The Debate: Oven Roast or Crock-Pot

Everyone has an opinion on this debate: Oven roast or Crock-Pot roast. I've cooked roast in the oven and in the Crock-Pot and I have to say that nothing beats a roast cooked the old fashioned way in the oven. The taste is so much better and it's really not any more difficult.

(PHOTO: Loving that he can now sit in his big boy chair to eat his cereal. today Caston was all giggles.)

I used to throw a roast in the Crock when I worked out of home bc I thought it made my life easier (and it did a few nights). But, you can also cook a roast in the oven at a very low setting and cook it while you are at work just as easy.

But, I won't argue with anyone of this debate. I will suggest that if you are a fan of a Crock roast you just try my oven recipe and then tell me which you like best.

I did some experimenting with my roast recipe earlier this week....and we have a winner.

Lane's Oven Roast

1 (3-4 lb) roast

2 cups dry red wine (Merlot)

2 cups of tea

3 beef stock cubes

4 Bay leaves

4 stalks of celery, plus the celery leaves (roughly chopped)

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

3 carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

4 garlic cloves, diced

1 tsp. salt

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. ground peppercorns

1/2 tsp. Thyme, chopped

Sear the roast in a cast iron skillet with about 2 T. of olive oil in the bottom of skillet. This is the key to a good oven roast. Using a cast iron skillet will give you the very best sear- keeping the moisture of the roast.

Place all ingredients in large baking dish with a top. Lay the seared roast on top and be sure the veggies lay around the roast. Take some of the liquid and drizzle it over the roast. Sprinkle the roast with a little more salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for about 3 1/2 hours or until roast is done. The roast will be done with you can stick it with a fork and it falls apart.

NOTE- All ovens cook differently. Watch the roast so you do not over cook it.

I always know when my roast is ready because the entire house smells delicious. Funny, I know- but true!

Enjoy!

Beef...it's What's Cooking at My Home

Being beef producers our family sits down to many meals that are centered around beef. It's always nice to have new recipes that incorporate hamburger. If your like me you go to your old standby hamburger recipes a lot, and always appreciate a new way to use hamburger for a fresh recipe.

I recently interviewed a farm family in my hometown for a article I'm working on for one of the publications I write for.

Rocking Z Ranch- the Sauls Family -Dale, Connie, Rolly and Megan are beef producers that sell at some local farmers' markets in southern Missouri. The farm raises all-natural Angus beef that is free from hormones, steroids, antibiotics and growth enhancers.

Their website is full of great tips for cooking beef and recipes that the family create.

Check it out...I'm sure you will find a new recipe to share at your dinner table tonight! And be sure and take a look at the Missouri Beef Industry Council's website for beef recipes as well.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Fall has officially arrived in Missouri. It’s during this season that I love to try new recipes for comfort foods like soups, stews, chilis and even things like beef stroganoff- which is what was on the menu tonight.

I found a slow cooker recipe for beef stroganoff while thumbing through a recent issue of Cooking with Paula Deen. I remember thinking to myself…"I’m going to be a mother soon and I need all the quick recipes I can find to save myself some time around the house.”

This recipe comes from Carol Poppe, of Mandan, North Dakota and takes the hassle out of making your traditional beef stroganoff- which often takes a lot of time. I have a recipe for tradition stroganoff as well, but when you are on the run and don’t have time this recipe is truly number 1 in my book.

Tonight was the first time I made it and I don’t think I would change one thing about the recipe, except the recipe will call for canned mushrooms and I just bought some pre-sliced store bought ones.

This recipe is perfect for a cold night, paired with your favorite Missouri wine! Go even more local and use beef from a local farm as well as buy some local mushrooms and buy homemade noodles from the farmers' market.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
By Carol Poppe

2 lbs. beef tips
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of onion soup
1 (8oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained ** I use pre-sliced fresh mushrooms instead
1 tsp. pepper
1 (8oz) cream cheese
1 (8oz) carton sour cream
1 (16oz) package of egg noodles, cooked and hot

In a slow cooker combine beef tips, onion, onion soup, mushroom soup, mushrooms, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours (it only took me 6 hours when I prepared this). When done cooking, stir in cream cheese and sour cream and mix until combined. Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Three Meat Dish

I love when a plan comes together. Christmas week was both wonderful and tiring. Wonderful because we spent the week with the ones that mean so much to us- our families and tiring because of all the cooking, cleaning and ensuring everyone was well entertained.

