Delicious Old Fashion Recipes for Preparing Beef

 By Linda Carol Wilson 

Photo: farm3.static.flickr.com

Often the best recipes are the older ones. Do you fondly remember meals served by your grandmothers and/or mother? I have wonderful memories of eating at both my grandmothers houses. My paternal grandmother cooked on a big old cast iron wood powered cook stove and I remember it fondly. I grew up next door to my maternal grandmother and would always find a reason to be walking past her kitchen windows at dinner time. I rode a school bus several miles over the Indiana hillside to school and back. I loved walking into the house and being greeted by delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. Try these old fashioned recipes for preparing some very tasty beef dishes and maybe they will bring you some fond memories, too. Our filet mignon was made with ground beef!
MOCK FILET MIGNON
This family recipe is from the early 50s.
8 to 10 slices bacon
2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup American cheese (grated)
2 tbsp catsup
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Place bacon on a board with strips side by side. Combine the remaining ingredients together and mix well. Roll meat mixture into a 10-inch roll. Draw the bacon strips around the meat and hold in place with toothpicks. Slice into 1-inch rounds so that bacon surrounds each slice. Broil on each side until browned and done to your taste.
ONION-MUSHROOM CHUCK ROAST
This is a recipe from my childhood in Southern Indiana during the 1940s and 50s. This is still one of my favorite ways to prepare a chuck roast.
3 lb chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Rub the dry onion soup mix onto the top of the roast and top with the sliced mushrooms. Wrap the roast in foil, seal, and put into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 2 hours. (I make this recipe in my slowcooker now!)
EASY BEEF SHORT RIBS
3 lb beef short ribs
3 tbsp lard
salt to suit taste
pepper to taste
1 onion, quartered
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 bay leaf
2 cup water
Melt lard in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Brown meat and drain off excess drippings. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Mix remaining ingredients, except flour, together and pour over ribs; heat to boiling. Cover and simmer for two hours. Remove ribs and thicken sauce with the flour.
NOTE: Today I replace the lard with canola oil!
Enjoy!

For more of Linda's old-fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com

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Pizza Around The World

 By Sylvia Rieman 

Photo: gadgets-weblog.com

Pizza has become an international phenomenon in that wherever you go in the world there will be pizza. Pizza has been adapted to more cultures and cuisines than most other dishes around the world. When some local school children were asked where pizza originally came from, they thought it was from the area in which they lived. And rightly so, because pizza has been adapted to whatever region in the world you live. Barring that thought, pizza does have an interesting history and that begins in Greece, contrary to what most people probably think and that would be Italy.
There are conflicting stories revolving around the origin of pizza; one story is that the word 'Pizza' is derived from the Greek word Picea. Picea is an adjective that describes the black coating left on the bottom of dough by the burning ashes which were used in ancient ovens. The first pizzas were probably baked in wood burning stoves and may well have been black on the bottom from the ashes. Another story is that the Greek Flatbread was baked on an earthenware platter and was called piada. Whichever is true, pizza did originate in Greece although not in the form that we know it today. The Italians are responsible for the modern creation of pizza and that would be the flatbread with a tomato topping, cheese and of course whatever else you would like to put on it.
When we were in Venice, Italy, the pizza that was served to us was a personal size and was very thin. It was not sliced as it was meant to be rolled up like a burrito and eaten that way. The reverse was true of pizza sold on the street carts and was not really pizza but foccacia that had pizza toppings on it. These were sold in small portions that could be eaten out of hand.
In Holland, we ordered an everything pizza and contrary to the way it is made in the United States, each section had a different topping. We were used to the 'everything' pizza that had everything scattered throughout so that everyone could have a taste of everything. In this case, you could only have the toppings that were on the slices you chose.
When we were In Japan, Pizza Hut sold a California Pizza that was a baked pizza shell topped with shredded lettuce and tomato. From what I understand, the California Pizza that is sold today has a variety of fish and seafood such as tuna, squid and shrimp and seaweed! If you go online and search pizza in Japan you will see all kinds of interesting combinations!
Pizza in the United States has taken on all forms and is tasty on all counts. At one time, the thick crusted pizza that took half an hour to bake was very popular. Thin crusted pizzas have taken their place and sport all types of toppings. Let's start with the basic pizza and that would be just with a tomato topping, cheese and probably pepperoni if you are so inclined. I like my pizza with lots of vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and olives.
Popular styles of pizza are: Hawaiian, Mexican, Southwest Barbecued Chicken and one of my favorites, Chinese Barbecued Duck Pizza. The Hawaiian Pizza as featured in most restaurants is made with Canadian bacon (Portuguese Sausage would be more like it) and Pineapple along with the tomato and cheese. Southwest BBQ Chicken Pizza has a topping much like BBQ Sauce along with the chicken, red bell peppers and red onions and maybe cilantro and of course cheese. Chinese BBQ Duck Pizza uses Hoisin sauce instead of tomatoes and does have cheese, which is not a common item in the Chinese diet.
Along with flat pizzas there is calzone which got its name from the shape of the bottom of men's pants in Naples, Italy during another century. Today you can find pizza bagels, pizza dogs, stuffed pizza and on and on and on. Pizza is a close competitor of the All-American Hamburger and may have even surpassed the burger as everybody's favorite. Whichever you like your pizza, just enjoy it and if you are in the mood, try different styles, just for the fun of it.

