Shredded Beef Tacos

This blog posting goes back in time a about 2 or 3 weeks since it took me a long time to get photos uploaded.  We spent our first “free” weekend in Austin going to the outlet mall in San Marcos.  I’m in real need of some work clothes, as I’ve been wearing the same 10 or so tops since internship year (2009-2010).  My favorite store to find professional clothing is the Banana Republic outlet store.  It’s usually where I have the most luck finding clothes that are age appropriate and fit my body shape.  I had been looking forward to going to the outlet mall ever since we moved here with hopes of finding a few new pieces to wear.  After several hours and several stores, all I got were two pairs of shorts (that I won’t be wearing to work but will wear in the summer) and one skirt.  Boo.  I couldn’t find anything else so the search continues.

One cool thing that we bought though was a Le Creuset dutch oven.  I’ve been eyeing these for a while but wanted to wait until our move was complete before seriously looking into them. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to get a dutch oven was to make this shredded beef recipe that I came across on one of my favorite cooking blogs.  I am a big fan of tex-mex and so is the writer of this blog.  This recipe looked so good I have been dreaming of trying it ever since I read it about 6 months ago.  Well my dream finally came true!  Thursday night I came home from work, cooked this baby for 3 hours in the oven, and we had shredded beef tacos Friday night for dinner.  Delicious!  By the way, the dutch oven was a breeze to work with and I look forward to the next dish I’ll make with it (not sure what that is yet).  

Recipe below is slightly modified from For the Love of Cooking blog:

Shredded Beef Tacos

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 lb lean chuck roast (trim most of the outside fat off) or rump roast
• Cumin, to taste
• Chili powder, to taste
• Paprika, to taste
• Oregano, to taste
• Cilantro, about 1/3 cup, chopped
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups of beef broth (plus more if needed)
• 4 oz can of whole green chiles
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, de-veined, and chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Trim the outside fat off of the chuck roast. Season the chuck roast evenly with cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, coriander, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper on both sides of the roast. Place them beef in the hot Dutch oven for 2-3 minutes on each side to sear the meat. Add the beef broth, whole green chiles, jalapeno, cilantro, and minced garlic. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place into the oven for 2-3 hours making sure to check each hour to make sure you don’t need to add more broth. The beef is done when the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Carefully, remove any fat that you see in the beef then shred the beef using a fork.

Other Ingredients:

• Small flour tortillas (If you live in TX, HEB makes the best tortillas)
• Refried beans, warmed
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Diced tomato
• Avocado dip

Heat the refried beans. Place the tortillas in a damp cloth and microwave for 20 seconds to warm up. Spread a bit of refried beans down the center of the tortilla then add some shredded beef followed by cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and avocado dip. Serve with salsa and stuff yer face.

Shepherd's Pie

When we were staying with my in-laws before we moved to Texas, my mother in-law cooked some really good and inspiring dishes.  In fact, the first three dishes I made when we moved here were meals that she had cooked over that week and I recreated them here.  One of those dishes was Shepherd’s Pie.  I never had it before then and I really liked it.  Since I didn’t have her exact recipe, I googled one and found the following on allrecipes.com, which I modified a little bit and typed it up below.  Mark and I really enjoyed it and will be using this recipe again.  It was also nice in that I prepared it all in a casserole dish the night before, so after work the next day I just had to pop it in the oven and dinner was ready.  Unfortunately, I just realized that I didn't take any pictures!  I think I was still so overwhelmed from the move and starting work that I never thought I would get back to blogging again!  So sorry for not having pictures, but it was good and I definitely recommend this recipe.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Shepherd’s Pie

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Skim Milk, about ¼ to ½ cup
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• About ¾ a bag of frozen carrots/peas combination
• About 1/3 to ½ a bag of frozen corn kernals
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef, I used 90% lean
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2.      Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. And skim milk to desired consistency; the potatoes should be on the thick side still.  Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

3.      Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Add in frozen carrots/peas and frozen corn and stir for about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4.      Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

5.      Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pan Sauteed Filet Mignon with Caramel-Brandy Mushroom Sauce

We got a whole bunch of Omaha Steak stuff from my dad for Christmas (thanks Dad!).  I wanted to make something special for the Christmas holiday, so I decided to try this recipe the day after Christmas.  I found it on the Food Network website and it is a recipe by Emeril.  I made it just for 2 filet mignons, but I'll give you the recipe that I modified a little bit for 4 (8-oz) filets.  It was really good and one of the quickest meals I've ever made...Mark enjoyed it also and I would definitely make it again. We ate it with the stuffed baked potatoes we also got from Omaha Steaks.

Pan Sauteed Filet Mignon with Caramel Brandy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:
4 (8-oz) filet mignons
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 head garlic, chopped
7 tbsp brandy
2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup skim milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Season beef with salt and pepper on all sides.  Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium high heat.  Add the steaks and sear on both sides until well browned, 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer the steaks to an oven-proof baking dish and place in the oven.  Cook for 8 minutes for medium rare.

While the steaks are cooking in the oven, add 1 tbsp of the remaining butter to the same saute pan used for the steaks.  Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown around the edges, 2-3 minutes.  Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and reserve.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the garlic cloves and 6 tbsp of the brandy to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any browned particles from the bottom of the pan. Return the skillet to the heat, being careful that the brandy does not flame up. Cook until reduced by half; this will happen very quickly. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and the brown sugar, stirring to combine. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture is sauce consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Add the reserved mushrooms to the pan and season with the salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining tablespoon of brandy. Serve immediately over warm steaks.

Ground Beef and Bean Tacos

I haven't been to the grocery store or cooked anything in a while now since there was Hurricane Irene and then a busy Labor Day weekend.  I wanted to make something that would be delicious and relatively quick.  I got the idea to make tacos, which I haven't made in years.  I went to my favorite cooking blog to look for a recipe and found one that I adapted slightly.  I used my own spices as opposed to buying a "taco seasoning" packet so I know exactly what is in there.  We also had my in-laws over for dinner and they enjoyed this dish too! 

Ground Beef and Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb of lean ground beef (I used 90/10)
1 medium white onion, diced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili pwder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 4oz can of diced green chiles
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 flour tortillas
Lettuce, chopped
Mexican Blend shredded cheese
Salsa
Guacamole

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the ground beef and break up the meat.  Add the onion and all the seasonings.  Stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.  Let it cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through.  Add the black beans and green chiles to the beef mixture and stir until well combined.  Set aside. 

Stack the flour tortillas on a plate.  Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for about 30 seconds, until the tortillas are soft. 

Fill each tortilla with the beef and bean mixture, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole.