecue steak, burgers or beef dogs, there is nothing like barbecue beef. The taste and texture can compare to nothing else.

Even in the winter you can get that barbeque taste into your beef by using a slow cooker. You will find lots of info on how to do this on the internet if your cravings get too much for you next winter.

A simple but effective way of beating the barbecue beef blues during winter is the good old beef dog. Try this recipe to add some summer taste.

Take the beef dogs and slice them the long way. Slice about half way through and fill them with thinly sliced cheese. You can also fill them with minced onion, however most children do not like the taste of onions. Wrap each dog with a strip of bacon. You can either put them on the barbecue grill or under the broiler in the oven. The dog is done when the cheese oozes out of the dog. Place them on a bun and you have a gourmet treat that is sure to please even the pickiest eater.

To avoid the dangers of food poisoning you should take precautions when cooking raw meat. Every year thousands are taken seriously ill after eating food from the barbeque.

A tip to remember is never to put your barbecue sauce on raw meat because the sauce will seal the meat and the flavor of the barbecue will not be able to absorb. Also, when you brush the sauce on, you will pass any bacteria that might be on a piece of meat to any others you brush after that.

Some long time barbecue grillers and many competition grillers put their dry rub onto the meat before putting on the barbecue as they argue it gives the best flavor while others will advocate using liquid smoke for best results. Yet others will say use salt, celery, onion and countless other methods. Try your own ideas and see what works for you as the taste is in the taster. What may be a great taste for one person might not work for another.

Many barbecue cooks or grillers heat their sauce and then apply it to the beef when it has been cooking for a while. By doing this you can eliminate some of the time it takes for the meat to reach the required temperature.

When the barbecue beef is done, it should sit for about ten to fifteen minutes to allow it to finish cooking and cool down. This not only makes cutting the meat easier, it also seals in the juices of the meat. Any juices that are left over can be simmered and reduced to make gravy for open-faced sandwiches.
For lots more great barbecue recipes and tips visit The Outdoor Cooking Book. Also for other types and styles of cooking visit Chefs website, The Cooking Book.
Article Source:freecontents.com

Bill & Sheila’s Barbecue

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Has Pink Slime Really Been in Our Beef for 20 Years and Without Incident?

Posted on April 6, 2012 by bilrob

Has Pink Slime Really Been in Our Beef for 20 Years and Without Incident?

Yesterday’s press conference held by Beef Products, Inc., attended by no less than three governors, two lieutenant governors, and the Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was a masterpiece of crisis management. I’m still working my way through the raw footage — you can view it yourself in real time here.

But even without having seen the entire event, one factoid from the press conference (and disseminated in earlier beef industry communications) is now getting a lot of play in the media: that lean, finely textured beef, or so-called “pink slime,” has been in our food supply “for 20 years,” with no apparent harm to the consumer. Here’s just one such use of this fact, in a statement released by South Dakota Governor Dennis Dougard:

“Lean finely-textured beef is a 100 percent beef, 95 percent lean, nutritious, safe, quality and affordable beef product eaten by Americans for 20 years.”

As I’ve articulated in many posts, but perhaps most succinctly in this one (“My Response to Beef Industry Defenses of ‘Pink Slime’”) there are many reasons to oppose the undisclosed use of this cheap filler in our school food and our food supply without even discussing food safety. But if food safety is of concern, that fact — 20 years in our beef with no harm done — is pretty compelling.

The only problem is, it’s not true.

Michael Moss, the New York Times reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting about the beef industry and food safety, wrote an extensive article about Beef Products Inc. and LFTB in 2009. The very first sentence of his article makes clear that the controversial ammonium-hydroxide-based process which creates LFTB been only been in use since 2001:

“Eight years ago, federal officials were struggling to remove potentially deadly E. coli from hamburgers when an entrepreneurial company from South Dakota came up with a novel idea: injecting beef with ammonia.”

