Beer Beef- Our Take on Belgium Beef

With the weather turning colder there is nothing better than a warm plate of comfort food on a winter night. Beer beef, our take on Belgium Beef is sure to leave you feeling satisfied. Chunks of beef are slow cooked in caramelized onions, dark beer and broth, leaving your home smelling like an old wool European kitchen. Serve over buttered egg noodles or creamy mashed potatoes, with your favorite dark beer and you won't be sorry!

This recipe comes together quickly and the best part is that cooks all afternoon in the oven so you are freed up to do other things. Traditional Belgium Beef is made with Belgium beer but we subbed in one of our favorite dark beers by Yachats Brewing, Marbled Murrelet. Feel free to use your favorite as well, just make sure it is a dark, rich beer for a full flavor effect in the recipe. 

To get your free recipe card CLICK HERE and keep reading to get the full recipe.

Beer Beef (Our Take on Belgium Beef)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 Pounds Beef Chuck or Round Steak Cut into 1" Cubes

1 Cup Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1/4 C. Olive Oil

3 Onions (Thinly Sliced)

2 C. Beef Broth

2 C. Dark Beer

1 tsp. Sage

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Marjoram

2 Bay Leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut beef into one inch cubes. In a large ziplock bag mix together flour, salt and pepper. Add beef in batches breading all sides. Over medium high heat in a large dutch oven, heat oil and brown beef on all sides (this will have to be done in batches). Place browned beef on a plate and set aside.

Leaving browned bits in the same Dutch oven, add more oil if needed, turn down heat to medium and caramelize thinly sliced onions. Make sure onions are actually caramelized and translucent (can take 20 minutes) and not just browned, this will make a HUGE difference.

Once onions are caramelized, deglaze pan with beer. Add in broth and spices, stirring to combine. Lastly add in beef and cover with lid. Place in oven and cook for 2-2.5 hours until beef is tender and the liquid has created a gravy. Serve over buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes. 

The History of Gateway, Oregon

Gateway is nine miles north of Madras and south of Trout Creek. It is located in a naturally eroded valley that provides a gate from the Deschutes River to the upper plateau. When railroads first entered into Central Oregon from the north along the Deschutes River one of the rail lines used this pathway to emerge to the uplands. A post office was established on March 12, 1913 with William M. Blair the first postmaster. Originally the office was established as Young’s a few miles east, but was moved to the rail tracks and named for the natural depression that allowed the railroad a Gateway to Central Oregon. It is believed that George McFarland, a water pumper for the newly completed railroad gave Gateway its name. A railroad station and stockyards was built at Gateway and the site became an important shipping point. A traveling salesman named Kegler built the first store. An article in the Madras Pioneer on July 24, 1919 gives a lively description of Gateway:

"Gateway is a thriving little burg which always seems to be up and doing, always in for its share of things for the common good and always open for a chance to improve and grow. It is the first town from the northern boundary of Jefferson County and is the outlet for two of Jefferson county’s richest sections, Trout Creek and Ashwood; as well as the northern edge of Big Agency Plains. Gateway has two general stores, a new and well managed hotel, a confectionary store, Tum-a-Lum lumber yard, blacksmith shop and garage. It is on the O-W railroad and has good warehouses. Gateway is growing and will continue to do so."

The post office was discontinued on September 30, 1956 with mail moving to Madras.

Part of the original railroad which can still be seen. 

Gateway Grade

This road grade is located just west of Gateway and descends down on Juniper Lane from Agency Plains to Mud Springs Valley. The steep grade was first built to allow Agency Plains farmers a route to get their harvested wheat from the Plains down to the railroad depot at Gateway for shipment to market. It currently is a paved road and a main access from Gateway to Agency Plains.

The Gateway Grade, as seen from the top of North Agency Plains. 

