Where’s the beef?

At our farm…it’s in the freezer!  How thankful we are for our home grown beef!  I don’t buy lunch meats.  I used to…it was a staple in our lunch menu rotation.  There are many reasons I don’t buy lunch meats.  Price is a factor but is probably on the bottom of the list.  I began to research the preservatives, chemicals, dyes (yes they are dyed!) and decided that it just wasn’t worth it.   My boys have a lot of reactions to chemicals, dyes and preservatives.  My youngest is probably the most sensitive.  I wonder if it is because our diet had become so much more healthy before he was born that he hasn’t had the exposure to the bad stuff that the others have had…perhaps that is why he is more sensitive.

Just because we don’t buy lunch meats, doesn’t mean we don’t love a turkey sandwich or a roast beef hoagie.  It just means we go about it a little differently than ya’ll might.  If we want a turkey or roast beef sandwich, we cook a turkey or a roast.  We don’t usually cook them just for the sandwiches…when we cook a turkey, I always take a part of the meat and save it aside for turkey sandwiches.  I do the same with a roast.  Although, I have been known to cook one of our roasts just for lunch meat….in fact, I just did that last week.

I thawed a sirloin tip roast last week and roasted it to medium rare. I had Jeremy assemble our slicer, which I bought at a Costco “going out of business sale” for $15.00  Such a deal!  Once out of the oven, I allowed it to cool to room temp and then refrigerated it overnight.  For some reason, they always slice better when cold.  I sliced the WHOLE thing!

Here is a portion of my reward!

There were several plates heaped with this wonderful beef! Next to it is a Boursin type cheese.  Wonderful made with raw cow or goat’s milk but you could achieve the same thing by adding garlic and herbs to cream cheese and whipping it.

I wanted to saute some onions and peppers for our hoagie sandwiches.  I freeze peppers each year from our garden.  I slice them before I freeze them so they are quickly available for fajitas.  I raided the freezer for a bag of peppers.

Don’t they just make your mouth water?  They are so wonderful.  I’ve gone through them quicker this year than normal so this summer we will increase the number of sweet bell pepper plants in our garden.

I grabbed one of my Grandma’s cast iron skillets and sauteed the peppers with some onions and a little home churned butter….yum!

Evidently I was too excited to eat this wonderful meal because I neglected to take a picture of the finished hoagies but I can assure you we devoured them.  A toasted hoagie, a little cheese, peppers & onions and our beef…sigh….a glass of sweet tea and it’s heaven on earth!

I also take the roast, slice it very thick and then cut it into strips for fajitas.  I usually do some chicken at the same time.  I combine the strips of roast and chicken into portions and freeze them.  I then have a “fast” meal for times when I need one.  Sauteed in a little soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic…wow!  All you need are the toppings and dinner is on the table.

What are ya’ll’s favorite home grown meals?

Blessings