What does calving season have to do with slow cooker meals? Well, seeing as 2 to 3 baby calves are coming each day, having a slow cooker meal ready for dinner makes at least one part of the day a little easier.

Not only is my hubby busy checking for baby calves each day and night, but we’re also still feeding cows as the grass is getting greener, but not yet tall enough to provide all the nutrition the cows need right now. Our bull sale is a little over a month away. Many other ranchers who produce seedstock or purebred cattle, are also prepping for the bull sale season. This is when commercial producers purchase their bulls to use for the next breeding season. We’ve been gathering the pedigree information and taking photos for the catalog, putting together advertising, and going through the checklist of must-dos before sale day.

Kids’ activities keep us on the go as we have one playing basketball and one in wrestling right now. Not to mention homework sessions each night. Our busy days and evenings give me reason enough to keep the Crock-Pot® filled. Dinner is much easier when I plan ahead and spend a few minutes prepping in the morning while cleaning up breakfast dishes. I love slow cooker meals because they are little mess and provide a healthy, hearty meal for my family at the end of the day. I guess the only downside for me is smelling the yummy goodness all day long and it makes me hungry, ha!

I tried several new beef recipes during the holidays and this new year, so I’ll be sharing them with you here. This one isn’t a new one, but actually a tried and true recipe from my mom—it always reminds me of home. Not only is it easy to make, but it’s become one of my kids’ favorite meals too. I’ve included some helpful hints as well.

Hamburger Stew

1-2 pounds lean ground beef (Brown and cook thoroughly. Drain and rinse with water if necessary to remove extra fat if not using lean ground beef.) *Helpful Hint: Buy ground beef in bulk and brown all at once, divide into 2-4 cup servings, and place in freezer gallon bags. It makes it super easy to prepare a slow cooker meal or a quick dish when some of the prep is already done.

1-2 cans diced or stewed tomatoes (I use one can per pound of beef.)

*Helpful Hint: I fill the empty tomato can with water to add liquid to the stew. You can also use one can of beef or vegetable broth.

1 small can tomato sauce (I use no salt added as I like to be in charge of my seasonings.)

Vegetables (This is where you can get creative and use what you have on hand.)
-Cubed potatoes (You can peel or leave peel on, whichever your family prefers.)
-Diced carrots, celery, bell peppers, onions (I cut up in 1 inch pieces.)
-Frozen, fresh or canned corn and green beans (I use frozen as that’s what I keep on hand. They are just as nutritious as fresh, and great during cold months when fresh aren’t in season. I usually put them in during the last 30 minutes to hour of cooking.)

-Salt and pepper to season (I used fresh ground pepper and Lawry’s Garlic Salt as my go-to seasonings of choice. Mrs. Dash is also a great choice of seasoning if you want a salt-free spice blend. I usually season at the beginning of cooking, then taste before serving and add a little more if needed.)

Put all the ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. I love to serve with Beer Bread or crusty rolls to sop up some of the broth, but truly it’s excellent all by itself.

*Helpful Hint: This recipe is easily doubled or tripled, depending on how many you need to feed. It also freezes well, and makes a great meal to take to neighbors or friends.

For all those busy nights when you don’t want to worry about dinner, I hope you consider this easy, hearty and healthy hamburger, ground beef stew!

~ M

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Crock-Pot®, Lawry’s or Mrs. Dash, but we wanted to give credit to these brands as they were mentioned in the post.

I’m not a big breakfast eater, but they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And I have tried to get better at making sure my kids who need good nutrition to fuel their day of school and play, as well as my husband, who needs energy for his work on the ranch, have something to eat that they all will enjoy.

Earlier this year we received our annual Idaho Beef Council calendar. I always enjoy looking through the months to see what recipes they are featuring. I know beef might not be the first protein you think of for breakfast (me neither), but on one of the pages I found a recipe for Country Beef Sausage. And since we have a lot of ground beef in our freezer, I thought I’d give it a try. My family loved it! In fact, I made biscuits and gravy with it as well as Breakfast Burritos.

The other day I had some hamburger I had cooked up, a half a bag of tator tots and some tortillas. I decided it would be a good idea to put together a batch of burritos to have in the freezer. Easy for my hubby to grab as he heads out the door for his day. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on how big a crowd you need to feed or how many you want left in the freezer.

