Author: Jennifer Kiko

Jennifer lives on a rural route with her husband, kids, horses, cows and faithful Labs, Cash and Carter. She's an aspiring foodie and enjoys making good food for great friends. She lives next door to a winery, plays the piano, and admits to growing too many tomatoes.

Chef Mytro’s Ribeye Steak with Polenta

Chef Matt Mytro of Flour restaurant in Moreland Hills, Ohio, is heating things up this summer with grilled recipes that sizzle, literally. Chef Matt offers his recipe for grilled ribeyes with polenta with GoRare.com readers. This is a meal made for [mouthwatering] dinner parties or grand summer gatherings, but you could easily half the quantities, below, for a more intimate affair. Just add a glass of wine or two, a spectacular sunset, and you have a perfect patio soiree. Enjoy!  Continue Reading

For Your Best Guests: Serve Pinwheel Steak Skewers

This is a great recipe for weekend gatherings or your next back yard bash. These skewers are an excellent way to serve steak to larger groups, too. Just grill several top sirloin or flank steaks, thinly slice the tender beef, roll pinwheels, and skewer. Juicy bites of luscious, mouthwatering steak for every guest without breaking the bank.  Continue Reading

You’ll Be Smokin’ Hot With A Few Tips

There’s nothing like the aroma of wood smoke and awesome flavors of a well-smoked meal. Smoking does take some finesse and knowledge, but it shouldn’t be seen as a skill that's difficult and only for grilling experts. With a little time and practice everyone can become an expert. So grab your wood chips!  Continue Reading

Grilling Greats for Dad

Father's Day is just around the corner — don't be caught empty-handed! Here are a few gifts ideas that will have your dad sizzling on his big day! And to really knock Father's Day out of the park, I suggest you wrap up a package of steaks to accompany one of these gifts. What could be better for the man of the house?! Find a local Certified Angus Beef ® brand retailer by zip code, or order and send his favorite cuts online.  Continue Reading

A Weekend To Remember

Memorial Day is a time to remember how very fortunate we are. Brave heroes are willing to sacrifice their happiness — their very lives — for ours. Sometimes that message is lost in Memorial weekend. We gather together, heat up the grill and enjoy summer meals with friends and family. Celebrating with loved ones and …   Continue Reading

The ultimate finger foods

teaks and burgers are great, but a highlight of the grilling season has rather primitive tendencies. You see there's nothing quite like thick, juicy hunks of beef and fresh vegetables slow-roasted on a stick over flame. I can almost hear the sizzle.  Continue Reading

For the love of beef: from pasture to cooking show

Summer grilling season is here, and we're pleased to share we're returning to the CBS weekend cooking show, Recipe Rehab, on Saturday, May 17 (check local listings). The episode features Mark and Abbie Nelson of 5-Star Land & Livestock, an Angus cattle ranch in Wilton, Calif. They'll share the family’s traditional beef ribs recipe. We'll share recipes on Friday, so stay tuned!  Continue Reading

You want healthy? Eat lean beef!

Premium beef like the Certified Angus Beef ® brand delivers superior flavor — if you're reading this blog chances are you're aware of that fact. But beyond its crave-worthy taste and singular eating experience, what's really important is a balanced, nutritious meal — right?   Continue Reading

Rosemary for Remembrance {and Mom}

If Rosemary is the herb of remembrance and Mother's Day is just around the corner, it makes sense to combine the two for a thoughtful and tasty token. Tuck a few fresh Rosemary sprigs into a bouquet of flowers — for remembrance, of course, and also for its lovely, fresh scent.   Continue Reading

Beef 101: The story

owboys and chefs, ranchers and restaurateurs — they work together to bring tasty, tender, juicy Certified Angus Beef ® brand steaks, burgers and roasts to the table. It's a pasture to plate process and all parties strive to live up to the brand's impeccable standards. After all, it's not called 'Angus beef at its best' for nothin'.  Continue Reading

Beef 101: TLC for your grill

'Tis the season for grilling and that tickles me pink — which happens to be the way I like my steaks (translation: medium rare to medium doneness). But before I can dig in and indulge in a sizzling bite o' beef, I need to tackle some housekeeping. Spring cleaning should always extend to your outdoor grill ...  Continue Reading

In the mood? Perfect your art and cook with color

If there's one thing to remember when making a meal — with or without a recipe, it's this: color counts and variety matters. Remove boring from your repertoire. Find ways to add color to everything and the folks you feed will thank you. Also worth mentioning: colorful food is typically the healthiest food.  Continue Reading

