Bully Beef Dip... new life for St. Patty's leftovers.

Corned Beef (or “Bully Beef” as it’s sometimes referred to in the UK) is rarely seen any other month than March here in the US.  "Bully” beef seemed appropriate for the season of March Madness.  This is a great way to use what remains of your St. Patrick’s Day corned beef brisket.  Delicious with slices of baguette and fresh veggies.

Most people have strong feelings about corned beef.  You either love it, or hate it.  Rarely do you find one who doesn’t have an opinion when it comes to this traditional cut of beef. 

Like a lot of people, I feel obligated to serve it on St. Patrick’s Day.  In the days following, even those who love it sometimes have had enough - leaving me with a chunk of beef that goes to waste.   Since I don’t have many people stopping by for meals any more, I tried to come up with an appetizer for watching all the March Madness games the next several days.

I found the dip idea on tasteofhome.com, but found it had too much “sauce” and not enough beef.  I’ve changed the mayo & sour cream it to make it “dip-able” instead of “dunk-able”.  Much better.  The dill becomes even more pronounced if you let the dip refrigerate overnight, but it’s still delicious served immediately.  

For this fun way to use that abundant "bully beef" - go to:

www.changeabletable.com.  

Fruited Pecan Pork Roast

When someone important comes to share a meal, it’s good to have a recipe like this one.  You may think this is more suited to a Christmas menu, but it can be equally delicious for Easter.  Pork is such a versatile meat, and is a good change of pace when chicken becomes commonplace.

There have been a few times lately when I’ve looked for a show-stopper main dish to serve for company.   This is a crowd pleaser.

So moist, tender - loaded with not-your-every-day combination of fruits, and just enough nuts to keep it interesting.  

The title really reflects all the sweet & tart flavors of orange, cranberry, and apricot.  This is a great main dish to wake up the taste buds after a long, dreary winter.

For the recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Mongolian Beef - Americanized Chinese favorite

If you enjoy PF Chang’s dish of this same name - you won’t be disappointed in this version.  And - in case you were wondering -  typical Mongolian Beef (served here in the US of A) has nothing to do with traditional spicy Mongolian cuisine.  The term “Mongolian” simply implies a vaguely “exotic” type of food.

Mongolian Beef just might be one of the most popular beef dishes in the US - right after Beef & Broccoli.  As with virtually ALL Chinese/American dishes, it became more widely accepted with the addition of sugar (and LOTS of it).  I don’t mind a little sweetness, but the original version I tried was overkill.  This recipe reflects a more conservative approach.

Mongolian Beef is supposed to be served by using tongs or a slotted spoon to lift the meat onto your plate while leaving the sauce behind.  My family however, has a thing about sauce - use it ALL.  Don’t leave any of it behind.  In this case though, I found it best to just enjoy the beef minus the sauce.  The sauce serves it’s purpose in the cooking process, and (in my opinion) is much too salty/sweet to consume. 

I used tri-tip steak, which is more tender than flank steak - but the latter would be more economical.  The cooking process is fast, as long as you prepare ahead by assembling, slicing, and measuring ingredients beforehand.  

This is another one of those urban-legend kinds of recipes - where it has evolved from one blog to another for longer than any of us can realistically research.  Many believe that it is a legitimate Chinese dish that has been adapted by overseas Chinese restaurants.

For the recipe, with step-by-step photos & instructions - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Fall-Apart Short Ribs. Lazy day fare.

It’s amazing how a long period of time at a low temperature can transform a tough cut of meat.  

The extra step of browning the ribs before submitting them to low, slow heat adds such a rich flavor.  A bit of lemon juice, worcestershire, and a touch of horseradish kick it up a notch to just barely ‘lively’...

Short ribs are one of my favorite cuts of meat on a day when a ‘quick’ meal isn’t a priority - usually Sunday dinner.  I normally bake these like I do any chuck roast - with garlic salt and a touch of pepper.  

Yesterday though, I became a little more daring.  After checking out several possible ways to prepare short ribs - I decided that I would give these a heavy browning before putting them in the oven.  The combination of citrus with horseradish and zippy worcestershire sauce was magic.  This was my own concoction - based on several websites that included one or two of these ingredients.

