Category Archives: Beef

Sep28

Smoked Meatloaf

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Rachel

Yes, you heard me correctly… Smoked meatloaf is where it’s at my friends! I will never again make meatloaf in the oven after eating this! Wow! It was juicy and delicious with the most awesome smoke flavor. Seriously yall, you’ve got to try this!

It’s my husband’s birthday this week and I know he’s always wanted a smoker. So I got him one and of course we couldn’t wait to try it out. Aside from the obvious things people smoke, I wanted to try a slightly adjusted meatloaf version of my regular meatloaf recipe. I had heard about a restaurant that serves it as well as traditional smoked BBQ, and I’m so glad it worked out for us too!

The key is to cook your meat at about 225 degrees (low and slow). I had originally thought it would take about 4 hours to cook my two pound meatloaf, but it ended up being done right at 2 1/2 hours. My original plan was to glaze it halfway through, but when my husband went to glaze it, the internal temperature was at 165, so it was time to come off. I ended up glazing it and running it under the broiler for a few minutes in my oven, which worked out just fine. Either way you want to glaze this will work.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground meat
1 sweet onion chopped
1 large bell pepper chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 beaten egg
1 c Italian breadcrumbs
1 T butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Ketchup, mayo, and BBQ sauce
Optional but highly recommend Weber 17103 Mesquite Wood Chips, 3-Pound

1. First get your firewood going in your smoker with your favorite wood. My dad loves to use Post Oak to smoke all his stuff with, but we don’t have any of that in Amarillo. I buy the cheapest firewood possible and flavor it with a few of those mesquite wood chips I was telling you about.

2. Let’s get your veggies going for the meatloaf mix. I know I said 1 large bell pepper earlier, but I have baby bell peppers growing in my garden so I grabbed enough that I thought would equal one large one.

3. Season veggies liberally with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. After about 15 minutes of cooking them over medium heat, toss in your chopped garlic and cook another five minutes or so. Also, it was at this stage my veggies were crying out for butter, so I happily obliged and added about a tablespoon or so. Because, why not?

4. In a large mixing bowl have your ground meat ready to go seasoned liberally with salt and pepper.Then add your cooked veggies.

5. Now add a healthy squirt of ketchup and BBQ sauce, and a heaping spoonful of mayo. We are serious about BBQ sauce in our house. Also, if you live in the South you probably already know about Duke’s mayo. But if you don’t, I highly suggest you acquaint yourself. Yum!

6. Now add your beaten egg and breadcrumbs to the bowl and mix it up with your hands so they’re all one big happy family!

7. Now get out your foil and place the meatloaf on the dull side to prevent sticking. This was my first time using Kingsford Hd Non-Stick Foil, 45 sq. ft. and I loved it! Absolutely no sticking whatsoever!

8. If your smoker temp is around 220, wrap your meatloaf up and get to smokin’! Also, crack open a beverage because it’s beer thirty!

9. Like I said earlier, my meatloaf was done at 2 1/2 hours, so I didn’t glaze it here. Be sure you have an instant read thermometer so you can get the temperature right on the meatloaf. The USDA recommends a temp of 160, but also keep in mind it will continue to cook once you pull it off, so you don’t want to let it go much higher than that. Weber 6492 Original Instant-Read Thermometer <— Click here if you don’t have one and need one.

See how the temperature keeps rising even after its off the heat?

