Now, it should be known that I’m a big fan of red meat. Yes, I know it isn’t the healthiest thing on the planet, but few things make me as happy as a perfectly cooked steak. Whenever I’m in a new town, I love to go to the local “best steakhouse” and trying it out.

As our family has been getting into healthier routines we have been choosing leaner cuts of beef which is what this whole outreach program is about. I’m sure they’ve been getting beat up lately, so this approach focusing on leaner cuts of beef is a smart one. They’ve even got a Healthy Beef Cookbook that I might add to my wish list since I can never have enough cookbooks in my house (although Laura would disagree).

The first part of the project involved me taking a personality quiz to match me up with my perfect cut of lean beef. The concept of this gave me a giggle, you can also take the Lean Beef Personality Matchup Survey for yourself to see what cut of beef is right for you. The quiz told me that mine was Strip Steak.

I’ve talked about it before that I do all the grocery shopping in our household, so going through the meat case to pick out good cuts of meat has never been something hard for me.

But, because it can be confusing there is even an “interactive meat case” that you can go to online to help you with the shopping process. One bit of advice for you is that if you are at the grocery store and feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most people who work behind the meat counter will be more than happy to give you advice and to help you find what you are looking for. I’ve learned a lot over the years from talking to them about all kinds of meat.

As part of working with the Beef Association, I’ve agreed to try one assigned recipe and then pick another one on my own to try out. They’ve assigned me Tender Pepper-Rubbed Strip Steaks with Grilled Vegetable Trio and I’ll be making it and sharing my experience with everyone here later this week. I’m still not sure what my second recipe will be since they’ve got so many to choose from and I haven’t picked one yet. They all look so damn yummy. But, whatever I choose you can be sure to see some yummy photos here shortly.

Of course besides drooling over the yummy steaks I’ll be cooking, I get to share the fun with you as well. Read the upcoming recipe posts to find out how you can win a Beef gift pack including a reusable shopping bag, apron and a $100 gift card to help you go shopping for your own personal lean beef adventure.

Happy eating!

Disclosure: I’ve been given a gift card to pay for the groceries used in these blog posts and of course the give aways have also been provided to me by the Beef Council and their PR Agency. If the recipes suck, you can blame them since they also provided those to me. *laugh*  http://cmp.ly/3

Related posts:

1. Pepper-Rubbed Strip Steaks
2. The Veggie “Problem”
3. 7 Can Chili Recipe

You need to know that I do all the cooking in my house. I plan the menu, do the grocery shopping and then do all the cooking. Over the years, I’ve learned what the family does and doesn’t like and can keep the variety going pretty well.

Then two weeks ago, my daughter Emily announced that she wanted to try being vegetarian. I thought this was great for her to try and was very nice these past two weeks not cooking some of her favorite dishes (such as salmon and steak) that might tempt her. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for her to try it during her two weeks.

But, then yesterday she told me that she is going to keep on doing it. I asked her why and she said. “because I kind of like it.”

Now, I FULLY support the idea of being a vegetarian. For me, it is just not something I could do as I enjoy all food and wouldn’t want to limit myself. We’ve always joked about how Emily could be a vegetarian because she has always loved her vegetables, but she also loved fish and meat as well. I suggested to her that she could definitely dial down the meat and fish in her diet without giving it up completely.

But, I’m stuck now because I don’t know what to do and I’ve got some worries including:

• I want to make sure she gets enough protein and iron in her diet.
• The idea of cooking almost two separate meals every day is not something I’m looking forward to.
• I don’t want to fall into the “well we can just make pasta again” trap because that is far from healthy.

I know there are plenty of books, articles and blog posts about this out there, but I also wanted to throw it out to you guys and gals.

While on the good side it’ll force us all to eat more veggies, on the other side this feels like a big old headache coming my way. I want to support my kids in all the decisions they make in life, but I also have to look at how this decision effects me as well.

Advice?

Related posts:

1. Memorial Day Essentials

Kielbasa is an interesting meat that can be used in a variety of situations from breakfast to dinner. If you didn’t read Chances breakfast recipe you should, but be warned it’ll make you hungry. We were sent two packages of Kielbasa and a cookbook that I can’t wait to try some new recipes out of. We thought it would be fun for Chance and I both to share a recipe and then let you win some sausage. (really not meant to be as dirty as it sounds!)

Here is my recipe for a quick, easy and tasty supper that is a breeze to make any day of the week. It is a little weird and a little different, but you can keep the ingredients on hand and whip it up when you suddenly have soccer practice and no time for anything else.

