Puppies and a New Recipe

No point in doing a catch up post.  All my good intentions of blogging regularly have failed.

So I  will just do a post when opportunity and desire meet head on.

Our weather has been fairly typical of the Ozarks.  Warmer  than normal one week and colder and wetter the next.  We are in a cool period now with the highs expected to be low 40's.  The rains have stayed better than usual which is very good for the pastures.

We are now feeding hay but the cows can also graze.

The puppies are growing rapidly.



They are coming outside now and beginning to wander after Mama  Beagle.  In fact, Tito (the tan one with a blaze face) followed her all the way back to the barn lot where old straw  is stored.  DH couldn't find them so I went out out and began calling....soon Mama B came toward me and I could hear Tito howling and saw him back in the straw.  He came to me  as I got closer and I carried him back to the shed with the others.  We are worried they will follow mama out to the road so have to decide what to do.

Here she has drug up an old piece of stiff hide and they are fascinated with it.  I can watch out the kitchen window and see her 'training' sessions with them.

Food

I made a new recipe yesterday and we really liked it.  It was  from my Iowa Sis.  I forgot to take pictures drat it.

This could be modified by leaving out the wine but I included it even though mine was semi-sweet.  It did not hurt the taste of the sauce.  I also used dried parsley.

I served mine over brown rice with a plain green salad on the side.  I think the cheese toast would be very good too.

French Onion Salisbury Steak

Makes 4 steaks-total time 45 min.

For the Steak:

1 1/4 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 T. minced fresh scallions

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. black pepper

2 T. all-purpose flour

For the Sauce:

1 T. olive oil

2 cups sliced onions

1 t. sugar

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. tomato paste

2 cups low sodium beef broth

1/4 cup dry red wine

3/4 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. dried thyme

Cheese toasts

Minced fresh parsley

Shredded parmesan cheese

Combine ground beef, 1/4 cup parsley, scallions, salt, and pepper. Divide evenly and shape into 3/4 to 1 in. thick oval patties. Place 2 T. flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 t. flour.

Heat oil in a saute` pan over med. high heat. Add patties and saute` 3 min. on each side or until browned. Remove from pan.

Add onions and sugar to pan; saute` 5 min.. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; saute` until paste begins to brown, about 1 min.

Sprinkle mixture with reserved flour; cook 1 min.; stir in broth, wine, salt and thyme.

Return meat to pan and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to med. low, cover and simmer 10 min.

Serve steaks on Cheese toasts with onion sauce ladled over. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan.

Cheese Toasts:

4 slices Italian bread cut diagonally 1/2 in. thick

2 T. butter at room temp.

1/2 t. minced garlic

Pinch of paprika

1/4 cup shredded Swiss Cheese

1 T. shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on a baking sheet. Combine butter, garlic and paprika; spread on bread. Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly. (10-15 min.)

P.S.  On a personal note.  My knee is much better!  I am so delighted I am browsing Seed Catalogs again.