Just launched this month, these quick-view cooking demonstrations showcase recipes available on Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. and will help home chefs get more comfortable cooking with beef. The recipes come with nutrition information and a convenient new feature that allows viewers to place an on-line order for the ingredients at their local supermarket. The segments are rolling out on YouTube and will be further promoted on IBC’s social media channels. Take a sneak peek at the first 2 here!

Mongolian Beef – Prepare this flavorful and satisfying Top Sirloin Steak Stir-fry in 20 minutes!
Ground Beef and Pasta Skillet Primavera – Nutrition box, checked…this is an American Heart Association Certified Heart-Healthy Recipe.

With YouTube a social media powerhouse, it is a prime channel to promote Idaho’s beef industry. During the month of July, IBC’s YouTube channel had 173,034 views. With that many eyes looking for beef information, beef checkoff dollars are delivering engaging and educational information to Idaho homes.

Visit and share IDBeef.org with your friends and family. We also encourage you to take advantage of the power of social media and follow, like and share IBC’s posts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, All Recipes, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube!

Braising is searing meat on a high temperature then finishing it in a covered pot set at lower temperature with a variable amount of liquid.

Meat for stewing should be lean and can be less tender because we’re going to use braising to create the tenderness. Cuts from the chuck or round are great for stew meat. You can buy it precut at the store or as a larger roast that you cut into chunks yourself. I appreciate that our butcher precuts bite-size chunks into packages for us. It’s usually the scraps after steaks and roasts are cut. Stew meat can be a more affordable cut that still creates a delicious and hearty dish.

I pulled the package, probably about 1 1/2 pounds out of my freezer and defrosted it in the microwave so it broke apart easily. Normally when I’m planning ahead I defrost meat in the refrigerator the day before I cook it. Safe cooking tip: Never thaw meat on the countertop.

I put a little canola oil (around 1-1 1/2 TB)  in a heavy stock pot and browned the pieces, making sure not to crowd them. I wanted them good and brown. As you can see there were lots of bits and pieces stuck to the bottom. After the meat was finished cooking, I added a can of stewed tomatoes and about a can and a half of water. Stirring the liquid helps deglaze the pan and gets all those yummy bits off the bottom. The acid in the tomatoes also help tenderize the meat. I also added in seasonings, including a tsp. of beef bouillion, 1 TB. of taco seasoning, some black pepper, cumin and minced garlic. This is where you can get creative—add seasonings your family enjoys. I also added one chopped chipotle pepper in adobe sauce. It adds some heat and smokiness. Smoked paprika is another option to add flavor.

I set my temperature to low, which on my stove maintained a low boil/high simmer, then I checked the pot about every hour to see how the meat was tenderizing and if I needed to add additional liquid (I didn’t). It simmered about 3 hours. This braising method helps break down the meat so it pulls apart and is super tender. About 30-45 minutes before I wanted to serve it, I added chopped green bell pepper and chopped onion. I also added a cup of frozen corn and a can of black beans (rinsed). I cooked the stew until the veggies were tender, but still had a little bite to them. I topped the stew with chopped fresh cilantro. Other optional toppings could include shredded cheese, crispy corn tortilla strips, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. Or you can leave it plain as it has plenty of flavor.

Easy Tex-Mex Beef Stew
1-2 pounds stew meat (chuck or round cut into cubes)
1-2 cans stewed tomatoes plus 1-2 cans of water
1-2 tsp. of beef bouillion
1 TB. taco seasoning
Other seasonings to taste (ie. salt, pepper, garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle pepper)
Green or other bell peppers
Medium onion
1 cup frozen corn or 1 can corn
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

*If you want to use this in your slow cooker, you can brown the meat in a skillet, deglaze pan with some water or broth, then add it to the slow cooker with the seasonings and veggies. Cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours.

This Beef Stew is super easy because you can take the meat in different flavor directions. I went with more Tex-Mex Seasonings because I had more of them on hand, but you could easily do a traditional stew with potatoes, carrots and celery or instead add Italian herbs and spices. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

In addition to a full week of kid activities, it’s calving season on the ranch. Lots of new babies are hitting the ground every day and it’s fun to have pastures full of cows and calves.

