Saturday, June 21, 2014

Beef Jerky and Beef Roll Ups


Have made this quite a few times now and am happy with the flavor.  I have Fareway meat department slice a beef roast in thin slices for me and I marinated it in a homemade teriyaki marinade.  They did charge me 20 cents a pound more though to cut it today.  They didn’t last time.  I bought 4 pounds of sliced beef and using 3 for the jerky and playing with a new recipe with the last of the slices.  I’m making beef roll ups.  I’m marinating the slices also.


Oven Beef Jerky


3 pound rump roast (not too fatty)

Teriyaki Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tbs. onion powder
1 tbs. garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional but I’m using)

You can use this marinade for other meat such as chicken or pork also.

Beef Teriyaki Jerky

If you do not have a butcher to slice your roast, partially freeze your roast for easier slicing, and slice your steak into thin strips.  Cut off any fat.


Mix you marinade by putting all of the ingredients in a large baggie, seal and shake until well mixed.  Put the meat strips in the baggy with your marinade.  Marinade it 6 hours or over night.   The longer you marinade it, the more flavor it will have.  You need to have enough marinade that it covers all the meat.


Take a cooling rack that's safe for oven and put it on top of aluminum foil covered baking sheet or use your broiling pan. Put your strips of meat on the rack.  Bake as low as your oven will go. Bake it for 4 hours in a pre-heated oven of 150°.  Rotate and turn them over half way through the baking. 3 pounds made 4 racks of jerky.  If you don’t have 4 racks, you may wish to cut the recipe in half.  Bake slowly until they start to look like jerky. Be careful not to overcook. To be safe keep in the fridge after baked.

This made over 3 dozen pieces of jerky.



Variation – You can use any marinade you like for seasoning.  You can use a store bought marinade if you like.  Add heat by adding pepper flakes, or smoke flavor by adding liquid smoke, or add sweetness by adding brown sugar.  Make your own marinate with all of your favorite flavors. Marinate and follow same instructions for slow baking.  You can also use a dehydrator rather than a stove.  Follow the directions of the dehydrator.

Beef Roll Ups


Left over larger slices go in marinate also over night.

Thinly sliced beef
Marinate recipe above
1 caramelized onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional, I’m leaving it out)
1 tsp. Soy sauce
1 cup brown rice
Large can of beef broth
Sesame seeds
Kosher salt and pepper
3 packages of Beef Ramen noodles
Chopped bacon (optional)

Caramelize your onions until they are sweet and browned.  You can use bacon grease or olive oil to brown them. I brown them in my case iron skillet.  Once they are caramelized, add your mushrooms and a splash of beef broth to keep moist. Stir until the mushrooms are completely done. You may add some chopped bacon for more flavor if you like.  I like.

Cook your brown rice until it is done.  Follow the directions on your package.  Use beef broth and not water though.  Salt and pepper the rice before boiling.  Cook until tender.

Add your fully cooked rice to the onions and mushroom with a splash of soy sauce.  Taste to make sure seasoned well with soy sauce, salt and pepper.  You can use white rice if you like, but I like the texture of brown rice and it is healthier.

Boil your thinly sliced beef in beef broth until it is tender. 

Lay your piece of beef out and put your rice stuffing mixture on 1/3 of the beef.   Roll it into a roll and use a tooth pick to keep it closed.  Put the rolls into the cast iron skillet to keep warm with a little butter and oil and a splash of beef broth and some sesame seeds for texture and more oriental taste.  Keep in the low oven until serving.  Serve on top of beef Ramen noodles.  Cook your Ramen noodles according to the package. Use the broth left from boiling the beef slices to add more beef flavor.  It will also have a little of the marinate flavor and make some awesome beef Ramen noodles.  

Variation -  If you don't want to fuss with the roll ups make it simple on yourself and cut up your sliced beef in bite sized pieces and boil them until they are tender.  Serve over brown rice or Ramen noodles.  Taste and season to you liking.  You can add a bit of onion powder, sesame seeds, etc. to the beef broth you are using for the rice or noodles.

Beef is a treat for me because of its price.  This helps extend the beef and I get several meals out of it.  Hope you enjoy this and it is a treat for you.  

Have a  great Saturday.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.  

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Oreo Rice Crispy Treats

Josh loves Oreos.  What person doesn't?  I have some in the house and thought I’d use them for a new and quick treat by adding them to an old treat.  Josh loves Oreo pudding dessert.  It is his favorite dessert so I thought I’d make both the pudding and the Oreo Rice Crispy Treats for his late night snack and lunches.  I've done something similar just by adding chocolate chips to the mix in the past but this is a new summer snack experience.


Oreo Rice Crispy Treats

6 cups Rice Crispy Cereal
½ package of chopped original Oreos
5 cups mini marshmallows
3 tbs. butter

Spray a 9 x 13 dish with cooking spray.

Crush the Oreos by putting them in a Zip Lock bag and set aside.  I mashed the whole bag of Oreos and am using the rest for Josh’s Oreo pudding. 

Melt the marshmallows and butter together in the microwave by heating for 1 minutes.  Stir together until well combined.

Pour in your cereal and Oreos and use a spatula sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to quickly combine all the ingredients.  As soon as all the cereal is combined, spread mixture into the prepared 9 × 13 inch dish. I wet my hands and gently push down on the mixture to flatten.

Let sit until completely cooled.

Variation – What other combinations can you think of to goose up the bars.  Try crushing or chopping your favorite candy bar like Snickers or Heath.  For color just add some M & Ms. 

Hope you have a great Thursday.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours. 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Grandma’s Rhubarb Cake



I have rhubarb and am making my Grandma’s rhubarb cake.  It is a very old recipe with a bit of a twist on it.  It reminds me of a fruit cobbler/coffee cake/bread pudding/dump cake.  It is all those yummy desserts in one. You can pick what flavor you want but I love it with rhubarb and it is a great way to use up your rhubarb.

Cake
1 cup sugar
2 cups  flour
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups of rhubarb and 1 cup simple syrup
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Milk Topping
1 can condensed milk
1 stick of butter (I cut to ½ stick of butter)
1 tsp. vanilla

Begin by making your simple syrup and rhubarb.

Rhubarb
2 cups of rhubarb
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar


Add water and sugar in small pan and heat over stove on medium heat. Make sure when you heat the simple syrup that you do it just until the sugar melts.  You do not want to over cook the fruit and have it fall apart.  Let it cool.  Make sure that it has cooled when you add it to the batter with eggs or you will scrabble your eggs. 


Cake Batter
Mix the sugar, flour, salt, soda, eggs and cooled rhubarb together and pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and one cup chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

After the cake has been baked and still hot out of the oven, pour the milk mixture over the entire cake.

Milk Mixture
Heat the condensed milk and butter in the microwave for 1 minute and then stir it to incorporate the butter.  Add the vanilla last and poured over the cake.

Refrigerate the cake. This is an extremely sweet, dense, and moist cake. 

I made mine in two 9 X 9 inch pans so only baked it for 25 to 30 minutes.  


Try this rhubarb recipe.  People that don’t like rhubarb even like this.  If not you can always substitute another fruit with it or try rhubarb and strawberries (1 cup each) for a rhubarb strawberry cake. 

Have a great day, be happy and may God bless you and yours.