Baltzly's Favorite Steak Taco Meat

So as many of you know, I absolutely LOVE the Food Network's Diners Drive Ins & Dives show.  And you also know that our family tries to hit as many of these places not only around us but also when we're traveling.  To date we've probably hit about 15 (I know A LONG ways to go) but one of our favorite Mexican joints was up in Flagstaff, Arizona!  OH MY!  It was called Salsa Brava.

My favorite meal there was something similar to an Indian Taco!  It is basically fry bread topped with really yummy steak bites and served with a Cilantro Cream Sauce!  I was able to get the recipes for the meat (marinade) and Cream Sauce, and I figured out an easy Fry Bread recipe that was close enough to this restaurants fry bread!  OH MY!  Mouth is seriously watering!  This afternoon, I've prepared ahead my meat so that's why I'm sharing that recipe tonight.  Hopefully later this week I can share the fry bread and cilantro cream sauce to complete the taco.  Just only have pictures for the meat.

1 1/2-2 pounds Skirt Steak (Flank Steak, etc)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c soy sauce
1 t cumin
1 large handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 t sugar
1/2 c olive oil

Sliver the steak into pieces across the grain on a diagonal.  Place these beef pieces in a gallon size Ziploc bag.  Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak, making sure each piece is well covered.  Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or overnight.  Toss all the beef and marinade into a crock pot.  Turn to low for 2-4 hours or until the beef falls apart.  Serve over fry bread with Cilantro sauce and fix-ins.

Freezer Instructions:  Can put this in the freezer with marinade and simply pull out night before to unthaw and crock pot as normal.

ZAYCON BEEF EVENT!!!!

Hey guys!!! 

HAD to post about the beef event.

So, I did this event the last time they offered and OH MY GOODNESS how amazing the beef was!!!  I am going to summarize below with the pictures I took from this event I just participated in today!  Keep this bookmarked cause it comes around a few times a year!!  I will let everyone know when it comes around again!

This beef is 93/7 for $2.79/lb.  Here is the description right from Zaycon's website (https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf10027):

A 40 lb case containing 4 tubes of Fine Grind super lean beef (93/7). Not all cases are exactly 40 lbs. If, upon delivery, your case is not 40 lbs, you will receive a credit to your Zaycon account.

This event actually came right HERE to Maricopa, so all my Maricopa peeps, we don't have to drive in to town to get our beef.  All my other AZ friends, there are MANY locations to choose from across the valley, find the one closest to you! :)

The website is:  https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf10027. 

Pick up is so incredibly SIMPLE!  You don't even get out of your car.  Basically, you print the receipt for your order, take it with you to the pick up location, drive up to the location, they have signs that say "enter," follow that and it will pull you up to the side of a refrigerated semi.  They'll ask for your name, they'll verify how many boxes you ordered, and then ask you where you want them.  You just stay in your car and they throw the boxes in your car FOR YOU!  Then you drive away!  THAT"S IT!  So all the mom's that dread doing something like this cause they'll have to drag their kids along, NO SWEAT!  Super easy!

Here are a few pictures below:

 This is the box they load right into your car.

 This is what it looks like inside your box! :)

 This is how I divide mine! :)  Each bag 1# each.

Here is one complete box.  I finished off with 39 bags!

Shepard's Pie

My dear hubby, though not a stitch of Irish in him, LOVES him some SHEPARD'S PIE!!!!  This is a very common "meat and potato" recipe at our house!  My kids too inhale this stuff, and it's SO NICE cause it's "all in one" so I don't have to cook any veggie sides, etc!  What could get better than that!? :)

So, here it is! :)

1 lb ground beef
1/4 c Worchestershire Sauce
1 packet Brown Gravy Mix
2 T flour
1 c water
1-2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
2.5 lb potatoes (red are the best, but russet will do)
1 stick butter
1 c Cheddar Cheese, shredded

In a frying pan, brown ground beef in the Worchestershire Sauce.  When the meat is done cooking, add the dry packet of Brown Gravy & flour and coat the meat.  Add 1 c water.  Simmer a few minutes until the gravy has thickened.  Mix the frozen vegetables (don't need to heat), and hamburger mix together in a 9x13 pan.  Peel and boil potatoes and mash either by hand or in a food processor or in a Kitchen Aid with a stick of butter.  Layer potatoes on top of the meat/veggie mix and top then with cheese.  Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes.

Note:  I DO make a double batch and freeze this dish just before the bake time.  On dinner day, I just set on the counter in the morning and bake as instructed above.

GROUND BEEF 93/7 ZAYCON EVENT

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!  GO NOW!  Ground Beef Event is here in Mesa (AM) and Chandler (PM), Tuesday, April 26!!!!! 

40 lbs of ground beef for $2.89/lb.  Go to this link:

https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf10027

and sign up for your account, and order!  Here again, no telling how QUICKLY this event will sell out!!!!  Although I've not done their ground beef event, I've been SUPER EXCITED to try it as I've been SO PLEASED with their chicken events!  I don't think I'll be disappointed!

