Recipe: Bierocks.

The other day, Eric came home from work saying he wanted bierocks for dinner. Since we'd never made them before, I looked around online and pieced together what seemed like a good recipe. While I didn't really know what would constitute a "good" recipe, I was sold when I came across one that mentioned topping the bierocks with butter. High five!

According to Wikipedia (which is notoriously unreliable), bierocks are pastry pockets filled with ground beef, cabbage, and onions. They're kind of like empanadas, except these are from Germany or Russia or somewhere else over there.

BIEROCKS

INGREDIENTS
Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1 lb. ground beef
3 cloves garlic
2/3 white onion, diced
1/4 head cabbage
1 tsp sugar
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Prepare Hot Roll Mix according to directions.

Set dough aside to rest.

It should double in size.

Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, and salt/ pepper to taste.

Drain grease. Add cabbage, sugar, and more salt to taste, if needed. Cook over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the dough has rested, roll out onto a floured surface.

Use a medium-sized, circular object to cut circles into the dough. (We used plastic bowls.) Use leftover dough to roll out again and cut more circles. Repeat until dough is all used.

Fill dough circles with meat/ cabbage filling.

Fold sides up, overlapping one bit at a time, until the opening is all sealed. This doesn't have to look perfect, just make sure it's all sealed.

Flip bierocks over so the seam is on the bottom.

Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden.

Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

These bierocks reheat in the microwave just fine, making them the perfect leftover for lunch.

Have you had bierocks before? How does this recipe compare?

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Recipe: Taco Cups

I came across this recipe for Taco Cups on one of those "blog hops." You know the ones-  blog hosts a massive link up, which means you spend the next five hours hopping from blog to blog, pinning recipes/ crafts that you think you might do some day.

Tacos are a highly sought after staple in this house. The three of us love homemade tacos and we could easily have them several times a week. The downside: The greasy aftermath known as "the kitchen." So when I saw I could have crispy tacos without the oily mess, I was all over it.

TACO CUPS

INGREDIENTS
Ground Beef
Taco seasoning (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cumin)
Grated cheese
Corn
Salsa
Black beans
Tortillas
Non-stick spray
Note: These ingredients are just suggestions- add / omit to your liking.


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350 F (176 C). Coat a muffin tin with non-stick spray.

2. Saute ground beef, with spices, until browned. Drain grease.

3. Add cheese, corn, salsa, and beans to the ground beef until it's reached a consistency you like.

4. Cut tortillas into squares. I winged it on the size, then used a good-sized one as a template for the rest.

5. Stuff one tortilla square into each muffin cup. If your tortillas aren't very pliable, stick them in the microwave for a few seconds, then squeeze into muffin tins while warm.

6. Fill each tortilla cup with ground beef mixture. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

7. Top with whatever toppings you like- avocado, lettuce, tomato, hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, etc.

8. Eat!

Try these out the next time you feeling like eating Mexican and being healthy. Ha.

Boner'ppetite!

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Fool Me Once, Shame on Me. Fool Me Twice, Your Name is Probably Rachael Ray.

It's happened again. 

I fell for another Rachael Ray recipe.

Last weekend I got sucked into an episode of Rachael Ray's Week in a Day. It was "Diner Lovers' Week", so naturally I was like a moth to a flame.

Boyfriend and I decided to go with the Cheeseburger Chili. It was essentially chili cheese fries- what's not to love? And since it looked so good, WE HAD TO MAKE IT THAT NIGHT.

Well, I should have known something was amiss when her chili recipe involved ketchup and mustard. And it wasn't a typo either because I ended up coming across another chili recipe of hers that used the same ingredients. Ketchup and mustard?? That's not my bag, baby.

By this point, we were too far invested and quickly approaching the hunger games. Only these games are set in my kitchen, not the future.

Here's the condensed version of the recipe:

Chili with beans.

Cheese sauce.

Serve over oven fries.

Even though my photo makes it look pretty dreamy, it wasn't that great. I mean, it was edible. But I don't think I'll be making it again. The chili lacked flavor and, at all times, the cheese sauce was on the verge of turning gritty. (Anyone who's made homemade Mac N Cheese knows what I'm talking about.)

Anyway, I like the idea of this recipe. But I think next time I'll stick with my tried and true recipe for chili served over fries and just melt some cheese straight on top.


