I've been making this Mexican skillet for my family for years. This week when I made it, my husband commented that it is actually one of his favorite recipes of mine. Its just a filling stick to your ribs no fuss meal. Classic Mexican flavors that come together in a cinch. 

Ingredients: 

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 packet taco seasoning

2 tsp olive oil

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tsp butter

1 can black beans

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 avocado, sliced 

2 tsp chopped cilantro

Directions: Cook your rice with 1 tsp butter and a pinch of salt. While that cooks, in a large pan heat some oil, cook your onions until they begin to brown. Add your ground beef and crumble and cook until golden brown. Mix in your taco seasoning, and beans. In a large dish, layer your rice on the bottom, meat mixture on the top, then cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. 

We hope this easy weeknight meal quickly becomes a favorite in your household as well. 
Enjoy!

If you haven't noticed a pattern on this blog, we love a unique twist on a traditional dish. In summer, regular hamburgers can get a bit boring, so we decided to do a little Greek twist to ours today. Behold our Greek Tzatziki Burgers. 

These ooey gooey burgers are extremely flavorful. They have a wonderful crunch from the veggies, a bite from the tzatziki sauce, and then you finish it off with a supple 1/2 pound of flavorful beef. They are wonderful. 

Burger Ingredients: 

1/2 pound of 80% lean ground beef per person

1 inch green onion stem per person, chopped, 

1/2 tsp fresh dill per person, chopped

1/2 pita per person

1 romaine lettuce leaf per person

5 slices of cucumber per person 

Tzatziki Ingredients: 

Found HERE 

Mix your ground beef with your chopped scallions, dill, lavender salt & pepper. Shape into parties that are in triangle shapes or that will match the shape of your pitas. Grill until each patty has a nice crust on the outside. Fill your pita with one patty each, lettuce, cucumber, and then top with your fresh tzatziki sauce. 

We hope you enjoy another wonderful flavorful easy weeknight meal. 
Bon Appetite!

I love making dishes with ingredients that aren't your every day foods. Barley is an inexpensive and relatively easy ingredient to find, yet vastly under utilized in the kitchen. Barley is a wonderfully versatile grain with a rich nutlike flavor and an appealing pasta-like consistency. Tonight my husband made us a rich stew with delicious beef and barley, wonderful compliments to one another. 

Ingredients: 
1.5 lbs stew beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 bay leaves
2 springs thyme
1 cup instant pearled barley 
10 cups beef broth
Salt and Pepper

Heat your oil in a large le creuset pot. Pat your beef dry and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook and stir occasionally until brown on all sides. Remove your meat from the pot and then add your onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook until soft and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add your meat back to the pot. Add your thyme and bay leaves, and broth. Season again with about a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Add your barley and cook for another 20-25 minutes until both your barley and meat are tender. Add more salt and pepper if needed. 

This should give you about 4 servings. Its a relatively easy dish with a deep homey flavor. Its a great way to "beef" up your typical stew with a delicious and unexpected ingredient. I hope you enjoy it!

Another fun lavender dish for you to try today! One of my favorite ways to grill has got to be kebabs. All the extra surface area on the meat leads to these wonderful little crisp bits that just enhance the lavender flavor so much. Your guests will happily wonder what hit them in the tastebuds. This recipe is for Moroccan Lavender Kebabs, you will love it. 

Meat Marinade: 
1 TBS Lavender 
1/4 TSP Salt
Juice from 1 Lemon
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 Lbs Beef or Lamb cut into uniform cubes

Crush your lavender, lemon, and salt in a mortar and pestle until a paste is formed. Add your olive oil. Add your meat and put in a ziplock bag and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Skewer your meat. (If using wood skewers, make sure you soak them in water while your meat is marinating.) Grill over high heat until done to your liking. 

Simple, but unique. It doesn't take much to elevate a dish. Buy your own culinary lavender or lavender salt HERE.