I got caught up this morning reading a lot of different blogs. I think I could read blogs all morning and not get anything else accomplished. There is so much information out there, and I keep thinking that I could be missing something if I don't read another blog, then another blog, then another blog... Anyhoo, after all that, someone will still have to make lunch, then dinner, and the cycle gets repeated, daily. When I am under time constraints, I have a tendency to make recipes with ground beef. By adding a few ingredients that I usually have on hand, I can have lunch or dinner on the table in a flash. Here is one of my standby recipes. It makes a great lunch, especially for summertime in the heat.

Taco Salad

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can, 15 1/2 oz. Ranch Style Beans
1 small bag tortilla or corn chips or 1 box taco shells, crushed
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Garnish with guacamole, sour cream and hot sauce. Serve with additional chips.

You can also make your own chips out of corn tortillas. Since I live in the country, I am the reigning queen of substitutions. Cut your tortillas into 8 equal triangles. Fry in oil until light brown on one side, turn and brown other side. Remove to drain on paper towels. Lightly salt. This picture is with homemade chips.

Enjoy!

Branding

The branding went well this last weekend. It is not uncommon for us to have extra "hands" that help. We had one extra this weekend. His name is Mike. We had a lot of fun. We even had him branding with the iron. I thought you might enjoy the video of his first brand. My youngest son was pushing the calves down the alley, my middle son is running the head gate and squeeze chute and my husband's uncle is supervising. I was in charge of ear tagging and shots, but you missed it because I had to run the camera. Next time, I'll have to have everyone dress the cowboy part. It's hard to get them out of their caps and t-shirts. Enjoy!

We have come to the end of another week. I will be making the following cookies to put in My Cookie Jar early. We are branding again this weekend, so I need something portable to take along for dessert. I can make two pans and have enough to fill my cookie jar. That's a bonus for me!

Congo Bars

2/3 cup shortening
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan, melt shortening over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Cool slightly. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add gradually with eggs to shortening mixture. Stir in vanilla, chips and nuts. This batter will be very stiff. Spread into a greased and floured 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares while warm.

Enjoy!

I am so excited. I just received my cookie plate from Nestle. Now I have to decide who to give cookies to. There are several people in my life that could use a little bit of chocolate lovin'.

If you don't know what I am talking about, Nestle did a promotion to receive a cookie plate. The requirements were UPC symbols from Nestle Toll House Morsels. You sign the plate, fill with cookies, visit Pleasesendcookies.com to share your story about the plate, and send it to someone. You can keep up with where the plate went after you sent it. Hopefully, it keeps going for a long time. I think it will be very interesting to see where it ends up going.

Obviously, I will have Chocolate Chip Cookies in My Cookie Jar this week.

Enjoy!

We have started our branding season. We always brand on Saturday, since that is the day most of our help is available. They always enjoy a day in the country after a long(or in this case, short) work week. After dealing with people, it is great to work with animals. There is no talking back!

After gathering the cattle on horseback from the pasture, they are driven into a set of corrals. We then separate the cows from their calves.

We have one person running the head gate, one on the squeeze part of the chute, one person branding, one person doing innoculations and ear tagging. When we have extras, we split up the work. Even the youngsters get in on the fun. The boys take turns bringing the calves one at a time up the narrow alleyway to the chute. I am sure that if and when we get girls into the family or somebody finally has daughters they will get in on that action, too.

Somewhere around noon to 1 o'clock we break for lunch. This year we had brisket sandwiches, baked beans and chips. Of course no picnic is complete without iced tea and lemonade. Then we have brownies for dessert.

The brisket was covered with Claude's Brisket Sauce and baked in a 300 degree oven for about 4 hours and then turned up to 325 degrees for another 4 hours. This was a very large brisket. It probably weighed a good 15 pounds or so. I didn't think of weighing it. Of course when you have your beef processed, it doesn't come with weight stickers. You would have to adjust your cooking time for a smaller brisket. We then sliced it and poured pan juices over the meat. We served with barbeque sauce, cheese, sliced onion, pickle, tomato and lettuce leaves. It makes the best sandwiches and the recipe is so easy.

Enjoy!

Living in the middle of cattle country causes me to cook with a lot of beef. I seem to use the hamburger from the meat we have processed faster than any other cut. I mix in steak, roast, ribs, brisket and stew meat. I seem to have a lot of roast left. So, I have resolved to make the effort to use more roast. This is a great way I have found to use a roast, without always making a pot roast. In fact, I would call it an Easy Peasy way to use a roast!

Roast Beef Burritos

1 Beef Arm or Chuck Roast, 4-5 lbs.
1 Can (15 oz.) Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chiles
1 Packet Fajita Seasoning
12 Flour Tortillas
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Hot Sauce

Place Roast in crock pot. Pour can of Rotel over the top of roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until roast is tender. Take the roast from the crock pot and shred. Discard any fat or bones. Skim any fat from drippings left in crock pot. Return shredded roast to crock pot. Add fajita seasoning and stir. Serve on Flour tortillas. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream and hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Wow! What a great time of year to have an extra day off! I get so much accomplished with an extra day. It sure helps to have the kids out of school. Adding two extra pairs of hands makes the work go by much faster. My two teenage sons are at the perfect age to be a great deal of help. One of their favorite cookies is in My Cookie Jar this week. They are perfect for bribing teenagers! They enjoy being paid in cookies and milk!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raisins

Mix butter, sugars, milk, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture. Mix well. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!