(Tender) Beef Bottom Round Steak

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Tender Baked Bottom Round Steak(s) ~ picture added 8-29-13

Recently my grocery store had Bottom Round Steaks on sale, Buy One Get One... I always used to cook these on the grill and they were a little on the tough side but they always tasted good! The last time my husband came shopping with me and I was looking at these, and he said "these are NOT steaks, get a Rib Eye, or a T-bone or something, those are steaks!  ¯\(°_o)/¯    So... I didn't get any steaks for a couple weeks.(•̪●)  Eventually I did break down and bought a couple Rib Eye's , I just couldn't resist a juicy steak cooked on the grill.  Well last week I went ahead and bought a couple of the Bottom Rounds and thought to myself  "I'll just cook them some other way"  Hence, this blog post. I just couldn't pass up that sort of deal!
I admit, this is one of the tougher cuts of meat, but you can make it a lot more tender...
All you have to do is "fork it"  ;) 
It turned out good, and I plan on having it again. Oh and BTW my hubby liked it too! hehehe...

Here is what you need:

Bottom Round Steak or two (they do shrink considerably)
Your favorite Seasoning (I use Everglades Seasoning and Garlic Salt)
1-2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/3 Cup of Flour (I added some seasoning to the flour also)
1 Cup of either Beef Bouillon or Beef Broth (I used Bouillon)
1/2 Teaspoon(or more if you like) of either fresh Garlic (minced) or Minced Garlic from a jar. 

I use Everglades Seasoning in just about everything I make!!

First get a cutting board and place your meat on the board and poke the steak with the fork for about 2 minutes on each side.(trust me your arm will get tired!) The more pokes the better, this will help make it tender. Stop poking if it starts to rip. After I forked it, I put a little seasoning on and and rubbed a little olive oil on each side and let it sit in the fridge for a little over a hour. (You don't have to do this, unless you want to do a marinade, I just did because my hubby was working late and I didn't want to start it to early )  (•̮̮̃•̃)


When I was ready to cook it, I laid it in the flour mix and coated each side.

Coat with Flour/Seasoning, both sides.

Heat  the oil in the pan on Med. High, sear it on both sides. (Don't flip to soon or it wont have a nice crust on it, or the flour mixture will come off.)

Sear Meat on both sides

Once seared put it in a baking dish with the Broth and Minced Garlic. Cover with foil and bake it at 350 degree's for about 30-40 minutes or until it pulls apart with a fork easily.
When it is done it will look something like picture below. We enjoyed ours with Mashed Potatoes and Corn. This had a nice flavor, and was tender!

Tender Baked Bottom Round Steak(s) ~ added pic 8-29-13

Tender Baked Bottom Round Steak

If you have any other ways to cook Bottom Round that makes it tender, please share with a comment and let us know!

Creamy Garlic Chicken & Pasta

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When I saw this recipe I thought maybe is was similar to a dish that I loved from Macaroni Grill. The one I had from there had shrimp in it. I don't even know what the dish was called, its been forever ago since I have had it, and the last time I went they no longer had it on the menu. They did try to replicate it for me, but it wasn't the same :(  This dish is not, I discovered, the same as Macaroni Grill, but it's really good! It has a rich, creamy flavor,that you will love!! You could most definitely substitute shrimp for the chicken in this recipe, Chicken is just what I had on hand, but I'm using shrimp next time! I was thinking that this would only serve two, but it made a lot more than I thought!! I was going to use Risotto, but my local store doesn't carry it. :(  Have to drive a little further next time to get some.

Here is what you need:

3 medium sized Chicken Breasts (cooked on the grill)
2 + teaspoons Olive Oil (my Minced Garlic is in Olive Oil)
2 teaspoons Garlic, minced (can be fresh if you prefer)
2 tablespoons Butter
3 cups Chicken Broth
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 box or 1/2 lb Angel Hair Pasta Or Risotto
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup Whipping or Heavy Cream
Parsley for color

In a med. size pot, place olive oil to low-medium heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for about 2 minutes. (don't forget about it while getting the other ingredients prepared, like I did, and burn it! lol...it was way past caramelization, but we won't talk about that :p  ) Mix in the butter until melted. Add the chicken stock salt, and pepper. Raise the heat and let it come to a boil. Once it is  boiling add the pasta and cook till al dente. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the Parmesan until completely melted. Add the Whipping Cream and Parsley, turn off the heat.

This was even more flavorful the next night, that is, if you have any left over :)

Let me know how yours turns out or what you added to it!

Comments Welcome!!