And the Oscar for best performance in a beef dish goes to…
February 22nd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
The Oscars, or as they are supposed to say, the Academy Awards, are this weekend and that means P A R T Y! And what is a party without a little nosh, right? So in keeping with the films up for award, we’ve pulled together some fun food ideas for your Oscar Party…err, Academy Awards Party.
And the Oscar for best performance in a beef dish goes to…
The Artist … because the classics never go out of style
The Descendants (of the humble hamburger)
The Help (you’ll need to stuff these shells is worth it)
If you can think of fun recipes for Hugo, War Horse, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close or The Tree of Life, I’d love to hear your suggestions!
Enjoy!
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About the author: Heather is part of the Canada Beef communications team. She lives with her husband and their two dogs in house with a great kitchen. She cooks a lot and loves learning all the ways to enjoy Canadian beef.
Family Day Fun with Food
February 17th, 2012 § 2 Comments
Who taught you how to cook? Do you have memories of helping your grandmother make something special? Or helping your mom make cupcakes to take to school for your birthday? Do you remember the first meal you ever made yourself?
I am blessed to have had many people help me along my journey to become a pretty good home cook (if I do say so myself! LOL). My Mother makes the meanest potato salad known to man, something I still can’t seem to replicate. My Dad taught me how to grill the perfect steak. And both my grandmothers gave me my deep love of using butter.
Even now, as I get older, I still learn new things from all my parents in the kitchen. We’re never to old to learn a new trick or two right!?
Here's Karine, a registered dietitian here at Canada Beef, with her son in the kitchen
So this Family Day weekend, enjoy some time in the kitchen together. You’ll create memories that last a lifetime and meals you can enjoy together.
Here's Joyce, Canada Beef's Culinary Manager, cooking with her son
We’ve pulled together some tips, recipes and ideas to help make this Family Day FUN with food. Have fun!
- Canadian Living has some great tips on keeping little ones safe in the kitchen and;
- how to encourage young kids to take charge in the kitchen and;
- Cooking teaches kids important developmental skills
- Recipe: Speedy Beef Sloppy Joes a classic kid favourite!
- Recipe: Cowboy Beef & Bean Casserole
- Recipe: Beef Taco Construction – kids love assembling meals themselves and this is a great way to encourage trying new foods
- We all want to eat smarter – especially when feeding our children. We’ve got some easy ways to make every bite count for your little ones.
Everyone needs zinc, but young children are especially vulnerable to zinc deficiency. Getting enough zinc can be challenging for young children with smaller appetites; even mild zinc deficiency may lower resistance to infection and limit a child’s growth.
One serving of Canadian beef will meet the daily zinc needs of a young child (1-8 years). A serving is about the size of two lipsticks. Don’t think the kids can eat that much in one sitting? Split it up – have a smaller portion of thinly sliced roast beef wrapped around cheese or bread sticks for lunch and spaghetti with a couple of meatballs for dinner.
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About the author: Heather is part of the Canada Beef communications team. She lives with her husband and their two dogs in house with a great kitchen. She cooks a lot and loves learning all the ways to enjoy Canadian beef.
Nothing Says Love Like Canadian Beef, seriously.
February 7th, 2012 § 2 Comments
I’ve been thinking about love lately since everywhere I look I see ideas for your loved one on Valentine’s Day.
How about baking cupcakes with candy canes formed to make a heart?
Or create a sweet, candy heart gift box to house your Valentine’s day treasures:
Or why not make a great meal and have the “right” wine to go with it? (isn’t any wine, right? 
) with 17 Romantic Food and Wine pairings.
See that steak? For my hubby – that is the epitome of showing you care. In fact, all beef is.
I have loved my hubby for a long time, and my hubby loves me. I am a lucky woman. He’s kind, funny, a wonderful father, great to chat with and easy on the eyes. But my hubby – and forgive my sexism here – is like a lot of men, not so chatty in the “You make my life so wonderful” words department.
But all I have to do on February 14 is cook something, anything with Canadian beef and the words of love start flowing….so I did a quick look on www.beefinfo.org for some great inspiration.
I’m thinking about:
Strip Loin Steaks with sautéed mushrooms:
Yummy with some roasted potatoes, and a Caesar salad.
Or this simple recipe has restaurant flair – and the cranberries give it festive colour for Valentine’ s Day:
Or I could go all traditional and cook a roast. Honestly, in our house, roast equals love:
So how about Putting- on- the -Ritz Roast Beef?
Tastes like you spent a lot of time and effort, but it’s so easy to make. And be sure to whip up the wine gravy to go along with it, it’s delicious!
So what are you thinking of preparing for your honey this Valentines’ Day?
