Hamburger Stroganoff - comfort for a cold day

Temperatures dropping and a 90% chance of snow coming our way. Time for another comfort food recipe. This one is from my well-worn copy of the Greenwood County Cattlewomen's cookbook. These recipes are tested and true and are all about BEEF! And this week has been declared Eat Meat Week, so a perfect time to make this warming and tasty dish. The original recipe, from Anna Curry, who was our Extension Ag agent at the time, lists 1 pound of ground beef. I usually increase the amount of beef in a recipe. Our ground beef comes in 2 pounds packages, and often I use the whole package, or that minus a couple of patties for later. 

HAMBURGER STROGANOFF

1 ½ pound ground beef

1 (8-oz) can sliced mushrooms

¼ cup chopped onion (or 1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion)

¼ clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic in oil)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons chili sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-oz) carton sour cream

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in flour and chili sauce. Add cream of chicken soup and heat well. Just before serving add sour cream. Serve hot over cooked pasta or rice. 

Italian Vegetable Soup

It is definitely soup weather this weekend. I recently made the Italian Vegetable Soup my sister-in-law had served at a family gathering in December. For that dinner I'd taken Rosemary Focaccia (post from December) and there was some left that I'd put in the freezer. Perfect with the soup last week.

This soup is not only tasty, it gets tastier as leftovers! It is a good blend of seasonings and vegetables with ground beef and beans to give it substance. This recipe is a keeper for sure! I usually use 2 pounds of ground beef in a recipe preparation that calls for 1 pound, but this soup is so full of good taste and nutrition that 1 pound works well.

ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP                                    

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup diced onion

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup sliced carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 16-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 15-oz can red kidney beans, undrained

2 cups water

5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes 

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon sweet basil

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups shredded cabbage

½ cup small elbow macaroni

Parmesan cheese

Brown beef in large kettle; drain. Add all other ingredients except cabbage and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Lower heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add cabbage and macaroni; bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender. 

Add water or broth for a thinner soup. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when serving. 

Mixing it up - Meatballs

I was looking for a summer meat ball recipe with a lighter taste. This one is it! Using ground sausage and ground beef and pineapple it is a sweet/sour taste that goes well with rice and fresh veggies. Definitely a favorite summer supper. The recipe calls the meatballs appetizers, but I made them larger and served them as the main course, two meatballs made a 3-4 ounce serving. I also altered the recipe to use more sausage and ground beef. Meatballs made a good entree for a quick meal because they cook quicker than a whole meatloaf and part of the recipe can be easily frozen if you don't want the whole amount.

PINEAPPLE APPETIZER MEATBALLS 

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple

2 egg

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

⅛ teaspoon pepper

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 pound ground beef

Glaze:

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons Dijon-mayonnaise blend

Directions:

1.    Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple and 2 tablespoons juice in a large bowl (set the remaining juice aside for glaze). Add the egg, breadcrumbs and pepper to pineapple. Crumble sausage and beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into balls. 

      (1-inch for appetizer sized-meatballs and larger for entree meatballs)

2.    Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. 

3.    Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine glaze ingredients and reserved pineapple juice. Add meatballs. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. 

Good when served with brown rice (I sautéed green and red peppers from the garden to add to the rice), fresh tomatoes, and rolls. 

Make Mine Beef

Our ranch's new sign

May is Beef Month, and while our meals include a lot of beef year round, we appreciate the month to call attention to our product. With warm weather and salad meals we may find ourselves using other meats, but here is a tasty beef and pasta salad recipe to enjoy this summer. 

It is best eaten the same day, after mixing at room temperature, since the tomatoes will continue to break down. But leftovers that have been kept in the refrigerator are also great. Sometimes I warm my serving just a little in the microwave to enhance the flavors after it has been chilled. It makes a lot! Good for a salad lunch when you need to take a big salad, or for when you need leftovers for a few days. 

COWBOY PASTA SALAD      

 

Serve with crackers or rolls for a complete light meal. 

Ingredients:

½ pound dried mini pasta shells

5-6 slices bacon, diced

1 ½ pound ground beef

teaspoons cumin

pinch red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot chili sauce

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

(I altered the original recipe to reduce the pasta and increase the ground beef, as well as a few other tweaks)

Directions:

1.     Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

2.     In the meantime, sauté bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Wipe out skillet, leaving a little of the bacon grease. Add the ground beef; cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Season with the cumin, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside to cool completely.

3.     In an extra large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot chili sauce until combined and smooth. Add the cooked pasts, bacon, beef, corn, tomatoes, and cheese; toss to combine and coat.

4.     Enjoy right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.

You will need a large bowl to mix the ingredients together.

Soups to Sandwiches; It must be Summer

And suddenly, it is summer. We seem to have skipped Spring this year, or did it happen one day when I wasn’t able to be outside? The change of seasons also means a change of menus; from soups and stews to salads and sandwiches.

Ground beef is a mainstay of my meal planning and this recipe offers a sandwich that isn’t burgers or sloppy joes. You can use sliced bread or hoagie buns for the bread.  The green peppers, onions and Provolone cheese make a flavorful addition.

GROUND PHILLY CHEESESTEAK GRILLED CHEESE

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

4 oz. canned mushrooms (optional)

salt and pepper

8 slices Provolone cheese

8 slices bread

4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1.     Brown the beef in the skillet. Try to brown without breaking up the meat too much. Get a nice brown sear on the beef, then break apart as little as possible. You want the meat to resemble a pea in size, avoid taco meat consistency. Add the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir gently, and remove from the pan.

2.     Add 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and add chopped onions and green bell pepper, cooking until browned and caramelized. Add salt and pepper. Add mushrooms if desired. Once browned, add the meat back and combine the ingredients.

3.     Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.

4.     Place butter side down on the cutting board and add a slice of provolone to each slice.

5.     Top four slices of bread/cheese with meat mixture and close the sandwiches by pressing together lightly.

6.     In a skilled on medium high heat, brown the sandwiches and cook 3-5 minutes on each side.

Christmas on the Side for Cinco de Mayo

Montereys in Albuquerque

Saturday was Cinco de Mayo day. A holiday that has become more popular in the U.S. than its original country of Mexico. Maybe it is because we like Mexican food and a day to celebrate with Mexican favorites, or our versions of them, is fun.
"Christmas on the Side" was a new term to me last fall when we were offered the choice in Albuquerque, New Mexico while touring the Pueblo Cultural Center. An offering of both red and green salsas to top the entrees. And I discovered I like the green! It is always good to stretch our tastes experiences.

This recipe for Corn and Black Bean Salsa is from our current Walk Kansas program of KSU's Research and Extension. It is also another way to add vegetables to our meal plan. We served it over Montereys that were spread with refried beans and covered with taco seasoned ground beef.

Christmas on the side -
red and green salsas

CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALSA

Ingredients:

1 15.5-oz can black beans drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

¼ cup green onion, chopped

¼ cup red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup fresh lime juice

1 ½ tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1 – 2 teaspoons ground cumin (according to your taste)

1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     Combine all ingredients except tomatoes. Chill for 2 hours.

2.     Add tomatoes and serve.

Nutrition Information per ½-cup serving:

80 calories

13 g fat (0 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat)

13 g carbohydrates

4 g protein

Our family's version of Cinco de Mayo

4 g fiber

60 mg sodium