Tag Archives: beef

Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk

Want a frugal substitute for a can of sweetened, condensed milk. This home made version will save you some pennies and prevent you from having to run to the store to stock up. As an added bonus, you can make only the amount that you need so that there is no waste. This is another savings right there. I have fallen out of using sweetened condensed milk, mostly because of the expense and the waste. I used to use it all of the time to make yummy graham cracker crumb cookies. With this frugal substitute, I may just have to … Continue reading →

Tenderizing Cheap Beef

Beef may be what’s for dinner, but it is also what takes a big bite out of your grocery budget. With the price of gas going up, and the recent beef contamination scares, buying beef today is almost like buying caviar. Okay, it is not that bad, but it isn’t that good, either. Eating more meatless meals can help with the cost of your grocery budget, but let’s face it, sometimes you just want to cook a meat and potatoes kind of meal. You can go the route of using less beef in your meals, but that just might not … Continue reading →

Ethnic Pizzas

My 3-year-old daughter used to be a picky eater, but in the last year or so she has really learned to embrace new foods. Each day I am pleasantly surprised by her bold menu choices. Okay, maybe they aren’t that bold—-she still sticks to her core favorites and it is up to me to find new ways to turn those ingredients into new dishes, but I am fine with that. In fact, it helps me to grow as a cook, and there’s nothing more gratifying than having someone devour your latest culinary creations. The following recipes are specifically designed for … Continue reading →

Simple and Tasty Ways to Use Extra Ground Beef

Ordinarily there is nothing remotely close to “extra” ground beef anywhere near my kitchen, but since I committed to making Spicy Sloppy Joes (among other dishes) to take to a football viewing party tomorrow I happened to have a few extra pounds of beef in my refrigerator. As such I was able to prepare two tasty and affordable one-dish meals to feed my family this weekend. (Both can be modified to feed more than four people.) Two other perks of these dishes are their simplicity (all of the ingredients are kid-friendly and take less than 30 minutes to prepare) and … Continue reading →

Spicy Sloppy Joes with Cold and Crunchy Coleslaw

The road to the Super Bowl will go through the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field after all. The Green Bay Packers will host the New York Giants on Sunday, January 20th in the NFC Championship Game after New York upset the Dallas Cowboys this evening 21-17. Which means one thing for me (and the rest of my fellow Wisconsinites): It’s time to start planning our game day menus. In my previous blog I shared the dishes I made (and others that I gorged on) for the playoff party I attended on Saturday. Now that our beloved Packers are headed to … Continue reading →

Preparing Your Holiday Roast

If you were lucky enough to get a holiday roast then you are one step ahead of some of the shoppers I met at the market yesterday. Our grocer ran out of premium roasts so I am making do with a cheaper cut. Regardless of whether you are preparing a choice cut or a more economical cut such as round tip, top sirloin or eye round there are a few tips you should keep in mind. When seasoning your roast add the salt after cooking. Every cook knows it’s easier to add more than to eliminate excess. It’s also a … Continue reading →

Holiday Roasts 101

Are you preparing a roast for the holidays? If you live in the state of Wisconsin then there is a good (make that great) chance that you will be eating a roast of some sort in the next few days given the run on beef at the markets around here. Which brings me to my first roast-related tip: Order in advance. During the holiday season it’s a good idea to order the type and size roast you’ll need to feed the family in advance. Otherwise, you end up facing the predicament I found myself in yesterday—picking through the scraps. Premium … Continue reading →

Bacon Cheeseburger Diet?

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Recently, there was an article about a British woman who lost 70 pounds and credits the weight loss to bacon cheeseburgers. I’d like to talk about that. A cheeseburger does not have to be a bad for you food. OK, if you roll up to Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s or Burger King, it is a pretty safe guess that whatever burger gets handed to you through the window is going to be bad for you. You can count on that! And how many people order burgers from fast food joints without some fries on the side? Don’t even get me started … Continue reading →

Easy Stir-Fry Dinner

Tonight I whipped up a yummy and easy/quick dinner. I didn’t have a recipe but I knew just what I wanted: veggies, meat, and garlic bread. From the grocery store I bought a small package of stir-fry beef which I kept in the fridge for a few days until I used it tonight. For the vegetables, I only used two of them. I sliced up a fresh yellow onion and opened up a package of frozen sugar snap peas. Although the package told me to boil water to cook the peas, I didn’t follow the directions. Instead I heated up … Continue reading →

Delicious Beef Burgundy

This recipe needs no introduction. Let me just say…you must make this. For this recipe you’ll need: 3 lb Filet of Beef Salt and pepper for seasoning (Kosher salt if you have it) 2 TB olive oil ¼ lb bacon, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup Burgundy wine 2 cups beef stock 1 TB tomato paste 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 teaspoon salt (Kosher if possible—it’s mellower in flavor) ½ teaspoon black pepper 8 carrots (about 2 cups) cut into thick 1-inch diagonal chunks 1 package frozen pearl onions (whole baby onions) 3TB butter, softened 2 TB flour 2 … Continue reading →