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Janet works at Canada Beef in communications. She loves discovering delicious new ways to prepare Canadian beef. It’s a good thing too, since she lives happily in “man world” with her hubby Steve and teen sons Ryan and Ben, where there isn’t a great meal, unless it includes beef (and perhaps an energy drink. 
)
Canada Beef wants to help you Eat, Write, Retreat…Again!
February 6th, 2012 § 52 Comments
Here at Canada Beef Inc, we love bloggers. We love you because you tell the story from your side of the table, sharing with us your amazing recipes, your beautiful photos and your feedback on all that makes Canadian Beef great. Talented bloggers help Canadian Beef shine, and we’re excited to return the favour!
We had so much fun last year, we’ve once again partnered with Eat, Write, Retreat, the fabulous food blogging conference in Washington DC to create three scholarships for Canadian bloggers to attend. Read all about the excellent adventures our scholarship winners had last year here.
Eat, Write, Retreat is an intensive, hands-on weekend designed to help food bloggers take their work to the next level. Workshops in the culinary arts, creative writing, food styling and photography are interspersed with dynamic dining events, demonstrations and valuable networking sessions. The event is all-inclusive which means a scholarship provides access to all programs and events, as well as luxury hotel accommodations and all the scrumptious food and drink you can fit into a weekend. Just a little “Thank You” from all of us at Canada Beef.
Read on for complete details on how to enter. The first scholarship will be awarded on Monday, February 13th, and then the following two Mondays no later than 4pm ET. The sooner you enter, the better your chances of winning. So get a mooooove on and good luck!
Rules and Restrictions
- Bloggers must be Canadian residents.
- Bloggers will receive one entry for writing a post published on their own blogs focused on one of the following topics:
- Favourite memory involving Canadian Beef, good, funny or disastrous (family traditions, a romantic date or your biggest Canadian Beef culinary disaster).
- Favourite Canadian Beef dish (does not require a recipe, but feel free to include).
- Something you learned at the Canadian Beef website.
- Posts must include mention and link to both Canadian Beef (www.beefinfo.org) and Eat, Write, Retreat (www.eatwriteretreat.com).
- Blogger must leave a comment on this post with the URL for their entry post.
- For a second entry to the contest, bloggers who have created a post may also tweet about the contest: ” I’m hoping @CanadianBeef sends me to @EatWriteRetreat. Get all the details here: http://wp.me/p18kMS-8C “ Leave a comment here to let us know you tweeted!
- Winners are chosen randomly (using www.random.org) from all qualified entries on 2/13, 2/20 and 2/27 2012 no later than 4pm ET.
- All travel/transportation and incidental expenses are the responsibility of the winner. (Prize is one all-inclusive registration to Eat, Write, Retreat.)
- Upon returning from Eat, Write, Retreat, each winner will be asked to write a post about the event, to be published on their own blogs as well as here on the Canadian Beef blog (as a guest post).
Remember, the first scholarship winner will be chosen next Monday, February 13th!
UPDATE: The first WINNER is Kathryne, congratulations!!! Next draw will take place Monday, February 20th. All entries carry over to the next draw.
UPDATE #2: The second WINNER is Lynn, congratulations!!! The final draw will take place next Monday. Get your beefy entries in!
Happy blogging beef lovers!
Heather
This Beef Farmer’s Favourite: Beef and Broccoli
February 2nd, 2012 § 10 Comments
Another great guest post by Christine.
A while ago, I wrote a post and was quickly corrected by my husband. I stated that Korean Beef Bulgogi was his favourite dish. He said, “That’s my second favourite! My favourite is your Beef and Broccoli!”
Hubby's favourite dish!
In any case, I am still happy that my farmer husband and our three year old daughter love whatever dish I cook and that they are open to a variety of international dishes. I mean, Hubby had never even heard of Baba Ganoush, kimchi, or hummus before marrying me. Now, he and our little one devour the stuff. Our three year old eats Baba Ganoush out of the bowl with a spoon! Forget pita chips or crackers!
I get the “Oh, it must be nice to have so much spare time to cook meals from scratch!” comments quite often. To be honest, I don’t have much spare time at all (Ummm…we live on a farm! There’s no such thing as spare time!) and making the dishes I make only takes a few minutes! This recipe takes less than 30 minutes from prep to finish!
Without further ado, here is Hubby’s favourite recipe.
BEEF & BROCCOLI
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless round steak (that’s what I prefer, but you can use whatever cut you want), cut into thin strips
1 onion, sliced (not too thinly)
garlic, minced (as much as you like)
Oyster sauce, a few Tbs. (3 or 4 Tbs, sometimes more – I’m not really sure. I go by taste)
Sesame oil, a few Tbs (see above)
Broccoli florets, one or two heads
Ginger, grated (about 1 to 2 tsp)
oil, to fry your strips of beef
a bit of water
1. In a large wok, heat oil. Cook beef strips over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and onion. Continue cooking.