Fruity Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 packages Kielbasa
• 2 Large cans of Fruit Cocktail in heavy syrup
• 2 Boil In The Bag Brown Rice

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the Kielbasa into bite size chunks and place into a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Cook until heated all the way through
3. Drain out as much of the fat as you can
4. Place the sausage back into the fry pan and pour in the two cans of fruit cocktail
5. Heat all the way through until the fruit is hot
6. Make the rice as instructed on the packaging
7. Place a few large scoops or rice on the plate and spoon over the fruity sausage mixture
8. The rice won’t be good left over, but the sausage and fruit will reheat just fine on it’s own

We want YOU to get something out of this in addition to 2 great recipes, so Hillshire Farm has agreed to give away a year supply of sausage to one lucky reader. This contest is open to US residents only and don’t worry about the size of your freezer, you’ll be getting coupons from the company rather then a stack of meat.

You can enter the contest one of two ways. Either rename this recipe for me since I had to make up one for this post OR post your favorite Kielbasa recipe in the comment field below and then I’ll pick a winner and announce it here on the site.

If you are looking for recipes, swing on by Hillshire Farm’s Recipe Page for a variety of options. If you try one let us know.

Related posts:

1. Chance Cooks- Sausage Fest Challenge
2. 7 Can Chili Recipe
3. Pepper-Rubbed Strip Steaks

Hi. My name is Chance.

A couple months ago, the founder of this site, C.C. Chapman, e-mailed me to ask if I wanted to participate in a Sausage Fest.

“Chance! Hillshire Farms wants us to make food with their sausage. You in?”

Quicker than I could say “that’s what she said”, I replied in the affirmative.

Soon thereafter, I then received a care package of a few samples of Hillshire Meats. They immediately screamed “breakfast food.” Now, it turns out that recently I’ve been very into cooking “off the radar”; that is to say, I go into the kitchen armed with no recipe of any kind, and simply pick ingredients from the pantry and fridge and well, you know… rock n roll!

Sunday mornings is such a time for such a time for these experiments. While I don’t have any flour tortillas, I did just buy some lavash bread. So, I think I’ll make some kind of breakfast burrito style wrap!

(Want to make this now? Go to recipe at bottom)

There you have it: time to raid the pantry!

Starting ingredients

Ok, I have 5 eggs. Phew, check. Always have some kind of onion, check. 3 cloves garlic, because I like, no LOVE, garlic. Cilantro (2 TB maybe?), chopped. Green onion (1TB?), chopped. Butter in case I need it. And of course, the Hillshire Beef Keilbasa that prompted this challenge.

Mise en Place.

Oooh! Found a can of refried black beans! Went ahead and cut up about 1/2 lb of the sausage, first in rounds, then quartered.

Over high heat, began getting a good seared color to the sausage. Normally, I prefer using stainless steel or even cast iron, but since I wanted to cook my eggs gently (and try to make everything in one dish), I went non-stick.

After rendering and searing, remove sausage from pan onto paper towels. Reserve the rendered fat for more cooking.

You can see it's about a tablespoon, which is perfect.

Meanwhile, crack your 5 eggs into a bowl, and whisk well. Add a tablespoon of milk, and season with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Definitely don’t underwhisk these bad boys; you want a very uniform color, creamy and hell, even some froth.

Meanwhile, in a separate small sauce pan, warm up your black refried beans. Kick em up with the following spices:

• 1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika**(see note)
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin

**Note: Smoked Paprika rules. I can’t emphasize that enough. Buy yourself some and you will be happy and name your children after me.

In this dish, I wanted the beans to complement the smokiness of the kielbasa. A little goes a long way, so don’t go overboard. If you don’t have any, then just go with regular paprika, but trust me, it’s not even close to the same. Just sayin’.

Back to Main Pan

Over medium heat, warm up the rendered sausage oil/fat, a minute or two. Add your onions, two minutes. Then add your garlic, one minute. We’re going for translucent.

But what are those green things?

Shhhh. It’s Serrano. Don’t tell your wife, girlfriend or partner. It’ll be our secret. Shhhhhhh.
Return your meat to the pan (that’s what sh…hahaha)

Warm for a minute or so, lower the heat and pour your whisked eggs into the pan.

Then let set.

Ok, here’s my trick:I like soft scrambled eggs. I think hard, over scrambled, rubberized eggs are fricking gross. Yes, I said fricking. Case that serves a point in my favor: My MOM makes over scrambled rubberized eggs. The first time I made her soft scrambled eggs, she about cried tears of joy. You think I’m stubborn?? She’s STUBBORN. Game, set match: soft scrambled eggs. Here’s how:

The trick is managing the heat by not just using the burner. Sure, you definitely want low to medium low. It depends on how deft you are (not def, yo), and how long you want to wait. But the real trick is the pan handle. Yup. Grab that puppy and lift it off the burner.

