WebLove: Vittles and Bits’ Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips

I was on Pinterest last week when I came across a photo of a side dish from Vittles and Bits that I knew I had to make immediately. (Click here for the recipe.)



Photo courtesy of vittlesandbits.blogspot.com

Doesn't that look amazing?

Now, granted, it was part of some list of French fry alternatives that frankly I found offensive. Avocado fries are not fries. Zucchini chips are not chips. Let’s call a spade a spade here, folks. But these looked so good I could put aside the fact that they made such a list and give them a try.

We liked them. A lot. So much I thought I’d share with you guys. I will say that, next time, I will slice them a little thinner since mine weren’t quite as chip-like as I would have hoped. But they were still really good. Also, I skipped making the sauce because we’re not big on chipotle — the Mr. preferred regular ranch and I’m a ketchup girl.

They’re the perfect complement for a steak or burger, and I highly recommend them. Hope you enjoy them too!

7 cooking tips for July

The last 2 months have been crazy for the Mr. and me, something that’s glaringly obvious if you look at the lack of posts on the blog. Between our jobs, travel to weddings, showers, meetings and family functions, puppy kindergarten for Vegas, and just general summer busyness, the blog has definitely taken a hit. (Though those of you who follow Make Mine Beef on Facebook know beef consumption and love is just as high as ever around here!) But, I hope to turn that around this month and can’t wait to share lots of goodies with you soon.

When I hosted Make Mine Beef’s live Facebook chat a few months ago, you guys were full of awesome ideas for future content. And, just because some of those ideas haven’t shown up on the blog yet doesn’t mean they aren’t coming! I hope to bring them all to fruition during the next few months. And today, I’m using one of those ideas and sharing some good old-fashioned cooking tips. Nothing to revolutionary here — just a few things I’ve picked up that might possibly help someone else, too.

So, without further ado, Make Mine Beef’s 7 random cooking tips in honor of the seventh month:

Dry meat browns better.  I’m only somewhat embarrassed to admit I learned this from Julia Child. Except not so much from her, as from the movie Julie and Julia. Ever since, I’ve patted my steaks dry with a paper towel before seasoning them. Who says you can’t learn anything from the movies?

Water + vinegar + baking soda works wonders on the stickiest, nastiest pots and pans. I learned this one via Pinterest, and it’s one of those things from Pinterest that actually works. You know, unlike the “just like Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter” recipe that completely ruined my day that time. If you have a pot or pan that has some burnt-on-food stuck to the bottom or sides, there’s no need to scrub and scrub and scrub. Just fill it about halfway up with water, add a few splashes of white vinegar and return to the stove on medium-high heat until it boils. Remove from heat, sprinkle in some baking soda and it will scrub away much easier. Love this for those times I wasn’t paying enough attention to a sauce and end up with a mess.

Use the grill’s heat to keep it clean between uses. This is a tip from my mom, a master griller. After taking your steaks or burgers off the grill, turn the heat up a little and leave it on for about 15 minutes. It will “burn off” a lot of the yuck and make your grill much easier to clean. Tip within a tip: set a kitchen timer to remind you to turn the grill off, or else you’ll think about it 3 hours later — or the next day — when you’ve run out of propane.

Moist cakes, brownies and other baked goods every time? It’s as easy as water. I learned this one from my grandmother. Anytime you bake something sweet, especially something that has a tendency to dry out a little, just cook it with a pan of water underneath. I always put a cake pan full of water on the lower rack and let it heat up as the oven preheats. The steam from the lower rack will keep whatever is cooking on the top rack moist and delicious. This tip is the best thing to ever happen to my brownies!

Disposable pans are a (insert my maiden name here) family tradition. This one really needs no explanation. Disposable pans are fantastic and probably the biggest time-saver ever. You know, until my dreams of a disposable stovetop and self-cleaning kitchen are fulfilled.

Crisco is much better than oil for seasoning cast-iron skillets. Again, thank you Pinterest. How did I never know this before? Old school Crisco works about a million times better than regular oil when seasoning cast-iron skillets. Just smooth some on a hot, clean skillet using a paper towel and you’re all set. It soaks right in and creates an awesome surface for the next meal.

Dawn is the perfect degreaser — for clothes. If you’re like me, you get an oil splatter on your clothes almost every time you fry. While an apron works wonders, I’m pretty good at finding the one uncovered spot and getting grease there. But, recently I learned a super easy tip that works fantastically. Just pre-treat any grease spots with a little Dawn (I always pre-treat while I am still wearing the clothes so I don’t forget) and voila… It almost always washes out.

What are some of your favorite kitchen tips?