Moss goes on to describe how Eldon Roth, founder of BPI, experimented throughout the 1990s with various methods for treating slaughterhouse scraps before hitting on the combination of heating, centrifuging and treating with ammonium-hydroxide, a process USDA and FDA only approved around 2001:

One of Mr. Roth’s early trials involved running electricity through the trimmings to kill bacteria… Mr. Roth eventually settled on ammonia, which had been shown to suppress spoilage. Meat is sent through pipes where it is exposed to ammonia gas, and then flash frozen and compressed — all steps that help kill pathogens, company research found.

The treated beef landed in Washington in 2001, when federal officials were searching for ways to eliminate E. coli…

Mr. Roth asserted that his product would kill pathogens in untreated meat when it was used as an ingredient in ground beef — raising the prospect of a risk-free burger. “Given the technology, we firmly believe that the two pathogens of major concern in raw ground beef — E. coli O157:H7 and salmonella — are on the verge of elimination,” Mr. Roth wrote to the department.

The Food and Drug Administration signed off on the use of ammonia, concluding it was safe when used as a processing agent in foods.

So, assuming Moss’s article is factually correct (and assuming BPI was not selling this substance without governmental approval), the filler which is the subject of so much controversy has not been in our food supply for “20 years.”

But what about that claim by BPI and its supporters that the use of this filler has been without incident?

Again, Moss’s article indicates otherwise. In the early years of selling LFTB, BPI encountered complaints from schools and prisons about ammonia in the product:

As suppliers of national restaurant chains and government-financed programs were buying Beef Product meat to use in ground beef, complaints about its pungent odor began to emerge.

In early 2003, officials in Georgia returned nearly 7,000 pounds to Beef Products after cooks who were making meatloaf for state prisoners detected a “very strong odor of ammonia” in 60-pound blocks of the trimmings, state records show.

“It was frozen, but you could still smell ammonia,” said Dr. Charles Tant, a Georgia agriculture department official. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Unaware that the meat was treated with ammonia — since it was not on the label — Georgia officials assumed it was accidentally contaminated and alerted the agriculture department. In their complaint, the officials noted that the level of ammonia in the beef was similar to levels found in contamination incidents involving chicken and milk that had sickened schoolchildren.

As a result, according to Moss, BPI made a decision internally to lower the amount of ammonium hydroxide used in LFTB, despite the fact that USDA had approved its process only when higher levels of the chemical were used:

The Beef Products’ study that won U.S.D.A. approval used an ammonia treatment that raised the pH of the meat to as high as 10, an alkalinity well beyond the range of most foods. The company’s 2003 study cited the “potential issues surrounding the palatability of a pH-9.5 product.”

Soon after getting initial approval from the agriculture department, the company devised a plan to make a less alkaline version of the beef, internal company documents show. Beef Products acknowledged in an e-mail exchange that it was making a lower pH version, but did not specify the level or when it began selling it.

Thereafter, according to Moss, the safety of LFTB was compromised:

… government and industry records obtained by the New York Times show that in testing for the school lunch program, E. coli and salmonella pathogens have been found dozens of times in Beef Products meat, challenging claims by the company and the U.S.D.A. about the effectiveness of the treatment.

Since 2005, E. coli has been found three times and salmonella 48 times, including back-to-back incidents in August in which two 27,000-pound batches were found to be contaminated. The meat was caught before reaching lunch-rooms trays.

In July, school lunch officials temporarily banned their hamburger makers from using meat from a Beef Products facility in Kansas because of salmonella — the third suspension in three years, records show.

What might have happened had that contaminated meat had actually reached our children’s school lunch trays, given that children are far more vulnerable to harm from food-borne illnesses than adults?

The bottom line is that the raw material used to create LFTB is, by its very nature, inherently pathogenic due to its likely contact with cow excrement. That is precisely why BPI’s innovative ammonium-hydroxide process revolutionized the market — and has reportedly earned the company “hundreds of millions” of dollars.