I mashed up the tator tots and cooked them a bit. I removed them and put them on a plate while I warmed the beef (mine was already cooked and drained) and added my seasonings. (see full recipe below) I also added diced yellow bell peppers and chopped onions. I added back the potatoes and mixed it all together, making sure everything was heated through. It makes a great hash all on it’s own too. You could add some scrambled eggs as well.

I spooned some mixture into a tortilla. There is an awesome local bakery that makes the best homemade tortillas! I added some chopped fresh cilantro and some shredded monterey jack cheese.

Fold up the tortilla then place it in a non-stick skillet. I don’t add any fat, oil or butter. I just crisp up each side a little.

A yummy, on-the-go breakfast with BEEF!

Country Beef Sausage Recipe (courtesy Beef Checkoff)
It’s easy to double the ingredients if making it for a crowd. I also like to make it ahead of time and have it in the freezer to pull out for different recipes.

1 pound ground beef (96% lean)
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Mix seasonings and fresh ground beef lightly, but thoroughly to incorporate the spices. Brown ground beef mixture and cook thoroughly (temp of 160 degrees) and drain if necessary. Yields about 2 1/2 cups of beef crumbles.

You can mix in other ingredients like shredded hashbrowns, eggs, cheese, peppers, onions or whatever else your family might enjoy.

~ Maggie

I love to cook. I love to experiment in the kitchen too. In fact, to me a recipe is a mere suggestion. I take from or add to depending on ingredients I have on hand or what my family likes and dislikes. My dad is a lot like that. He’s always adding a little of this, a little of that. My mom prefers a recipe to follow exactly. That’s why she’s the baker in the family; she makes THE BEST sugar cookies ever!

Well, moving on to my point. I enjoy being in the kitchen and getting creative, so lately I’ve been trying to figure out some different recipes. At first I hesitated to share recipes because I don’t always have precise measurements, but I think everyone can gain confidence to cook this way. I hope to give you enough details that you’ll want to try them out and can even experiment a little yourselves!

We love fresh fruits and veggies around here. I would love a garden to grow my own; every year I think we’ll plant one, but alas I haven’t been to get that goal accomplished yet. Some day, but until then I’m happy to head down to the local farmer’s market to grab some fresh fruits and veggies during the summer and fall. During the other times of the year I have no problem buying fresh produce at the grocery store, but when the market is open, I love supporting the small family business in town.

I’ve cooked with peppers quite a bit—bell peppers that is. My family loves to eat them fresh or cooked in other dishes. But one pepper I’ve always wanted to try was Poblano peppers. Not that is hard to do or mysterious or anything, but something I just hadn’t tried. The other day when I was picking up produce, I decided to give them a try.

Roasted Poblano and Beef Burritos

First I washed the peppers. You know they are super fresh and straight from the plant when they are still covered in dirt! Then, I put them under the broiler for 6-8 minutes. I checked to see if they had roasted all over, then added additional minutes until there was a nice char on all sides. Next, I put them all in a brown paper bag to help them sweat. This loosens the skin so it’s easier to peel.

While the peppers were roasting and sweating, I browned ground beef with some garlic and chopped onion. No matter what leanness of hamburger I’m using, I always drain the meat. Now here’s where you get to experiment as you add other ingredients to your stuffing mixture. Variations I suggest include black beans, corn, shredded cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, onion powder. Add what you or your family like in the desired amount and mix until heated through. Really, I promise, you can not mess this up. Start with a little and add to it as needed. I didn’t add in beans this time, but did add some red bell pepper.

Poblanos are a mild pepper, but they can have some heat to them. I used plastic gloves just to be safe. Nothing fun about pepper juice in the eye! After they had cooled some, I made a slice in each pepper. I stuff a couple peppers with the ground beef mixture and pulled the sides back around to hold in all the stuffing. I sprinkled them with cheese then put them under the broker again for a few minutes. I added a touch of fresh cilantro then served these to my hubby for lunch. He thought they were delicious! It would also be easy to dip them in an egg mixture then flour and fry them up for Chile Rellenos (think I’ll do that next time).