We started the week on Monday night with a long and late night’s drive to my folks house. The weather was supposed to get bad Tuesday morning, so we decided at the last moment to leave the night before. Tuesday was filled with lots of cooking for the Baldwin Family Christmas Eve Dinner.

I made a Southern Red Velvet Cake, Sweet Potato Casserole and a Corn Bread Casserole for Christmas Eve dinner. There were lots of presents opened Christmas Eve when my brothers and their families arrived and my niece and I spent some of the night practicing on her crocheting (part of her present that Charlie and I gave her was a crochet hook, yarn and a pretty basket to place everything in. She’s been begging her Auntie Lane to teach her how to crochet.)

Christmas morning my mother made her traditional Christmas pancakes and we all relaxed, joked and told old stories all morning long. Charlie and I had to leave later on that afternoon to drive back up north to Jeff City, because the McConnell crew was headed up to our house Friday night for family Christmas on Saturday.

I spent Friday cleaning the house, setting up the holiday table decorations and making pies. I make a lot of things the night before, so I could actually enjoy myself and not have as much to cook the day of the dinner.

Friday Charlie parents (Josefa and Raymond) plus his two twin nephews Michael and Stephen arrived. We did a simple grilled dinner that night (lamb chops, sirloin steak and chicken.)

Saturday went easier than I expected it would. Since most of the food was prepared (not cooked, just mixed up and in a dish) the day was very easy. You can tell from the Christmas Dinner Menu it was pretty extensive, but with some time put in the day before even this menu was easy. Charlie's sister and family came on up Saturday afternoon as well.

The Three Meat Dish was incredible. I could not even believe how tasty, tender and amazing it was. There were no leftovers at all! My gal pal Michelle, from Down on the Dairy called me about cooking this dish, so I thought it would be the first recipe I share from the Christmas Dinner menu. This is an easy meal, because you stick it all in a pan, cover and let it cook away. I think it’s important to use good meat though. With any meat – the dish will only be as good as the meat is.

Three Meat Dish
1 beef roast, about 2 lbs.
1 chicken, about 2-3 lbs.
1 ham or pork roast, about 2 lbs.
2 cups of dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of fresh parsley, chopped very coarse
2 cups of carrots, chopped rustic
2 cups of celery, chopped rustic, plus all the leaves
4 bay leaves
2 small onions, chopped coarsely
Garlic powder, lots of it
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large roasting pan place half the celery, onions, carrots and parsley. Lay all three meats side by side on top of the freshly cut veggies. Add your liquids (chicken broth and wine). Place the rest of the veggies in the dish around and on top of the meats. Sprinkle the pepper, dried basil and bay leaves all around the dish. Then, take about 4 T. of garlic powder and sprinkle all over the meat. (This is a lot I know, but is key to the great taste of the meat.)

Cover the entire dish tightly with alumni foil. When I say tight, I mean tight! You don’t want any steam to get out.

For the pounds of meat that I have listed in this recipe your cook time will be about 4 ½ hours to 5 hours. This will all depend up on the pounds of meat you are cooking though! The meat is done when you can stick a fork in it and the meat falls apart! Cooking this dish slow on low heat is very important.

* You can also add potatoes to the dish as well.
* All three meats need to be around the same size, except the chicken can be a little larger. * Depending on how many you will be serving will depend on the size of your meats. I think the ham is the most delicious out of all three of the meats, but trust me they are all very good.
* This recipe won’t disappoint you!

Crock Pot Roast...Ready When You Get Home

Last night was an interesting one. As I was making dinner my husband came in the kitchen with about four tackle boxes of stick baits and just smiled at me. I asked what he was up to and he said, “It’s stick bait time.”

I knew what he meant. My folks are coming up today to spend the weekend and he is taking my dad to Lake Ozark for some winter fishing. My dad is also an avid fisherman, as my husband is.