I have been a children's cooking teacher and educator for over 35 years. I teach monthly classes in Westlake Village, California for children, teens and their parents. I love to share my ideas to help kids be safe, learn and have fun in the kitchen. I hold a MS in Nutrition Education and Food Sciences from California State University.
Please check out my website at http://www.sylveeeskitchen.com

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How to Make a Sundal - A Popular Indian Chickpea (Garbonzo Bean) Salad

 fromatovegan.com

This is a recipe from Tamil Nadu in southern India. Chickpeas are more often associated with north Indian cuisine but this tasty chickpea salad is bursting with the amazing flavours of the south. Be careful, it's addictive!
Sundal is eaten all day long in Tamil Nadu including breakfast. It is often eaten as a snack but is also a very popular and nice side dish. I really love the flavour of the roasted coconut and chickpeas together.
Chickpea salad is a favourite around my house at barbecues. If you like hummus, you are going to love this. It's so similar yet has a flavour all its own. The addition of raw urad dhal (white lentils) is popular in south Indian cooking. The urad dhal adds a crunchyness to the salad that is really nice but can be left out if you can not find white urad dhal lentils in your area.
Sundal can be eaten hot or at room temperature. Served hot, it can also accompany rice as a vegetarian curry. Add a tin of tomatoes if you like more sauce. I prefer to eating Sundal at room temperature as a finger snack which is the way it is most often served in Tamil Nadu.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
 
INGREDIENTS
 
800g (24 oz) canned chickpeas
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 fresh red chillies sliced down the middle
3 curry leaves
1 Tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 Tablespoon urad dhal
4 Tablespoon freshly grated coconut
2 red chillies finely chopped
Juice of two lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a small frying pan, lightly brown the coconut over medium heat. Set aside to cool.
Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Throw in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dhal and red chillies. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the chopped green chillies and stir around for about 30 seconds.
Now add the chickpeas with about a tablespoon of water and cook for about 5 minutes. throw in the roasted coconut and mix well.
Remove from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot or at room temperature.
Sundal is easy to make, tastes great and looks appetising. If you are looking for something different to serve at your next barbecue, give this a try. It is sure to go down well.

You will find many more easy and authentic Indian recipes like this one on my great curry recipes website.
The site is packed with Indian food and curry recipes that have been specially tested and written for the home chef.
I hope you enjoy reading and cooking the Indian food recipes at http://www.greatcurryrecipes.net
Dan M Toombs
The Curry Guy

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