Beef Dishes

Beef Wellington

~ Marlee And Christie ~ 1 Comment

Not only is Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, tomorrow is Galentine’s Day and we can’t think of a better recipe to not only impress your beau but you can impress your Gal-Pal’s with this wonderfully delicious and mouthwatering recipe.

This recipe comes from the Hell’s Kitchen Cookbook that we adapted for TYL. One thing about us, besides our love for Gilmore Girls and TV, we LOVE cooking shows (obviously), especially shows that involve Gordon Ramsay (yum). When we were in film school, our dear friend CJ, told us we had to watch Hell’s Kitchen. At that time, we knew of Gordon Ramsay but didn’t know much more than he was British, was a chef, and liked to yell. We weren’t sure if we were going to enjoy watching but once we started, we were hooked.

We not only watched all of the  Hell’s Kitchen that Hulu had to offer, but every Gordon Ramsay show we could stream. We truly LOVE Gordon Ramsay especially his insults, specially when he calls people a donut or a donkey.

But if you watch enough Hell’s Kitchen, you see the same recipes made over and over and one of those recipes happened to be Beef Wellington. We didn’t know much, other than it seemed complicated, made Gordon yell at you if it wasn’t cooked right, and it looked freakin’ delicious. When we realized that Gordon had a steak house in Las Vegas, and they severed Beef Wellington, we booked our hotel and drove to Vegas to have one of the most amazing meals we had had in our adult lives. The years passed, and we kept saying, that we were going to learn, but we never did. And finally last Christmas, we decided Christmas Beef Wellingtons would be the perfect main dish for our holiday celebrations. After testing it three times, we finally figured it out. We think Gordon would have been proud of our determination!

And while this recipe can seem tedious and time intensive it’s totally worth the time and effort because the results are mouthwatering. It’s one of those recipes that once you learn it, you could almost do it without a guide. Its not so much about the measurements, its all in the feeling.

We guarantee if you make this for your significant other, you’ll definitely be getting some lovin’. Maybe find a use for any leftover blackberry sauce? Too dirty? Maybe, but you haven’t tasted this sauce. It’s so good, that just typing/thinking about it makes our mouths water.

Also, if you really want to get into the Valentine’s Day Mood, check out friend CJ’s band, The Summit. They just covered a sexy song from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack that you can definitely listen to while eating our Beef Wellington.

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TYL’s Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stew)

~ Marlee And Christie ~ 3 Comments

TYL’s BEEF BOURGUIGNON

We’ve been sitting on this recipe for over a year. We’ve been waiting for the perfect time to share this recipe and now is the time. The weather is cool and kind of dreary and it’s perfect weather for Beef Stew or if you’re being classy, Boeuf Bourguignon. Which is beef cooked in a red wine sauce, which is basically pretentious beef stew.

The dish itself originated in the Burgundy region of France which in French is pronounced Bourgogne. Get it? Boeuf (Beef) Bourgogne (Burgundy)? Magic! The Burgundy region is located South-East of Paris. Tons of well known  dishes come from the Burgundy region like Coq Au Vin, which is basically, according to Julia, the same dish as Boeuf Bourguignon, but with chicken. Escargot, Persille Ham, and Pain d’épices (spice bread or gingerbread) to name a few also come out of the Burgundy region.

Boeuf Bourguignon is a wonderful dish for the fall and winter months because it is hardy, warm and will keep you full for hours. The dish is prepared by braising the beef in a red wine and beef stock, and you traditionally use a burgundy wine. According to Julia the wine doesn’t need to be expensive because you’re cooking it, not drinking it. So don’t worry about getting a fancy bottle of wine for this dish. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your wine is expensive or not.

What’s funny about this dish is it started out as a peasants dish  because traditionally tougher cuts of meats were used, but while braising they became tender. But over the years the dish grew into “haute cuisine” and became a classic staple in French Cooking.

Julia Child once said that Boeuf Bourguignon was ,”certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man”.

And you know what? We have to agree. We’ve actually spent a lot of time working on this recipe and  are really excited to share it with you. If you have the time, we also suggest googling Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon and watching the very first episode of the The French Chef . She’s so incredibly funny and is a riot to watch.

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Classic Chimichurri

~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Classic Chimichurri

Today’s recipe is a chimichurri which is traditionally a green herb sauce to serve over grilled meat. The recipe origins can be traced back to Rio de la Plata, Argentina. Traditionally, chimichurri is made by blending parsley, garlic, mint, and oregano with oil.

Before we made this recipe, we totally thought the main green herb in this dish was cilantro but after doing some research, we realized that cilantro is the last thing that would be put into this wonderful dish, and for that we are thankful! Because, if you didn’t know you know now, we really dislike Cilantro. Christie HATES it, and Marlee (me) strongly dislikes it.

A few Sunday’s back we invited our friend Claudia over dinner, and we asked her if she could have anything for Sunday dinner, what would it be. And this is what she wanted. We were a little nervous making something we’d never made before*, but then we realized, it’s just like making pesto! You allow the food processor to do all the work, and all you really have to do is season the meat, and it cook it.

*According to Christie, after proofreading this, she informed me that we actually did make a chimichurri sauce once before but she refused to eat it because there was cilantro in it. I personally don’t recall this memory, but that’s okay. Enjoy our recipe! And remember there is nothing to be afraid of in the kitchen, except maybe the garbage disposal. Those are scary.