3. Add broccoli, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and cook.
4. Add a bit of water to the sauce. Cook for a few minutes and stir. Serve over bed of hot steamed rice.
There you go! Who said home cooked meals had to take hours to make? Enjoy!
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AUTHOR’S BIO
Christine McNaughton is a city girl gone country (or at least trying to!). Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, Christine received a B.A. in Honours English from York University (English Literature), and is also certified in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). She teaches English, and works as a freelance writer, blogger, product reviewer, and brand promoter. Christine lives on a working beef farm with her husband and preemie daughter on Manitoulin Island, Ontario.
Winning Super Bowl Recipes
January 30th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
All I know about football involves knowing how handsome Tom Brady is.
And speaking of yummy…since this weekend is Super Bowl weekend, we’ve got some tasty, easy, family friendly, football watching recipe ideas for you.
Baby Blues Mini Sirloin Burgers
Asian Beef Bites With Speedy Slaw
Rosemary Beef Skewers with Winter Salad
Need more recipe inspiration? Check out the Grey Cup post.
Enjoy!
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About the author: Heather is part of the Canada Beef communications team. She lives with her husband and their two dogs in house with a great kitchen. She cooks a lot and loves learning all the ways to enjoy Canadian beef.
Canadian Beef – My own personal Superfood!
January 27th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Yesterday someone sent me a link to an article of “Super Foods” in a newspaper. People send these to me quite often – apparently it’s a popular theme for health writers… must be on the “what to write if you need a quick and easy article pulled together”! The lists are never the same. Some are lists of regular foods – the ones we all know and might even find in our pantries (think blueberries and walnuts), and some are lists of exotic ingredients like ancient grains we have to learn to pronounce and tropical fruit you’d have to ship for miles to actually get to Canada (think amaranth, goji berries). Where do they come up with these?
In recent years, a multitude of different nutrient profiling systems have emerged, each with the aim of guiding the public towards ‘healthy eating’. Nutrient profiling is the science of ranking foods bases on their nutrient composition. A high score presumably means ‘nutrient dense’, sometimes called ‘nutrient rich’. Presumably these are the ‘superfoods’? A number of different nutrient profiling models have been developed and have made their way into the marketplace. Because profiling is currently unregulated, each system employs a unique approach – resulting in a lack of consistency or objectivity among the programs, in fact, foods get widely varying scores accordingly.
When you look at the formulas, beef among many other foods, is considered nutrient rich. I agree the foods in most of the ‘superfoods’ articles are nutrient dense, but to try and define 8, 10 or 12 foods as more nutrient dense than others is short-sighted, if not misleading. Canada’s Food Guide contains 4 food groups for a reason – the published lists tend to reflects mostly one, if not part of two food groups (usually fruit and sometimes grains).
As an aside, it drives me crazy when people compare one food to another for the purposes of saying one is nutritionally superior! The Food Guide is made up of a variety of foods because each contributes different nutrients. Consider beef versus… hemp seeds (I would normally not compare these, but believe me many people do!!!): they are both nutritionally dense, but each offers something different as part of their nutrient ‘package’. For e.g. where hemp might offer fibre, beef offers B12. Where hemp might be high in folate (may be… – I’m not sure!), beef is high in zinc. The iron in meat, poultry and fish is very easily absorbed in our bodies whereas the iron in plant-based foods is not. Certain people, e.g. children, pregnant women, female adolescents, etc. are at particular risk of becoming iron deficient and so this difference between the two foods is very important. Iron-deficiency in infancy has irreversible impacts on brain development, so this difference is not to be taken lightly… In other ways these two foods are comparable – eg. They are both naturally low sodium foods, both contain b-vitamins, magnesium and potassium, etc., and both can be part of a healthy diet – provided the overall pattern of food consumed is healthy (in other words, throwing in a couple of ‘superfoods’ would not help all that much if overall your pattern of eating wasn’t healthy to begin with).
It’s good to know that beef makes the grade. High in all kinds of nutrients, lean when trimmed of fat, and only a moderate amount of calories for a portion, beef is certainly nutrient-rich. I’m glad there are others that agree with me! Huffington Post – 25 Super Foods For Women
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About the author: Karine is a Registered Dietitian with Canada Beef Inc, passionate foodie and world traveler. Beef, of course, is a favourite food in her home – providing nourishing and nurturing meals for her hubby, growing 5 year old and the friends and other family they often entertain. There are not many conversations, either at work or at home, that don’t weave their way back somehow to food, recipes, nutrition, or beef. “Is “beef” all you talk about at work?”, Karine’s son recently asked. Karine proudly responded “yes”…
Downton Abbey obsessed – but the cooking?