Gateway Recreation Site

This Bureau of Land Management campground is located near the mouth of Trout Creek on the Deschutes River. It is also known as Trout Creek Recreation Site. It is named for its close proximity to Gateway. The BLM has developed several camping and picnic sites at the campground. There are toilet and water facilities, a public boat ramp, parking and a seasonal ranger station. There also is a trail along the Deschutes River that follows the old Oregon Trunk Railroad Line on the south bank of the Deschutes River from the camp to Mecca Recreation site. The camp is very popular with boaters, rafters and fishermen.

Gateway Rim

This rimrock is located two miles southwest of Gateway on the eastern edge of Agency Plains. A U.S.G.S. benchmark gives an elevation of 2306 feet. The road grade from Gateway to Agency Plains winds its way up this rim. It is named for its close location above the community of Gateway.

Gateway School

This school was located at the site of the Gateway community. As the railroad arrived in Central Oregon in 1911 and passed through the newly established community of Gateway it was determined a school was necessary in 1912. There was not a building available so local parents decided to use a nearby saloon as a school room. Parents did most of the scrubbing and removed offensive items such as spittoons and mirrors and made the building acceptable. A new school house was later built and was utilized until the late 1960’s. The first teacher at the school was Viola Smith and there were about ten students. An article in the Madras Pioneer on October 19, 1916, described the school:

"A very enjoyable evening was spent at the Gateway school, District 17, on Friday, October 13. Mrs. Harriet Woosley, the teacher, and her pupils, deserve great praise for the way in which the excellent program was carried out. The dramatization of Hiawatha was especially good. After the program a number of boxes filled to the utmost with samples of the delicious cookery of the ladies of Gateway were auctioned off. The neat little sum of $26 was realized from the sale. The money is to be used in meeting requirements which will bring the school up to the standardization mark."

Excerpt taken from: Central Oregon Place Names, Volume II Jefferson County, Steve Lent, Pages 91-93

Gateway Present Day

While Gateway is not the thriving metropolis that it once was, many of the settlers ancestors still inhabit the area today, where they live, farm and raise their families. There are glimpses back into time where you can see an abandoned store building and also the town's church. The railroad still runs through Gateway and if you listen closely on a quiet night, you can hear it chugging through the sleepy town from the malt house.

An old, abandoned store front in Gateway, Oregon. 

The First Baptist Church, which is no longer in use but stands in pristine condition.

In the last several years a new seed plant has been built, Obsidian Seed. It is co-owned and operated by one of the Gateway pioneer families, The Vibberts. Grain, grass seed and other speciality seed are hauled down the Gateway Grade from Agency Plains just like they were 100 years ago, but now in semi trucks instead of wagons. 

Each Fourth of July, Gateway hosts its annual Independence Day Parade that starts "Roughly at 3," where you get to see the parade not once but twice, as it winds through the town and then back again! Afterwards a local family hosts a potluck for neighbors and friends to celebrate America and the town of Gateway. 

What Goes into Preparing for Harvest Season?

Harvest is a season that all farmers warily look forward to. It is a time to reap what they have sown, but can also be very stressful. There is a lot to do in a small window of time to make sure everything is ready to go before harvest begins. 

One of many grass seed fields waiting to be swathed. 

Our Kentucky Bluegrass fields have just finishing pollinating and are getting ready to receive their last set of irrigation water, after which they will be in a waiting period before swathing begins. As the outdoor air temperature increases, our barley, wheat, and rye fields will continue to be irrigated because they won't be harvested until the first week of August. It is important to make sure that grain fields receive enough moisture during the hot summer days to prevent them from becoming stressed. Drought stress leads to elevated protein levels and smaller kernels not desirable for malting. 

Servicing one of four combines in preparation for harvest.

In the shop, our swathers, combines, and balers all receive routine maintenance before the season begins. These machines put in long hours during the season, so it’s important to make sure they are top form to ensure a smooth harvest.

One of the swathers used to cut grass seed fields. 