I knew that the fish at LO must be hitting a stick bait, as then my husband proceeded to fill up one side of my kitchen sink with ice cold water and when I say ice cold, I mean he placed ice cubes in the already freezing water. Guess this helps reenact the water temperature at the lake?

He then starting taking out every stick bait and placing them in the freezing water to see if they would properly sink or float. If the baits do not sink properly and suspend in the water, he then takes some of the weight off the bait.

(FYI: These stick baits are some kind of fancy Japanese bait that are terribly expensive. When I say they are pricy, I mean like $15-$35 a bait!) I told him he better not loose any of them while fishing because we would have to take a loan out to replace all these fancy little stick baits he has. Of course I was just joking though.

Fisherman…got of love them!

Today’s recipe is one of our favorites in my house. It’s simple, quick and cooking at my house right now for when my parents and best gal pal Tyne show u tonight.

Crockpot Beef Roast
By Lane

1 beef roast (I like to use chuck roast)
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 T. parley flakes
1 T. garlic powder
½ tsp. basil, dried
½ tsp. Lowery’s seasoned salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup of small baby carrots
1 parsnip, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine (omit this if you don't have any on hand)

In a large crock pot, place the onions, carrots and parsnips. Place the beef cubes on top, then lay beef roast. Add all the seasonings and the seasonings. Fill crock up with water – to barley cover the roast with.

Place crock on low setting and cook from 7:30 am until 4:30 or 5:00 pm, depending on the size of the roast.

*After the roast is cooked, keep those wonderful juices! Make some gravy with it, boil some penne pasta in it. You can also use the juice to make some wonderful beef soup.

*If you cook pasta in the juice, the pasta will make it’s own gravy because the starch in the pasta thickens the broth up. I like to then place the pasta in a casserole dish and sprinkle with some tasty feta cheese.

* Or freeze the broth to use another time.

Christmas Dinner Menu

Many folks stress about the holidays and for good reason. Our country is in economic distress, food prices are sky high and Christmas is just next week…which means all those presents, decorations, wrapping paper that you paid for by credit will be coming to haunt you in January!

I have to make frequent trips to the grocery store during the holidays because all of the baking I do. I was there this week and could not believe just the few items I had totaled $69.54 – and I only had two bags! WOW – I was speechless.

Of course, looking back on the receipt I ask myself – “Did I really need those Goat Cheese Stuffed Olives, or the extensive selection of Spanish cheeses. Or how about those oh so tasty, but so darn expensive gourmet potato chips.” I did however skimp on some things: sour cream, cream cheese and marshmallows. But, it just goes to say that sometimes we splurge a little too much, when we could be more thrifty.

Saying that though, there are just some things I will never cut corners on – and that’s my Christmas dinner!

We are hosting the McConnell family for the holidays next week and I’m so very excited! Last year I hosted Christmas for my family and it was so much fun and less stressful. You see we live 3 hours from both sides of our family and our families live about 2 ½ hours apart. So, this makes for very long holidays and gets very tiring going to and from. This year though will be a piece of cake since we only have to drive south for one Christmas.

I finally have the Christmas dinner menu planned out (and as you can tell – I’m not cutting any corners on this menu). In my opinion when it comes to food, especially Christmas dinner – you can only buy the best in ingredients for the ones you care the most about!

Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours!

McConnell Christmas Dinner Menu
Appetizers
Olives (Black, Spanish and Stuffed with Goat Cheese)
Spanish Cheeses, Burgers Smokehouse Sausage (local Missouri company) and Crackers
Spudmaster Potato Chips and a Dip
Rosemary Pinwheels

Dinner
Three Meat Dish (Chicken, Ham and Beef Roast)
Holiday Sweet Potato Casserole
Country Green Beans
Pecan Grape Salad
Croissant Rolls
Corn Casserole

Desserts
Southern Red Velvet Cake
Texas Pecan Pie
Very Cherry Pie
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes
Smooth as Silk Chocolate Pie

Be looking for these recipes to come…

Beef Stir-Fry with Snap Peas

Here’s a new recipe I tried a couple weeks ago that’s quick and easy to make and not to mention healthy!

This meal took me about 28 minutes to make and was really worth it. My husband and I love homemade stir-fry that we can cook together. You can also use shrimp for this recipe instead of beef.

