Simply Delicious Beef Jerky

My boys love beef jerky.  OK, I love it too.  As a matter of fact, when my husband first met me I was a vegetarian....except for beef jerky;)  I buy bulk packages of it at Sams Club and it disappears.  It is expensive and I cannot afford that kind of beef jerky inhalation so I have been trying to come up with my own delicious recipes for a while now.  This one requires only simple ingredients that I usually have on hand and it is a winner.  The only other one that we have tried and liked as much was this Perfectly Spicy & Sweet Beef Jerky that I posted about a while ago {please excuse the terrible photo}.  I don't typically keep pineapple juice on hand so I don't always have the ingredients to make that one.  

Give this a try, you won't regret it!  If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate in your oven.  I have never done it but I am sure you can find some tutorials online!  

Simply Delicious Beef Jerky

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (e.g.

Tabasco™), or to taste 

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup brown sugar

Stir together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and hot pepper sauce in a bowl. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and sugar; stir until mixed.

To use, toss one pound of thinly sliced meat with the marinade until well coated. Place into a resealable plastic bag, and squeeze out the air. Marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours, mixing twice. Remove meat from marinade, and discard excess marinade. 

Prepare jerky according to the manufacturer's directions of your dehydrator.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Have you tried hummus yet?  If you haven't, let me just say that you really need to.  You see, I resisted for many years, I was more of a creamy/spicy type of Dip Addict (yes, I really am a dip addict, just ask my husband).  Something with a base of beans just sounded too healthy and boring.  Not that I don't strive to eat healthy, I do...sometimes.  Well, this dip is healthy but you would never guess it.  My kids even love it.  We prefer to eat it with pita chips, but it is also good with cut up raw veggies.  

I have attempted to make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus a few times now.  My first couple attempts were OK, but I honestly didn't think they were as good as the vat of Hummus that I like to buy at Sam's Club.  This one though?  Even better!  

I apologize, my camera battery died while making this and then it got eaten too fast so I never got a finished product shot!  Well, actually the food processor shot is of the dip finished, I just wanted a better shot;)

Here is what you will need (minus the apples...apples have nothing to do with this recipe, it was what my kids were eating for snack;):

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chick peas), drained and rinsed

4oz. roasted red bell pepper (or, even better, roast your own!)

1 tablespoon chopped red onion

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 Tbsp. tahini

juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. sriracha (or to taste)

scant 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 – 1 tsp. kosher salt (to taste)

1 tsp. basil

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the ingredients a few times.

Serve with Pita Chips &/or fresh cut up veggies.  If you don't devour it all in one day, don't fear, it will keep just fine in the fridge for up to a week.

Souce: ME!

One Year Ago:  Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Perfectly Spicy & Sweet Beef Jerky

I just looooooooooovve beef jerky.  Always have.  As a kid I never cared for meat (and spent many lonely nights at the dinner table wishing it would disappear from my plate).  By the time I got to my final years of high school, I had mostly sworn meat off.  I would occasionally eat poultry (very rarely), but never red meat and NOTHING off the bone.  The exception, of course, was always beef jerky.

Since I could easily be a vegetarian if it were not for the deliciousness of beef jerky, you should trust me when I say this is an awesome beef jerky recipe.  Give it a try!  If you don't have a dehydrator, they are pretty inexpensive.  If your kids can tear through the beef jerky like mine can, it would probably be a money saving purchase for you!  I can usually find great deals on lean roasts, like the one pictured below, at Sams club.  Either that, or watch your grocery store for sales!  Just remember, lean cuts are best for beef jerky!

I took a few extra picture detailing the process of making jerky.  The recipe is at the end of the pictures!

Here are the ingredients you will need.  You don't need much pineapple juice, but it is an important flavor component.  I recommend storing what you don't use in small portions in the freezer for next time if you are not a pineapple juice drinker.

 I find that my electric knife works wonderfully for thinly slicing the beef.  I like to place the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes first, which firms it up and makes it even easier.

Beef distributed on the dehydrator trays.

 What my dehydrator looks like.

 Now, this is NOT a good picture of the jerky.  I need to reshoot this next time.  Don't let that deter you from trying it though!

Perfectly Spicy & Sweet Beef Jerky

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper, or to taste

4 pounds lean round roast (or other very lean cut), sliced very thin

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

5 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

In a small bowl or cup, mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, and some cracked black pepper. 

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke flavoring and pineapple juice. Heat until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Add the seasoning mixture to the marinade.  Pour over the meat, and mix by hand to coat really well. Seal the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to marinate (overnight is best though).

Arrange the beef strips on the rack of a dehydrator. Dry for 5 hours, or to your desired dryness.

Store in refrigerator. 

