Patty Melts

This may be obvious to many people, but patty melts are great!  I'd never had one before and was pleasantly surprised by how simple and delicious they are.  It's not a particularly healthy choice, since it's basically a burger crossed with a grilled cheese sandwich, but it really hits the spot. 

All you need is:
Ground beef
Rye bread
Swiss cheese
Onions
Butter

Pineapple Glazed Short Ribs

This terrific recipe comes from Canadian Beef.  The beef is marinated in pineapple juice which is then boiled and turned into a glaze to flavour the meat while it grills.

I've been trying out different kinds of organic and natural beef.  I found some "Miami-style" short ribs.  They are also called Korean-style or flanken-cut ribs, sliced thin through the bone and good for grilling.  

Here's what you need:

Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji Sauce

Steak? Money's too tight for steak.  

We just got back from a vacation to San Diego where we feasted on sushi and tacos all week, so we’re the last people deserving of a fancy steak dinner but I saw some flank steak at the local market. It is delicious and economical if you have a little time to marinate it. And I did, so I did. 

This recipe comes from Epicurious. I made the aji sauce, which was an excellent accompaniment, easy to make and highly recommended. I skipped the guacamole though.  

Here's what you need for the steak marinade:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steaksalt and pepper
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 thinly sliced green onions
half a 12-ounce bottle dark beer

Crock Pot Pot Roast

I roast beef all the time but haven't done much pot roast. I haven't always been interested because I can usually buy a premium beef roast for the same price as a pot roast and just assumed regular roast beef would be better.  How wrong I was!  Pot roast is a completely different world, and so delicious!  Cooking it in the crock pot while I'm at work all day makes it a super easy week night dinner.  

I used a boneless beef cross rib pot roast, onions, carrots, potatoes, beef stock, tomato paste, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. 

In the morning, before work, I sprinkled the roast with a little salt and pepper... 

...and browned it in hot oil for a nice crust.

I added the onions and carrots to the bottom of the crock pot.

Then added the mini potatoes. I peeled a little strip off each potato in an unlikely burst of energy just to let the gravy soak into them a little more. Then topped them with the herbs.

Then I popped the roast on top and poured the beef stock and tomato paste over the whole thing.

I turned the crock pot to low and let it simmer all day, 8 to 10 hours until the roast was tender and the veggies cooked.  

Once it has simmered all day remove the meat from the crock pot and tent with foil. 

Remove the veggies and set in a warm oven to keep warm.  You can either thicken the gravy right in the crock pot on high heat, or strain the liquid into a small pot on the stove. Whisk in a bit of flour mixed with water and allow it to thicken for a few minutes.

Slice the pot roast and smother it in gravy to serve with veggies and potatoes.  I also added steamed green beans.

Make sure you serve it with lots of extra gravy because you'll want it all over the potatoes. The meat is tender and flavourful and takes very little effort.  The perfect meal for a cold winter night.

This is another Canadian Beef post to enter in their Eat, Write, Retreat contest. I am so excited about the chance to go to Washington DC and learn more about blogging and food photography.  Best of luck to everyone who entered!

Hoisin Short Ribs

This Eat, Write, Retreat contest from Canadian Beef has really inspired me to cook more beef this week!  I found some well-priced beef short ribs at the grocery store and decided to create an Asian style glaze to braise them in.  I found a stewing/braising lesson at www.beefinfo.org and used that to create my recipe.  

Hoisin sauce is a thick, sweet soy-based sauce that was the main ingredient in my braise.

Along with orange juice, soy sauce, beef stock, onions, garlic and ginger.  

I cut the short ribs into sections and browned them in a mix of olive oil and sesame oil. 

I used my beloved enameled cast iron pot to brown the ribs, giving them a nice brown crust.

I removed the ribs and added the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot.

I sauted the onions garlic and ginger until softened, then added the beef stock to deglaze the pan.

Then I added the soy sauce, orange juice and hoisin sauce, creating enough liquid to submerge the ribs.  

Add the delicious browned ribs back into the braising liquid.

Then cover the pot and place in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours until the ribs are wonderfully tender.  

Skim the fat from the top of the braise before serving, or you can even place the pot into the refrigerator over night, then remove the fat and rewarm the ribs. 

I served the ribs over mashed celeriac, sprinkled with chopped scallions and with steamed sugar snap peas on the side.  This was an easy and delicious meal and the sauce tasted incredible.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Beef Barley Stew

I recently found out about a great contest from Canadian Beef that offers bloggers a chance to win a trip to Eat, Write, Retreat in Washington DC.  If anyone could use this opportunity to learn more about food blogging, photography and writing, it's me!

This is a Short & Sweet Sunday post, but this dish didn't turn out all that sweet.  My husband adores beer, especially dark beer, and loves the opportunity for cooking with beer. So how could we go wrong with beef, beer, barley, beets and horseradish?  


I think more simmering time and more balance would have helped.  


We browned the beef and then simmered it with onions, carrots, turnips, garlic and mushrooms in stout beer and beef stock.

We added tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves and barley and simmered for about 90 minutes.

It looked great but was missing something. It tasted bitter so I added more tomato paste, some worcestershire sauce and a bit of sugar.  This made an improvement but it could have used something else.

I topped the stew with chopped roasted beets, horseradish and parsley.  


This wasn't the most successful beef dish - or beef stew for that matter - I've ever made, but it was a simple, tasty dinner.

Tomorrow I'll share a dish that is one of the most successful beef dishes ever!