It's BEEF day!!!

I thought I'd try and write this up before I get started in the kitchen so that this doesn't end up being more of a "yesterday in mom's kitchen" blog! Since we only eat beef occasionally (once every couple of weeks), I get kind of excited on beef day! I was going to do hamburgers tonight, but the skies grew dark and we had a surprise thunderstorm (yay!). So I'm doing this instead:

1 lb ground beef (from our grass-fed stock in the freezer)
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic
Grated cheese (we have cheddar on hand)

Brown the ground beef with the italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Set aside to drain and cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the pan. Return the beef to the pan to heat. Serve topped with grated cheese on these:

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns/Hoagies adapted from this: http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-hamburger-and-hot-dog-buns-bread-machine-169916

1 cup water+1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
Mix in a bowl, cover and let soak for 12-24 hours (honestly, I only let it soak for about 5 hours; better than nothing!). Place into the bread machine and select "dough" option. While it's kneading, add:
1 egg, beaten
2 TBSP flour+3/4 teaspoon salt
Let it knead for a few more minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of yeast. Let finish on dough cycle, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into desired portions. For hoagies or hot dog buns, break off a palm-sized amount and roll into a large, wide rectangle, then fold lengthwise in half. Place on a lightly greased pan, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes, until doubled in size. Bake at 15 minutes until golden.

I made one of these sandwiches up, put it on a plate to take a picture of it, but my husband ate it! So, I'll be working on the picture thing some more. It takes a little more organization to take pictures while cooking than I ever would have thought! Plus, I spend a good deal of time making my food taste good, not look good!!