But that’s also the reason why, when we eat LFTB, we are putting tremendous faith in BPI’s process. There can be no human or mechanical error, as demonstrated by the fact that in 2009, when two 26,880 pound lots of LFTB tested positive for E. coli and salmonella, respectively, BPI first blamed the incident on a broken nozzle that had failed to spray ammonium hydroxide for a mere 60 seconds:

In addressing the latest contamination cases in Nebraska, Beef Products said it suspected a glitch in its treatment operations, referring to ammonia gas by its chemical name, NH3, according to an e-mail message to school lunch officials.

“The system was stopped for two minutes in order to install a new valve,” the company said. “When the system was restarted, there was product flow for approximately one minute without NH3 flow.”

Similarly, while I have given BPI due credit for leading the industry in testing for the so-called Big Six strains of E. coli, it’s notable that in Germany last summer, 45 people died and almost 4,000 were sickened by a previously unknown strain of E.coli — a strain which by necessity would not be part of BPI’s testing.

So when you hear that LFTB trimmings have been used “for 20 years” without incident, be skeptical. And keep in mind the words of Eldon Roth himself, quoted in the Moss article:

“Like any responsible member of the meat industry, we are not perfect.”

Bill & Sheila’s Food Safety – Bacterial Infections

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Here's the beef

Posted on March 26, 2012 by bilrob

Here’s the beef

Aimee Blume / Special to Scripps NewspapersPut a little twist on your corned beef by serving it with Irish vegetables other than cabbage, such as golden rutabagas, leeks, and sweet parsnips. A side of colcannon with Irish cheddar completes the meal.

Photo by Aimee Blume / Special to the Cou

Aimee Blume / Special to Scripps Newspapers
Put a little twist on your corned beef by serving it with Irish vegetables other than cabbage, such as golden rutabagas, leeks, and sweet parsnips. A side of colcannon with Irish cheddar completes the meal.

Chef Raul Sanchez of Ri Ra Irish Pub examines beef brisket corning in a brine of curing salt, brown sugarand spices. He has 350 pounds of brisket curing in anticipation of St. Patrick's day.

Photo by Aimee Blume / Special to the Cou

Chef Raul Sanchez of Ri Ra Irish Pub examines beef brisket “corning” in a brine of curing salt, brown sugarand spices. He has 350 pounds of brisket curing in anticipation of St. Patrick’s day.

RIGHT: McDonnell's Curry Sauce mix from Ireland is a quick and easy way to prepare authentic Emerald Isle-style curry sauce for fries, chicken or prawns.

Photo by Aimee Blume / Special to the Cou

RIGHT: McDonnell’s Curry Sauce mix from Ireland is a quick and easy way to prepare authentic Emerald Isle-style curry sauce for fries, chicken or prawns.

It is odd to realize that corned beef and cabbage is considered the Irish national dish everywhere in the world … except in Ireland. The Irish themselves rarely eat it and don’t think of it as a native food at all, but rather an American phenomenon.

A bit of history is in order — from “Irish Corned Beef: A Culinary History” by Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire of the Dublin Institute of Technology.

The Irish climate is ideal for raising pastured animals, but the Irish always kept cattle for milk and farm work, rarely eating the meat.

In the 18th century, British landowners in Ireland took advantage of the pasturage to raise beef for consumption in England, by the English Navy and for export to colonies from New England to the Caribbean to the South Pacific. The beef was both raised and preserved by salting, or “corned,” in Ireland, and this product became associated with Ireland the world over; ironically, however, the impoverished Irish themselves couldn’t afford it and continued to eat salted pork as they always had.

During the Great Potato Famine of the mid-19th century, over a million Irish emigrated to the United States. Many settled in New York. The Jewish population there did not eat pork, but preferred salted beef brisket, which was sold very cheaply. The Irish, who considered beef a luxury, adopted it with gusto, preparing it with cabbage and potatoes just as they would a corned pork shoulder (which they called bacon) at home.

So, when we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in America, corned beef is what we eat.

At Ri Ra Irish Pub in Evansvile, Ind., Chef Raul Sanchez corns about 60 pounds of fresh beef brisket every week according to his own recipe — but in preparation for St. Patrick’s day, he has 350 pounds soaking away in spicy brine. “We started brining our own fresh beef about two years ago,” he said. “We use it for the plates and sandwiches too — no more deli corned beef.”

