Ground Beef

Even the Smallest Ranch Hands Check the Cows - Swedish Meatballs

Every afternoon after their nap time, the kids and I venture outside to look for our yearlings. Our family likes schedule and know what comes next. You would be surprised, but the cows are predictable as well. Every afternoon around 3:00 PM, the yearlings come to water and then head to the north side of the property. Perfect timing to check out the young steers and heifers. I think Junior's first word was "moo", not mama or dada. That little guy sure loves his cows.

The afternoon outings keep us busy, the kids get some fresh air and explore the surrounding, including being curious about dry cow pies. Don't get me even started on that one! By the time we get home, we are ready to start our dinner routine.

A couple of nights ago I made Swedish Meatballs. It was easy and fast, so the little guys didn't lose their "cool" before dinner was served. The unique spices in the meatballs made it a nice change to the typical marinara meatballs.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 1 lb 3T ground beef
• 1/4 breadcrumbs (plain), panko also works great
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (Don't overdo it with this spice, it is crucial to the recipe, but it can also overpower it. Measure for sure, don't eyeball it).
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon grain mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• Lingonberry jam (Not a big deal, if you don't have it. It is a garnish).

Directions: 

• Mix your meatball ingredients and heat up a large deep pan.
• Use a heaping tablespoon of the beef mixture to roll your meatballs.
• Put in oil in the pan and fry your meatballs on each side. They don't have to be cooked all the way through as you will finish the cooking process in the sauce. The meatballs need to have a nice crust on them.
• Take the meatballs out of the pan and start working on the sauce.
• Add a little bit of oil and stir in flour. Stir and let it cook for about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the beef broth. Continue stirring, so you don't get lumps in the sauce.
• Add milk, mustard, salt and pepper.
• Let the sauce thicken while stirring for about 5 minutes.
• Put in meatballs and coat them in the sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes on low to medium heat.
• Right before serving stir in chopped up parsley.
• I have served the meatballs with mashed potatoes and green beens.

Tip: You don't have to use a lot of butter and cream to make tasty mashed potatoes. I have used only one tablespoon of grassfed butter and warm beef stock to make the potatoes creamy. The key point is the warm beef stock, it has to be warm. Salt, pepper and garlic/pepper seasoning is always a staple in the mashies.

Dobrou Chut!

by 3tranch

Everything in Moderation

Some of us come up with new year's resolutions as we strive to make the best of the new year. This year, our family is coming up with achievable goals for 2018. It is great to dream big, but this year, we want our resolutions to come through for us.

Christmas cookies were a big temptation for me over the holidays. I probably had too many.. So, my new year resolution is to eat with moderation. I know myself.. I start with a big workout goal, set calories per day and later in the spring I feel like I just couldn't do it. So, this year, I do it all with moderation!

My friends and I joined the FIT MOMS workout. Twice a week, kiddos tackle along and we hold each other accountable. We are going, we catch up, our kids play and everyone is happy and tired after the workout.

Instead of a strict diet, we eat in moderation. Here is what we did last night. Burgers are a big hit at our household. French fries, BBQ sauce, ketchup, bacon.. you name it. Instead, we have opted for baked potato wedges, I had my burger with a lettuce "bun"and the boys went with wheat buns and plenty of vegetables on their plates. We also like a "fry sauce", but I have made it with greek yogurt instead of mayo as well as used 50% less sugar ketchup. Small moderations, yet big drop in calories. At the end of the night, everyone was happy with their burger dinner and we didn't feel like we just ate too much.

What is the best way to season our beef burgers?

• 1 lb 3T ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard (this really makes the burgers delicious!!!)

Well, we are sticking to our "eat in moderation" resolution!

by 3tranch

Mexican Lasagna - "Saved by the Dinner" Recipe

The kids didn't nap yesterday and I needed a "Saved by the Dinner" recipe. Why? The Cowboss worked the cows all day, our Top Ranch Hand had football practice all afternoon and our two little guys were a mess all day. Some days are just harder than others. However, a good family dinner can turn everything around. No TV, phones or any sorts of gatgets. Over a good dinner, our teenager talks to our toddler, the Cowboss and I get to catch up about our day and the baby babbles to all of us. The rule is just good things are discussed over dinner. I can't tell you how many hard days were "Saved by the Dinner" and ended on a good note. 

Anyways, here is a 30 minute recipe that you can pull off on any hard day you may encounter! 

http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2012/09/simple-mexican-lasagna.html?utm_source=FBRC&m=1

by 3tranch

Euro Cheeseburger 

It's a nice cool evening outside, the sun is not beating on us and the cowboys didn't spend all day working outside. That means I got them to eat outside! This is a big deal at our house. The cowboys spend a lot of time outside fixing the fence, gathering cows or whatever needs to be done that day. They do it in all weather conditions, sunny, windy, hot, freezing, snowy, you name it. So, the last thing they want to do is to eat dinner outside. But, not tonight! 

On evenings like tonight, we like to fire up the grill and cook some cheeseburgers. Guacamole and bacon are always great choices to go along with the burgers, but I wanted to change it up a little. I have found European Brioche Buns at the store the other day and wanted to make a tasty euro sauce to go with it. I know us Euros can be sometimes little funny, like eating French fries with mayo, but this is not the case. This pow wow sauce is just the perfect match for grassfed/grass finished beef. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 mayo 
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

I would guess, you probably have all of the ingredients. 

Give it a try!
Dobrou chut! 

by 3tranch

Baked Ground Beef Chimichangas

Mexican cuisine is always a hit at our home, but I thought I would change up our ground beef burritos into chimichangas.

Chimichangas are basically fried burritos, but we are watching what we eat. Grassfed/grass finished beef is so good for you and you don't want to ruin your healthy meal by frying everything. So, I decided to baked my chimichangas and it was a hit. The burritos got nice and crisp  .

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb 3T Ranch ground beef
• 1/2 onion - small dice
• 1 bell pepper - small dice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can green chili sauce or green chili enchilada sauce
• 5 flour tortillas
• Spanish rice (I have used the box, but you can certainly make it from scratch)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• Canola oil in a spray
• 1 tablespoon chopped up cilantro

Directions:

• Saute onions and peppers in a cast iron skillet until translucent. Set aside.
• Cook your ground beef  with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Mix peppers and onions with the ground beef along with the shredded cheddar cheese.
• Heat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Spray your cookie sheet with the canola oil.
• Steam your flour tortillas in the microwave. Make sure to put a wet towel over your tortillas and microwave for about a minute. This way, your tortillas will be easy to roll up.
• Divide the meat mixture onto the five tortillas. Here is a quick way to roll them up.
• Put the burritos onto the cookie sheet and spray with the canola oil.
• Bake for about 20 minutes and broil for about 2-3 minutes.
• Your chimichangas are nice and crisp!
• Heat up your green chili sauce or green chili enchilada sauce over your chimichangas.
• Serve with rice, avocado and salsa.

Dobrou chut!

by 3tranch