I’m sure many of you have busy weeknights also, but still want to get a great tasting and healthy meal on the table for your family. Don’t be afraid to keep a package or two of stew meat in your freezer because this Easy Beef Stew is a great option for a weeknight family dinner.

~ M

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.

One of my goals for the upcoming year is to really focus on getting better at the things I’m already good at. That probably sounds a bit silly, but sometimes I think we get lost in wanting to add new things to our lives, when we really should be working to perfect the skills we already have. I’m the kind of person who likes to be the best, so why not work on bettering the things I’m already pretty decent at?! For instance, although my husband continually tells me I’m a great cook, I know I have a lot of room for improvement—and I know exactly how I can channel my inner Ree Drummond.

At the tail end of last year, our ranch had two animals butchered, which we split three ways. The great part about butchering your own animal is having a freezer full of beef. The somewhat unfortunate part of that is the daunting feeling of “What am I going to do with all of this?” This isn’t a bad thing if you know how to cook it all; but that my friends, is where I fall short. While I know I’ve eaten every traditional cut of beef, I also know that cooking them all (on my own) is something I have not accomplished in my 25 years of life. Until now!

Isn’t a freezer full of beef just heavenly?!

In an effort to keep my cooking creative (and my husband’s stomach full), each week or so for the rest of the year I plan to write about my culinary experiences with a new cut of beef. Some cuts will be repeated over the course of the year, but each cut will be guaranteed to feature a different recipe. I also plan on enlisting your help every now and then—asking for your tips, tricks, and fabulous recipes!

Join me on my quest for 2016, as I take on beef—one cut at a time!

~J

Grilled Tri-Tip, right off the barbeque! Seasoned with a dry rub of kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, dried chipotle, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. An easy and economical cut of beef!

Can you believe Memorial Day weekend came that fast? It doesn’t seem like we can be that far through the month of May, let alone 2015, but here we are! It probably doesn’t come as much surprise that Memorial Day kicked off the summer grilling season. I just love the thought of burgers and steaks flying off backyard grills all across America. But something I don’t love is the fact that a lot of people forgo grilling because they feel intimidated when buying beef. I completely understand that feeling, because even as a beef producer, I’ve been there. But, let me be the first to tell you, anyone can learn more about how to buy beef.

The town closest to where we live is lucky enough to have two of the best locally-owned grocery stores—and when it comes to meat, there’s no one I trust more than our hometown butchers. Last week I sat down with meat cutter/grocery store owner, Brock Lenz, and asked him to give his insight on all things buying beef. Here’s what he had to say:

If you’re planning on buying a steak, the first thing to do is pick out the cut you want. Muscles that don’t get used by the animal make the best steaks. Those include your Tenderloin, T-Bone, Ribeye, and New York steaks—to name a few. Any muscles that the animal uses to move, (known as motor muscles), are going to be your tougher cuts. However, there are a lot of delicious cuts hidden within those motor muscles, such as the Flat Iron, that are just as good as those that come from the top and back of the animal.

This print from Chasing Delicious is one of my absolute favorites! If I had enough room, I’d love to have one hanging in my kitchen! -Jessie

Once you’ve decided on a cut, the next thing to look for is what’s called “marbling.” Marbling refers to the white flecks of fat that is found inside a cut of red meat. The more marbling a cut has, the more flavor it’ll have and the more tender it’ll be.

A lot of people think that a steak has to be expensive to be good. You can’t really go wrong with cuts like the tenderloin, ribeye, etc., which tend to be higher priced; however, there are many other cuts that provide a great eating experience. And they are more economical. When it comes to value, I think Sirloin is your best bet. A Top Sirloin or the Sirloin Tip steak are middle of the road cuts when it comes to price, and the taste is hard to beat. (Note: Even though both cuts have sirloin in the name, they are different. Check out top sirloin vs. sirloin tip to get more info on how to prepare each.)