Beef can be brined with only salt and water, but modern recipes add sugar and spices for a better flavor. In addition, curing salt, or sodium nitrite, is added to further inhibit bacterial growth and give the meat a characteristic pink color. Without it, all cured meat including bacon and ham would be gray.

Sanchez uses cure, brown sugar, salt, and lots of spices in a special blend. “The meat sits in the brine from seven to ten days,” he said. “Ten is better. Then we cook it at a simmer for six to seven hours.”

During March, Ri Ra is giving you the chance to compare the more American corned beef with the original “bacon,” or corned pork, as it is made in Ireland. “The pork is more traditional to Ireland,” said Sanchez. “There they have more pork and it is cheaper, but it’s basically the same recipe. It’s pork butt instead of brisket, and the spices change a little bit.”

He explained that traditionally mashed potatoes and cabbage are served with bacon, then the next day the leftovers are mashed together to make the famous Irish dish of Colcannon.

At Ri Ra, both corned beef and bacon are served with mashed potatoes, a side of braised sweet savoy cabbage (if you’ve never had savoy cabbage, make it a point to try it. The bright green-yellow, wrinkled leaves have an exceptionally tender chew and sweet flavor), and a cream sauce made with onion, garlic and parsley.nnnOne of the more modern Irish favorites also is dish that originates in a place far from Ireland — curry.

Because of Britain’s connection with India (remember England ruled India from 1858 — 1947), curry is an insanely popular food in all the British Isles. A very typical sweetish, creamy orange curry sauce is served as a dipping condiment, a sandwich topping, and a sauce for chicken, prawns (shrimp), or beef over rice.

A glance at Irish food websites shows that such “American” brands as Knorr and Uncle Ben’s sell packaged curry sauce in Ireland.

Ri Ra offers cans of Irish-made McDonnell’s Curry sauce mix, a favorite that comes in powder form and is boiled with water to serve.

At the restaurant they mix it with mayonnaise for a burger topping, make hot curry sauce for dipping chips, and have had a chicken curry with vegetables on the menu. It’s a good all-purpose seasoning and thickener for everything from soups to meatloaf.

Alton Brown’s Home-Brined Corned Beef

Brines 1 4-5 pound brisket

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts water

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons pink curing salt (also called Prague powder #1)(Order online at thesausagemaker.com or other locations.)

1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 whole cloves

8 whole allspice berries

12 whole juniper berries

2 bay leaves, crumbled

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 pounds ice

1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed

DIRECTIONS

1 Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, curing salt, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved.

2 Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip-top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.

3 After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Cook as desired in simmering water.

Corned Beef with Everything but Cabbage

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) corned beef brisket

4 medium carrots, peeled

2 small onions, coarsely chopped

2 large leeks, white and light green parts, sliced and washed well

3 medium parsnips, peeled cut in chunks

2 medium rutabagas, peeled cut in chunks

DIRECTIONS

1 Place meat in Dutch oven, add juices and spices from corned beef package. Add water to cover meat.

2 Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 2 hours until meat is almost tender. Quarter carrots, add to pan with onions, leeks, parsnips and rutabagas. Cover; return to boiling.

3 Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to platter. Season with salt and pepper.

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Spicy Beef with Mushrooms

Posted on March 12, 2012 by bilrob

Spicy Beef with Mushrooms

For my 100th…a budget conscious and delicious entree!! 100 posts. Wow! Yay me! I am pretty excited that I stuck with this. I consider myself a “project finisher” someone who stays with something, but I had to work hard to be that way because that is not how I started out. I was flaky…..very flaky. Not big on responsibilities, not big on goals….not big on much of anything. The thing about that is you don’t end up having strong relationships. I don’t know when or where or how it happened, but my coin flipped. I am now the person you can call at midnight and know I will come save you. I am dependable as the day is long, and if I say I will do something, I will do it, and I will put my heart into it so that it is the best “something” I can possibly come up with. I care. I care what people think, I care how I make them feel, I care about how I am perceived. Now for my new beef dish:

Spicy Beef with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
Beef – 1 sirloin steak – sliced into 2-3 inch strips
1/2 sweet onion – chopped into larger, 1.5 inch pieces
10 large mushrooms – quartered
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs chili paste
3 tbs sweet chili sauce

Directions:

Heat wok over medium high heat. Add olive oil and beef. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add onion and chili paste. Add mushrooms as the onions start to wilt ( it is imperative that you do not overcook the veggies, so make sure steak is about half way cooked to the temp you like before adding).

Finish with the sweet chili sauce, mix thoroughly and serve over rice! This is great over egg noodles as well. I like the easy Uncle Ben’s precooked packets! They steam up in 90 seconds in the microwave!

You know what this dish is? It is DEPENDABLE!! Happy 100th Post to ME!!

How to describe myself……I am an Oregonian, full time event planner, and loving and supportive wife to an amazing man. I love the color pink, Sundays, Thanksgiving, and throwing parties for my friends and family!

Life took a funny turn for us as we learned that having children was going to be a bigger challenge than we assumed. I really wanted to write, but not about that. There will be some life interwoven into my blog, but this is really about my other passion….food.

I promise to keep you updated on fun foods, crock-potting, baking treats, and the ups and downs of being Missy. Despite a big smile….there’s a lot of crazy going on in my life.

So…join me on my little journey as I cook, bake, and serve up a FABULOUS side of life!!! Mrs. Maki Cooks
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Reader recipe: Beef Alamode with Root Vegetables

Posted on January 13, 2012 by bilrob

Reader recipe: Beef Alamode with Root Vegetables

Michelle Evans, operations manager for Conner Prairie, oversees the annual Hearthside Suppers program, which kicks off Jan. 6. During a candlelit dinner inside the 1823 Conner House, guests dine on recipes created from the 19th century culinary guide “The Cook’s Own Book.” This beef recipe has been adapted for modern kitchens.

Beef Alamode with Root Vegetables
(Serves 12)

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon chives
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon savory
1 rump roast (5 to 6 pounds)
3/4 cup raspberry vinegar plus extra for coating
4 onions, diced small
4 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 parsnips, cut in 1-inch pieces
4 white potatoes, diced large
1 cup sour cream

1. In a large bowl, mix together all spices and herbs (nutmeg through savory). Coat rump roast with raspberry vinegar; roll meat in herb/spice mixture and then place in dutch oven with onions, carrots, parsnips and potatoes. Add 3/4 cup raspberry vinegar. Cover and bring to a simmer; let stew for two hours, turning roast two or three times.

2. Strain and reserve liquid from roast. Add sour cream to liquid and allow to thicken and form a gravy. Serve gravy with roast.
Nutrition

Per serving: 375 calories; 23 g. fat; 197 mg. sodium; 0 g. fibre; 39.1 g. protein.
Bill & Sheila’s Barbecue – beef
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Lean Beef Can Contribute To A Heart-Healthy Diet

Posted on December 26, 2011 by bilrob

Lean Beef Can Contribute To A Heart-Healthy Diet

Lean beef can contribute to a heart-healthy diet in the same way lean white meats can, according to nutritional scientists.

The DASH diet – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — is currently recommended by the American Heart Association to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. People following the DASH diet are encouraged to eat fish and poultry, but not much beef.

According to the Centers for Disease Control about 26 percent of American deaths are caused by heart disease.

“The DASH diet is currently the gold standard for contemporary diet recommendations,” said Michael Roussell, nutrition consultant and recent Penn State Ph.D. graduate. “The DASH diet emphasizes plant protein foods, poultry, fish and small amounts of lean beef. Consumers often interpret this to mean that red meat is restricted on a healthy diet. Our research is showing that if you can keep your saturated fat levels controlled and lean beef portions in check, you can incorporate lean beef into a heart healthy diet and still see equal reductions as with white meat and fish.”

