Beef – Page 4 – Fun Foodie Family

Marinated Skirt Steak Fajitas

Hey guys! I made this the other night for a fast weeknight meal. Fajitas are always a hit in this house, particularly steak fajitas. You can use a skirt or flank steak for this recipe; whichever is on sale! The veggies and toppings can be added to or changed depending on what your family likes.

Ingredients

1 whole Skirt Steak
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 large Onions, Halved And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 container sliced mushrooms
Oil, For Frying
Flour Tortillas, charred on the gas top
All the fixings you want…Grated Mexican Blend, Sour Cream, Guac/Avocado, Hot Sauce,shredded lettuce, tomato etc.
If I had some limes, I would have also added the juice of one or two

Instructions

In a dish, mix together olive oil, Worcestershire, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and sugar until combined. Pour half of the marinade into a separate dish. In one dish, place the flank steak, turning it over to coat. In the second dish, place all the veggies, turning to coat. If you have time, cover these in put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or heavy skillet) over medium-high heat and drizzle in some oil. Add the veggies and cook them for a few minutes, until they’re cooked but still slightly firm and have a nice char to them.

On a grill pan (or you can use the same skillet as the veggies) over high heat and drizzle some oil. Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness) until medium rare. Remove and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice meat right before cooking.

While your meat rests, char up your tortillas and get your fajita fixings ready! Enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburgers and Crispy Potatoes

Beef, Burgers

Hey guys! What a week! It’s FINALLY Friday, and I couldn’t have waited another second for this weekend to get here =) Friday night we usually eat out, but we are cutting back and trying to eat mostly at home. I knew I was going to make cheeseburgers tonight, but remembered a pound of bacon and some potatoes in the fridge. SCORE!

The Burgers and Bacon

I took about a pound of meat and let it come to room temperature. To the meat I simply added salt and pepper. I portioned out 4-5 burgers. I just take the meat and cut it into equal pieces. Press your thumb in the middle of the burger. Why? Well, this creates a uniform and level burger that cooks evenly. If you don’t, your burger will be fat in the middle and flat on the outsides. Boo to a uneven burger!

Now on to the pan. Grills are fine. Cast iron grills are better. Cast iron pans are the best. I love how the burgers get that yummy crust and picks up all the flavoring of the cast iron pan, not to mention adds to the pan’s flavoring.

***Tip*** In my cast iron pan, I cooked 2 pieces of bacon. After removing the bacon, I cooked my hamburgers in the bacon fat. Adds that extra layer of bacon flavor! The rest of the bacon was cooked in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.

DO NOT PRESS ON THE BURGER! Resist the urge to turn them over until they are ready… I can tell they are ready when a see a tiny crust forming and about half of the burger seems to be turning from pink to brown. I say about 5-6 minutes.

Then after 3 minutes, add your cheese. The family likes American cheese; nothing wrong with that! Sometimes I will mix it up with cheddar, Swiss, Colby Jack, Munster, etc… Put a lid on it for 1 minute, take your pan off the heat.

The Potatoes- I used Simply Potatoes- Diced Potatoes. That is just honestly the best. I usually keep some in the fridge in different varieties for breakfasts and fast dinners. No need to prep potatoes! No fuss, no muss! One shortcut food I never feel guilty about! I cooked them in a cast iron skillet with a couple of turns of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Needless to say, dinner was a hit!

Pot Roast on a Tuesday Night

Beef, Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals, One pot meal

You can eat POT ROAST on a Tuesday night!!!!

Crock Pot Pot Roast

Ingredients

A round roast or “pot roast” that will fit your slow cooker

2 tablespoons each of Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon each of dried oregano and thyme

Red New potatoes or Yellow Gold- Look for medium sized, otherwise cut in half large ones. Small ones will break a part and become a part of the sauce, which is awesome!

1 lb of baby carrots or regular carrots cut in thirds and halved

1 box of low sodium beef stock (and maybe a beer or a bit of red wine if you have it)

1 container of mushrooms

4 cloves large garlic – chopped (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)

1 small yellow onion – chopped (or one tablespoon onion powder)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

Instructions

Rub your roast on both sides with your spices; salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme

Place the roast in your slow cooker – fat side up

Put your potatoes in half and toss them in

Toss in your carrots and your chopped onion and chopped garlic

Add in your beef stock and Worcestershire

Cover and cook on high in the slow cooker for at least 6 hours or low for up to 10 hours

Lots of full bellies tonight 😉

Cheesy Chili Mac

Beef, One pot meal, Pasta

Thursday Night. Cheer Practice. Garlic Bread. One Pan Plan. Easy Dinner. Clean plates.

Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

1 pound noodles (I used Corkscrew)
1 pound ground beef
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes sauce
1 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon of onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder
red chili flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of water
1/2 container of mascarpone/cream cheese
1 small container of shredded Mexican cheese mix

Directions

Brown your meat. Add in spices.
Add in canned tomatoes. Mix well.
Add in pasta and water. Cook about 8 minutes. Stir pasta at the 4 minute mark. If it looks thick, add in a bit more water. Stir well. After 4 more minutes, check pasta. It should still have a bite to it. Add in your mascarpone and cheese and cook until mixed together.

Beef Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce

Beef

Evening guys! Plans changed and we needed to eat at home tonight, so when I saw these beautiful beef short ribs on sale today, I knew what I had to do. I live for short ribs. When I see short ribs in the store or on a menu at a hip or fancy restaurant, I always consider getting them. Love them in every way, shape, and form. I have done both beef and pork ribs on the blog, so this is not too far off base with what I have done before. They are a super delectable and can make for a very sophisticated dish, so I could probably charge you at least $22 for this entree =)

This is a one pot wonder if there ever was one! The meat can cook for hours on end in this tomato sauce; it slowly falls of the bone to create this velvety rich sauce. I served it on top of rigatoni sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan with a side of crusty garlic bread for scarpetta (Italian for sopping up sauce and cleaning your plate). You could serve this on any starchy pasta or polenta. I even served it on mashed potatoes once.

I also have made a crock pot version here.

Braised Beef Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

4 Beef Short Ribs
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine- I used Malbec
1 cup beef broth
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Salt and pepper both sides of your ribs.
Brown ribs in a bit or oil in large dutch oven on med. high heat, about 6 minutes per side.
Take out ribs. Add onions. Cook for about 6 minutes. Stir.
Add garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes. Stir.
Add tomato paste. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
Add wine and stock. Stir and reduce for about 5 minutes.
Add your cans of tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add in your meat. Cover. Stir every 45 min or so. Cook for 4-6 hours.