10. For the glaze, I do 60% ketchup and 40% BBQ sauce. Don’t get out your measuring cups, just eyeball it and adjust it to how you like it. You can change it up by adding worchestishire or brown sugar or anything else you like. But I’m just a simple gal that loves a simple glaze. 😜

11. Dump and smear it all over your meatloaf and then place it under your broiler for a few minutes.

12. Now it’s done! Wow! Have you ever smelled anything so delicious? It’s like someone sprinkled crack on mom’s meatloaf. So good 😀

May26

Smothered Burritos

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Rachel

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I find myself drooling over Mexican food pictures quite often and wishing someone would invent a drone service to deliver endless chips and salsa, chimichangas, and margaritas to my doorstep. Because at this point in my life with two small children, we almost never go out to eat. So, to make the best of it, I try to make whatever I’m craving at home, which is probably better in the long run since it’s cheaper and healthier that way. Plus, no one tries to charge me $14 for a margarita around here either!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat (whatever you’re into these days)
1 package of taco seasoning
1/2 sweet onion chopped
3 mini bell peppers chopped (or 1 regular bell pepper)
1 jalapeño chopped (seeded and deveined)
3/4 c water
16 oz Velveeta
1 can Rotel (drained)
1 can diced green chilies or 4 roasted green chiles chopped *In Texas it’s easy to find these year round at the Mexican grocery stores freshly roasted. But canned versions are found practically everywhere and just as good.
1/2 c milk
Tortillas
Garnishes like lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream

1. Put your chopped peppers and onion into a skillet and drizzle with olive oil. I like to cook these about 10 minutes on medium high heat to give them a head start.

2. Now add your ground meat to the pan and cook until browned.

3. Now drain off any excess fat from the pan. I find it’s easiest to do this with a metal dinner spoon.

4. Now add your taco seasoning and 3/4 c water. Bring to a boil, then turn to simmer and stir frequently. It will be done in about 5 minutes.

5. To make the cheese sauce, break up your 16 oz Velveeta and put in a sauce pot over medium heat and add your green chiles, drained Rotel, and milk. Stir frequently to help cheese melt and incorporate with everything. Mmm cheeeeeese 🙂

6. Now it’s time to stuff, roll, and smother your burritos! Don’t be afraid to drown them puppies! Yum!

Apr29

Quick And Easy Taco Salad

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Rachel

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I love an easy and delicious weeknight meal, especially when it’s something healthy and satisfying. This is a quick and easy taco salad that uses one of those .49 cent taco seasoning packets from the seasoning isle. Yes, I could’ve gone with a homemade taco seasoning, but really I just didn’t feel like it today😄

Ingredients for taco meat part:

1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, venison, even chicken would work)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 small sweet onion chopped
1 chopped bell pepper or 3 chopped sweet mini bell peppers (as pictured)
1 garlic clove chopped
1 jalapeño pepper chopped (seeded and deveined)
1 can drained black beans

Ingredients for salad and optional toppings:

Chopped romaine lettuce
Tomatoes
Lime
Sour cream
Avocado
Grated cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat drizzle a little olive oil over your onion, peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes.

2. Now that it got a bit of a head start cooking, add your ground meat to the skillet.

3. Stir occasionally until browned and cooked completely, then drain off any excess fat if necessary.

4. Add your packet of taco seasoning and 2/3 c water. Turn the heat down to simmer and allow to cook for about five minutes or until some of the liquid has cooked off.

5. Now add your can of drained black beans and allow it to heat up a minute before turning the heat off and serving over your salad.

I love fresh avocado, a scoop of sour cream, and fresh lime juice squeezed on mine for the dressing. If you like something sweeter try it with Catalina dressing. Both ways are delicious!

Mar26

Mexican Steak Burritos

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Rachel

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These burritos are very yummy and use pretty much whatever cheap cut of beef you want for your steak. The marinade for the steak is easy and helps tenderize whatever cut of beef you decide to use for your steak. This steak I purchased was around $2 and is classified as “family steak” at my grocery store – whatever that means. So feel free to shop your clearance section to make these as pocket friendly as possible!

Ingredients:

Steak for burrito
Italian dressing
Lime juice from 1 lime
Fajita seasoning
Toppings for burrito like grilled veggies, cilantro lime rice, refried black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc!
Tortillas

1. Take a large ziploc bag and place your steak in there and give it a few big squeezes of Italian dressing, the juice of one lime, and several dashes of fajita seasoning. Then allow the marinade to work for a minimum of four hours or even overnight.