Since I didn’t have fresh mushrooms on hand, I found a canister of freeze-dried in my storage.  Everyone should have these hanging out in your pantry - they have come in really handy several times. You would never know they were rehydrated.  

The ribs were a deep, rich, caramel color when I peeled back the foil to check the progress. When I transferred them to a plate, they literally fell apart because they were so tender.  There wasn’t much juice left - most of it had seeped back into the meat.  Perfect.

I used my heavy ceramic baking dish - which kept the heat evenly distributed over the long slow cooking time.  Covering with foil takes the place of ‘braising’ in liquid, which seems to be the preferred method for short ribs.  

For the recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com  

Judy's Meatloaf - my new "reach-for" recipe for classic meatloaf

We all (secretly) think we have the unrivaled meatloaf recipe.  But - I was wrong.  Whenever I served meatloaf, my son-in-law would speak of his mother’s meatloaf in hushed tones.  So I asked him to make her recipe for my birthday dinner a month ago.  I am now sufficiently humbled - this IS the new champion, go-to recipe I’ll reach for.

Judy Baker is one fantastic cook.  Just ask my son-in-law.  This is her recipe, and I’m so happy she was willing to share it.  

No - there are no strange ingredients, or hidden techniques.  It isn’t complicated, difficult, or secret.  That’s what I love about it.  

But it does have two things going for it that I’ve never used in my meatloaf.  1) Carrots.  2) Great sauce.

Grated carrots break up the sometimes stiff texture meatloaf often develops.  

Judy’s sauce is so simple I had to check it twice.  The mustard (if there IS a secret ingredient) has to be the key.  It’s just right.  Yum...

I think one problem with my meatloaf in the past is overmixing.  Judy mixes hers by hand.  I’m a wimp - I use my Bosch mixer, but I’ve learned to just barely combine the ingredients - not treat it like yeast dough with endless mixing.  

I have a book I use when I can’t tell what I’m doing wrong - “The Perfect Recipe” by Pam Anderson.  I checked out the meatloaf section - and Judy’s recipe meets almost all her criteria.  (Judy could have written this book!)

    *Meatloaf has to have a filler to break up the coarse, dense texture.

    *Crackers, quick-cooking oatmeal, and fresh bread crumbs work.

    *Regular milk, buttermilk, and yogurt are the liquids that work best.

    *Don’t use a loaf pan, or the glaze will be diluted with meat juices.

    *Baking it free-form in a shallow pan lets it brown & the glaze works.

Her recipe is so simple, but, being a complicated person, I changed it a touch...

    I used my food processor attachment to grate the carrots first, then the onion.  No tears - I love that.  I will gladly give up dishwasher space!

    I used my Bosch mixer to combine the meatloaf.  I just have to watch myself and not overmix - I’m not making bread you know.

    I've adapted this recipe for serving fewer people.  Check out this post (HERE) for mini-meatloaves you can store in the freezer for later.  

    I doubled the recipe, and stored half of it as mini-meatloaves, the other half large enough to feed my entire crew next time they are home (spur of the moment, which is usually the case...)  And make sure you LABEL whatever you put in the freezer... (with baking instructions, if you're like me and misplace your recipe)

Check out this great recipe, with lots of step-by-step photos & links at:

www.changeabletable.com  

"Fall Apart" Sunday Roast - required tips for new brides...

Each of my daughters - who are all married now - call me for a little coaching when they want to "wow" their husbands with what they remember as "Fall Apart" Sunday Roast.  

Sundays have turned into one of the busiest days of my week around here.  I have meetings almost the entire day it seems, and sometimes I miss being able to spend a few hours making a fantastic Sunday dinner.  

I love walking into my kitchen after one of those crazy “days of rest(?)” and knowing that almost our entire evening meal is ready and waiting for us.  Thanks to the “timed bake” function on my double oven, I can put this on to cook when I leave around 9:00 AM, and when we are ready to eat around 4:00 - it’s waiting for us.