I can’t give you amount of time, here. Every stove is different. It could be 5 minutes, it could be 15 (seriously). Use your fork and lightly drag it across the eggs. You’ll see the curds begin to form. If it’s cooking too fast, you’ll know it. It happens fast when it’s too hot. If so, just physically lift your pan off the burner, and let it mellow out. You want a slow, measured approach. You have the time, trust me. If you want a more custard approach, take a soft spatula and constantly and slowly stir under the lowest heat. Up to you, but know it’ll take longer.

Ok, now that you’ve mastered your soft scrambled eggs, and you’re just about ready, go ahead and add your cilantro and green onions.

With herbs like these, I prefer to add them at the end, so the heat doesn’t kill the flavor I’m going for. Add kosher salt, and black pepper to taste, and remove from heat.

Assembly

Take your tortilla (or in my case, lavash bread), and place on a plate. Spackle some refried black beans on the base, then put a fair amount of the sausage/egg deliciousness. Make sure to not overdo the amount (something I almost always do), because you’ll want to fold/roll your behemoth.

Add a handful of grated sharp cheddar Cheese, and then—good god, man—do the right thing and add Sriracha sauce. Add more cilantro if you’d like.

Roll/fold your behemoth, and nuke in the microwave for 30-60 seconds (just to melt the cheese.

Then behold: your Hillshire Breakfast Behemoth with soft scrambled eggs, Hillshire Beef Kielbasa, black refried beans and sharp cheddar cheese!

Recipe: I’m guessing this will feed 2 VERY HUNGRY people or 3-4 normal humans.

(ingredient amounts are estimated)

• 5 eggs
• 1/2 lb Kielbasa Sausage, cut up in 1/2″ rounds, then quartered
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can black refried beans
• 2 TB Cilantro chopped (separated)
• 1 TB Green Onions, chopped
• 1 cup or so grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Large Tortillas or Lavash Bread
• Sriracha sauce or favorite hot sauce

Spices for kicking up the refried beans:

• 1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika**(preferred; otherwise either eliminate or use regular paprika)
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Kosher Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

1. Over medium high heat, sear sausage for color and to slightly render. 5-8 minutes or so. Then remove from pan on to paper towels. Reserve the rendered fat in the same pan.

2. Meanwhile, crack 5 eggs into medium bowl. Add 1 TB of milk, pinch of kosher and couple grinds of black pepper, and whisk well. Looking for creamy, frothy, with uniform color.

3. Meanwhile, warm up black refried beans in separate sauce pan. Mix in spices (cayenne, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin. Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Keep warm.

4. Back to main pan: warm rendered oil over medium heat. Add onions: 2 minutes. Add garlic: 1 minute. Return meat to pan: one minute.

5. Lower heat. Add whisked eggs to pan, and carefully scramble. Do not over cook: drag small spatula or lightly drag fork across eggs to lightly scramble.

6. Add 1/2 tb of cilantro/green onions (to taste). Remove from heat and add kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Assembly:
1. Place tortilla or lavash bread on plate.
2. Add a couple spoonfuls of refried black beans.
3. Spoon sausage/egg deliciousness mixture over beans, taking care to not put too much. just enough so that you can properly fold/roll your behemoth.
4. Add handful of cheese, then sriracha sauce. garnish with cilantro and roll/fold your tortilla/lavash bread.
5. Nuke in microwave for 30-60 seconds until cheese melts.
6. EAT!

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/2

Related posts:

1. Fruity Sausage
2. 7 Can Chili Recipe

I show this picture of a Christmas Prime Rib I made not to showcase what you should be cooking, but to say you can cook this. I had never made it before. I was watching The Food Network with my daughter one night and it sounded yummy so I gave it a try. I was scared to death that I was going to burn it or mess it up in some fashion, but in the end it was simple to make. Pretty much, stick it in the over and forget it.

Trust me when I say that there is no faster way to a woman’s heart (and other parts *grin*) then through her stomach and if that isn’t enough of an incentive to learn to cook, then I don’t know what is!

To get you started, here are some of my personal favorite sites to find simple, well documented, easy to make recipes:

• Kraft Food & Family
  
• Men’s Health Recipe Finder
• All Recipes

In the future we’ll be posting some of our favorite “guy eats” right on this site to help you confident enough in the kitchen not to be scared of it. If you have some favorite recipes please contact us so that we can share them.

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1. Not the Normal Valentine’s Day
2. Fruity Sausage