(This photo isn’t mine, as it’s from Marth Stewart's Everyday Food. My photo didn’t do this recipe justice, so I’ll let the professionals take this one.)

Beef Stir-Fry with Snap Peas

From Everyday Food

Serves 4

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced crosswise, halved if long

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

12 ounces snap peas, strings removed

5 to 6 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you like it)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)

In a medium saucepan with a lid, bring 2 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice; return to a boil. Stir once, and reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. (*Don't stir you rice when it begins to cook, that breaks the starch down and you'll get mushy rice.)

Ten minutes before rice is done, place steak in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook half the steak until browned on one side, 1 to 2 minutes (steak will cook further in step 3); transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef.

Add snap peas, white part of scallions, ginger, red-pepper flakes, and 3/4 cup water to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until snap peas turn bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Return steak to skillet until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and mix in green part of scallions and lime juice. Serve with rice.

Corn Beef & Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day

From the recipe archives.....Corn Beef and Cabbage is one of my all-time favorite meals. Corn beef is also one of the easiest meal to prepare and can be excellent leftovers that will last and last.

This is from the archives... Happy St. Patrick's Day and hope you get the chance to grab a green beer.

Corn Beef & Cabbage
By Lane

1 corned beef (I usually get a 3-4 pound one)
1 head of cabbage
2 T. butter
1 red onion, chopped, coarsely
1 parsnip, chopped
4-5 new potatoes, quartered
Seasoning packet with corned beef.
Plus add:
1 T. garlic powder
1 bay leaf

Place all veggies in large crock pot on low setting. Place corned beef on top and add all seasonings (including the packet that comes with the corned beef.) Cook on low for about 8 hours. I usually put the crock on around 7:30 and turn it off when I get home about 5:00 pm. The meat will be so tender it will fall apart.

I like to serve this with a simple salad and dinner rolls.

I watched Giada, from the Food Network, make this savory dish and I knew it had to be a delicious.

The combination of the slow cooked short ribs, pasta, sauce and topping the dish with bittersweet chocolate….you can’t go wrong! Be sure and pair this meal with some garlic bread and a good glass of your favorite wine.

Short Ribs with Tagliatelle
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)

2 1/2 pounds short ribs

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

2 cloves garlic

1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

2 1/2 cups beef broth

3/4 cup red wine

1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle

4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate

Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total.

Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse.

Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

In a Hurry Tonight

We live in a world where we are constantly on the go. Flying from here to there with no time to really take in the simple pleasures in life. We are all guilty of it from time to time…forgetting to “take time to smell the roses”…as my father still says today.

As I have grown from a child to a wife, I’ve learned many important lessons in my life. For instance, my house doesn’t have to be spotless if it’s full of friends and family, or that life doesn’t really end at 25, it just gets better and more fulfilling. Or how about learning what true friends are and that all you really need in life is a few close friends in life instead of a huge handful of “acquaintances.”

My point to all of this is take time for the ones that really matter in your life and don’t “sweat the small stuff,” because that’s all it is “small stuff.” To help you gain a little more time in the kitchen here are some of my favorite Quick Fix Recipes….Enjoy!

Mom's Make-Ahead Meatballs
By Lane

Meatballs:
4 eggs
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tsp. Italian Seasonings
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 pounds lean ground beef

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add the next seven ingredients. Add beef; mix well. Shape into 1-in balls, about 12 dozen. Place in single layers in ungreased 15-in X 10-in X 1-in baking pans. Bake at 400ºF for 10-15 mins or until no longer pink, turning often; drain. Cool.

Place about 30 meatballs each into freezer containers. May be frozen for up to 3 months.

Makes: 5 batches (about 30 meatballs per batch).

Fajita Stir-Fry
By Lane

1 pound lean boneless beef (top round, sirloin)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced and separated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Flour tortillas for serving

Cut beef with grain into 1" strips about 1/8" thick. Place skillet over high heat; when hot, add 1 T. oil and stir-fry meat until browned (1 1/2 to 2 minutes). Transfer meat to bowl with slotted spoon. Add remaining 1 T. oil to skillet and add garlic, onion and bell pepper. Stir fry until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Stir together cumin, lime juice and cornstarch, then add to skillet.

