Beef Tips

beef tips

Here’s a super easy comfort food recipe for you with just five ingredients! The recipe dates back to my 93-year-old great aunt ‘Nanny’, who is a wonderful cook. Nanny’s husband J.E. worked at a grocery store in Odessa as the manager of the meat department.

One day, a customer at the grocery store where J.E. worked asked for some beef tips from behind the meat counter. As J.E. weighed and packaged them up for her, he asked what she was making and she told him about this beef tip recipe.

After trying out the the lady’s recipe for beef tips, J.E. and Nanny felt it still needed something. I’m not sure if it was Nanny or J.E.’s idea, but someone suggested adding one tablespoon of soy sauce, and thus we have the beef tip recipe below!

beef tips

Something about savory beef tips in a creamy celery-mushroom soup served over rice just screams comfort. That first week after Harper was born, my mom came over to my house and made this beef tip recipe for me, Matt, Paula and Tony (who where also helping), and my dad. I think she doubled or tripled the recipe, and we all loved it.

Serve the beef tips over rice, and alongside green beans and a hot roll.

baby

Can you believe how much Harper has grown? She’s already closing in on one year old!

baby

Enjoy!

Beef Tips
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. beef tips or strips
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 1/2 cans of water (less if you want thicker)
Instructions
  1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the beef with the onion.
  2. Add soy sauce, cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup, and water.
  3. Simmer for 1 hour on the stove, or bake at 300-325 degrees for 1 hour.
  4. Serve over rice.

 

Pam’s “2 x 4” Chili

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August in Texas means mornings so humid and warm that its nearly unpleasant to go for a walk or run, scorching hot summer afternoons leaving your backyard looking like a dessert, back-to-school shopping, and last-minute vacations for those escpaing the heat and enjoying their last getaway before school starts.

As mentioned before, I write the resident recipe column for our monthly neighborhood magazine. For this month’s article, I featured a resident who discovered this “2 x 4” Chili while on a camping trip with her father in August. It’s a neat story, and a ridiculously simple yet delicious recipe, so enjoy! An excerpt from the article appears below:

“Road trip! Pack your bags,” Pam’s father announced. “We are headed for Blue Lake and Bear Mountain in Colorado where we’ll be camping in a tent and staying in a campground area!”

For those of you who know Pam, she is more at home at a spa rather than a tent, but she was only 12 years old and he was her beloved father. When they arrived at the campgrounds, they overheard the campers next to them talking about having “2 x 4” for dinner. Curious as they were, they asked for the recipe, which consisted of 2 pounds of beef, 2 cans of Rotel, 2 cans of minestrone soup, and 2 cans of Ranch Style Beans; hence the name “2 x 4”.

Who knew that this road trip would teach Pam an extremely quick recipe to share with her carnivorous friends and neighbors!

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All you need are 2 cans Rotel, 2 cans Ranch Style beans, 2 cans minestrone soup and 2 pounds of beef.
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Once the beef is browned, add the rest of the ingredients.
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Combine ingredients, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

While this recipe originates on the campgrounds, you don’t have to go camping to enjoy this delicious chili. Pam and her husband have “2 x 4” for dinner at least 2-3 times per month, and even enjoy it served with their elegant Gianni Versace Medusa China, Waterford crystal and Grand Baroque sterling!

2 x 4 chili
Set a beautiful table with your finest of china, or simply eat on paper plates while camping. 🙂

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2 x 4 chili
Doesn’t this look delicious?
2 x 4 chili
Top with Fritos and shredded cheddar cheese.
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The chef!
Pam’s “2 x 4” Chili
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. ground round
  • 2 cans Rotel
  • 2 cans minestrone soup
  • 2 cans Ranch Style Beans
Instructions
  1. Brown beef in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook until crumbly and brown.
  2. Add Rotel, minestrone and Ranch Style Beans, and stir.
  3. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
  4. Serve with Fritos and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.