Once the Kentucky Bluegrass seed has reached the correct maturity, the fields will be cut and laid into “windrows” using a machine called a swather. The windrows are left in the field to dry for about 8 days before combining and baling begins. Want to learn more about Kentucky Bluegrass? CLICK HERE.

Black Bean and Barley Burgers

If you are looking for a healthy burger alternative then look no further than these black bean barley burgers. They have been taste-tested by even the pickiest carnivores (Seth and Brad), and they both gave them two thumbs up! We promise you won't miss the meat and they are just as filling!

Black Bean Barley Burgers

Makes- 8 Patties

Ingredients:

1 Can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)

1 C. Cooked Pearled Barley
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 C. Finely Diced Onion

1 C. Finely Diced Bell Pepper

1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 C. Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs

2 Tbsp. Ketchup

1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Worcestershire Sauce

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet saute onion, pepper and garlic in oil until translucent. Place into a large mixing bowl. In the same skillet, heat rinsed black beans until they start to dry out, transfer to mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash together using a fork, pastry cutter, mashed potato masher or utensil of your choice. Season with salt, pepper and worcestersire sauce to taste. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and form into eight equal sized patties. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through. Serve on buns or in lettuce wraps with toppings of your choice!

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction Black Bean Burgers

CLICK HERE for your free recipe card. 

Fish Tacos with Secret Sauce

Fish tacos have to be one of my favorite Mexican dishes. Generally when you order them though, the fish is fried, which don't get me wrong, I do enjoy but the majority of the time my stomach cannot handle fried food and I mean do I REALLY need to be eating fried food? Probably not. For this recipe, the fish can be cooked in the oven or on the bbq and sets itself apart with a secret (not so secret anymore) sauce that completes the taco.

With Cinco de Mayo coming up, I only thought it would be appropriate to share the recipe! Enjoy with an ice cold beer, like Worthy Brewing's Sol Power, or a margarita on the rocks. Keep reading to see the full recipe and get your free printable recipe card!

Fish Tacos with Secret Sauce

Serves: 4

Marinade:
2 lb. Tilapia fillets (you can easily substitute your favorite white fish)
1/4 avocado oil (or other light neutral oil like olive oil)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 limes juiced 
1 C. Light Beer
1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Taco Toppings:
1 pkg. flour or corn tortillas (small taco size)
2 Limes
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 pkg. Shredded Cabbage (or you can buy cabbage and shred your own, I hate the mess it makes so I buy pre-shredded).
2 Avocados

Secret Sauce:
2 limes (juiced)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbps. + tsp. Tapatio

Directions:
Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and pour into ziplock bag with rinsed fish. Place in refrigerator and let marinade for at least an hour (can marinade overnight). Now is also the best time to make the secret sauce because the longer it sits in the refrigerator the better it tastes. Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

The Secret Sauce is a MUST for the Fish Tacos

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line baking a sheet with parchment paper. Remove fish from ziplock, place on baking sheet, lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until fish is done (it should feel firm like the back of your hand if you poked it). If you are cooking on the bbq double wrap in a foil pouch and place bbq over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. (varies depending upon bbq.) 

While the fish is baking prepare your toppings; cut the limes into wedges, finishing chopping the remaining cilantro, slice avocado into wedges and shred cabbage. 

Once the fish has cooled, place on a plate and flake into small chunks. Layer your tortilla (I like to warm up the tortillas first. Wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds and they will steam) with fish, cabbage, avocado and cilantro. Top with secret sauce and enjoy!

Ole!

CLICK HERE for your free recipe card!

Homestead Pie- Our Take on Shepherd's Pie

The majority of my time spent recently has included: staying inside to keep warm from the snowstorm and cooking, baking and eating as a means of entertainment and a way to pass the time. While this may not have ended the best for me or my waistline, we were all able to enjoy some delicious food and make sure our bellies were full during our short lived hibernation. 

