Red wine braised short ribs

This is such a powerful yet simple dish. The braising really tenderizes and brings out the flavor of the short ribs, like it does to so many other delicious dishes (e.g. Osso Buco). Serve this on its own, with potatoes, polenta, or, as pictured, risotto. Enjoy!

Red wine braised short ribs

Yield: 1 piece per serving
Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
• seasoned flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 14 oz. can plum tomatoes, broken up
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried herbs de Provence
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Coat the shortribs with seasoned flour and brown in the oil.
3. Remove from the pan and add the onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and carrots.
4. Sauté another 5 minutes, add the wine, and reduce by half.
5. Add the tomatoes, stock, and herbs. Cover and braise covered in the oven for 1 hour at 400 degrees then reduce the heat to 350 F, uncover, and continue cooking for another hour or until tender.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are incredibly easy, yet seem fancy and nostalgic at the same time. Of course you can have the filling be whatever you like, but the following recipe works pretty well. Some versions include and slightly watered-down ketchup that is poured over the filled peppers before adding the cheese on top, though we found that wasn't necessary and made it a little too sweet. Just keep the basic method for blanching the peppers the same, and you can go to town on whatever filling you want. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers, tops removed, cored and seeded
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 12 ounces ground meat
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Boil 4 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot. Cook peppers until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain peppers with a slotted spoon or tongs.
2. Add the rice to the pot and cook until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain rice and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ground meat, breaking it into small pieces until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the rice.
4. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of cheese, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat the oven to 350 F with the rack in the middle.
6. In a 9-inch square baking dish, place the peppers cut side up. Divide the filling evenly among the peppers. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
7. Bake until the cheese in browned and the filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chili with Beer

Some might call this boilermaker chili. Some might call it tailgate chili. Those two names conjure up different meanings for me, especially concerning their list of ingredients, so I simply named this chili with beer.

Like all tomato sauces, this is better as leftovers, though still incredible the day of. The longer it simmers, the better it'll be too. Enjoy!

Chili with Beer

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds ground meat (can be anything with or without sausage)
• 1/2 pound dried beans, soaked overnight, sprouted if desired
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 small cubes of beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup beer
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble the ground meat into the hot pan until evenly browned. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in the soaked beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
3. Stir in the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, bouillon, and beer.
4. Stir in chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot sauce, basil, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, and salt.
5. Stir together, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder as desired. The longer it cooks, the better it'll taste. It'll also get better when refrigerated like most tomato sauce-based dishes.

Osso Buco with Beef

Osso Buco is a classic Italian dish that usually uses veal shanks. We wanted to see if we could create the same flavors but with a less expensive meat. Blade steaks were used because they're comparatively inexpensive and are a tough cut. Tough cuts like veal shanks and blade steaks are perfect for braising, which is exactly how osso buco is cooked. By the end, the meat became tender and fell apart easily and soaked up much of the flavor of the braising liquid. It was extremely easy, and I would make it again as-is any time. Enjoy!

Osso Buco with Beef

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds blade steak
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed and diced
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Trim and season the blade steaks with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F.
3. Heat skillet or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
4. Drop the steaks in pan and sear it thoroughly, using a pair of tongs to turn it. When a nice brown crust has developed on all sides of the meat, remove it from the pan to a bowl.
5. Pour in most of the wine and scrape the pan to remove the browned bits. Remove to the bowl with the steaks.
6. Add the carrots and onions and cook for 5 minutes or so, or until the onion is slightly translucent. Add the garlic and after 30 seconds, add the rest of the wine and scrape the pan again.
7. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Add the steaks and juice from the bowl. The liquid should cover 3/4 of the steaks.
8. Cover and put in oven at 300 F.
9. After 40 minutes, flip the steaks and cook uncovered for another 40 minutes.
10. Replace cover, reduce heat to 250 F, and cook for 1 hour.
11. Serve with polenta, rice, or risotto. Serve with gremolata if desired.

How to cook any steak

How to cook any steak

Ingredients

• 1 steak
• oil
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Season with a generous amount of salt.
2. Let sit for 2 hours.
3. Rinse off steak.
4. Pat dry with paper towels. For a crispier crust, lay on paper towels for another half hour or more.
5. Put a large skillet on medium high heat. Lightly oil it.
6. Crack pepper on one side of the steak. Lay that side down in the skillet. Crack pepper over the other side.
7. Sear until browned. Flip and sear the other side until browned. Then flip and cook an additional minute or two, depending on thickness of steak and desired level of cooking. Then flip and cook an additional minute or two.
8. Take out of pan and let rest for 10 minutes.

Carne Asada

Ingredients

3 pounds flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, juiced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 white onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 dried New Mexico chile pods
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Lay the flank steak in a large plastic bag. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for up to 8 hours.

2. In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the burrito.

3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

4. Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.

5. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

6. Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange tortillas on plates, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and a large spoonful of the pureed salsa. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

Free-Form Beef Potato Pie

Sometimes free-form is the way to go. Have you ever tried free-form lasagna? Give it a shot some time. It's definitely an experiment if you want it to be because of all the great substitutions you can make, which make it uniquely your own. Plus no baking. Always nice.

This Free-Form Beef Potato Pie is kind of like a shepherd's pie without the long wait and tedious work. In fact, it's a lot more flavorful too since the juices soak into the potatoes and they don't sit on top in a big lump.

The funnest ingredient is the cinnamon. Who knew?

Doesn't seem like something that would normally go with beef, does it? Yet it works its magic in a surprising way. If you want to know how, you'll just have to make this comforting, hearty dish yourself.

Disney's Touchdown Tacos

Touchdown Tacos

Mission Tortilla Factory

Serves 10

Ingredients

10 Mission® Soft Taco Size Flour Tortillas warmed
10 Mission® Taco Shells
1 lb. Ground Beef
2/3 cup Water
1 can Refried Beans warmed
Toppings: Salsa to taste, shredded Lettuce, shredded Cheese, diced Tomatoes
2 pkg. Lawry's Taco Spices and Seasonings

Directions

Follow directions on 1st package of Lawry's Taco Spices to prepare meat.

Add 2nd package of seasonings to refried beans.

Spread warmed beans across each warmed tortilla. Place a taco shell in center of each tortilla and fold around to seal.

Fill taco shell with seasoned meat & toppings.

Disneyland's Spicy Beef Skewers

Spicy Beef Skewers

Bengal Barbecue

Yield: 2 3/4 cups sauce
Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 c. Soy Sauce
1 1/2 c. Water
1 T. Ground Black Pepper
3 T. Sesame Seed Oil
1 t. Ground Red Pepper
1/2 t. Cayenne Pepper
1 T. Granulated Garlic
3 T. Cornstarch
18 1-oz. pieces Sirloin Beef Chunks
6 Skewers

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients above and bring to a boil, adding cornstarch to thicken.

Soak bamboo skewers in water to avoid burning.

Place 3 pieces of beef on each skewer and cook on the grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Brush with sauce and serve.

Baked Penne Marinara

Sometimes simple is best. Sometimes it's outright the greatest thing ever. Sometimes it just blows your socks off. Simple is as simple does.

So in keeping with this simple theme, I won't bore you too much with the details of this amazing dish. Suffice it to say, the melding (and melting) together of pasta, homemade pasta sauce, ground beef, and homemade mozzarella is truly one of the best comfort foods ever. Reminds you of your childhood a bit, doesn't it?

Pair with a salad or a side of veggies and your favorite red wine. Now that's comfort. Enjoy!

Corned Beef Hash

I love corned beef. I particularly love it in hash form. Whenever I see it homemade on a menu I immediately steer towards it - I just can't help myself. Maybe you're the same way too.

So after cooking a great corned beef and cabbage dinner, the leftover corned beef had me salivating for some hash for breakfast over the weekend. Turned out perfectly.

One of the best things about this is that the corned beef is so flavorful that you don't need to add any extra salt or seasonings. It's ready as-is. Awesome. Enjoy!

Burger a la King

What's that? You want a burger Elvis would enjoy? Well then you've come to the right place! Peanut butter, bananas, and most importantly bacon make a surprising appearance on top of this monster of a burger.

This was prepared as part of Denny's and Foodbuzz BACONALIA challenge and is an entry for a chance to win.

A burger fit only for a King. It's good to be The King.

World's Best Lasagna?

The world's best lasagna, you say? Perhaps you're having trouble imagining a lasagna better than your grandma's. Well let me assure you, this lasagna is better!

I mean as far as traditional lasagnas go. I'm sure fancy veggie ones or ones that incorporate a whole slew of non-traditional fancinesses are fantastic. BUT this is the world's best traditional lasagna!

The secret is in the sauce. It takes the longest time to prepare, and a lot of love and simmering and seasoning goes into it, so it has to be good. It doesn't hurt when there are top-notch sausages and beef involved too. Plus the delicate mozzarella. Mmm yeah. If you don't believe me, try it yourself. Fair enough? Enjoy!

Moussaka

I cannot take credit for this at all whatsoever. Full credit for this elaborate and highly delicious (seriously scrumptious!) goes to my significant other. How she does it I'll never know. Perhaps to her chagrin I've put her in charge of all moussaka from now on. That's what you get for cooking great meals!

Moussaka is kind of like a Greek version of lasagna...except better! Mostly because it lacks the foolish pasta that can get in the way of a really good lasagna. You know what I'm talking about. Since I'm not privy to the details of how this was made, let's just move on to the good stuff (the recipe) and see if you can figure out how to not eat the entire dish at once. Enjoy!

Moussaka

Yield: 8-12 servings
Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut into half-inch slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• 1.5-3 cups parmesan, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by heating the milk to about boiling. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture. Cover with remaining eggplant. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).