There are only two categories of people when it comes to squash.  Those who LOVE it, and those who HATE it.  Now some of you may not think that banana squash is anything special.   But come the middle of January I'm glad I planted it, watered it, and then stored it in the coldest part of my garage last September.  A big hunk of this squash is the BEST when you score it all over, slather it with butter, and then salt & pepper it to enjoy with this so-called “Fall Apart Roast”...  

Should I admit that I only use my crock-pot during the summer?  A delicious tender roast is SO MUCH better baked long and slow in my oven...  The beef broth is richer (not so watery), and somehow the oven adds a deep rich flavor to the beef.  Beef roast slow cooked this way in the oven - beats a crock-pot roast hands down!  But I still enjoy my crock pot (when it’s 100 degrees outside - and those days are right around the corner, you know...)

For all the "motherly advice" I give my kids on how to duplicate their favorite roast (with lots of step-by-step photos) - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

If you still aren’t convinced that this Sunday Roast can simplify your life - check out what you can make with the leftovers during the week...

Biscuit Capped Beef Stew

Shepherd’s Pie

Hunter’s Stew

Plan-over Beef/Barley Soup

Roast with “Potato Socks”

'Dogs In a Blanket - fun solution for your Labor Day leftovers...

If you’re like me, you have Labor Day leftovers lurking in your refrigerator. I always buy too many hot dogs when they’re a great buy, then I feel guilty that they don’t have the same appeal anymore. Wrapping pre-grilled hot dogs in a tender blanket of buttermilk dough revives that summer love affair with tube steak once again...

When you see a “Pig In A Blanket” doesn’t it conjure up memories of school lunch? I had the typical school lunch experience that most have, but one thing those lunch ladies could do right was BREAD! And it didn’t matter what form they served it in, it was always the first thing snagged in the lunch line.

Using the Buttermilk Refrigerator Roll dough recipe from yesterday (HERE), you have the luxury of not having to make a school-lunch-size batch all at once. If you only have a few solitary hot dogs left from your BBQ that you want to use up, all you need is a few pinches of dough to make them over into a treat from yesteryear. Dogs that have already been barbecued on the grill are especially good (see the grill marks peeking through the dough? Seeing that makes them taste even better)

Halloween’s around the corner, and these would make fun kids’ treats then... (make your baked hot dogs into a mummy by adding two dots of mustard for “eyes”)

We all know how Pigs In A Blanket are made, but I liked the idea of forming the dough around the dogs in a spiral or braid shown here. I found this illustrated on mykitchensnippets.com - and saved it to use later. I’m glad I remembered where to find it...

For step-by-step instructions & photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Crockpot (or NOT) BBQ'ed Ribs - hearty flavor without the grill...

This Taste of Home recipe is everything their title says “Secret’s in the Sauce” BBQ Ribs... It couldn’t be more simple, and the result is a fall-off-the-bone rib that has just the right seasoning. Maybe we were just extra hungry - but the heavenly aroma stopped us in our tracks today after church...

I love using my crockpot, but if I have a choice - I will always bake meat in my oven. Today was cool and pleasant, so I opted for baking these in my Magnalite roaster for the same amount of time at 250 degrees.

It was a bit of a trick finding “cherry preserves” - they only tend to sell off-brands of this variety. You will be hard-pressed to find it in Smucker’s or Knott’s Berry Farm brands. The BBQ sauce is really inexpensive in the summer months. I found Kraft for $1.00 a bottle. I did have to top it off with an extra 1/2 cup of my favorite (Bull’s Eye) because the inexpensive brand didn’t have quite the 2-1/2 cups it called for. It must be the cherry preserves, garlic, and mustard that makes the difference - it was just delicious!

I took mine out of the oven off and on in order to bake the rolls, apple pie, and herbed red potatoes that we had for dinner today also. The “in-and-out” treatment didn’t hurt these a bit. I did remove the lid for the last hour of cooking and it reduced the sauce enough that it was thick and tasty. I wonder how that would work with my crockpot?

For this recipe and photos, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)