Buying grass-fed beef

Not really our cow. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Having quality food is important to us; it's a major factor in why we have chickens. We know how they are raised, and we can control other factors such as the quality of their food. Unfortunately on our 1/3 acre city lot, that's about all we can do in the livestock realm. We'd eventually like to have our own farm, but we're still searching for other ways to get the quality we are looking for through more traditional outlets.

Thankfully we live in a location where many others have similar values, which makes this kind of food readily available. Many grocery stores, farmers markets and even butcher shops sell local, grass-fed beef. We, however, chose to go with the higher quantity route and purchased half of a cow.

We were able to find one on our local Craigslist last year for $2.75 per pound hanging weight, plus another .60 cents per pound to the butcher and half the kill fee (around $50). It was so good that we contacted the seller again this year to get on the list. There's no off taste in the fat (unlike the first cow we purchased) and is very tender.

For a total of $900, here's what we ended up with in our freezer:
Ground beef - 41 packages, approximately 1 pound each
Stew meat - 7 packages
Soup Bones -5 packages
Heart - 1 package
Liver - 7 packages
Brisket -1 package
Rump roast - 3 packages
Chuck roast - 9 packages
Cross-rib roast - 2 packages
Flank steak - 1 package
Round steak - 8 packages
Sirloin tip steak - 7 packages
T-bone steaks - 7 packages
Ribeyes - 5.5 packages (one only has a single steak)
Short ribs - 7 packages
Round Bone roast - 3 packages
Oxtail - 1
Dog bones - 10 to 15 pounds
Suet - 10 pounds

Potato Soup

Recently our neighborhood grocery store had a Buy One, Get One Free deal on 5-pound bags of potatoes. The Husband, always eager to strike on a good deal, led us to coming home with 10 pounds of potatoes. So what's a two-member household to do with 10 pounds of potatoes? Make Potato Soup of course!

Over the years we've experimented with potato soup recipes, including those with a 50/50 split between cauliflower and potatoes. It's hard to beat the real thing though, 10-pounds in the pantry notwithstanding.

Potato Soup
A Northwest Homestead original

Ingredients
4 large or 6-8 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 stick butter
1/2 c rice flour (or regular flour)
6 C milk
1 C sour cream
1.5 C shredded cheddar
Green onions (optional)

Directions
Cut potatoes into bite-sized cubes and boil until done in a large soup pot. Set aside.
Cook bacon and set aside.
In soup pot, melt butter and saute garlic and onion until cooked.
Add flour/potato starch and cook for a minute or two. And milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add the potatoes into the soup and smash half. Cook a minute or two longer, then stir in sour cream.
Add cheese and stir until melted.
Serve with bacon, green onions and a pinch of extra cheese if desired.

Caesar Dressing

Caesar salad seems to be a popular choice among, well, everybody. Then there was me, eating my standard garden salad with ranch. Not that I minded. I find it quite tasty, actually. But in my nearly 30 years of life, I'd found exactly one Caesar salad in my life I could tolerate...and it's located in a hotel several hundred miles away. However, I've now found a Caesar dressing I can eat at home. I dare say I might even like it!

Caesar Dressing
A Northwest Homestead original

Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes hot sauce (like Tabasco)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and ½ cup light olive oil

Directions 
1. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mash chopped garlic cloves and anchovies to a fine paste with the salt
2. Stir in all other ingredients except the oils
3. Slowly whisk in oils
4. Top salad with some shredded or peeled parmesan