Have you ever tried Rachael Ray's recipes? Have you had any luck?

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Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

If you've never tried Shepherd's Pie, it's basically just ground beef and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy. No weird animal parts. Just good old meat and potatoes.

It's delicious.



I first tried this recipe when my coworker Sarah whipped it up for our office St. Patrick's Day potluck.

Not only was the dish impressive, Sarah said it was a recipe she found online and had never made before. And she said it was super easy.

I was sold.

Boyfriend and I have made this meal twice and it seems to be a pretty fail proof recipe. One of those times, I invited my teenage niece and nephew over and even THEY gave it the stamp of approval. That says a lot because kids (of any age) can be real assholes.


EASY SHEPHERD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cups vegetables (carrots, corn, peas)
1.5-2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
1 stick of butter
-1/2 cup beef broth
-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-salt, pepper, seasonings to taste



DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and quarter potatoes. Boil until tender enough for mashing.

2. While potatoes are boiling, melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large frying pan. Saute onions and carrots over medium heat until tender (10 min).



3. Add ground beef and saute until no longer pink. Add salt/ pepper/ or any other seasonings to taste.



4. Add carrots and peas.

5. Add Worcestershire sauce.

5. Add beef broth and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add more broth as necessary to keep it moist.

6. Mash potatoes with remaining butter.



7. Place beef mixture into a casserole dish. Distribute mashed potatoes evenly on top. Rough up with a fork so the peaks will brown nicely.



8. Cook at 400 until bubbling and brown (about 30 min). Broil for the last few minutes if necessary to brown.



Yield: Serves 4


NOTES:
-The more veggies, the better. Especially carrots and corn because they add texture.
-The first time we made it, we learned that the suggested amount of 1/2 cup of broth was way too much liquid. So the second time we made it, we added the full amount (so it wouldn't dry out), but then drained most of it before moving the beef mixture into the baking dish.
-I make the mashed potatoes according to my own recipe. More than 1/2 stick of butter was used. As well as salt, pepper, and milk.
-To add a little color, we sprinkled paprika over the top of the casserole before cooking.
-Both times, this recipe yielded 6 servings (not 4).

Boner'ppetite!

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Recipe: Baked Ziti with Ground Beef

Did I tell you I'm ALLLLLL over this whole "grass-fed beef" business?

I am.

I get it from my local Farmer's Market. And as cheap as I am, it's totally worth the $6.00 per pound.

What's the difference between grass-fed beef and regular-ass grocery store beef, you may be asking.

Well, regular-ass grocery store beef was probably fed a lot of corn (which bulks up the animal, but doesn't really do much in the taste/ health department), as well as anything else under the sun (including bedding and feces) and may or may not have been pumped full of hormones or antibiotics.

Now, I'm not one to get on my soapbox about eating healthy. Obviously. Because I'm actually probably the worst eater on the planet.

However, grass-fed beef actually TASTES so much better than store-bought beef. The color of the raw beef is much richer, there's absolutely NO scent to it when you open the package, and the second you start cooking it, it smells hearty and tasty. Not like rotting meat, which is something I've noticed with grocery store meat. Also, according to a bunch of endometriosis shit I've read, it's highly advised to eat organic foods because all the synthetic hormones in non-organic foods can aggravate the devil in my uterus. (Actually, it's even more highly advised that I completely cut meat out all together.) (Not going to happen.)

Anyway.

We picked up a package of grass-fed beef yesterday that was begging to be made for dinner tonight. Since I didn't have any specific cravings, I decided to consult my cooking sidekick, the Internet. Low and behold, I came across this recipe.


Baked Ziti with Ground Beef

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomato, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz of ziti, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella



DIRECTIONS
Saute ground beef, onion, and bell pepper in a large skillet until onion is tender and beef is lightly browned.



Drain fat/ liquid. Add tomatoes, sauce, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well.



Add ziti and one cup of mozzarella; mix well. Transfer to 2.5qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.



Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


NOTE:
-This casserole was a little salty for both me and Boyfriend. Next time, I'd take it down to 1 teaspoon of salt.
-We added freshly grated parmesan on top before it went into the oven. I like to think that made it more "Italian" and "delicious".

Boner'ppetite.

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