Here's the link again!  Hurry fast before it sells out!

https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf10027

Italian Beef Sandwiches

An incredibly different sandwich, but OH SO GOOD!  This reminds me of the MIDWEST where my true roots are! :) 

2-3 lb beef roast (sirloin, top roast)
1 - 10 oz jar Pepperocinis (the WHOLE jar, juice and all)
2 beef boullion cubes
1 t garlic powder/salt
1 T Italian Seasoning (if you don't have Italian seasoning, use what you've got, oregano, basil, etc)
salt & pepper
1 pkg hoagie buns (sub type)

In your crockpot, cut your roast into smaller chunks.  Cover the roast with water, just to the top of the roast.  Cook on low for at least 5 hours.  I did mine overnight from midnight to 8AM.  Remove the chunks onto a plate and shred (the longer it cooks, the easier it is to shred) until all is shredded.  Pour the water out of the crockpot completely.  Add shredded beef back into the crockpot and add seasonings & peppers along with about 3-4 c beef broth (made from the beef boullion cubes listed above).  Let stew another 2 or so hours.  Drain as you put it onto your bread (we toast ours).

Beef Tenderloin

Raise your hand if you still have NO IDEA what to make for Christmas dinner! :)  We are only days away now from the big day.  I decided to do a stream of posts to help some of you out on what to cook and make for your families' Christmas meal!!! 

This would be your main course!  It's AMAZING! 
Shallots:
2 shallots, halved
1 1/2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce for beef:
3 cups beef broth
3/4 c port wine
1 1/2 t tomato paste
3 T butter
1 T flour

Beef:
2 lbs beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
1 t dried thyme
3 slices bacon, diced

Preheat your oven to 375.  In a pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender.  Usually takes about 30 minutes.  Take out and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the beef broth and port wine.  Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half.  This also takes about 30 minutes.  Whisk in the tomato paste and set aside.

Pat your beef dry.  Sprinkle it with thyme, salt and papper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove.  Saute your bacon until golden.  Transfer the bacon (leaving the grease in the pan) onto a paper towel to absorb the grease.  Using the grease from the bacon still in pan, brown all sides of the beef tenderloin over medium high heat.  About 7 minutes total.  Transfer the entire roasting pan at this point into your oven and roast your beef unil a meat thermometer insterted into the middle is 135 degrees, about 35 minutes.  Immediately remove from the oven and place on a serving platter and put a piece of foil tented over the top and let sit.

While your beef is baking, in a blender, puree your shallots, beef broth mixture and bacon all together until smooth.

Place the roasting pan with the juices from the beef on the stove on high.  Add the broth mixture and bring to a boil.  Stir to scrape up any browned bits.  Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer.  Mix 1 1/2 T butter and flour in small bowl to form a smooth paste; whisk into broth mixxture, and simmer until sauce thickens.  Whisk in remaining butter.

Slice beef in to 1/2 inch thick slices.  Spoon sauce over as wanted.

Ham Balls

Growing up, my mom used to make these yummy ham balls!  For some reason, EVERY time I have these I think of our dear friends, Carl & Sarah!!!  We love them, we did lots of growing up together with Hannah & Paul, they are special people!  Tonight I served them to Benjamin's Uncle Gary & Aunt Karen that stopped by for dinner while they were in the area! 

This is after they've been baked!

This is after I've pulled them out of the freezer overnight and before I've put them in a bag!

Ready to go in the freezer until I use.

1 1/4 lb ground ham
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground sausage or pork (could also do turkey)
1 1/2 c graham crackers, crushed
2 eggs
1 c milk
1 can tomato soup
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 c brown sugar

Mix together all three meats, graham crackers, milk and eggs.  Mix until well blended.  Form into good size balls (I used the Jumbo Cookie Scoop) and place in a 9x13 pan, they can be fairly close.  In a saucepan, mix together the tomato soup, brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a slow boil.  Keep stirring as the sugar can burn quickly if not watching.  Once it's to a slow boil, take it off the burner and pour it over the RAW Ham Balls.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour. 

Note:  I will double the batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet overnight in my freezer, then break them apart and put them in a large Ziploc bags and pull out for later meals.  Often get three meals out of it when I do that and since I'm going to all that work anyway, it's easier to do all at once!!!

Chili

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground sausage
4 (15 ounce) cans chili beans
4 cans Rotel tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T minced garlic
1 T dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp white sugar
1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
sour cream

Cook ground chuck and sausage in a pan with chopped onions and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease. Pour into crock pot. Pour all remaining ingredients in the crock pot all at once. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer on low for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer this sits in a crock pot on low THE BETTER! The flavors will blend so well together and knock your socks off! Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. I have also frozen this as a "make ahead" meal and it's super. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips, shredded Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Won Ton Soup

1/2 lb fresh hamburger
2 green onions
1 pkg won ton wraps (usually found in produce or health food area)
10 c chicken broth

Mix together raw hamburger and onions. Spread several won ton wraps out on the counter at once and put 1 tsp hamburger mix in the center of each wrap. With a small bowl of water, wet your fingertip and get two edges wet. You can usually do about 4-5 at a time without it drying out too fast on you. bring the opposite corner to the other corner and seal where wet. It should now look like a triangle. Flip one corner in and dab water on its' edge, then flip other corner in and it will seal. Once all won tons are made, bring some chicken broth to a boil and once boiling, throw 10-15 of them in at a time for about 4 minutes. Garnish the soup with fresh green onions when ready to serve.