2. If you’re planning on veggies, I used two sweet onions and ten of those sweet mini peppers sautéed with two tablespoons of butter, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I cooked them for fifteen minutes over medium high heat, then added one chopped garlic clove and cooked for an additional five minutes.

3. For the steak, you can go outside and grill your steak, or if you live somewhere that going outside is terrible (like where I live), just cook your steak in your cast iron skillet inside. Drizzle a little oil in the pan, turn the heat up fairly high, and cook your steak to desired doneness. Personally, I like mine more of the rare end. That’s the beauty of cooking your own burritos!

4. Now start stuffing your burritos! I used whole wheat tortillas, refried black beans, cilantro lime rice, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled veggies, and sour cream. So delicious!!!

Dec4

Beef Stroganoff

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Rachel

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Back in college I used to eat frozen dinners all the time, and this was one of my favorites. Thankfully, I’ve learned to cook since then and no longer shop in the frozen meals section. But I was craving beef stroganoff the other night and thought I could make it myself! You can use practically any beef for this. I used the “boneless family steak” cut from the 40% off clearance meat section of my grocery store. I have no idea what cut of beef “family steak” is, but when I figure it out, I’ll let ya know! You can use top sirloin or ground beef for that matter in this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 sweet onion
1 package of mushrooms (8 oz – 10 oz)
2 cups beef broth (about 75% of a box)
2 garlic cloves
1 stick of butter
1-1.5 lbs beef
12 oz (1 bag) egg noodles
4 T flour
Splash of worchestishire sauce
Splash of wine (optional)
Splash of heavy whipping cream (optional)
Salt and pepper

1. I forgot to take a picture (oops), but take about a tablespoon of butter and melt it in a hot skillet for your steak you’ve seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook your steak until pink in the middle, then take out and let it rest. Leaving the juices in the pan, now throw in 1/2 of your butter and chopped onion and cook for about ten minutes. I like to let the onions go first so they get a little golden before adding the mushrooms.

2. Now add your mushrooms, garlic, a few dashes of Worchestishire sauce, the rest of your butter, and salt and pepper. Cook for another ten minutes or so until everything is golden and delicious.

3. Are you drinking wine while making dinner? Lean over your sauté pan and spill some wine from your cup into the veggies and deglaze your pan. If not, you can skip this part, but it makes it soooo yummy 🙂 Oh, hello Mr. Box!

4. Now add your flour to the pan and stir around for 3-4 minutes. You want the flour to thicken up your veggies and cook a little bit before adding your liquid.

5. Now add 2 cups of beef broth and allow this to come to a boil. While you’re waiting for this to happen, go slice up your steak into this bite sized strips.

6. Once it’s boiling, add your steak strips to the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer. This will continue to cook the meat and make the meat tender. Also, it gives the flour a chance to thicken up the sauce. Allow to simmer 20-30 minutes. Now is a good time to start your noodles if you want everything to come out at the same time.

7. Lastly, and this is optional, add a splash of heavy whipping cream to your pan. It’ll take this sauce into a creamy heavenly perfection. Ahh, so good 🙂 If you don’t have heavy whipping cream, a few dollops of sour cream will do or 1/2 and 1/2. Or you can omit entirely if you’d like. Taste for salt and pepper needs before serving over egg noodles. It’s so perfect 🙂

Nov6

Perfect Pot Roast

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Rachel

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I love easy dinners like this pot roast you can just throw in all one dish and let it cook away all day! I made mine in the oven only because I wanted to use my shiny orange ovenware dish, but this works perfectly in a crockpot too. Crocktober lasts pretty much all fall and winter at my house, and this is one of my favorites. Also, I know some of you may be hesitant about using sweet potato in this recipe, but I promise you it’s so delicious, and once you’ve tried it you’ll never cook pot roast with just plain potatoes ever again!

