October's Top Story Ideas

1.  Trick or Treat: Transform Your Meals 

It’s that time of year again as the pumpkins become jack-o-laterns and the kids become clowns, princesses and goblins. With very little work, your dinner can become something spectacular as well.

• Last night’s leftover grilled steak can easily become a Mediterranean Steak Salad with little more than 30 minutes and a handful of no-cook ingredients. Or you can take your taste buds south with Mexican Steak Soft Tacos made with an easy lime dressing.
• If all your mashed potatoes from a previous meal didn’t get eaten, simply turn them into the topping for a Beefy Shepherd’s Pie with five other ingredients. The kids won’t even recognize them.
• This weekend make a Pepper-Crusted Tri-Tip Roast with Garlic-Sherry Sauce and later transform it into a Korean-Style Beef and Rice Bowl or Beef and Vegetable Cheese Steak Sandwich. Now, that’s a quick-change artist!

2. Dress Up Your Beef Meals
A garnish here and a drizzle there. There are so many ways to dress up a meal. We see it on the plates we’re served at restaurants, so why not bring it home and add some edible bling to your table?

 

Something as simple as the serving device can make any meal seem special. Our Tapas-Style Pepper-Steak “Parfaits” are the perfect example. Serving a colorful Mediterranean steak salad in clear glasses signals something delicious before you take your first bite. Even a brown-bag lunch can look like a five-star meal when you enjoy a Layered Beef Salad on the Go.

 

Carving stations at restaurants are popular ways to serve roasts. You can do the same thing at your next dinner. Our carving tips will make you look like a pro while recipes like Herb-Topped Beef Roast with Roasted Cauliflower and Dijon & Herb Rubbed Beef Roast with Cranberry Sauce will decorate the entire table with their presence.

 

Even easy garnishes with some of the ingredients from the recipe can take a simple plate to something beautiful. Wild West Beef & Smoked Gouda Grits ends up looking colorful and really fresh with some of the extra parsley atop the completed dish. Spanish Style Grilled Steak with Olives gets not only a garnish of cilantro and olives, but also a drizzle of reserved marinade as a finishing touch. 

3. The Key to a Successful National Chili Month

Chili cook-off’s, secret ingredients and award-winning recipes. Chili certainly has a way of uniting people around a warm bowl of goodness. How you like your chili is another story. Some people like it chunky while others prefer something with more broth. Many like beans in the mix, but some purists stick to beef only. Whatever tickles your chili fancy, there are a few key ingredients that make any pot a hit!

 

Let’s start with the basics: beef! Steak or ground beef—we happen to like both! Chilly Day Beef Chili features meaty chunks of steak while Beef Chili Carnivale uses ever-popular Ground Beef.    

 

Now what about the sauce? Lots of chili recipes start with canned tomatoes. Chili Beef Express is a prime example of how using chili-style chunky tomatoes with your Ground Beef mixture bring much needed moisture in a quick and simple way.  

Finally, the “extras.” Do you throw in corn for a little crunch like Santa Fe Corn Chili calls for? Perhaps you like your chili spicy like Chili Con Carne with some ancho chili powder stirred in.

4. National Pizza Month Five Ways
This is the month dedicated to pizza, so let’s mix it up a bit. While we understand that some people never tire of the classic, here are five different ways to share a slice. 

• “Cheesesteak” Pizza is ready in about 30 minutes and features the ingredients of another classic. The onion, bell pepper and cheese mingle with ground beef a top a thick pizza crust for the perfect pizza bite.
• Steaked-Out Pita Pizzas use a whole wheat pita as the base, which is then topped with a crunchy salad and lean steak.
• For those who like unusual toppings, try our Grilled Steak & Plum Pizzettes. The combination of steak, plums, honey, blue cheese and pistachios will delight your tastebuds.
• Take a pizza and roll it up into an Italian Beef & Cheese Calzone. The easy filling of Ground Beef and peppers gets baked in the oven inside pizza dough—the perfect amount of time to chop salad ingredients and set the table for a fun family dinner.
• Finally, a “breakfast, lunch or dinner” option! Our Beef Breakfast Pizza Ole is not only delicious, but pleasing to the eye.

 

 

Please contact kmillspaugh@beef.org to obtain high resolution images and full recipes.
For more story ideas please see our Seasonal Story Ideas section.