Note: If you've used FRESH hamburger and you can't eat the whole batch in one sitting, the prepared won tons can be frozen for later used. Cook them in the boiling chicken broth from frozen, only cook them 5-6 minutes instead of the 3-4 minutes in the original recipe. I typically make a double batch for this purpose!

Cous Cous

(The picture above is how you would prepare for a FREEZER meal.)

This is a special recipe in my family. My dad grew up in Africa as a boy and this was something his mom made for he and his family. Cous Cous is a very popular African grown grain, in the same family as rice, that is really yummy! My mom made this for our family all growing up as well. Quick funny story. Shortly after I met my sweetie, my parents invited us over to their house for Sunday dinner so they could meet him and get to know him a little better for themselves. We all sat down around the table, prayed and started dishing out helpings to each person. Benjamin took one bite of the Cous Cous and said, "does this have peanut butter in it?" The original "Cowley Family Recipe" has peanut butter in it, unbeknownst to us, Benjamin is allergic to peanut butter!!!! So, we will never forget the meal my mom served the first time they met!

Stew to put over cooked Cous Cous:

1 - 46 oz can Tomato Juice
2 c carrots, chopped or sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs stew meat, cubed
2 cans green beans, drained
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
5 tsp beef bouillon

Brown stew meat with chopped onion until cooked. Pour into the crock pot and add all remaining ingredients. Let cook in the crock pot on low for at least 8 hours. It can be cooked longer than that, but at least 8 hours. Serve over cooked Cous Cous.

Cous Cous:

2 1/2 c Cous Cous
2 1/2 c chicken broth
4 T butter
1 t Italian Seasoning
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano

In a medium saucepan bring broth, butter and seasonings to a boil. Once boiling, take off the stove and add the Cous Cous, stir, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Use a fork to break it a part and fluff it up!

NOTE: This can also be made ahead and frozen for a future day of serving. The only thing you'll do different is that after cooking the stew meat with the onion, you'll add ALL OTHER INGREDIENTS listed under stew to a large Ziploc bag, MINUS the tomato juice. Freeze all ingredients and thaw the day before you plan on serving. Once thawed, put entire bag of contents, PLUS the tomato juice then into the crock pot, simmer on low in the crock pot for 8 hours and cook the cous cous as indicated above.)

Beef Stroganoff

(The picture above is how you prepare it for a FREEZER meal.)

1 1/2 lb stew meat, cubed
1 T vegetable oil
1 T minced onion
2 cloves garlic
1 t oregano
1/4 t salt & pepper
1 1/2 c beef broth
1/3 c sherry
8 oz sour cream
1/2 c flour
1/4 c water
1 bag egg noodles (I used No Yolks)

Brown stew meat and toss (juice and all) into the crock pot. Add oil, minced onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, prepared broth and sherry and let cook on LOW for about 6 hours (can be more). In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream, flour, water and a little bit of the broth from the beef. Whisk so that there are no lumps from the flour. Add back into the crock pot and turn up to high for 30 more minutes until it thickens. Meanwhile boil egg noodles and drain. Serve beef stroganoff over the boiled noodles.

NOTE: This recipe can also be prepared ahead and put IN THE FREEZER for a freezer meal. All you would do differently is only brown the meat and let cool some and dump it into the Ziploc along with the oil, minced onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, prepared beef broth and sherry. Then you'd freeze until the day before serving day. On the serving day, you'd empty all contents of bag into your crock pot and simmer on low for 6 hours. In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream, flour, water and a little bit of the broth from the beef. Whisk so that there are no lumps from the flour. Add back into the crock pot and turn up to high for 30 more minutes until it thickens. Meanwhile boil egg noodles and drain. Serve beef stroganoff over the boiled noodles.

Italian Beef Stew

1 lb ground beef or sausage
1 small onion
1 c celery
2 c carrots
2 cloves minced garlic
15 oz tomato sauce
2 - 15 oz can kidney/chili beans
2 - 15 oz can green beans
2 c water
5 tsp beef bouillon
1 T parsley
1 t salt
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1/2 c macaroni

Boil water and beef bouillon until dissolved, then turn off burner. Brown meat with onion and drain. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer on low for 30 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Serve with a little grated Parmesan Cheese on top. We serve this with any kind of muffin! Blueberry is our favorite with this.

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs ground beef
1 green pepper
1 small onion
1 t. garlic powder
2 t. yellow mustard
2 T brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 c ketchup

Brown the hamburger with the chopped green pepper and onion. Throw all other remaining ingredients into a crock pot with the browned beef. Let simmer on low for 3-4 hours. Serve on hamburger buns.