Classic Chimichurri

Classic Chimichurri

Classic Chimichurri 

Ingredients

Chimichurri 

  • 2 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley (Fresh)
  • 1 Cup Mint Leaves (Fresh)
  • 1 Cup Oregano Leaves (Fresh)
  • 1 Cup Garlic Olive Oil
  • 4 Teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
  • 16 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Pounds Skirt Steak

Dry Rub 

  • 2 Tablespoons Oregano Leaves (Dried)
  • 2 Tablespoons Basil Leaves (Dried)
  • 1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes (Dried)
  • 1 Tablespoon Thyme Leaves (Dried)
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Freshly Ground Pepper
  • 1/2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
  • 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

Step 1: 

For the dry rub, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. How easy was that?

Step 2: 

In a food processor combine the parsley, mint, oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pulse until broken down, 2 to 3 pulses.

Step 3: 

Next add the olive oil and pulse until smooth.

Step 4: 

Using as much dry rub as you’d like, cover your your skirt steak with your dry rub. Make sure you massage it into your meat, you want that flavor to go everywhere.

Step 5: 

Next, add about half of the chimichurri sauce and massage that into the meat as well for maximum flavor.  Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours. Remove the meat about 30 minutes before you plan on cooking.

Step 6: 

You can either grill your meat on your grill or in a large skillet on the stove. We use a stovetop griddle that lays on top of the burners. Super helpful!

Okay, so turn your grill or pan to high heat and allow to heat for a few minutes. When your cooking device is good and hot, lay your meat down and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Step 7: 

Allow the meat to rest for at least five minutes, and then cut the meat across the grain and serve with the rest of your classic chimichurri sauce.

Classic Chimichurri

(That lovely mouth you see is our friend Claudia, anxiously awaiting our food)

Classic Chimichurri

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

This is our homemade Hamburger Helper, inspired by a wonderful recipe that found us while we were hungry at the market. NEVER SHOP HUNGRY!

Anyways, this is a great alternative to the box stuff because shocker: it doesn’t have a hundred unnecessary chemicals! We always try to make the things we love but don’t love us back. Then we skip the chemicals and add the fun!

Even if you don’t think you’ll like this, it’s an elevated version, and tastes really good!

Note from Christie: I used to eat the instant microwave version of this in my dorm freshmen year of college. Oh the meat, it was so chewy. NEVER AGAIN!!

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1 cup onion
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup milk or sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth/stock/or water
  • 1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Noodles (traditional egg noodles or we used quinoa pasta from Trader Joe’s)

Step 1:

Dice or mince onions and mushrooms into an uniform mixture.

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

Step 2:

Heat skillet with olive oil and sauté until the mixture is half-way done, then add the meat to brown. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

Step 3:

Add beef stock and either milk or sour cream (I don’t think you need both, because I think it’s too much), and cornstarch to thicken.

{So, we didn’t take a picture of this part because it looked hideous, but tasted great. We just didn’t want to scare you away from this because of this ugly duckling stage.}

Step 4:

Add noodles, cook until pasta is done. We prefer al dente, but some people, *cough*Franny*cough*,  love(s) mushy pasta.

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger (Lord)HelpMe Style

P.S.  This is commitment:

Beefy Saint Paddy’s Day Guinness Stew (Slow Cooker)

~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY! We hope you’re wearing green and if you’re not, we hope you’re not being pinched!

Today’s recipe is a favorite of ours Slow Cooker Guinness Stew! No pictures today, just this delicious, hearty, beef stew recipe. And it’s super easy to make, if we were Ina we would be saying, “How easy is that?”

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Okay, back to the recipe. This one is super easy, and requires almost zero effort. All you do is throw things into a crock pot! How easy is that? 😉

What You Need

  • 1 to 2 pounds stewing beef
  • 2 to 3 russet potatoes (chopped)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 carrots (chopped)
  • 3 parsnips (chopped and optional)
  • 3 celery stalks (chopped)
  • Two 12oz Bottles of  Guinness
  • Beef Broth (About 2 cups, give or take)
  • Worcestershire
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 to 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • Kosher Salt
  •  Pepper

**First turn on your crock pot to high, and just let it heat until you’re ready to use it.

Step 1:

Cut the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, and onions into large chunks. You really don’t want them too small or else as they cook, they will become mushy! Put chopped veggies off to the side.

Step 2:

Okay, I know we said you throw everything into a crock pot, but this step is totally worth it. You don’t have to do it, but I think you’ll thank us in the end. Season your meat liberally with kosher salt and pepper. In a pan heat some olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is shimmery, throw the first batch of the meat in and brown on all sides. Remove and place on paper towels, repeat until all the meat is browned.

Step 3:

See? Was that so bad? Easy peasy! Next, add all your chopped veggies into the crock pot, then the meat, bay leaves, and rosemary. Next pour the Guinness in, add a couple splashes of the worcestershire. Pour in the beef stock until everything is covered.

Step 4:

If you plan on cooking this on HIGH, you’ll want to cook it for 4 to 6 hours. If cooking on LOW, you’ll cook for about 10 to 12 hours.

This recipe is great to cook overnight or prep the night before, and leave it while you go to work. As with some dishes like this, it’s always better the next day. But if you can’t wait (don’t worry if you can’t, we have made many of dishes and then ate them straight away) serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or serve with bread.

Another plus to this recipe is you can really add whatever you like. You can add garlic, add more potatoes, less carrots, more celery, don’t like russet potatoes you can add red potatoes and you get the idea. It’s really easy and really versatile.

Happy Cooking!