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
1 large sweet onion
8-10 purple potatoes (you could use new potatoes too, I just love the color of the purple ones)
1 large Yukon gold potato
3 garlic cloves
3 carrots
1 can cream of mushroom and chicken (if you can’t find this, just use regular cream of mushroom)
1 package Zesty Italian Seasoning
4 cups of water
Your favorite all purpose seasoning (something with salt, pepper, garlic, etc)
2-3 lb pot roast

1. Chop all your veggies and put in your crockpot or casserole dish. Combine in a separate bowl can of cream of mushroom/chicken, Zesty Italian Seasoning, and 4 c water. Stir until combined and pour over the veggies.

2. Season pot roast liberally on all sides with your favorite all purpose seasoning and place on top of veggies and cover with lid.

3. Bake in oven for six hours at 300 degrees or place crockpot on high for 6-8 hours (depending on the strength of your crockpot and weight of your roast). Serve over rice or with tortillas in a pot roast taco for a delicious cool weather meal! If you’re serving with rice, I like to cook the rice with some of the pot roast liquid after it’s done cooking to give it extra flavor. Yum!

May23

BBQ Sliders With Caramelized Onions

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Rachel

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Hello! I am so glad to get to post this yummy recipe just before Memorial Day Weekend! I’ve been so busy lately with our big move to Amarillo I’ve hardly had time to cook anything worth posting a recipe for, but we are settled in now, so hopefully I can get back in the swing of things. Ok, let’s get started!

First, I want to be honest up front and say I bought the patties for these sliders from the butcher in our grocery store. A) I’m tired and need all the help I can get and B) They looked delicious. They’re jalapeño cheddar sliders, but any kind of slider you want to use here would be delicious. Just be sure to sprinkle a little of your own favorite seasoning on both sides before you use them. Also, tell everyone you made them from scratch and throw away the evidence before anyone else eats them. It’ll be our little secret 😉

Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions (1015, Honey Sweets, Videlia, whatever…)
1/2 stick of butter
7-8 sliders seasoned with your favorite burger seasoning
Your favorite BBQ sauce (for this recipe I used a spicy one)
Salt and pepper
Water
Slider buns

1. Dice up your onion and throw it into your large cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, consider yourself scolded and just use a normal skillet for now, but buy one as soon as possible. Season with salt and pepper and throw your 1/2 butter stick in there. Sauté about 15 minutes on medium to high heat.

2. After the onions are mostly Caramelized and smelling delicious, add your patties to the skillet right there on top of the onions and add about 1/2 cup of water. It’s going to steam those yummy patties.

3. I like to put a lid on at this point because it helps the steam. Check out my beautiful silicone flower lid! (You can use any lid that doesn’t seal)

4. Flip the patties after a few minutes and place the lid back on. After about 8-10 minutes, they’re essentially done with the high heat. Take the patties and set them aside for a minute on a plate.

5. Now stir those onions around and give them a give them a few healthy squirts of your favorite BBQ sauce. Turn the heat on low and after the BBQ sauce has been incorporated, add your patties back in and let them simmer in that yummy deliciousness for at least ten minutes before serving.

6. Serve these little medallions from heaven on toasted slider buns and top with your onion mixture. Personally, we like to add my Texas Coleslaw recipe on top and serve with a side of
favorite beans.
Notice I somehow ended up with the two bun bottoms instead of a top and bottom. Typical.

Feb19

Doritos Burger

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Rachel

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Nacho Cheese Doritos + Burgers = Doritos Burgers. Let that sink in… Ok, I’ll tell you how these burgers came to be: Years ago, I was moving into my new apartment and my mom had bought everything we needed to grill burgers at the pool. However, we quickly realized all the seasonings were still packed away, so my mom said “No worries!” And took out handfuls of Doritos chips and mixed them up in the hamburger meat. We all looked at her like she was crazy, but let me tell ya, those burgers were delicious!!! So, I’ve been making my burgers with Nacho Cheese Doritos ever since!

Ingredients:
Nacho Cheese Doritos (duh)
Hamburger meat
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsp your favorite burger seasoning

1. I put my Worcestershire, hamburger meat, and seasoning all in a bowl. Then, grab your Doritos.

2. Take a few handfuls and crush the chips up in your hands, then place those in the bowl.

3. Shape your meat into hamburger patties.

4. Grill burgers to desired doneness. Mmm, smells good!

5. Oh ya, I forgot to tell you about my favorite pickles. These are amazing on a burger!

6. Serve up your burger with your favorite toppings and serve with seasoned sweet potato fries for a yummy side!

Jan30

Meatloaf Sandwiches

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Rachel

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Are you ready to taste one of the most delicious sandwiches you’ve ever had in your life? Well I hope so, because this sandwich is amazing!!! This came from meatloaf leftovers, obviously, and is now a staple whenever I make meatloaf. So get out some box wine and get ready for this cheap and delicious sammich!

Ingredients:

Meatloaf slices
1 sweet onion sliced
Butter
Olive oil
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Scoop of leftover mashed potatoes (optional)
Mayonnaise
Provolone cheese
Bread

1. Sauté onion with butter, drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne 15-18 minutes on medium to high heat.

2. Once your onions are done, turn to low to keep warm and place a few pats of butter in another skillet to grill your bread.

3. Smear mayo on one slice of bread and leftover mashed potatoes on the other piece and place into skillet.

4. Place your sliced meatloaf onto the bread and then top with your sautéed onions and provolone cheese.

5. Place other piece of bread on top and flip over after a few minutes so it cooks evenly on both sides and cheese melts completely. This is seriously one of the best things you’ll ever put in your mouth!!!

Jan29

Meatloaf

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Rachel

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Ahhhh, meatloaf… Nothing says “Home” like meatloaf and mashed potatoes. This meatloaf is so yummy and definitely a crowd pleaser! The sautéed veggies and ketchup/BBQ sauce mix inside and out really make this meatloaf stand out from other recipes 🙂

Ingredients:
1 sweet onion chopped
6-8 mini bell peppers chopped or 1 large bell pepper
1 garlic clove chopped
Around 2 lbs ground meat (I used a little over 2) and you can use venison, beef, turkey, pork, or any combination of those together
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Ketchup
BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays Original)
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 T Butter (optional)

1. Put your chopped veggies, olive oil, butter, salt & pepper in a pan and sauté about 10-12 minutes before adding in garlic. Then sauté another 5 minutes or so.

2. After your veggies are cooked, combine them in a large bowl with meat, 1 egg, Worcestershire sauce, 2 T ketchup, 1 T BBQ sauce, 1/4 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp paprika, and give it a little regular salt and pepper too.

3. It’s at this point I like to add my breadcrumbs. I fill up a 1 cup measuring cup and sprinkle it in there until I get the consistency I’m looking for. I used just right under a full cup. You want it to be sticky and sort of wet, but moldable enough to hold its shape on the pan. Once you’re happy with your texture, place your mixture onto a cookie sheet that’s been covered in foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. It should look like this:

4. Now you’re going to make a glaze for the meatloaf. I used about 1/3 cup of ketchup and probably 2 T BBQ sauce, but honestly I didn’t measure it. I usually just squirt it into a bowl until it looks right 🙂

5. Pour the glaze all over your meatloaf and make sure it covers all the meat.

6. Place in a preheated 375F oven for 50-60 minutes.

7. When it’s done it will look like this bad boy right here:

8. Serve with mashed potatoes and southern turnip greens for the perfect meal!

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Category Archives: Beef

Smoked Meatloaf

Smothered Burritos

Quick And Easy Taco Salad

Mexican Steak Burritos

Beef Stroganoff

Perfect Pot Roast

BBQ Sliders With Caramelized Onions

Doritos Burger

Meatloaf Sandwiches

Meatloaf