Return meat to pan and stir-fry until mix is hot and bubbles. Place in serving dish. Put into tortillas, and garnish as desired with cheese, avocado, tomato, salsa, sour cream. Is easily doubled.

Mexican Lasagna
By Lane McConnell, adapted from Paula Deen’s Mexican Chicken

Sour cream1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of onion soup(You can use other creamed soups as well)
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken or use 1 lb. of hamburger
1 (11 1/2-ounce) package flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar (I use a little more)
2 cans of green chilies
1 can pimentoes
1 diced pepper (I use whatever I have in my fridge)
2 cloves of minced garlic or use 1 tsp pf garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by-9-inch pan with cooking spray or use butter.In a large bowl, stir together the 3 kinds of soup all seasonings and veggies and the tomatoes. Stir in the chicken or beef.

I also like to add a small handful of cheese in the mixture. Layer the tortillas and the mixture in the pan, beginning and ending with tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

Dressed Up Pot Roast

Probably everyone has a recipe for a pot roast, but it’s always nice to try something new. This is one way that I like to make pot roast from time to time. I get tried of the same recipe for pot roast, so I try mixing things up in my house.

Plus, this recipe fits my schedule in the summertime. Our house is very busy in the summer (gardening, work and my travel schedule, fishing, family) I am sure everyone has a very hectic schedule as well. This recipe lets me relax when I get home and get food on the table quick.

How do you make pot roast for your family?

Dressed Up Pot Roast
by Lane

Pot roast, about 3 pounds, chuck arm or shoulder, bottom round, or similar cut
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup apple cider or red wine
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon celery salt
salt and pepper to your liking

Trim beef roast of excess fat and cut to fit crockpot, if necessary; place in the slow cooker (may use a cooking bag for this). Combine all remaining ingredients; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.

Serve roast sliced with gravy and new potatoes from the farmers’ market. I also like to take some broth and boil pasta in the broth and make beef noodles. My mother always did this and it makes another great side to the pot roast.

Note: To make gravy pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce by about 1/4 then gradually add a smooth mixture of 2 tablespoons of flour and about the same amount of cold water. I stir the flour and water mixture in slowly until the mixture is thickened to my liking.

4th of July Burgers

About three times a summer my husband and I have bbqs at our house. We invite the softball team, friends and family up from time to time for some good r&r.

I made these burgers two years ago for a MU football tailgate and they were a huge hit! I like to throw some crushed red pepper flakes in for a kick every once in awhile.

Be careful adding too much bbq sauce. You want the mixture to still hold together when it's grillin' up.

Be sure to butter your hamburger buns and toast them on the grill! No hamburger is complete without a buttery, toasted bun, with melted cheese.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July with your friends and family!

Lane's Holiday Burgers

1 lb. hamburger
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. basil
½ tsp. oregano
1T. garlic powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Some sprinkles of Lawry’s season salt
½ tsp. pepper
About ¼ cup bbq sauce

Add all ingredients in order in a large bowl. Mix lightly and form burgers.

Serve these burgers this holiday with all the trimmings…

I suggest these sides dishes:
Fried Okra
Potato Salad (save yourself some time this holiday and buy this)
Chips or fried taters
Grilled Fruit for dessert

Mojo Beef Kabobs

I thought with this great summer weather that grilling out tonight might be a great option for tonight's dinner plans.

I've cooked this recipe many times and it always comes out just right!

If you have never been on some of the state or national livestock association's websites...now is you time to check them out.These websites, such as Missouri Beef Industry Council, National Pork Board and a number of other ag groups provide cooking tips and recipes for delicious meals that help promote their products.

I've found a lot of great recipes for beef, pork, poultry and even lamb on a variety of ag groups websites.Don't be afraid to wonder into the unknown either...if you have never been on these type of websites before now is your chance. A good list of a variety of ag groups can be found on the Brownfield website.

The following recipe and grilling tips come from the Missouri Beef Industry Council's site.

Mojo Beef Kabobs
As seen in The Healthy Beef Cookbook

1 pound boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
1 tsp coarse-grind black pepper
1 large lime, cut into 8 wedges
1 small red onion, cut into 8 thin wedges
1 container grape or cherry tomatoes (about 10 ounces)

Mojo Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced garlic

Whisk Mojo Sauce ingredient in small bowl. Set aside.

