100 Menus Giveaway (closed)

update: Giveaway is now closed. Thanks everyone!

I have two great things going this week: my one hundredth menu post, and the final week of the Beef. It's What's For Dinner Wednesdays Challenge. I have to say that it's been fun to participate in the BIWFD Challenge, and I've learned a bit more about beef after surfing around on their site (like this very handy little chart). As part of the final week of the Challenge, and to celebrate my 100th menu post, I'm giving away a grilling gift bag to one of my lucky readers, courtesy of the BIWFD people.

The grilling gift bag includes a copy of The Healthy Beef Cookbook -



a set of four Sur La Table Mini-Steak Thermometers -



a set of Crate & Barrel Grilling Tools, including a cute carrying bag -


plus a few more goodies! (As a thank you for being an ambassador for the Challenge, I was sent one of the grilling gift bags as well - that's what I used for the above photos. Your gift bag will be un-used and un-photographed :-)


Ready for the details? There will be three ways to enter the giveaway -

1. Leave a comment on this post that simply says "where's the beef?"
   
2. Blog about the giveaway on your blog, link to here, and then leave a comment on this post to let me know. (Be sure to include your blog address)
   
3. Visit the recipe finder on www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com then leave a comment on this post and tell me which yummy recipe has caught your eye.

The giveaway will be open until Friday, October 2 at Noon (MST). US residents only, please. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced Saturday morning. Good luck!

Menu Week 100 & A Giveaway

This is my 100th blogged menu! One hundred menus? Are you kidding me? That's a lot of dinners to figure out. I wanted to celebrate this event with a giveaway and as I was deciding what to include in the giveaway, I received an email that helped me make up my mind! For now, all I'm posting is my weekly menu. Check back tomorrow for the giveaway details!


Monday - Chicken Cordon Bleu Strata
Tuesday - Cuban Chicken Salad (you have to scroll down a bit for the recipe)
Wednesday - Beef Bourguingnonne
Thursday - Panzanella & Sweet Corn Puree
Friday - eat out
Saturday - roasted vegetable pizzas (testing out a new crust recipe this week)
Sunday - Creamy Vegetable Soup & rolls

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Need more menu ideas? Check out Menu Plan Monday @ orgjunkie.com

Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes

This week's recipe for the Beef. It's What's For Dinner Wednesdays challenge was Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes.



I think that Pot Roast is a tough recipe to recommend to anyone. Most people already have a pot roast recipe that they love, and prefer over all others. I am that way. It was not easy for me to take a lovely little pot roast and put it into a new recipe when I knew perfectly well that I had a roast recipe that my family already loved.

This roast did turn out great though. Here's what we liked about it:

• The fresh thyme - loved the flavor. Nothing beats fresh herbs.
  
• The addition of apple cider to the cooking liquids (which then later becomes gravy.)
• The quick gravy prep at the end. (I would label it as no-fail gravy, but as soon as I do that then I'll get an angry email from someone who failed at the gravy.)
  

From the start I had a gut feeling that the Maple Sweet Potatoes would not be a hit, so I had a back up plan ready to go. It added to my time spent in the kitchen, but in the end I was glad I had the regular mashed potatoes ready and warm on the stove. (Do you ever do that? Try out a new recipe and have a culinary contingency plan? I confess, I occasionally do that.)

Next time I make this pot roast (yes, there will be a next time) I'll skip the Maple Sweet Potatoes and just roast some sweet potato chunks in the oven with some salt, pepper and a little olive oil- mouth-watering and so very fall-esque.

Before I end my post, I just have to say that I laughed when I uploaded the photo. Mr. Dinner's on Me plated this up for me while I fed the toddler. Hello plate-o-starch! Just look at that meat to potatoes ratio!

If you participated in this week's challenge and tried out the recipe, don't forget to either leave a comment on the Facebook fan page or go and review the recipe to be eligible for the Beef Grilling Gift Bag giveaway!

Have a great weekend everyone, and be sure to check out what some other bloggers have done with this recipe.

Eat at Home
Family, Friends & Food
Cooking During Stolen Moments
Tried-and-True Cooking With Heidi

Menu Week 99

Monday - Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday - Artichoke & Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Wednesday - Chicken Burritos
Thursday - Chicken Cordon Bleu Strata
Friday - SuperMac
Saturday - eat out
Sunday - panini & roasted garden veggies

This week's treat: Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce












Need more menu ideas? Check out Menu Plan Monday

This Week's Beef Recipe

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to give you all a heads-up on this week's Beef. It's What's for Dinner Wednesdays challenge recipe. This week it's a perfect-for-fall pot roast, and I am looking forward to it!

Here's the link to the recipe: Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes

Stick it into your menu for the week, and then either review it on the recipe site, or leave a link to your blog on their facebook fan site to be eligible for the grilling gift bag giveaway. We're going to be trying out this recipe tonight for dinner. I'm not 100% confident that my family will like the maple sweet potatoes, so I'll be making a small batch of regular potatoes on the side. I'll let you know how it all turns out!

East Meets West Burgers & Giveaway

This week's recipe for the Beef. It's What's For Dinner Wednesdays Challenge is East Meets West Burgers. This is an easy one, guys! If you follow the recipe exactly (which I did this time) then the hamburger patty gets no doctoring, you whip up a quick spicy mayo and while your burger is on the grill, slice up your slaw. This one was on the table quickly.

My favorite parts? The yummy mayo with it's little bit o' heat and it's lotta bit o' flavor! The slaw added great crunch (and beautiful color - just look at that!) and all of it together made one delicious burger.

(Printer-Friendly recipe available here)


Each week the Beef. It's What's For Dinner people are giving away a great gift bag (which includes The Healthy Beef Cookbook, a set of Crate & Barrel Grilling Tools, Sur La Table mini steak thermometers, a reusable shopping bag) to not one, but five people! To enter the giveaway, blog about your version of each week's recipe, then go and write a review of it on the recipe's website. I'm a day late posting about this week... to be eligible for the giveaway, all posts and comments have to be in by Thursday. I'll give you a head start on next week though - as soon as they announce next week's recipe I'll let you know! Meanwhile, visit these other yummy blogs to see their take on the East Meets West Burger.


Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
Cooking During Stolen Moments
Family, Friends and Food
Eat at Home
Aggie's Kitchen
Dine & Dish

Lemon Fusilli

This recipe has been in my "recipes to test" binder for at least a year, maybe longer. To be honest with you, the lemon frightened me. No the I'm-going-to-pee-my-pants kind of fright, but the "uh, yeah that doesn't sound good to me" kind of fright. Well, my faithful blog readers, I have a message for you. Fear not the lemon! This stuff is amazing. It's creamy. It's fresh-tasting. It's delicious even the next day for lunch. Give it a shot. Here's the link. (Thanks again to Ina for another great recipe!)

(Oh by the way, I substituted baby spinach for the arugula. Thanks Kami for the tip!)