Beef 101: Any way you slice it

You may not be one to 'go against the grain' but when it comes to slicing beef that's exactly what you want to do. Slicing against the grain means a shorter distance between muscle fibers for a better bite. Chef Michael Ollier gets to the meat of the matter in this quick video:  Continue Reading

It’s Spring! Let’s Wrap and Roll

I set out to celebrate spring with a fancy recipe. I'll admit — I was hoping to wow the folks seated around my table with Thai spring rolls. The end result was definitely delicious, but it was a battle to the finish. You see, I've never used spring roll wrappers before. I quickly discovered they are not for the timid. Getting the hang of 'em takes a bit of practice!  Continue Reading

Stir, fry and a wok through history

Stir frying meat and vegetables is one of my favorite last-minute dinner solutions. Sure, I attempt to make weekly meal plans but schedules and the best laid plans fall apart. In a pinch, slicing beef and veggies and serving over a bed of rice — or not — keeps my hungry crowd happy.  Continue Reading

View from the table: Beef and Bourbon Dinner

You may have enjoyed a wine tasting or two, and maybe you've attended a pairing dinner — several courses, each accompanied by a particular wine that enhances the flavor of the food. But a bourbon dinner featuring exquisitely aged house-made liquor paired with the Certified Angus Beef ® brand ?! Legendary. It's the stuff of foodie dreams.  Continue Reading

Make steaks even when the sun won’t shine

Worry no more, fair weather friends. You CAN serve satisfying sizzle in the midst of the downpour thanks to several cooking techniques that deliver mouthwatering steaks in minutes. They may not have the smoky, charred fresh-off-the-grill flavor, but they'll certainly please your taste buds and be good to the last tender bite!  Continue Reading

Beef 101: best in class

The grading scale has been on our minds since we were youngsters in elementary school. We're taught to work hard and earn good grades, achieve top honors and make the mark. Good grades are a sign of achievement and top-notch quality.  Continue Reading

You’re gonna like Jersey Mike’s

This post was written by freelance writer Laura Conaway. Calling Jersey Mike’s a sub shop seems like an understatement. It’s a chain of restaurants that maintains a local vibe where quite often, everyone really does know your name. The folks at Jersey Mike’s put premium quality and freshness at the forefront of their business model. …   Continue Reading

Virginia’s Blockbuster Brownies

Made with premium chocolate, walnuts and lots of love, these delightful desserts were so decadent and chocolaty that every board member always ate two or three. Fred Johnson, another of the brand's founders once said, "If it weren't for those brownies, the Certified Angus Beef ® program wouldn't have survived!"  Continue Reading

Recipe Rehab – a tale of two stews

If you’re a fan of the Certified Angus Beef ® brand you may have already heard about the upcoming challenge airing this Saturday on CBS. If not, let me fill you in. The Cortes Family has a love for food that stems from their Puerto Rican heritage and family gatherings. Unfortunately, some of those ‘family …   Continue Reading

Behind the scenes at Recipe Rehab

This post was written by Certified Angus Beef ® brand friend, Liz DeBoer. She makes her home in California and took a road trip to L.A. for this story. On any typical evening, I can be found perusing my TV’s food channels looking for a cooking show or competition that will keep me enthralled for say, …   Continue Reading

Ribeyes with Classic Steak Butter

Forced to choose one cut of beef, ribeye would be my steak of choice. It’s flavorful but not fussy. It’s one of the most tender cuts. A well-marbled ribeye is incredibly juicy. And let’s not forget that tasty morsel of meat at the end — the spinalis. When you’re looking at a traditional ribeye steak the spinalis, or ribeye cap, is the …   Continue Reading

Step-by-step Steak Au Poivre

I love dining out: the elegant surroundings, courteous servers and of course, no dish duty. The thing is it’s cold — really cold! — here in Ohio and the thought of venturing out into the frigid, dark night on Valentine’s Day has me shivering in my wool sweater. So I thought this year we could …   Continue Reading

Classic Steak Salad with Blue Cheese

We’re a week into the new year and here’s hoping you’re still feeling resolute. Did you determine to slim down or eat healthier meals in 2014? Good for you! Both are worthy, life-saving goals! Health-conscious menus include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, it’s true. It’s a good idea and good for you, too, to …   Continue Reading