Grilled cheese bacon burger

The Mr. likes Carl’s Jr. A lot. So, last week, when I was headed home from puppy kindergarten (yes, that’s a real thing) with Vegas and asked him if he’d like me to bring him some dinner since he was working late, it was no surprise he requested a double western burger and criss cut fries from the chain.

In his very greasy (not that there’s anything wrong with that) bag was a coupon for the chain’s newest creation, the grilled cheese bacon burger. I could tell he was intrigued by the way he said, “Hmm.”

Being the competitor that I am (he’s already accused me of trying to “win” puppy kindergarten, which, of course I am) I took that as a challenge. "Challenge accepted," I said in my best Barney Stinson voice.

And so I present, Katrina’s grilled cheese bacon burger. Made especially for the Mr. but perfect for sharing with your cheese-loving sweetheart as well.

Ingredients

½ pound of 85/15 ground beef

Garlic pepper

Sea salt

3 pieces of thick-sliced bacon

2 slices American cheese

2 slices Swiss cheese

2 slices cheddar cheese

2 slices of Texas toast, buttered on one side

Mayo or Miracle Whip

Directions

Place ground beef in a bowl, season well with garlic pepper, mix it up with your hands and repeat until it’s well seasoned throughout.

Form into a patty and return to fridge.

Preheat an electric griddle to 350 degrees.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place Texas toast, buttered side down, on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Add 1 slice of each type of cheese  to each slice of bread.

Add hamburger patty to griddle and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Cook 5- 6- minutes or until well-seared and flip. Cook another 6- to 8- minutes or until desired doneness. (Cooking time will vary based on thickness of patty.)

Place cookie sheet in the oven and cook about 10 minutes. Then crack the door and set oven to broil for 1-3 minutes to finish it off. The cheese should be very melty, but not brown.

While the hamburger and bread is cooking, prepare the bacon according to package directions.

Place the hamburger patty on one piece of bread. Top with mayo and bacon and add second piece.

The Mr.’s looked like this:

Oven-roasted tri-tip with green chile-jalapeno mashed potatoes

As you may remember, my friends at Certified Hereford Beef hooked me up with a couple of AMAZING tri-tips earlier this month. The first one I grilled, but for the second one I thought I would show how versatile this cut is by oven-roasting it. After all, sometimes grilling just doesn’t fit the rest of your plan! I also wanted to experiment a little with my mashed potatoes and make something a little Tex Mex-y. Here’s how you can duplicate both.

Oven-roasted tri-tip

Ingredients

1 tri-tip

Coarse sea salt

Coarse black pepper

Garlic powder

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle both sides of the meat with the seasonings.

Heat an oven-proof Dutch oven on the stove to medium-high heat.

Add butter to Dutch oven and allow to melt thoroughly.

Add tri-tip and cook 5 minutes per side to sear.

Transfer to oven and cook 25- to 35- minutes or until an instant-read thermometer indicates desired doneness. (I like to pull mine out before it’s quite to the desired temp since it will continue to cook just a little more while it rests.)

Move tri-tip to a plate and tent with foil. Allow to rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

Green chile-jalapeno mashed potatoes

Ingredients

1 baking potato

1 head of garlic (I use most or all of the cloves, but if you don’t love garlic the way we love garlic, just reduce the amount.)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Coarse pepper

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 jalapenos, stemmed/seeded and then minced

½  can chopped green chiles

½ cup sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

To the roast the garlic:

Cut the top off and discard, exposing the cloves.

Brush or spray the exposed cloves with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and coarse pepper. Wrap in foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. (You can do this up to several days ahead of time and refrigerate it, or do right before you need it.)

When you’re ready to cook the potatoes (about 40 minutes before you’re ready to eat dinner):

Wash and cut the potato into 4 pieces. (You can peel it if you want, but I prefer skin-on.)

Place the potato pieces in a pot and cover with water. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the pot. Bring to a boil on stove and cook until tender, about 35 minutes or so usually.

While the potatoes are cooking, add the heavy whipping cream and butter to a saucepan and heat on medium. Allow to reduce. The process only takes about 10-15 minutes, but it won’t hurt to start it when you start the potatoes and just reduce the heat or even turn it off toward the end.

When potatoes are done, drain and pour back into pot or into a mixing bowl. (I like to use my stand mixer if it’s not already in use.) Add the butter and cream mixture a little at a time (you probably won’t need it all, especially if you’re like me and like your mashed potatoes a little on the dryer side), add the peppers and cheese in, and mix using an electric mixer until you’ve reached your preferred consistency. Add some sea salt and coarse pepper and give it another quick mix.