One meal that proved to be warm and comforting was Shepherd's Pie. Traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with ground lamb, veggies and topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Lamb is one of the only foods I really dislike (and yes, I have tried it multiple ways), so I mixed it up and used ground elk, giving the dish a nod to the pioneer days, when they lived off wild game and whatever livestock they had to harvest. You can really use any type of ground meat you would like for this recipe, even ground turkey! Beer was subbed for part of the beef broth to give another dimension of flavor and I topped the mashed potatoes with shredded cheese because isn't everything better with cheese?

If you do not want to go the traditional corned beef and cabbage route for St. Patrick's Day on Sunday, our Homestead Pie is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser! Keep reading to see the full recipe and get your free printable recipe card!

Homestead Pie- Our Take on Shepherd's Pie

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Wild Game

2 Medium Carrots (Diced)

2 Celery Ribs (Diced)
1/2 Onion (Diced)

1 C. Peas
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Thyme

1/2 tsp. Rosemary

1/2 tsp. Marjoram
2/3 C. Tomato Sauce
1/4 C. Flour
1 C. Beer
1/2 C. Beef Broth
4 C. Mashed Potatoes
1 C. Shredded White Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Brown ground meat in a large skillet. Once browned, add carrots, celery, onion and peas, cooking until veggies are tender. Add seasonings and tomato sauce, stirring until combined. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until meat and veggies are coated. Pour in beer and beef broth, simmering for 20 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish, letting mixture cool completely. While the meat mixture cools, prepare four cups of your favorite mashed potatoes. Top the cooled mixture with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven for 20-25 mixtures, until hot and bubbly.

CLICK HERE for your free recipe card. 

The History of Shaniko, Oregon

No town in Oregon has seen more rapid growth and decline in a single decade than Shaniko. From 1901 to 1911, the town went from being the Wool Capital of the World to the liveliest ghost town in the state. Shaniko, incorporated in 1901, was at one time the fifth largest city in Wasco County, shipping millions of pounds of wool and carloads of grain and livestock to market each year.

With the passage of the Homestead Act in 1862, many EuroAmericans settled in central Oregon. That same year, gold was discovered in Canyon City, attracting thousands of miners into the canyons 190 miles southeast of The Dalles. Pack trains carried supplies to camps named Bakeoven and Cross Hollows. By 1869, some thirty homesteads had been issued to applicants in central Oregon counties.

As the gold played out, settlers took up land claims in the area, among them August Scherneckau, who arrived in Cross Hollows from Germany in 1874 and established the post office there in 1879. The January 1, 1901, edition of the Shaniko Leader praised the city "in the midst of a fine stock country...that will soon be known everywhere as a city of first importance."

Pioneer Saloon, Shaniko. Courtesy Oregon Hist. Soc. Research Lib., 6145

In 1897, the Columbia Southern Railway Company filed papers to build a railroad from Biggs on the Columbia River to Wasco, Moro, and Grass Valley, originally with a plan to extend the line to Prineville. Businessmen from The Dalles and Moro formed the Townsite Company in 1899 to create a rail terminal between Grass Valley and Prineville. They laid out streets and a water system for a town, near the site of Cross Hollows. The incorporated town was named Shaniko, after the Wasco Indians’ pronunciation of the name Scherneckau. By 1900, the year the railroad came to town, Shaniko’s population was 172.

The land around Shaniko was not good farmland, but it was adequate as sheep and cattle country. Many homesteaders sold their 160 acres to ranchers, who increased their herds. Incoming freight in 1901—primarily farm equipment, building materials, fence posts, and coal and wood fuel—amounted to 1,400 railroad cars, making Shaniko one of the largest inland shipping centers in the world. From April to October 1900, the railroad shipped 230 railroad cars of sheep, 5 cars of horses and mules, 31 cars of cattle, and nearly 3 million pounds of wool from Shaniko.