Roussell worked with Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, Penn State, and colleagues to test three diets that were equally low in saturated fat to see if there were differences in cholesterol levels at the end of each testing period. They report their results in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

They tested the DASH diet, as well as the BOLD diet — Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet — and BOLD+ — Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet plus additional protein. The additional protein in the BOLD+ diet included more beef, as well as other sources of protein like hummus, edamame beans and cottage cheese.

The control diet, called the healthy American diet, consisted of 12 percent saturated fat per day — twice the saturated fat included in the three test diets — and 0.7 ounces of beef. The DASH diet included 1.0 ounce of beef, while the BOLD diet had 4.0 ounces of beef per day and the BOLD+ diet included 5.4 ounces of beef.

The study began with 42 subjects who all had elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol. Thirty-six completed the study and all subjects maintained their body weight within almost five pounds throughout the study periods. Each participant consumed each of the four diets for five weeks. They were given a week or two in between each diet to eat as they wished. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of each study period. Subjects were randomly assigned the order in which they received each diet.

On average, participants experienced a decrease in both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol while on the three different diets. Total cholesterol decreased about 4 percent for subjects on the BOLD and DASH diets, while subjects on the BOLD+ diet experienced around a 5 percent decrease of total cholesterol. LDL cholesterol went down around 5 percent for those on the BOLD diet, about 4.5 percent while on the BOLD+ diet, and almost 6 percent while on the DASH diet.

“To our knowledge, this was the first controlled-consumption study that showed an increase in lean-beef consumption while controlling saturated fat in the context of a heart-healthy diet associated with significant decreases in LDL cholesterol,” the researchers wrote.

Working with Roussell and Kris-Etherton were Alison M. Hill, former post-doctoral fellow in nutritional sciences, Penn State, now a lecturer in nutrition at the University of Australia; Trent L. Gaugler, former instructor of statistics, Penn State, now a visiting assistant professor of statistics, Carnegie Mellon University; Sheila G. West, associate professor of biobehavioral health, Penn State; John P. Vanden Heuvel, professor of veterinary science, Penn State; Petar Alaupovic, Lipid and Lipoprotein Laboratory, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation; and Peter J. Gillies, professor and director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey.

The Beef Checkoff Program of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Institutes of Health – supported Penn State General Clinical Research Center funded this research.

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Beef - Selecting the Right Cuts for Your Meal and Budget

Posted on November 12, 2011 by bilrob

Beef – Tips for Selecting the Right Cuts for Your Meal and Budget

When we stand at the butchers counter, most of us may wonder what is the difference between a top sirloin and a porterhouse. If you ever come across a good beef cookbook, you will be able to appreciate a good diagram of beef cuts.

Beef is the widely consumed animal protein through out the world when compared to any other meat. Hence it is important for a good steward to select a good piece of beef for his wonderful recipe.

Grading of beef cuts

The beef is usually graded into three categories based on its quality by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Grades are specified after taking into consideration the color, appearance, meat’s consistency and last but not least the amount of marbling in the beef. The Graded beef is classified as follows:

Prime meat
Choice meat
Select meat
Prime Meat

The meat, which is having more marbling, is termed as Prime meat. This is usually found in fine restaurants.

Select Meat

The select meat consists of less marbling, which means low fat and less calories. But it won’t be as tender as that of prime and also contains less juice and flavor.

Choice Meat

Choice meat consists of more marbling than Select meat but less marbling than Prime meat. But it is somewhat tender than Select and also juicy and flavor than select.

Beef Cuts

The names of the beef cuts vary between countries. Sometimes it varies within the regions of the country also. The rear section of the carcass is termed as Rounds in US, but in Canada it is called hip. Here is a breakdown of some common cuts of beef:

Rib eye

This is the top cut preferred by most of the beef connoisseurs. This is characterized by abundant marbling. When you cook this beef cut, the rib eye gets melted into the meat and produces a juicy tasting recipe. The Rib eye steak is called an Entrecote in French.