Cut beef steak into 1-1/4 inch pieces; season with pepper.Alternately thread beef with lime and onion wedges evenly onto four 12-inch metal skewers. Thread tomatoes onto four 12-inch skewers.Place kabobs on grill over medium heat. Grill tomato kabobs, uncovered, about 2 to 4 minutes or until slightly softened, turning occasionally. Grill beef kabobs, uncovered, about 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.

Serve kabobs with drizzled sauce.TipIf using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 10 minutes prior to grilling.

Goulash Anyone?

I posted about my Beef-licous casserole a while ago and received some great comments from everyone.

My friend Cyndi had a great story to go along with her family’s version on my dish. I think we all probably have our own family versions of every meal.

Mom used to make a hamburger dish we called "goulash." Doesn't every family have their own version? It was a popular Friday supper after school and before basketball games. My cheerleader sister and basketball playing boyfriend loved it. It was also a hearty dish after we had all been out working cattle or hogs. There are variations, depending upon what you have on hand, and I often improvise just as she did. My husband loves it and it makes great leftovers.

Recipe:

Boil water and get macaroni started.

Brown 1 pound of hamburger in a skillet.

Add chunks of Velveeta cheese and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Once the meat and cheese mixture is warmed through and the cheese melted, your macaroni should be ready to drain. Mix drained macaroni into the meat/cheese mix. Salt and pepper. I usually add a drained small can of mushrooms.Best served
with a glass of milk that has been in the freezer for about 10 minutes. . .

Thanks for sharing Cyndi!

Corn Beef & Cabbage

Corn Beef and Cabbage is one of my all-time favorite meals. Corn beef is also one of the easiest meal to prepare and can be excellent leftovers that will last.

This is from the archives... Happy St. Patrick;s Day and hope you get the chance to have a green beer.

Corn Beef & Cabbage

By Lane

1 corned beef (I usually get a 3-4 pound one)

1 head of cabbage

2 T. butter

1 red onion, chopped, coarsely

1 parsnip, chopped

4-5 new potatoes, quartered

Seasoning packet with corned beef.

Plus add:

1 T. garlic powder

1 bay leaf

Place all veggies in large crock pot on low setting. Place corned beef on top and add all seasonings (including the packet that comes with the corned beef.) Cook on low for about 9 hours. I usually put the crock on around 7:30 and turn it off when I get home about 5:00 pm. The meat will be so tender it will fall apart.

I like to serve this with a simple salad and dinner rolls.

Casserole Night

What to do with hamburger meat? Endless possibilities….you could make some burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, patty melt sandwiches, lasagna, lot lots of pasta dishes….

Last night I had to come up with a dinner and just didn’t feel like standing in the kitchen all night. I was tired and wanted a quick meal. So, I went through my refrigerator and cupboard and started pulling out ingredients to make a beef casserole. As I’ve said before I’m not a huge casserole fan, but every once in awhile I enjoy making easy casserole dinners. They are easy, quick and can feed a lot of people, or just my husband and me for a couple nights.

So, here is what I came up with last night for my quick beef casserole. I will say, it turned out pretty darn good. I included a lot of garlic (garlic powder, plus fresh garlic), but I love garlic and it’s healthy.

But, don’t be afraid to add your own touches to this meal. You can add whatever seasonings you wish and maybe even more chopped veggies. There are endless possibilities!

Beef-licous Casserole
by Lane

1 cup sour cream
12 ounce bag egg noodles
1 medium white onion, chopped
½ tsp basil
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. butter
Olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground round beef
Salt and pepper
1 T. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Ground Sage
1 T. Parsley Flakes
1 28-ounce can tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 15-ounce can of black olives, chopped
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large, heavy bottomed pot heat some olive oil and 3 T. of butter. Add the onions, pepper and garlic and sauté until soft. Add the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Season the mixture with seasonings. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water for your noodles.

