Fun Fact Friday: More with less

Happy Friday, friends! Today’s fun fact is coming to you from the road, so I’ll keep it short and sweet so I can get on to the day’s meetings.

Did you know American cattlemen and women produce 20 percent of the world’s beef with only 7 percent of the world’s cattle? And producing more beef with fewer resources isn’t just good business sense; it’s great for the environment!

Weekend wrap-up and the week ahead

Greetings, beef lovers! I hope you all had a great weekend and got to eat something delicious.

The Mr. and I took a trip to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex this weekend to celebrate (albeit a little late) our 1st wedding anniversary, which was Aug. 23. We had a great time and some great food.

Saturday morning, we headed out. Our first stop once we hit the metroplex was lunch at Hooters. Now, I know what you’re thinking: 1.) Who eats at Hooters on their fake anniversary? And 2.) That’s a chicken joint!

But, as weird as it may sound, Hooters has a special place in our hearts. We ate there quite a bit together while we were still dating (and even once before), and we both really like the food. It became a bit of a tradition for us, and we’ve now eaten at Hooters in 5 different states (Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Hawaii and Maryland). We’re going for all 50!

And as far as the chicken goes, I actually eat beef there. Every time. They have a terrific hamburger and some of my all-time favorite fries (curly, well-seasoned and made even better with a side of jalapeno cheese sauce).

Later that day, it was off to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for their game against the Mariners, which the Rangers won, 7-3. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we headed to nearby Pappadeaux — something you definitely can’t get around here but we always fit it in when we’re traveling. Later that night, we saw Moneyball, the based-on-a-true-story movie starring Brad Pitt and that guy from Superbad. I definitely recommend it — we really liked it, and neither of us thought it was too long, which is saying a lot for 2 people who placed the 2+ hour length on the cons side of list when choosing which movie we would see. (What can I say? It's hard to hold our attention that long. My DVR was out last week, forcing me to watch the entire 2-hour season premiere of Grey's Anatomy. INCLUDING COMMERCIALS. I whined about it the whole time, and threatened to quit the show several times. Of course these whines and threats were directed only at Deuce, since the Mr. was understandably nowhere near the room where a 2-hour Grey's Anatomy was on.)

Sunday morning we got up in time to make it to Fred’s Texas Café for brunch. Fred’s brunch was a regular thing when we were dating (and I lived in the metroplex), but we hadn’t had a chance to get it in about a year. It did not disappoint — the sourdough biscuits and gravy were just as good as we remembered!

We got back yesterday afternoon in time for me to get my grocery shopping done and the laundry started — and to “pay” my dog sitter, who was nice enough to come take care of Deuce while we’re away in exchange for only a big container of my homemade salsa and a dinner that included onion rings.

This coming week is a busy one, and I’ll be out of town (and the kitchen) Wednesday through Saturday for work. But there’s lots of good stuff to come in October on Make Mine Beef, so I hope you’ll stick around. And, if you haven’t liked us yet on Facebook, be sure to visit Facebook.com/MakeMineBeef.

Have a great week!

Fun Fact Friday: Location, location, location

I talk a lot about tenderness on this blog. And, for good reason — no matter how flavorful a steak is, if it’s tough you just aren’t going to have a good eating experience.

There are a lot of factors that influence tenderness, but that’s for another blog post and another time. Today’s fun fact is one of the easiest rules of thumb:

The most tender cuts of beef come from the least-exercised portion of the animal: the mid-section. Commonly called middle meats, these are the premium steaks, such as strip (top loin), T-Bone, Porterhouse, ribeye, rib and tenderloin.

The more exercise a muscles gets, the tougher the meat becomes. That’s why cuts from the round, chuck, flank steak and skirt steaks are naturally less tender — they’ve been worked a lot harder. (Of course that doesn’t mean you should avoid these cuts; it just means you have to prepare them a little differently. My easy flank steak marinade is a good example.)

WebLove: Beef up your meat buying knowledge

Happy Thursday, friends! Here’s a great video from Today featuring my new favorite butcher.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Beef buying basics: The right cut for the job

Want to know one of the easiest ways to make sure you have a great eating experience every time you cook beef? Choose the right cut for the job.

While it’s hard to go wrong with any of the most tender cuts (like the tenderloin, strip, T-bone, Porterhouse, ribeye, sirloin or flat iron), that doesn’t mean you always need to select one of those cuts to enjoy tender beef. Less tender (and often more economical) cuts like flank or skirt steak or those cuts containing the words “round” or “chuck” will become tender when prepared properly — either by cooking with moist heat or by marinating before cooking with dry heat.

Need more help? Here’s a helpful chart (click to enlarge) from my friends at the Texas Beef Council. For more information, stop by their Cook it Right page here.

Beef taquitos

Tonight, for the first time ever, I made my own homemade version of one of my favorites — beef taquitos. These can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, require only 4 ingredients and are super delicious.

Here’s what you’ll need to make 10 taquitos:

10 corn tortillas (I got the largest ones, which are about the size of an average flour tortilla)

1 pound ground beef

Hot taco seasoning

Vegetable oil

Toothpicks

Brown the ground beef.

Add taco seasoning/water mixture and simmer according to package directions (or longer).

Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave or oven.

Add the tortillas, 1 at a time, to the hot oil to coat them. I let mine sit in the oil about 30 seconds per side and then transferred them to a plate. This will make them more pliable and prevent cracking.

Add ground beef to 1 tortilla and roll up tightly. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat.

Add to skillet, 4 or 5 at a time to prevent overcrowding, and fry about 5 minutes or until crisp, turning once. Drain on paper towels and repeat until you’ve finished. Remove toothpicks.

Serve with queso, sour cream or taco sauce, if desired.

They’ll look like this:

Fun Fact Friday: Agriculture and the job market

Did you know?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), for every $1 billion worth of agricultural goods exported, approximately 8,000 jobs are created.  Just another way agriculture is an invaluable part of our economy!

Happy Friday, everyone! What does your weekend hold?