Top Sirloin

Lesser grade cut but this is the largest beef cut when compared to other beef cuts. In layman’s terms, a family of four can complete their dinner with one top sirloin. Always prefer to buy prime grade rather than choice and select grades.

Porterhouse

As the name suggests, it is not concerned with any kind of house. This beef cut has ample marbling. It is a top loin with good flavour. It has the largest eye and tenderloin. This is being usually used in restaurants with challenge for their customers. They will give entire meal free for those who took all of their 26-ounce steak.

Chateaubriand

This has been cut from the butt end but should weigh around 24 ounces. A six inches long chateaubriand will weigh around 24 oz. A chateaubriand with Béarnaise sauce served in a dining table is a wonderful delicacy.

Filet Mignon

A well worth costly choice beef cut, if you cook it with pot-roasting. This is most soft with less water beef cut. This don’t have intense flavours as that of rib eye and porterhouse.

New York Strip

This is one of the cost-effective beef cut parts. This cheap cut is a t-bone with the tenderloin and also a good quality cut.

T-bone

This is also one of the cheapest beef cuts. This consists of a full loin eye and medium sized tenderloin. A couple for few delicate bites always prefers this. This smaller tenderloin is not always suitable for heavy meals. For heavy dinner, the customers usually prefer New York Strip.

Ground Beef

Ground beef should not be less than 70% lean. The package will usually indicate whether it is from ground sirloin, or ground round.

Suitable cooking methods

Loins and ribs are the tenderest cuts of beef. The loins and ribs should be cooked with high heating methods to improve its taste and tenderness. Broiling, grilling, roasting, sautéing, and frying are the common methods employed for cooking the loins and ribs.

Pot-roasting, stewing, and steaming are the most preferred methods of cooking the cuts from the round, plate, brisket and flank.

Selecting beef cuts based on cooking methods

Apart from selecting a good beef cut from butcher shop or grocery store, the beef cuts can also be selected based on the method of cooking you preferred to perform.
If you want to cook the beef on a grill, it is always advised to go for tenderized meat rather than tougher cut from the rounds. A beef with minimum of 2 inches thick may require oven roasts. A very tender cut such as loin and rib primal cuts can be oven roasted for better results.

If you want to do Pot roast, it is always to select the beef cuts from round and chuck. Pot roast is the method of boiling the beef in a pot containing liquid in the stove. Standing rump, eye roast are the best pot roast products.

Tips to select better beef cuts

Before shopping for a good beef cut for a particular recipe, you should learn about the various cuts available in the market. The following tips may help you in selecting good beef cuts:

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1. Try to locate the origin of the cuts from the body of the carcass.
2. This will help you to identify the names of the cuts.
3. Look for the tenderness and leanness of the beef cuts before procuring it.
4. Inspect the “Sell-by” date in the packaged beef. You should buy your beef cut either before or on the “sell by” date.
5. When selecting the beef cuts from cold storage cases of the grocery stores, the packages chosen for your use should have no excess liquid at all. If it is not too cold, then it has been stored above 40 degrees and taste may be questionable.
Inspect thoroughly the coolness of the pack and ensure that it has not been damaged.
6. Firmness of roasts and steaks should be checked. Avoid the purchasing of soft roasts and squishy steaks.
7. Always select the beef cuts that are bright red in colour with thin creamy white fat evenly distributed throughout the surface. But if you are selecting veal, the colour should be either white or light pink.
8. Beef injected with flavourings should be avoided because flavouring makes your beef break down and may be easily overcooked.
9. Always try to avoid buying tenderized beef because during the procedure, the butcher pierces the beef to push the juices and flavour out of it and produces tough and bad flavoured beef.
10. Be friendly with the butcher to get ideas about the perfect beef cuts and sometimes he will offer you fantastic recipes too!

author:Mike Sullivan
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How To Make Sure You are Buying The Best Prime Rib

Posted on September 9, 2011 by bilrob

How To Make Sure You are Buying The Best Prime Rib

Six Ways to Make Sure you are Buying the Best Prime Rib Available

The best grade of rib or any type of beef is of course prime grade. The problem comes in when trying to buy prime grade beef, there is only 20 per cent of prime grade beef in America cut and most of this grade of beef finds its way to those fancy restaurants. Some prime rib can be found in your local grocery store and some in the butcher shop. If you are lucky enough to find prime grade then you will still need to know how to make sure you are buying the best prime rib available. Here are some things to look for and some to steer away from.

