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Archive for February, 2011

Feb 22

More on Braised Beef: Taco Edition

In the last post, I shared a recipe for Italian Beef Drip and my love for how easy it was to make and share with a group of people. This week, I had a 4 pound chuck roast that would need to stretch over two dinners; the first dinner would be braised beef on french bread with melted cheese (very similar to the Italian Beef Drip) and the second dinner would be tacos. Given the two dinners, the seasoning for Italian Beef Drip didn’t seem right, so I threw one (darker) beer and two cups of beef broth in a dutch oven with the chuck roast, then put it in a 325 degree oven for four hours. Pretty simple, but with excellent, rich flavor.

For the tacos, we threw soft tacos in the oven (I would recommend 175 degrees, for about seven minutes), loaded up with the braised beef, diced yellow onion, green and red pepper, cheese and avocado. Delicious! So glad I have leftovers for lunch.

Feb 10

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Superbowl Food: Italian Drip Beef


For the Superbowl, and to please a group of 6, I made Italian Drip Beef from The Pioneer Woman, whose recipes I find I can rely on with a diverse group of people (non of whom are vegetarians, granted). I made this on Saturday, and served it Sunday night…the juices seemed to have disappeared after a day in the fridge, so I added 2 cups of beef broth and a cup of water before setting the stove on simmer, which perked it right up. Disclaimer/Excuse: These pictures are terrible and do no justice to how juicy and melty these were.

Italian Drip Beef, via The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
* 1 whole Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5 To 4 Pounds
* 1 can Beef Consomme Or Beef Broth
* 3 Tablespoons (heaping) Italian Seasoning
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* ¼ cups Water
* ½ jars (16 Oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice
* Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls

Preparation Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.

Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven* for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!**

Remove from oven. With two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving no large chunks behind. Serve immediately, or keep warm over a simmer on the stove. May make the day before, then store in the refrigerator. Remove the hardened fat from the top before reheating.

Serve on buttered, toasted rolls. Top with cheese and melt under the broiler if desired. Serve with juices from the pot.

Feb 3

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West Elm Spring 2011

I look forward to the days when a new West Elm catalog comes. Given my tame sense of interior styling (clean lines, solid colors), I can only admire those with a more adventurous style from afar (here, here and here), and happily page through West Elm or Room & Board catalogs. While in my head, if I were to design a room of my choice, I would jump right to the land of Anthropologie’s bohemian, eclectic and busy – or collect vintage pieces at estate sales or flea markets – but I know I am only able to pull the trigger on the muted colors, simple wood furniture and sprinkling of patterns places like West Elm offers. A few of my favorite pieces just in, are below.

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