I had some leftover tortillas so I decided to wrap my chile (filled with the beef mixture) inside the tortilla. I put the burrito in a dry, non-stick skillet and browned it on all sides. I decided this is the way I like them best— no need to add extra fat or calories with oil, but giving them a nice crunch and texture.

I hope next time you’re at the farmer’s market or your grocery store, you’ll grab some peppers and give this recipe a try. Let us know what you came up with! Leave us a comment on this post or on our Facebook page. Enjoy!

~ Maggie

Maggie and her husband raise their four children and registered cattle on his family’s southwest Idaho ranch. As a family, they enjoy sports, showing cattle, 4-H, church and other activities when not working on the ranch. She likes to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, shares her love of sweets through baking with her children and has been known to start a DIY project every now and then. Sometimes she actually finishes one.

At the beginning of August our family spent a week at our local county fair. Our oldest was showing cattle and all the kids had various projects and activities to enjoy. When you spend a week at a fair, you can sometimes get tired of all the regular fair food options. We usually try to visit several different food booths to support the local groups trying to raise money, the 4-H leaders association, various churches, school clubs and community groups. One of newer food vendors was the Taco Truck. We frequented there a few times! This little recipe is inspired by the steak tacos we ate there. I was still craving them when we got home the next week. Super simple, fresh and healthy too!

~ Maggie

The first weekend of our marriage, Justin was invited to an all day team roping, complete with an afternoon potluck. Ahh, a potluck.

In the past, my potluck “contribution” has always been as follows. I spend my morning drinking coffee and watching the Today show, while my mom is busy boiling, slicing, measuring and mixing. I take my time getting ready, whereas Mom has less than ten minutes to get herself put together, usually leaving a trail of flour and chopped pickles in her wake. We load up, and she drives to our destination—obviously, because I’ve worked way too hard to exert any more effort than necessary. I walk in, all smiles, carrying the dish my Mom slaved over all morning long, attempting to claim it as my own creation.

Luckily for my mom, I can no longer ride around on her apron tails. Because when you’re married, you’re expected to bring a dish representing your own family’s tastes. Ahh, the joy.

There weren’t any dish stipulations, so I decided to take the only cowboy-approved salad I’ve ever seen, Momma De’s Taco Salad! I know that a cowboy approved salad sounds awfully similar to an oxymoron, but believe me, stranger things have happened.

My potluck contribution turned out to be a huge success. In fact, when Justin and I got in line, the only thing left was what was caked to the serving spoon. He looked at me and smartly said, “I thought you told me you couldn’t cook?” Ha! Ladies, we all know that a smart woman keeps a few secrets up her sleeve.

I’m going to backtrack for a moment, only to tell you a little bit more about “Momma De.” The recipe for this ridiculously delicious salad comes from my mother-in-law, Dena. It also happens to be the first recipe she ever confided in me, prefaced by something similar to “If you’re going to marry my son, you need to learn how to make this.” Although it makes an appearance at 90 percent of the birthdays and BBQs we go to, nobody ever grows tired of seeing it.

MOMMA DE’S TACO SALAD:

*When I made this most recently, I used one pound of hamburger, so that’s the scale this recipe is set to. If you’re cooking for a crowd, I would say anywhere from 2-3 lbs. of hamburger would best fit your serving needs, requiring you to double or triple other ingredients as needed.

 

Ingredients:
1 lb. Lean Hamburger
2 Romaine Lettuce Hearts
1 can Black Beans
2 cups Shredded Cheese
1 bag Nacho Cheese Doritos

Dressing:
2 parts Mayo
1 part Ketchup

 

 

 

 

I recommend chilling this salad prior to serving–it usually tastes better when the meat has a chance to cool off from cooking. You can always cook the hamburger the night before, which makes it even faster to throw together the next day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

~ Jessie

Jessie has returned to her roots on her family’s commercial black angus cattle ranch in southern Idaho after time away at college and working on behalf of the state’s cattle producers. She’s passionate about agriculture and the western way of life. When she isn’t doing ranch work or writing, Jessie enjoys baking, golfing and drinking coffee. As a newlywed, she’s also turning a little cabin on the ranch into a home.