For The Love of Beef! Your One Stop Knowledge Source #KnowYourBeef

October 20, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

This is a partnered post with The Motherhood and Beef It’s What’s For Dinner, all opinions are our own.

Last week I spent the afternoon learning all about Beef and it made me very hungry, just thinking about it right now also makes me very hungry. I love beef, I love all different kinds of meals you can make out of it but I can also tell you that I had no idea what the cuts were, where they were on the cow or how to save on purchasing just the right amount for your family. These are the things I’m going to share with you in this post. First, you need to know that by visiting Beef It’s What’s For Dinner you can find all these facts and many more. Another really great resource is Confident Cooking with Beef is a brochure that has all you need to know about beef! First thing you should know is that it’s full of 10 essential vitamins.

I love pot roast, but I wouldn’t know where to begin on how to make the perfect pot roast, so if you’re like me you may want to use the Interactive Butcher Counter:

For Pot roast there were 8 options. Thinking back on what my family used I’m pretty sure it was the bottom round roast in the crock pot for 8 hours with Lipton French Onion flavor mix and it comes out delicious!

Know Your Cuts:

Use the Interactive Butcher Counter – a tool to help you select the right cut at the meat case.

· Free
· Available on website or on mobile phone
· Don’t need to download or update an app (optimized for mobile devices)
· Provides nutritional information
· Gives the recommended cooking method
· Links directly to recipes

Anatomy of beef and cuts:

· Middle meats that are more tender: rib, loin, plate, flank.
· Other meats require marinating longer to tenderize: chuck, brisket and round.

Also on the website, see the guidelines for what temperatures you should cook these beef cuts to. And don’t be afraid to talk to your butcher. The best way to save on beef of course is to buy in bulk, but it’s also ok to ask your butcher for the specific amount. Tell him you only need a two person serving and of course you’ll save. You won’t be wasting any money. For more ways to save you can find tips for beef butchery on YouTube:

· Know how to cut beef to make the most of your dollar

· Save $1-$2 per pound!

· Learn how to use one cut of beef as an ingredient in many different dishes: stir fries, casseroles, stews, soups, mixed dishes and more!

GET SOCIAL WITH BEEF:

· Twitter: @beef
· Facebook: BeefItsWhatsForDinner
· Pinterest: BeefForDinner
· YouTube: BeefForDinner

I had Beverly Hills Kitchen Beef Bourguignon for lunch and my kids ate it #giveaway

October 13, 2009 by Momstart 425 Comments

The Beverly Hills Kitchen was created Alex Hitz whose life-long passion for cooking and hosting elaborate parties for his famous friends, inspired him to start a chef-prepared food line that combines restaurant-quality cuisine with the ease and intimacy of at-home dining. For those super busy families who love fine dining, but lack the time or skills to cook delicious, classic dinners such as beef bourguignon, The Beverly Hills Kitchen’s entrees are designed for convenience— frozen and ready in ten minutes.

I am always looking for ways to get my children to eat beef and protein. I just don’t know how to get it into their tummies. They look at me and the food and say “all done”. I was positive they wouldn’t eat this but figured it was a free sample and I should make it for lunch. I needed to review it anyways. So, I boiled some water and put the frozen pouch in it and let it heat up for 10 minutes and served it over bread. It might be gourmet but it didn’t look like it from my end. Tasted like it though, I was trying to concentrate on the different flavors but it’s hard when you are sick. I thought I tasted some cinnamon with a little bit of a kick. Hard to say though, my taste buds are out of whack.

All I know is that my kids at enough of it to surprise me. They didn’t eat it all but much more than I expected.

The Beverly Hills Kitchen’s Beef Bourguignon includes five 8oz. portions of prime tender meat, simmered for four hours in a full-bodied red wine sauce with carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, shallots, basil and Dijon mustard. Paired with rice, pasta, potatoes, a simple salad, or just on its own, this classic French comfort dish is a restaurant meal on-scale with the finest Parisian dining in the comfort of your own home.

The Beverly Hills Kitchen Beef Bourguignon is currently available on QVC for $45 throughout the month of October. Other flavors to look forward to are:

New Orleans style Bread Pudding;

Shrimp and Grits;

Sirloin and Potato Pie;

Salmon Pot Pie;

and Lemon and Ginger Bars

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Fruit Jerky by Jerky

April 10, 2009 by MomStart Leave a Comment

I never thought of dried fruit as Jerky until Jerky.com sent me some Pineapple Jerky. Since Jerky is just dried meat, dried fruit is jerky.

Jerky is essentially the drying of a meat product for either immediate or future consumption. With this method of preservation, the normal processes that would render meat inedible (bacterial growth and fungal contamination) are held at bay, keeping the food safe for consumption for an extended period of time. This method has been around for centuries and has long been the preferred process of preserving meat products (as opposed to freezing or using chemical treatments).

The Pineapple Jerky that was sent to me was extremely juicy for being dried fruit. I love pineapple, but they can be so messy and it’s a pain to have a knife ready for chopping one up. I have looked for dried Pineapple before, especially when I was pregnant. I had the hugest craving for it. I sent my husband out looking for it once and he even went to Whole foods and couldn’t find it. Yes, he found some but not specific to my instructions. I wanted some that was not covered in sugar. Why do companies feel that they need to dump dried fruit in sugar I will never know. We finally tracked some down at Trader Joes but I found it very difficult to chew. It satisfied my craving but I ended up throwing most of it away because I was tired of chewing it. Jerky’s jerky is so easy to chew for jerky. I am very pleased with my sample of jerky. I hope they send me more, or I’ll just have to order some.

My husband loves the venison jerky. That will have to be something I might consider purchasing some time. I did eat a ton of Beef Jerky while I was pregnant too. It was a great way for me to get protein without a whole lot of calories. Also, with my first pregnancy we had a power outage for a whole week. So it was either peanut butter or jerky. And what would be great for dads on Father’s Day? Beef Jerky Gift Baskets right?

~~Louise~~