In my opinion, one of the most versatile cuts is the Tri-Tip. It’s great for grilling and can be used for groups, big and small. It can be tricky to cut if you’ve never done it before, but that shouldn’t keep you from putting one on the grill. Idaho ranchers work hard every day to produce beef that provides a consistent, tender and high-quality eating experience every time!

I love all the selections at my hometown grocery store. A great resource when buying beef is the butcher behind the meat counter.

The worst mistake you can make with beef is overcooking it. Beef can be consumed at a lower internal temperature (145 degrees) than any other animal protein. And keep in mind that your steaks will continue to cook internally for up to ½ hour after they’re taken off the grill (when resting), so don’t cook them until they’re crisp; otherwise you’ll be losing a lot of taste.

Many thanks to Brock for all his tips on how to buy beef!

The Idaho Cattlewomen hope you have lots of beef on your barbeque this summer. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section if you want to know about buying or cooking beef. We are happy to answer!

~ Jessie

They tout it as the mock tender or filet, saying it’s just as juicy and tender. But like half the price. Well, this little cut of beef did not disappoint!

I knew it needed to be marinated so I put it in a Ziploc baggie with soy sauce, olive oil, rice wine vinegar and garlic. I let it hang out in the fridge overnight. I decided to try grilling it. Tip: let it sit out of fridge about 30 minutes to come to room temperature before throwing on a 400 degree grill. I grilled it to medium rare, 145 degrees, about 14-19 minutes. Then I let it rest before slicing thinly to serve.

I also made Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan and Garlic. I took fresh broccoli and cut in it into pieces (you could also use frozen broccoli) then I put it on a sheet of heavy duty foil. I drizzled it with a little olive oil, and sprinkled it with shredded Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I wrapped up the edges and put it on the grill also. I cooked it until vegetables were tender, about 8 minutes.

Here are a couple other links about this cut of beef. It’s really easy to cook and makes a great presentation. I hope you try it out. If so please leave us some comments or if you have any questions about cooking with beef, feel free to ask. Beef is part of my family’s healthy diet and I hope you make it part of yours too!

Petite Tender Roast

Chef’s Secret

The pictured shows the entire petite shoulder tender steak with a few slices. Those slices equal around 3 oz., which supplies you with 22 grams of protein plus 10 essential nutrients and only 150 calories.

Nutrition information per 3-ounce cooked serving: 150 calories; 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat); 22 g protein; 0.5 mg vitamin B₆; 4.4 mcg vitamin B₁₂; 2.2 mg iron; 4.5 mg zinc.

~ M

The recipe I’m sharing today was inspired by my friend, Lisa, who not only teaches full time, but has a busy ag teacher/coach husband, is raising three kids and is in the middle of calving their small herd of cows too. Even though she’s busy, she always has time to make an extra meal for a neighbor or friend in need. She brought this meal to us after our son was born (several years ago), and it was a hit. I didn’t grow up eating meatballs, but this Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe is definitely one my family enjoys. And as Lisa proved, it’s a great meal to share with others too.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 c. Panko or dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. finely diced onion
1/2 c. finely diced green pepper
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
Salt and Pepper

Sauce:
Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1 T. cornstarch, 1 can of tidbit or chunk pineapple, 1/3 c. vinegar and 1 T. soy sauce. Bring to boil, add chopped red or green peppers (optional), then simmer until sauce thickens and veggies get tender. Add in meatballs. Serve with rice.

All meatball ingredients were mixed together then shaped into 1″ balls, then baked in oven for 20-25 or cook in pan. (photo taken midway through baking)

The last time I made them, I adapted her original recipe by making the meatballs ahead of time and putting them in the freezer. I put them in the slow cooker along with the sauce (which I didn’t cook beforehand). These turned out great!

I love being able to make these ahead of time and store them in the freezer for an easy weeknight meal. You can even double or triple the recipe easy enough to feed a crowd. Or share with a friend…

~M

Sweet and Sour Meatballs served over brown rice.

