Guinness Beef Stew

I've had a bit of a rough time adjusting to life back in the City after my week in the mountains. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and Dallas, but there's just something about Colorado and New Mexico that grabs ahold of me when I'm there and is reluctant to leave. This past trip we decided not to venture to the slopes to ski and instead opt to enjoy the peaceful quiet of the condo by the warmth of the fire. It was pure bliss. 

View entering Colorado

When I'm on vacation with access to a kitchen, I tend to opt for meals that are fairly low maintenance so I don't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. The past two winters, this stew has been a go to meal for us. I grew up with stews being regular menu items, especially for large family functions, but none carried the same complexity and flavor profile that this stew possesses. The combination of the Guinness, dark brown sugar and cocoa really compliment the beef and result in a fantastic hot meal on a cold, winter night.

View of the Gunnison River from the condo

Printer Friendly Version
Guinness Beef Stew


Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
2 pounds cubed stew meat (prepackaged at grocery store, if not you can cube 2 pounds top round roast)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup water
1 12 ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout

Instructions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the vegetables,

and meat.

Saute until veggies begin to soften and the meat begins to brown.

Drain off any excess fat.
Pour contents into a 4-5 quart crock pot.

Top with the brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and pepper.

Pour the water

and Guinness Extra Stout on top.

Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Source: Adapted slightly from The Everything Healthy Slow-Cooker Cookbook by Rachel Rappaport

Crispy Beef Tacos

Robert and I are now home from our trip to New Mexico, but I still have one last recipe of my grandmother's left to share, her crispy beef tacos. No doubt by now you have figured out that I love Mexican food and tacos in particular. Maybe it was the multiple recipes for tacos that gave me away. My grandmother, Mimi, is a big reason for that, I think.

Her grandmother was Spanish and spent much of her early life in Mexico before she met my great-great-grandfather, married and moved to Texas. To celebrate this family heritage, the Thrashers have these tacos for dinner every Christmas Eve. Not that we don't have them other times of the year, it's just that at Christmas that one meal is a given.

Robert put in a special request for Mimi to make her tacos on our last night in Ruidoso and she, having a soft spot for Robert, was happy to oblige. To me this was the perfect solution. Not only did I get to enjoy Mimi's tacos made by her hands, something that now happens only every other year now that I'm married, but I got to document it to share with all of you. Win, win. I hope you will enjoy this family favorite as much as we do.

Printer Friendly Version
Crispy Beef Tacos


Ingredients
2 pounds ground sirloin
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salsa (Mimi uses Pace)
1/4-1/2 cup canola oil
12 small corn tortillas

Instructions
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook until mostly browned.

Add the onions and cook for an additional 3 minutes or so until the meat is fully cooked and the onions have softened.

Add the ground oregano

and salsa. You can use your favorite brand, although my family has always used Pace Picante.

 Stir to combine and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in an a large skillet over medium heat. We used an electric skillet, but if one isn't available a large skillet on the stove top will work. Once the oil is heated, place one corn tortilla in the oil.

 Place a spoonful of taco meat in the center of the tortilla.

After a minute, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula for at least 30 seconds until the taco will remain folded once removed.

Push to the far side of the skillet and add a new tortilla and repeat the process above.

After 2-3 minutes, when the bottom of the tortilla is browned and crisp, flip the taco over to cook the other side being careful not to lose the filling.

Cook the tortillas for 2-3 minutes more until that side is also crisp and remove to a paper towel lined oven-safe plate.

While you continue cooking the remainder of the tacos, place the finished tacos in the oven at 250 degrees to keep warm. This will also continue the crisping process and dry out the excess oil remaining on the tortillas.

When ready, serve with shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, salsa and guacamole and enjoy.

One last picture from our vacation, taken while we took my grandparents dog Shelby for a walk. I don't know who Robert is more annoyed with, me or the dog!

Blue Cheeseburgers

As I mentioned in my last post, to me Memorial Day and the beginning of summer should always be commemorated with the grilling of burgers. Robert and I did just that this past Monday as we celebrated with 2 other couples and enjoyed the back patio on one of our last days of housesitting.