January 25th, 2012 § 2 Comments
Are you a “Downton Abbey” fan? I am. The second season started a few weeks back on PBS on Sunday evenings. The British series focuses on Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, and his family on their estate Downton Abbey in North Yorkshire in the early 1900’s. The show has great storylines from both “upstairs” and “downstairs” at the estate. I could go on and on about the lovely acting, beautiful costumes, intrigue and unrequited love, but I must say the show has me a little obsessed over Edwardian food preparation.
Mrs. Patmore is the estate cook and there’s no doubting that she is queen of her domain. And she has to be. On any given day in an Edwardian estate, dinner was a major undertaking. And if the Lord and his lady were having a dinner party, it could take days to get ready.
A typical Edwardian dinner party would start with soup and a glass of sherry. This was followed by fish served with white wine. After the fish the entrée was served, which might be vol-au-vent, mutton cutlets or sweetbreads served with champagne or claret. The next course was the remove or relevé. It could be a roast of meat, poultry or a meat pie. Potatoes and vegetables were served as well. But it didn’t end there – the guests would then be served roasted game such as a small bird, snipe, wild duck or pheasant. Then they would munch on the dishes known as the entremêts. This course usually consisted of a dressed vegetable, dishes such as cherry tart, and something savoury, like devilled sardines or cheese. Dessert was usually ices, fruits and nuts.[1] Now you know why Edwardian ladies wore corsets.
I keep thinking about how hard it would be to roast a ‘joint of beef’ over an open stove. Or make the jellies and aspics the Edwardians loved from scratch (no Jello for them!) Plus the preparations for up to a 12 course meal for 20-50 guests without an electric stove, or fridge. Makes my daily dinner preparations seem so easy!
But if you are looking for an elegant beef dish in the tradition of “Downton Abbey” without all the work try our Roast Beef with Rosemary Cream Sauce, perfect for your next dinner party. Or try the classic Beef Wellington , its a showstopper. We’ve got all the tips to make your roast beef dinner so simple to prepare. And your guests will be just as impressed as the Earl of Grantham’s!
Enjoy, and let me know, if you could, would you live in Edwardian times?
[1]Royal Pavillion, Libraries and Museums, Brighton and Hove
)Recipes to celebrate Chinese New Year
January 18th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
I’m Polish, Scottish and Irish…so why do I enjoy Chinese New Year every year? Why, the food of course! It’s perfect opportunity to try out some new recipes and new flavours – all expanding my culinary repertoire. And to be honest, this is the time of year when most of our meals need a bit of a creativity boost, am I right?
Here are some great recipes for you and your family to enjoy all week long. You never know what new meal will become a new favourite!
Beef Potstickers
Serve this recipe for tasty beef morsels as an interesting appetizer or main course with steamed rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Beef Noodle Bowl
Orange Ginger Beef Stir-fry
Easy Asian Beef Steak
Barbecued “Five Spiced” Beef Roast
Perk up your dreary January with the Golden Globes and some yummy Canadian beef treats
January 12th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Okay it’s the second week in January. My Christmas tree has been taken down and the outside decorations put away. Boxes and wrapping have been recycled and old clothes and items have been donated to make way for the new. This is usually the time that I am hit with the January blahs. Dark cold nights keep me inside, and honestly I am a little worn out from all the holiday activity. But a fun part of January is tuning into the Golden Globe Awards. They air this Sunday, January 15th. Hosted by Ricky Gervais (yes – he’s back after taking lots of heat from last year’s awards) – the evening is sure to be a lot of fun.
I find the Golden Globes less stuffy than the Academy Awards and the show is often an indicator of who’ll win Academy Awards later in the year. But best of all, it’s a great chance to see all the stunning evening gowns (not to mention the stunning actors!). Why not make an evening of it? Invite some friends over, open a bottle of bubbly and enjoy some of our great Canadian Beef appetizers.
A great alternative to Nachos!
I just love our Asian Beef Potstickers …my mouth is watering just thinking of them….and you can cook them ahead of time, which is always a great option. Or try our Tangy Thai Beef Pinwheels. These are so easy to make, either using left over roast beef, or deli beef. They taste delicious and look great. Greek Beef Bruschetta is a great alternative to nachos and super easy.
So whether it’s with friends, family or by yourself, enjoy a little Hollywood glam, and some tasty little nibbles to get you through the Canadian winter.
Want other appetizer recipes? We’ve got lots!
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About the author: Janet works at Canada Beef in communications. She loves discovering delicious new ways to prepare Canadian beef. It’s a good thing too, since she lives happily in “man world” with her hubby Steve and teen sons Ryan and Ben, where there isn’t a great meal, unless it includes beef (and perhaps an energy drink. )