First calf of the season. We’ve had calves born in snow, rain and wind this year, but fortunately the weather has been getting warmer again.

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.

All the Hamburger (Ground Beef) Stew ingredients combined into my slow cooker.

Ready to eat!

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

A yummy bowl of Hamburger (Ground beef) Stew. A perfect end to a busy day—easy, hearty and healthy!

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.

Looking outside, I could see a big black blob surrounded by white. Angus cows were huddled together to keep each other warm.

It’s looking a lot like old man winter around here. We had our first snowstorm of the year and I believe most of the state is under a blanket of white now. I have to admit—we weren’t quite ready for snow before Thanksgiving. The kids even got a snow day from school because of it. They may be bundled up and enjoying the snowy landscape outside, but there is still plenty of work that needs done around here. There are no “snow days” for a rancher.

Yes, my son is wearing pink snow bibs. That’s what happens when you outgrow everything else and you have older sisters. Good thing he was more interested in staying warm while scooping snow off the patio than what color he was wearing. ;0)

The hubby was up early to check on the cows and calves. We had calves born this fall so we want to make sure they stay warm and dry so they don’t get sick. We’re also expecting more embryo transfer calves to be born soon, and this is not great weather for brand new babies, so the guys are getting those cows still needing to calve in by the barn so they can be watched more closely.

Daily chores include feeding animals by the barn and in the pens. These are our herd bulls, donor cows and weaned bulls and heifers for our upcoming shows and sales. We’re fortunate to have automatic waterers, but they need checked to make sure they don’t freeze in really cold weather. Because several inches of snow is covering the grass, the cattle in the pasture will start getting hay to supplement their nutritional needs. They will also have access to protein and mineral tubs as well. We’ll put out straw bedding for them to have a warm and dry place to lie down. Keeping them dry is important.

I thought on this cold November day I’d share a new recipe I created this fall. When it was warmer. And there was no snow.

I love fall—the turning of the leaves and pretty colors, and all the yummy smells like pumpkin and apple.

I miss fall. It seems to have gone from fall to winter overnight.

This a good recipe all season long, especially with holiday gatherings and get togethers coming up. It was inspired by a box of Honey Crisp apples I picked up from the local farmer’s market. We’re surrounded by orchards, so there is no lack of fresh and delicious fruit this time of year. I had never tried the Honey Crisp variety; we usually opt for Fuji or Gala, but I was reminded of fresh apple pie with my very first bite—crisp, fresh and sweet. Even though we eat several apples a day and could get through a 20-pound box with ease, I decided I would use some for an apple pie.

Remember how I mentioned I like to experiment in the kitchen? Well, I know baking is more of a precise science, but the rebel in me likes to take risks there too. Instead of going with a typical pie crust recipe (which is not hard at all), I wondered if I could do more of a shortbread crust. I’ve made shortbread before and I knew it was easy—flour, sugar, butter. The first time I tried making a shortbread pie crust, I didn’t quite have the ratio of flour, sugar, butter right, so I did a search and found a crust that works well. I used it and modified the recipe as needed.

So glad I tried this; it turned out delicious. And because I thought it would be fun to try a smaller version, I put the crust and apples in a muffin tin to make mini pies. They are the perfect serving size and you can even eat them with your hands. Of course, you can use the crust for a traditionally-sized pie as well. I also must mention I call this Rustic Shortbread Apple Pie because you don’t roll the dough, it’s just pressed into the muffin or pie tin. There’s no fancy pinching of the edges making it perfectly pretty. But, I promise, it is super easy and delicious! Hope you enjoy!

Rustic Shortbread Apple Pie

Crust: 3/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 beaten egg yolks
Apple filling: 6-8 apples (I used Honey Crisp, but Granny Smith would be great too.)
1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 T flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
Peel, core, cut apples into small chunks. Add brown sugar, flour and spices then mix.

Butter, sugar, flour and salt.

Using a fork or pastry cutter, mix the dry ingredients and butter until it resembles fine crumbles. You could also pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor, but again I’m a little rustic and did it all by hand. Then stir in egg yolks until it forms a dough.

