Tag Archive | beef

Recipes: Swedish Meatballs

Papaw’s Swedish Meatballs

Papaw’s Swedish Meatballs
When I was a teenager, my Dad started doing a lot of cooking on the weekends. I don’t know if he was just giving my Mom a break. Or if he simply had more time to do the simple things in life. I mostly remember my Dad working the Night Shift and sleeping during the day.  Of course his weekends were usually reserved for Golf.  Until the late fall and winter.

One of those winter weekend meals was what he called Swedish Meatballs. I wrote this recipe down one Saturday when I was helping to make dinner. Actually he told me to come make the meatballs, after he tossed everything into a big mixing bowl. Pretty sure he didn’t need the help. He just wanted someone else to get their hands into mixing and kneading the meat together with the eggs. Come on, what kid didn’t like playing in the mud and squishing the goop between your fingers. Cooking like this is the same thing. You just get to say you’re cooking, instead of playing in the goop.

Preparation Time:
20 minutes preparation,
30+ minutes cooking time Continue reading

Recipes: Smothered Beef Bites

Smothered Beef Bites

Vickie’s Smothered Beef Bits

Quick and easy to fix. Have you ever opened the freezer and tried to decide what to have for dinner? That’s how this recipe came about.

It was too cold to run out to the store. So we gathered what we had at home and threw something together that warm everyone up. While feeding that need for something different.

Of course here in the south, gravy goes with everything. And this dinner is no exception.

It’s a simple beef and gravy dish, served perfectly with potatoes and your favorite veggies. Continue reading

Recipes: Race Time Meatballs

Vickie’s Race Time Meatballs

Vickie’s Race Time Meatballs 

My sister makes great meatballs for Sunday game time. But in our house, the summer and early fall is time for NASCAR!

I’ve taken her Game Time Meatballs recipe and tweaked it a little to meet the taste of my Boys. Our version is more of a barbecue recipe that’s sweeter and hotter than my sisters. And we’ve played with the flavor of the meatballs a tiny bit too. Our version is also a bit darker on the table, because of the barbecue. So if you’re one of those folks who sets a table for contrasting colors, keep that in mind.

Like her Meatballs, you can serve our version in a bowl or fashion them into a sub with your favorite fixings. You can also cut them into quarters after cooking and turn them into a chunky dip for your favorite chips. And of course they’re always good with a warm corn muffin too! Continue reading

Recipes: Game Time Meatballs

Pam’s Meatballs

Pam’s Game Time Meatballs 

My sister makes the best meatballs for Sunday game time. Whither it’s football or in our house NASCAR racing, these meatballs make for a great addition to any coffee table feast!

Several times during football season you could walk into the house and be greeted by a wondrous smell of barbecue and fresh baking bread. You can have them in a bowl, on a sub or slice them up and try them as a dip with your favorite Tostitos chips.

If you’re interested in a more barbecue version of meatballs, try my Race Time Meatballs.

How ever you like your meatballs, you’ll like these! Continue reading

Recipes: Spanish Beef Rice

Spanish Beef Rice

Papaw’s Spanish Beef Rice
My Dad was quite fond of rice. I remember him cooking all sorts of dishes at least once a month on a quiet weekend with rice.

Most of them were with some form of fish. Not really my thing. But one recipe called for ground beef and tomatoes and sweet corn. It made the entire house smell so good!

As I got older and rice didn’t seem like something you had to eat to “clean your plate”, I started liking rice. Baby Boomers maybe the only folks who remember the “Clean your plate” edict. Thank goodness that concept has slowly passed by the wayside.

Anyway, on one very cold winter’s day when I was out living on my own, and feeling a little alone I longed for those gone days of comfort at Mom and Dad’s house.  I called home and asked my Dad how to make his Spanish Rice and this is the recipe he gave me. I make it for my family now and I’m glad to report, everyone still loves it! Continue reading

Recipes: Stove Top Chili

Papaw’s Stove Top Chili

When I was young, my Dad would make chili on a cold fall weekend. I wasn’t real fond of his chili, because he liked beans. He would add as many variety of beans in his mix that we had on-hand in the pantry. Then he let it cook all day on top of the stove.

It smelled great, as it wafted through the house. But I don’t like beans. My recipe is much like his, with a few tweaks. Like, I don’t add beans. You certainly can add your favorites to this mix. But no thanks. 😉

The trick to good chili is the meat. You can use chicken or beef with this recipe. But if you use beef, make it a good quality ground beef. Back in the early 2000s, we tried Bison with this recipe and it was extraordinarily fabulous. I highly suggest using it for any of your home cooked beef ground meals!

Also: You might like to try the Slow Cooked Chili recipe as well. It’s different from this one.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 Hours
Serves: 9 to 12 Continue reading

Recipes: Slow Cooked Chili

Vickie’s Slow Cooked Chili

This recipe is much like my Dad’s Stove Top Chili, with a few tweaks, we add Jack Daniels Honey to ours. And I don’t add beans to this recipe. You certainly can add your favorites to this mix. But no thanks. 😉

As with the Stove Top Chili, the trick to good chili is the meat. You can use chicken or beef with this recipe. But if you use beef, make it a good quality ground beef.

Back in the early 2000s, Gary and I tried Bison with this recipe and it was extraordinarily fabulous. I highly suggest using it for any of your home cooked beef ground meals!

Also: You might like to try the Stove Top Chili recipe as well. It’s different from this one.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6.5 hours – Crock pot Recipe
Serves: 12+ Continue reading

Recipes: Beef Stroganoff

Vickie’s Beef Stroganoff

This is not your traditional stroganoff… it’s better!

I’m not sure where I got this recipe. But I’ve had it since the 1980s. Everyone has their favorite dinner, and traditional Beef Stroganoff has always been mine.

It’s simple and easy to fix. It doesn’t take a long time to prepare and there’s not really a lot to it. If you can dice an onion, you can make this dish.

Fair warning however,  traditional Stroganoff includes sliced mushrooms. I’ve never been a fan of fungus. So this recipe does not include that ingredient. If you like mushrooms, more power to you. Look for white button mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and sliced.

This recipe is dependent on the quality of beef you use. It’s more expensive, but I like using good quality Filets. It really does make a big difference. The more tender the beef, the better the Stroganoff sauce. Continue reading

Recipes: Basil Beef Bites

Vickie’s Basil Beef Bites #2

We’re still playing with the Bite Size Beef Bite recipe and decided to create an alternative version to the original Bite Size Beef Bites. These are the things we do on cold winter days when you can’t go anywhere in the snow.

Where the other version has a slight Italian flare with sage and oregano, this one uses some of our favorite spices with basil and parsley. So we decided to call this the French flare.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour in the fridge
Cooking time: Approx. 20 – 40 minutes Continue reading

Recipes: Bite Size Beef Bites

Vickie’s Bite Size Beef Bites

We came up with this recipe for a cold February Super Bowl game. It’s quick and simple to fix. And they adds a whole a lot of Italian flavor at the table.

Beef Bites are my version of Gary’s Speedies, which can be a little spicy for me. I call these the plain version for beef. But you can make this with any meat. Chicken, pork, or even venison.

They can be served as a main dish or as a warm appetizer for that fall football game. They’re even good for that summer tailgating at the races too.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour in the fridge
Cooking time: Approx. 20 – 40 minutes Continue reading