Monthly Archives: September 2011

Quick Pastitsio

29 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in On the Ranch

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It’s time for recipe #2 in our Ground Beef Series.

I chose this recipe yesterday because I was facing down three school-weary and slightly-grumpy kids. Dinner had to be a crowd pleaser, it just had to be. Pasta seemed like the obvious choice.

I am happy to report that all of my family enjoyed this dish. You would not believe how blessedly quiet it was while they licked their plates clean! I served this with a plate of fresh veggies and let them choose their favorite dips.

This recipe took about 40 minutes from start to finish, but it was simple to make. I do plan to make this again for my family and next time I am considering changing up the cheeses…maybe fontina? Or gruyere?

Enjoy!

 
Quick Pastitsio
Total time: 40 minutes
Serves 6
 
8 oz. uncooked penne
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 C. chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 T. all-purpose flour
2 C. fat-free milk
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 C. (4 oz.) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 (3-oz.) package fat-free cream cheese
3/4 C. (3 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
 
1. Preheat broiler.
 
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.
 
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove beef from pan; drain. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef; sprinkle with salt. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in milk, tomatoes, and cream cheeses, stirring until smooth; bring to a simmer. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in pasta.
 
4. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13×9-inch broiler-safe baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Broil 4 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with parsley. (I completely forgot the parsley! Oops!)

Shipping

27 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in On the Ranch

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We have spent the past several days shipping yearlings. (And tending to the kids, who have each taken a turn with the first round of colds/flu for the school year.)

 

 

 

 

We shipped heifers today. These heifers spent the summer in northern Nevada on good grass and in cooler temperatures. They weighed up nicely and our buyer was quite pleased with them.

 

The cowboys bring the heifers up the alley to the scale where the cattle buyer weighs them.

 

 

 

 

 

Then it’s time to start loading trucks. As I turned a corner on my way to the chute, I saw my husband sitting next to our son and could hear him explaining the process to our two-year old.

 

 

 

Love that this little boy hangs on his Dad’s every word.

Love that his Dad takes the time to sit with him, even though it is one of the busiest days of our year.

Thai Beef Cabbage Cups

22 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in In the Kitchen

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The October 2011 issue of Cooking Light features an article about Ground Beef. It gives a brief tutorial explaining the different types of Ground Beef. Here is a quick summary of the three most popular ground beef products:

  • Ground Chuck: Ground from the chuck (shoulder section) and contains 15-20% fat.
  • Ground Round: Ground from the round (rump section) and contains 10-15% fat.
  • Ground Sirloin: Ground from the front of the hip and contains 8-10% fat.

In addition, the article provides six recipes all starting with a pound of ground beef (ground sirloin, to be precise). I don’t know about you, but I get excited about new ways to use ground beef. The beauty of ground beef, in my opinion, is that it is affordable, it is easy to freeze and keep on hand, and kids love it!

I thought it would be fun to try out each of these new recipes and then share them with you. I will also give you my family’s review of the dish, rating the most important part of the recipe: Will kids eat it?

Our first recipe is Thai Beef Cabbage Cups. The first thing that appealed to me after reading through this recipe was the total time it took to get this dish on the table, 27 minutes. Score! I was pleased to discover that it was 27 minutes for your average cook (me), not just your average chef (definitely not me).

This dish is very flavorful and won rave reviews from the crowd around my table. The kids enjoyed it and I caught my husband taking the leftovers for lunch the next day. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 
 
Thai Beef Cabbage Cups
Total time: 27 minutes
Serves 4 (I doubled it to serve my family of six)
 
2 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil, divided
2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground sirloin
1 T. sugar
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 T. fish sauce
1 T. water
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 C. vertically sliced red onion
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
8 large green cabbage leaves (I didn’t have cabbage on hand, so I used iceberg lettuce. Oops!)
2 T. finely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
 
1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef; cook 5 minutes or until nicely browned, stirring to crumble.
 
2. Combine remaining 1/2 tsp. oil, sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a large bowl. Add beef mixture, onion, and cilantro; toss well. Place 2 cabbage leaves on each of 4 plates; divide beef mixture evenly among leaves. Top each serving with 1 1/2 tsp. peanuts.
 

What would I change about this recipe? I did think this dish was a little salty and that comes from the fish sauce. Personally, I didn’t find it too salty, but if you have a low tolerance to salt I would suggest reducing the fish sauce to 1T.