Our dinner looked like this:

McCormick steak rub

A while back, I mentioned my friends at the Black Ink Basics blog sent me a little prize package for participating in one of their Facebook polls. It was full of some great stuff — a magnetic notepad (I love notepads!), a really good instant-read meat thermometer and a container of steak rub created for Certified Angus Beef by McCormick. Not only was the steak rub delicious, but it came with a recipe for duplicating it once the canister was empty. How cool is that? And since the Mr. and I both thought it was pretty awesome on our ribeyes tonight, I thought I better share it with you, too.

¼ cup kosher salt

2 teaspoons McCormick ground black pepper

1 teaspoon McCormick paprika

2 teaspoons onion salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground coffee

½ teaspoon McCormick ground thyme

Hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend, and get to enjoy some great beef with your family and friends!

Certified Hereford Beef tri-tip

I just had the best meal. Now, I know, it’s not cool to brag on your own cooking. But, see, I’m really not. I know it had very little to do with me and much more to do with the delicious piece of beef we just enjoyed.

I’ve wanted a tri-tip incredibly bad since discussing the wildly-popular-in-California-seldom-seen-in-Texas cut with a couple of beef industry friends about 1 year ago. When my friends over at Certified Hereford Beef found out, they delivered. (OK, technically the UPS driver delivered, but they sent the package my way.)

Last week, I received 2 vacuum-sealed frozen Certified Hereford Beef tri-tips. I cooked the first tonight and will get the second one cooked (using a different method of preparation) and blogged later this month.

Since this was my first time cooking (or eating) a tri-tip, I decided method No. 1 would be nothing fancy — just a simple preparation method that would bring out the great-tasting beef. I highly recommend this method if you’re looking for an easy, yet special, meal. It was one of the most tender pieces of meat I have ever cooked and had a great flavor. It's going to be hard to improve on how good this one was! Thanks again, CHB!

Ingredients

1 tri-tip

Coarse sea salt

Coarse ground pepper

Garlic powder

Pam for Grilling

Directions

Spray cold gas grill with Pam for Grilling

Turn 1 set of burners on and preheat to medium heat, letting grill reach about 400 degrees

Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder generously (or to your liking) on both sides of the meat

Place tri-tip over the flame and sear about 5 minutes on each side

Move beef to the opposite (flameless) side and cook about 20 minutes or until it reaches about 5 degrees cooler than your desired internal temperature — for medium rare, that means remove it at 140 degrees

Place meat on a plate and tent with foil, allowing 5 to 10 minutes of resting time

Slice and serve

Beef buying basics: The T-bone

I haven’t done a beef buying basics post in a while and, since it happens to be one of my favorite subjects, I knew it was time. I decided I’d pick a specific cut and focus on it — what it is, how to cook it, anything else you should know. If you like this type of post, be sure to let me know and I’ll write more like it… featuring different cuts, of course.

Tonight, I feature the T-bone, a delicious cut that just happened to be on sale at my favorite local beef source this evening.

Here’s what a T-bone looks like, pre-grilling, seasoned with only coarse sea salt and coarse pepper. (See all that marbling? Yum!)

As you can see, the T-bone is actually made up of 2 separate cuts of beef. The longer, more narrow piece of meat is the strip steak (also known as New York strip, top loin, Kansas City steak or club streak), while the round piece is the tenderloin (also known as the filet or filet mignon).  Both of these cuts meet the government’s guidelines for lean, so when you purchase a T-bone, you’re actually getting 2 great lean steaks in 1!

Now, you might be thinking, That looks a lot like a Porterhouse. Well, you’re right! They do look similar, because they are. The Porterhouse is also made up of the strip steak and tenderloin. The only difference is the Porterhouse has a larger tenderloin. To be exact, according to beefitswhatsfordinner.com,  the tenderloin on a T-bone is no less than ½-inch in diameter, while the tenderloin on a Porterhouse is between ½-inch and 1 ¼-inch in diameter.

I like T-bones for several reasons:

1.)    They are lean, yet tender and flavorful.

2.)    Can’t decide between a tenderloin or a strip (2 of my favorite cuts)? You get the best of both worlds with a T-bone.

3.)    There are always leftovers. I can usually get about 3 meals off of a T-bone.

4.)    They are easy to prepare. They don’t need a special marinade or rub to be tender and delicious. In fact, I just seasoned these with salt and pepper and threw them on a hot grill for about 8 minutes per side and they were perfect.

5.)    While I love a good filet, I rarely cook them because it’s just not enough meat for the Mr.’s big appetite. But if I make T-bones, I get some buttery deliciousness from the small tenderloin while he gets a big steak.

Here’s what they looked like fresh off the grill:

Did you like this post? Would you like to hear more about other great cuts of beef?