While we could have easily made your normal burger patties and topped them with an array of cheeses and condiments, I decided to get a little fancy instead. One of my favorite burger joints in Dallas, Twisted Root Burger Co., has a burger on their menu that is topped with a big dollop of blue cheese. It always looks so delicious, but the thought of the mess that would inevitably ensue the moment that blue cheese was squeezed out by the bun always dissuaded me from ordering it.

To avoid the mess I decided to incorporate crumbled blue cheese into the patties themselves rather than topping them with a softer blue cheese variety. The melted cheese and the minced onions provided a nice juiciness that can sometimes be missing when using the leaner ground beef. I think these burgers would be excellent served on Suzie's homemade hamburger buns along with your favorite combination of condiments and veggies. Next time your planning a cookout with burgers, consider adding this recipe to your menu, you'll be glad you did!

Printer Friendly Version
Blue Cheeseburgers
Ingredients
2 pounds ground sirloin
1/2 medium sweet yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions
Place the 2 pounds of ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl.

Add the minced onion,

Minced garlic,

Blue cheese,

And salt and pepper.

Mix with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated throughout.

Divide the mixture into 6 equally sized patties roughly the size of your palm and relatively thin, about 1/2-1/4 inch thick.

Heat the grill to medium high heat and place the patties on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes then flip.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes for medium, it will take longer for medium-well and well done.

Remove from the grill and enjoy!

Oven-Barbecued Beef Brisket

Sorry...but I have to lead with this..sweetest thing ever?

We went to the lake this weekend. My parents have a wonderful lakehouse at Cedar Creek lake in Texas, it really is like going to the ocean, an hour and a half from Dallas, bliss. Bunker and I went with the puppies and it was very relaxing a quiet. Luckily, we hit an empty weekend with very few neighbors down for the weekend. Indeed, I usually like company, but not this weekend, I just wanted to be quiet, sleep, cuddle with the puppies, walk, and try out new recipes. And goodness...did I ever cook some yummy new food! It was great!

Cooking is one of the most relaxing things I can imagine...if you have the time. If you are rushed, cooking can be very stressful and come to the brink of upsetting. But, if you have no schedule and you can listen to great music, sip a glass of delicious wine, take a moment to enjoy those with you and the sunset, then, anyone can really enjoy cooking.

Since we were at the lake, we decided to make something that we would not make in Dallas, an all day roasted Beef Brisket. Now, if you are a barbecue purist, please, do not read further, as I know this will upset you! This delicious and tender brisket was roasted all day...in...the oven!  It turned out just perfectly, falling apart when you touched it, no need for cutting. I got the recipe from the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book that I received from the hostesses of a recipe shower I had for my wedding, thrown by some of my mom's best friends, so sweet. I have only made a few recipes from this encyclopedic book, but each one has been not only reliable, but also rather tasty.

The puppies love the lake by the way...

Printer Friendly Version

Ingredients:
4 Pound Beef Brisket
3/4 Cup of Water
1/2 Cup of Chopped Onion
4 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Instant Beef Bouillon Granules
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper Flakes
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 cups of Barbecue Sauce

Steps:
1. Trim the from the meat. You can also have you butcher do this, mom told me this tonight! Have your butcher trim the fat....this was quite a task!

2. Place meat in a large baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the 3/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup of onion, 4 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 3 Tablespoons of vinegar, 1 Tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of bouillon granules, 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 2 cloves of garlic.

4. Pour the mixture over the meat in the baking dish.

5. Cover with foil and bake in a 250 degree oven for 6 to 7 hours. Turn the meat over once.

6. Remove the meat from the oven and pour the barbecue sauce over the top and return to the oven for about 15 minutes without the foil. I love Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce. It has just the right amount of sweetness, tang and heat.

7. Break up the meat with a fork, really, a fork is all you will need to break it apart for serving.

8. Enjoy atop soft bread! I made my own buns...look forward for the recipe in the next few days!