In another skillet heat a little bit of oil. Add your meat. Be sure and do not stir the meat around, let it get nice and browned before stirring. I like to add more garlic powder and salt to the beef, while it is cooing. After meat is completely browned strain and then add to tomato mixture.
Add the egg noodle pasta to the boiling water and be sure to salt your water to flavor the noodles. Only cook noodles for about 5 minutes and strain.

In a large bowl add egg noodles, corn, chopped olives, tomato mixture, sour cream and about 1 cup of cheese. Very lightly mix everything together.

Butter a very large casserole dish and pour mixture into it. Cook for about 35 minutes.

Working Women Meals

Being a working woman isn’t always the easiest life, especially if you have children. Then life is even more hectic with juggling dinner, school functions, your job, house chores, ect.

Paula Deen did a show awhile ago that was meals for working women, which I thought was perfect for today. Ms. Paula includes recipes for Baked Shrimp & Crab Salad, Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage and Hoe Cakes.

Corn Beef and Cabbage is one of my all-time favorite meals, as Paula’s hoe cakes are. Corn beef is one of the easiest meal to prepare and can be excellent leftovers that will last.

My recipe is much different than Paula’s, but I think it’s just as good and perfect for us that are on the go. Here’s my own recipe for Corn Beef & Cabbage.

Corn Beef & Cabbage
By Lane

1 corned beef (I usually get a 3-4 pound one)
1 head of cabbage
2 T. butter
1 red onion, chopped, coarsely
1 parsnip, chopped
4-5 new potatoes, quartered
Seasoning packet with corned beef
Plus add 1 T. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf

Place all veggies in large crock pot on low setting. Place corned beef on top and add all seasonings (including the packet that comes with the corned beef.)

Cook on low for about 9 hours. I usually put the crock on around 7:30 and turn it off when I get home about 5:00 pm. The meat will be so tender it will fall apart.

I like to serve this with a simple salad and dinner rolls.

Growing Up in the FFA

I grew up on a registered Charolais cattle operation in southwest Missouri, “God’s Country”, as I like to call it. I showed cattle at many state and national cattle shows across the country throughout my high school and college years. My family and I raised the number two show heifer of the year in the Charolais breed and in 2000 we bred and raised the Reserve Grand Champion Heifer at the Charolais Junior Nationals. [Larger Photo Here]

I was also active in many ag youth organizations, but the organization that made the biggest difference in my life was the National FFA Organization.

I joined the FFA when I was a freshman in high school at Mountain Grove. My first Ag Science 1 class opened my eyes to the ag industry and to the world of leadership opportunities that the FFA made possible.

I was highly involved in the FFA throughout high school and college. It was through the organization that I traveled overseas to Australia for two months, attended the Washington Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., won state and national FFA Proficiencies awards, became a 2000 – 2001 Missouri State FFA Officer, was awarded college scholarships to further my education in agriculture and learned what it meant to be a leader and how to motivate and lead others. [Missouri State FFA Officer Team: Larger Photo Here]

Looking back throughout my FFA career though, it wasn’t the awards or the travel experiences that made the biggest impact on my life. It was the people. The friends I made and the professional contacts I gained are what have made me the person I am today.

Being a state FFA officer I had the opportunity to meet some incredible people across Missouri. The students that I met, the FFA instructors that I helped out with leadership programs and the other state officers on my team that year were the huge influences on the person I am today. My teammates became like a family. Although that was about seven years ago that I was a state FFA officer, many of those teammates are still very close friends.

One such friend and past office teammate is Molly (Kaimann) Schneider. Molly is now married and has some lovely daughters with her husband Josh. She loves to cook as we all do and sent me a very hearty recipe that her mother always makes. I know you will enjoy it.

Thanks Molly!

Rice Soup
By Molly Schneider

In a large pot boil beef soup bones and a few healthy shakes from the salt shaker (we prefer short ribs because they are full of flavor and meat) for several hours on the stove.

Boil until meat is cooked. Remove bones and remove meat from the bones. While removing meat from bones add 2-3 hand-fulls of rice (not the minute kind) to the pot to begin cooking.

Add meat back to soup, not the bones.

When rice has cooked and is finished, add tomato juice. We use home canned juice, but store bought will work. (1-2 quarts for a large pot.) You can always add more if you want more of a tomato flavor.

Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour or longer.

Best served with cheese and saltine crackers or homemade rolls.

