Beef

A Recipe too Good not to Share Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times Some food pictures are just too good not to share. And when the recipe is from none other than Craig Clairborne, you're going to want to try it. Now, I know that this might be more appropriate for a cold winter night, but if you're in the mood for some good home cookin' a hearty beef stew is going to taste great anytime of the year. Serve this over your favorite noodles. Can you say? - Delicious! Think about a loaf of warm bread; pair your stew with a hearty red wine, and you've got a complete meal. INGREDIENTS 4 pounds lean, boneless chuck steak¼ cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic2 cups coarsely chopped onions6 tablespoons flour4 cups dry red wine2 cups water4 whole cloves1 bay leaf½ teaspoon thyme6 sprigs parsley, tied in a bundle6 large carrots, about 1 1/2 pounds, trimmed and scraped PREPARATION Cut the meat into two-inch cubes.Using a large skillet, heat the oil and add the beef cubes in one layer. Add salt and pepper and cook, stirring and turning the pieces often, for about 10 minutes.Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat the meat evenly.Add the wine and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the water. Add the cloves, bay leaf, thyme and parsley. Cover closely and

Why are beef prices so high... when gas prices are so low? Isn't it great that gas prices are so low. I feel like I'm putting a $10.00 bill in my pocket every time I gas up. On the other hand, my wife just informed me that a pound of extra-lean ground beef at Costco is $5.99. WOW! six bucks a pound for hamburger meat. It's good to know that the price of gas and the price of meat are not correlated. We can celebrate the (temporarily) low price of gas, while at the same time try to figure out if we can afford a steak for dinner. What is going on with the cost of beef? 2014 has seen steady monthly increases in already high beef prices. Will it end soon? Sorry to say, but the experts say beef prices will continue upward for the next few of years while supply catches up with demand. According to *Oklahoma State University livestock economist, Dr. Derrell Peel, the inventory of cattle has not been this low since 1951. While breeding bounced back in 2014, that means at least 2017 before we see a marked increase in beef products available at retail. Who's at fault? In the end, we could blame the weather...REALLY! We've had an extended drought in big grain producing states, as well as in Canada. Without feed available, ranchers reduced cattle inventories, and as a result meat prices have skyrocketed. What can be done? Some consumers are changing to