One Year Ago:  Italian Wedding Soup

Gracie's Chocolate Muffins

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter wanted to play Nick Jr.  She hadn't played in quite some time, so I set her up with her very favorite Holly Hobby Dress-up game, then I went about my business.  Shortly after, she came up to me with a print out.  I began to scold her, because my kids have been known to have an little problem regarding printing stuff.  As in, they would use my entire ink cartridge in one day and send me out for another if I didn't put my foot down.  Before I was able to really get on her, she said, "But MOM!  It is a recipe!  I HAD to print it so that I could make it!"  Now, how can I be mad at that?  A girl after my own heart, printing out recipes when she could be playing computer games.

We made the muffins, and I must say they were DELICIOUS!  Nice choice Grace!  Her brothers appreciated her effort very much!  She was very excited for me to blog her recipe too, so here it is!

Gracie's Chocolate Muffins

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. milk

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Additional Chocolate chips for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 375*.  Grease or line with paper cupcake liners a 12 muffin pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk to blend.

Add the eggs, milk, and melted butter.  Stir until just blended.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Spoon into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle a few additional chocolate chips on top of each muffin.   Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; 18-20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes.  Invert and cool completely.  

Makes 12 muffins

Source: Slightly adapted from a recipe Grace found on Nick Jr.

Chewy Granola Squares

My kids just LOVED these Chewy Granola Squares.  They are such a perfect little snack to send with them to school and so easy to make.  Give them a try!  I know I will be making them again and again!  I feel much better about them eating these than the granola bars they are always asking for at the grocery store.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the finished bars (the last pic is right before they went into the oven).  I made these after I put the kids to bed one night and they disappeared so fast the next day I never got around to it! 

Chewy Granola Squares

2 1/2 c. Quick Rolled Oats

1/2 c. Rice Krispies

1/4 c. Coconut

1/2 c. M&M Mini's (you could sub chocolate chips, marshmallows, raisins, or anything your heart desires)

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 c. Butter, softened

1/4 c. Honey

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Add all of the ingredients together and mix until combined.  Press into a 9x13 inch pan (you may want to line with Parchment paper first for easy removal).  Bake at 350* for 18-20 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars.  Let set completely, then cut into bars.  

Source: My Tasty Treasures 

Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

I have been making these blueberry muffins for years.  I got the recipe out of a Cooking Light Five Star Recipes book that I picked up at the grocery store checkout, oh, maybe in 2002;)  It was originally published in the September 1992 issue of Cooking Light.  I absolutely love to use myrecipes (which includes most of Cooking Lights recipes) as a source for healthy and delicious food, but this delicious one isn't on there!  I actually looked this one up on the internet and couldn't find it anywhere!  I certainly don't know why!  It is one of my most-made muffins.  They are something I can really feel good about feeding my kids before sending them off to school in the morning.  They also love to take them for school snacks.

Sorry about the horrible picture quality.  I snapped this one at night, right after I made them, so the lighting was terrible.  Also, this time I made mini-muffins instead of the larger ones that the recipe indicates.  I often do this, they are just more manageable for the kids that way.  If you decide to go with the mini-muffins, be sure to cut the baking time down.

Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 c. unsweetened orange juice

2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil (I use Canola)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 oz. carton vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Cooking spray

1 Tbsp. sugar

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.  Combine egg and next 4 ingredients; add to dry ingredients.  Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter evenly into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle 1 Tbsp. sugar evenly over batter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until golden.  Remove from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Granola

Thought I'd get a post up quickly while I eat my breakfast this morning, then it is time to go play with the girls!  My niece spent the night last night and gets to hang out with Grace and I for the day.  Right now, they are making a giant tent to play house in:-)  We have plans of making some blue playdough and maybe heading to the library later!  Fun!

I just love this granola recipe.  It was given to me by my good friend, Jen, (who is a great cook) and I have already made it several times.  I like to eat it as cereal (it is very filling though, it doesn't take much!), plain, or a favorite of both my kids and I is to mix yogurt and berries together and top it with this granola (think McD's fruit and yogurt parfait).

Granola

4 c. regular oats

1/2 c. shredded coconut 

3/4 c. wheat germ

3/4 c. chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)

1/3  c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. dry milk

2/3 c. honey

1/4 c. Canola oil

Raisins, Craisins, or other dried fruit (optional- I leave them out to keep the hubby and kids happy)

Spray or lightly grease a jelly roll pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Combine honey and oil in small saucepan, heat to dissolve honey (I just heated it over medium-low while I mixed the dry ingredients).  Pour over the granola mixture, stir well.  

Spread in the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5.  It won't crisp up until it cools, so don't be tempted to over-bake it.  

Remove from oven, stir it periodically while it cools to separate the grains.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  You can also freeze this.