It is even better the days after because it gets a little thicker. It the soup gets too thick just add more tomato juice.

I know this recipe is full of approx., but you really can't mess it up. Add as little or much as you like of the meat, rice and tomato juice.

Molly’s Note: My mom usually puts the bones on to begin cooking around noon to 1:00 and we eat around 6:30. The soup is never turned off, adjust the heat from high when boiling to low when simmering. This is my favorite. It can feed lots of people and fill them up because of the rice. My grandma made it a lot when her 11 children were home. It went far with little cost.

Meals that Last

I've talked about how my soup lasts for a couple of days, which I really appreciate because it gives me the night off from cooking. Let’s face it – even if you love to cook – there are nights when all you want to do is relax and do nothing.

I’ll admit it! Me, the one that loves to cook. Some nights when I’m drained from work by the end of the day, I’ll call my husband and ask him to pick up take-out. That only happens about twice a month though.

Meals that last a couple of nights are great family meals and are much more affordable. The Winter Beef Veggie Soup from yesterday is a perfect example. Between my husband and me, we could eat on that soup for three lunches and dinners, changing up the sides of coarse.

Other great “meals that last”:
Corn Beef and Cabbage
McConnell Holiday Meal
BBQ Beef
Chili
Stews and Soups
Homemade Pizzas Pies
Large Pot Pies

So, I came across this recipe for a Shepherd’s Pie. I had heard of this type of pie before, but never actually made it, so I took a shot at it.

Very tasty. I did however add a few things: 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder on the meat mixture, plus some cumin and parsley. In the potato mixture I added chives and a few shakes of garlic powder also.

Shepherd's Pie from Leftover Beef Roast and Mashed Potatoes
By Paula Deen

1 small onion, peeled and chopped
14 tablespoons butter, divided (1 stick plus 3/4 stick)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Salt and black pepper
8 to 10 medium red new potatoes
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups instant biscuit mix
1 1/2 cups niblet corn or mixed vegetables, prepared according to package directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beef Layer:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion in 2 tablespoons butter. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Potato Layer:
Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl. Whip potatoes with an electric mixer, mixing until moderately smooth. Don't over beat them; a few lumps are nice. Add 1/2 cup heated milk, 1 stick butter, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Whip again until mixed. Adjust thickness by adding more milk, if desired.

Biscuit Layer:
Combine biscuit mix and 1 1/2 cups of milk. The mix should be thinner than that of normal biscuit mix but not runny.

Spray a 9 by 9 by 2-inch pan (or any similar casserole dish) with cooking spray. Layer mashed potatoes halfway up the sides of the dish. Next, spread a layer of corn or mixed vegetables on top of the potatoes. Then add the layer of meat. Pour the biscuit mix over the meat. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over top. Bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

My Soup is On

Last week I made a huge pot of soup that my husband and I ate on for three days. I love meals that allow me to take a couple nights off from cooking. The soup also fed some of my fellow co-workers. I brought Cyndi and Julie in a bowl for their lunches one day because I wanted them to try the soup out….they both returned their bowls to me empty.

I took a recipe from Paula Deen’s Country Cookbook to originally start this recipe and each time I’ve made it I’ve changed techniques and seasonings and I finally have it exactly how I like it.

Note: To those who are already intimidated by the very long list of ingredients, don’t be. All these seasonings and ingredients go into one pot. I’ve given recipes before to some of my friends that have very long lists of ingredients and they say, “I can’t make this.” Anyone can make this soup, I guarantee it!

And if you’re in the mood for something to warm up your belly tonight and you’re just not feeling soup….there is always my White Lightening Chili.

Winter Beef Veggie Soup
By Lane

Stew beef (found in grocery store by all packaged beef)
4 quarts cold water
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
1 large chopped onion
3 tablespoons dried parsley
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or peppercorns if you have them
2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves
2 cans cut green beans
1 can white beans
1 can corn
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

In a large pot add water, tomatoes, onions, stew beef and all seasonings. The only things you will not add are the veggies and pasta. Bring to a boil and cover pot, reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Add the remaining vegetables and the macaroni and stir to distribute the ingredients. Simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Check your seasonings here…you may need more salt or pepper, depending on your taste.