Now, you know what prime rib is but did you know that that the rib cut includes cuts like the Rib Roast, the Rib eye Steak and the back ribs and is the least tender of all the other sections. So, when you begin to look at the prime ribs in the store you will want to seek out the more flavorful and best you can find in order to prepare a delectable meal. With this guide you should be able to make sure you are buying the best prime rib you can find.

1. Always look at the date the prime rib was packaged. This is an indicator as to how long it has been sitting around in the store. Look at the colour of the prime rib; it should have a bright red colour and no dry or brown edges. Check for any damage to the packaging and wrapping.

2. Buying prime rib that has been injected with flavourings is also a very bad idea. Many people believe that this process will ensure that their prime rib is flavourful and juicy but that is not the case. Usually the flavourings will cause the meat to break down and become mushy. This can produce a tougher prime rib.

3. Several people also search out prime rib that has been tenderized by the butcher, but once again that is another error. When the butcher tenderizers the prime rib or any beef he beats and pierces the meat. Any piercing allows the natural juices and flavourings to escape. This will not only leave your meat un-flavourful but it will also be tough.

4. Next is how the prime rib is aged. The best method of drying your prime rib is dry aged. Dry aging is when the meat is taken from the bag that it arrives in to the butcher and is hung in a cooler for a certain amount of time to dry out. This method allows for the meat to shrink naturally. Most meat you find in your supermarket has been cut beside the slaughter house, wrapped in plastic and has aged on the way to the store in a Styrofoam packaging and plastic. This is for sure not the way to get a great tasting prime rib. You can talk with the butcher at your supermarket and ask him about the aging process used if he knows. If not and you desire the best prime rib around, then you should go directly to a butcher shop and talk with them.

5. Not only should your prime rib be bright red but it should have some fat. This is called marbling. The fat should be in thin lines and distributed evenly throughout the prime rib. The marbling will give your prime rib more flavour.

6. You also want to buy prime rib that is cut close to the bone or with the bone still intact as much of the flavouring also comes from the bone marrow.

With these few tips you should know how to make sure you are buying the best prime rib.

By Anita Frogel

SpanishChef’s note:

A standing rib roast is a cut of beef from the primal rib, which is one of the eight primal cuts of beef. The entire rib section comprises ribs six through 12 of the animal; a standing rib roast can comprise anywhere from two to seven ribs. It is given the name “standing” because it is most often roasted in a standing position, that is, with the ribs stacked vertically and the vertebral processes on the bottom. An alternative is to cook with the rib bones on the bottom and the vertebral processes removed for easier carving. A standing rib roast, if sliced when uncooked, would yield a number of rib steaks. Ribeye steaks result from removing the bones and most of the fat and lesser muscles (tail).

A colloquial and popular term for this cut is “prime rib”. Historically, this name stands out regardless of the grade. In addition, the USDA acknowledges this historical note by not requiring the cut “to be derived from USDA Prime grade beef”.

A slice of standing rib roast will include portions of the so-called “eye” of the rib as well as the outer, fat-marbled muscle (spinalis dorsi) known as the “lip” or “cap”.

The traditional preparation for a standing prime rib roast is to rub the outside of the roast with salt and seasonings and slow-roast with dry heat. In the United States, it is common for barbecue purists to apply smoke to the uncooked rib roast at low heat for two to three hours before dry roasting.

In the United Kingdom, Yorkshire pudding is frequently served as a side dish with prime rib. In many restaurants specializing in prime rib, several entire roasts (of varying degrees of doneness) will be placed on a large, heated cart, and carved at tableside.