For mini-pies: Press about a tablespoon of crust mixture into muffin tin, then add apple mixture. Top with another 1-2 tablespoons of crust crumbles.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Because I made mini muffin-sized pies, I only had enough crust and apples for a mini pie pan. I just added a streusel topping of brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon to the top.

Rustic Shortbread Apple Pie

I ended up trying this twice because my oldest decided to try her own little experiment of baked apples. She is her mother’s daughter and didn’t measure the cinnamon. I love cinnamon, but a little goes a long way. Needless to say, we had to add several more apples to her mixture—enough to make another apple pie!

Whatever your weather is where you are, stay warm!

~ 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.

Here is a quick and easy carne asada recipe. We love how simple it is and lets the wonderful taste of beef shine through. Cumin gives it a smoky flavor and who can argue with the combo of garlic and lime?!

This is really versatile too and can be used with any cut for grilling. Slice it thin and serve over rice or in a homemade tortilla.

Wishing you a Happy and Safe Labor Day Weekend!

]]> 298 https://www.idahocattlewomen.org/pepper-planting-and-fiesta-beef-bells/ Fri, 11 Jul 2014 13:00:54 +0000 http://www.idahocattlewomen.org/?p=315 I’m the kind of person who thinks that everybody has something that they “nerd out” about. You know, the thing people have that deep, fiery passion for, and will never be able to learn enough about. For some it’s a general topic, such as sports; for others it’s something much more specific, like knowing every possible factoid about Abe Lincoln.

I have a few different subjects I enjoy learning about, one of which is agriculture…what a surprise I find it absolutely fascinating that I’ve been in the ag industry for 24 years and STILL have crops or animals that I know hardly anything about! Dairies, flower farms, orchards, wineries…you name it, I want to tour and learn more about it!

Earlier this week, I got to do just that! All of our work at home was caught up, so we spent the morning helping some friends, T&C, plant bell peppers starts, by hand! There are implements that can do a majority of the work, but in this field, a tractor would have done more harm than good. In the three hours we were there, we managed to plant more than 2,000 starts!

When these little guys start producing, T&C will sell them to smaller markets in the Treasure Valley. They expect to yield an average of 5 peppers off each plant, although others in the area have seen as many as 8-10.

1) First, we sorted good starts from bad starts, making sure that only healthy starts get planted. Here you can see some of the starts that made the cut. 2) An up-close shot of a pepper, before planting. 3) One person walks ahead of the planter, dropping two starts down. An underground drip line will water these for the duration of the summer. 4) The finished project!

So how is this related to cattle? A recipe, of course! I’ve been dying to make some beef-stuffed bell peppers, so this gave me the perfect excuse!

  Fiesta Beef Bells

 •1 lb ground beef

•4-6 large bell peppers, halved and deseeded – I ended up using 3

•1/2 onion, chopped

•1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

•1 can corn, rinsed and drained

•4 oz. Cream Cheese

•1 cup of shredded cheese

•Chili Powder, to taste

Even thought they have a short list of ingredients, these stuffed peppers are packed with taste!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet, add the ground beef and cook thoroughly. Be sure to drain any grease during this process. While your beef is cooking, take a moment to cut the top of your peppers off, spoon out what’s inside, and rinse them out.

Next, add the corn, black beans, onion, and chili powder to a separate bowl.

Once beef is fully cooked, add the corn/bean/onion mixture to the skillet. Next, add the cream cheese, mixing with the other ingredients until melted.

Now it’s time to fill the peppers, topping them off with shredded cheese! Because I only ended up having 3 peppers, I had lots of filling leftover. Instead of letting it go to waste, I grabbed some tortillas, spooned the filling inside, rolled them up, and placed them on their own cookie sheet.

I put both dishes in the oven, cooking them for 15 minutes.

Yummy! You could top with sour cream and a garnish of chopped cilantro if you’d like, or just enjoy as is. They were delicious. Enjoy!

~J