I recently came across an article written by Christine Lennon in "Food & Wine" magazine that I couldn't stop reading. Christine wrote about her husband and several of their friends who had recently tossed off their vegetarian ways and began eating meat again. It seems that this is a growing trend in many areas of the country. Christine's group, like many others, has jumped on the "grass fed" beef band-wagon.
Grass fed beef has become the new "in" thing with many Hollywood types and is becoming more and more available nationwide and for good reason! It's simple! Grass fed beef is GOOD for you! That's right GOOD for you. It's also better for the cattle. Cows are left to graze naturally in green pastures instead of warehouses.

Read more below...

How exactly should you deal with your butcher?

Here are 10 quick tips:

1. It's a matter of trust
2. Be prepared
3. Learn your cuts
4. Know portion sizes
5. Looks can be deceiving
6. Grades aren't everything
7. Freshness? Ask the right questions
8. Get beyond labels
9. What your meat ate
10. The joys of ground meat

To find out more about these tips, click here.

Ingredients:

2 cups diced, cooked chicken (you can even use the canned
chicken if you prefer)
2 cans cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup small, diced veggies of your choice (carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc.)
Salt, pepper and any other favorite seasonings to taste
2 cans refrigerated biscuits

Heat oven to 350 F.

Bring the two cans of soup and the milk to a light boil in a sauce pan.

Dice the chicken and selected vegetable. Add the seasonings of choice and mix them all together.

Flatten out each biscuit to at least a 3-inch circle. Place approx two tablespoons of the chicken mixture on one side of the biscuit, fold the biscuit over the chicken mixture and pinch the edges to seal them tightly. You can use a fork to crimp the edges too.

Coat the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish with the soup, then place the filled biscuits in the dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for approx 40-50 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Cheesy Beef and Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 chopped onion
5-6 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 lb. of your favorite noodles, cooked and drained (small noodles work best)
1 lb. grated cheddar cheese
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil

Heat oven to 350 F.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the chopped onion. Cook
until the onions are golden brown then add the ground beef.

Once the meat is cooked through, add the spaghetti sauce and salt to taste.

Simmer until it's heated throughout.

In a 3 quart casserole dish, layer the sauce, noodles and cheese. (You can do as many layers as you want, just start with the sauce and end with the cheese.)

Bake at 350 F for approx 45 minutes. The cheese should be nice and crispy!

Maple Bacon Pork Chops with Cheese

Ingredients:

4 boneless center loin pork chops

8 strips raw maple bacon
4 slices Swiss, Provolone, OR Mozzarella cheese
3 tbsp olive oil1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp. crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp parsley flakes

Heat oven to 350 F.

Place a strip of bacon in the middle of each pork chop then place a slice of cheese on top of that. Wrap another slice of maple bacon around each pork chop and secure with a toothpick.

Coat a baking dish with olive oil and place the chops inside. Bake at 350 F for approx 30 minutes.

Combine garlic, parsley, butter, salt and pepper in bowl and microwave until butter is melted.

Remove chops from oven and pour butter mixture over the top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes and enjoy!