Wool buyers at Shaniko, c. 1910. Courtesy Oregon Hist. Soc. Research Lib.

The January 1, 1901, Shaniko Leader boasted: “As a shipping and distributing point, Shaniko is second to no city in Oregon (except Portland),” servicing “the vast inland territory of varied resources, extending into California.” Shaniko, the paper wrote, was the mecca of the inland territory. Columbia Southern Railway backers built huge warehouses for building supplies and farm products—large enough, for example, to hold 4 million pounds of wool.

Wool sales occurred as many as three times a year, depending on the arrival in the spring of freight wagon trains from Burns, Bend, and Condon, or from Bridge Creek, Fossil, and Maupin. One day’s sale in 1903 recorded over a million dollars for the Moody Warehouse Company. In addition to the 2,229 tons of wool, 1,168,866 bushels of wheat and numerous carloads of stock were shipped out of Shaniko on the Columbia Southern Railroad, making it one of the most productive short lines in the nation. In 1904, over five million dollars' worth of wool was sold.

The boom lasted ten years, until railroad magnates Edward Harriman and James J. Hill opened a rival rail line along the Deschutes River Canyon to Bend. Shaniko’s population—600 in the 1910 census—began to decline, helped along by two fires that destroyed much of the business district in 1910 and 1911.

Shaniko won temporary reprieves when it headquartered workers and their families during the building of Highway 97, the grading and improving of roads in Wasco County in the 1920s and 1930s, and the building of a gas pipeline from California to Washington in the 1950s. A more lasting reprieve came in 1959 when the Oregon Centennial Commission designated Shaniko Oregon’s Ghost Town of the Year. 

Shaniko Hotel

One constant in Shaniko since 1902 has been the Columbia Southern Hotel, now known as the Shaniko Hotel. Built in the Italianate style, it has been a hotel, bank, stage stop, saloon, dance hall, and general gathering place and is the most imposing building in town. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979; the Shaniko Historic District was designated in 1982. Other historic buildings are the Sage Museum, Shaniko School, City Hall and Jail, Wedding Chapel, and the Wool Warehouse.

Shaniko Hotel, 1960. Photo by Robert Hacker

Shaniko Schoolhouse, 1960. Photo by Robert Hacker

Shaniko Present Day

Oregon businessman Robert B. Pamplin Jr. purchased the hotel and a few small businesses and city lots in 2000. He renovated some buildings and planned to build thirty-five new houses for workers who served tourists. But in 2008 the Shaniko City Council, in consultation with the state, denied Pamplin an easement from a well on one of his lots to supply water to the hotel and restaurant. He closed the hotel and cafe, capped the well, and put up “for sale” signs. The New York Times reported that the asking price was $3.1 million and that “the market for ghost towns is limited, particularly expensive ones.” As of 2016, the Pamplin property is not for sale.

Main Street, Shaniko. Photo by A.E. Platt

Shaniko Hotel Present Day. Photo by anotherheader

Each year in August, Shaniko Days attracts as many as four hundred people on a weekend. The Shaniko Preservation Guild, organized in 2004, operates a museum, hosts an annual Wool Gathering, and sponsors the annual Tygh Valley Bluegrass Jamboree and the Ragtime and Vintage Music Festival. In 2010, Shaniko had thirty-six residents.

Article from: The Oregon Encyclopedia, Shaniko, Ulrich H. Hardt

Plough to Pint with Worthy Brewing

Mecca Grade Estate Malt is partnering with Worthy Brewing to throw the ultimate farm to table dinner, Plough to Pint! To purchase your tickets CLICK HERE.

Join us for a collaboration Farm to Table Craft Dinner event by Worthy Brewing and Mecca Grade Estate Malt benefiting the Coalition for the Deschutes, a local nonprofit working to restore the Deschutes River so that fish, farms, and families can all thrive. This five course meal will feature pairings with Worthy Brewing's craft beer for each plate, brewed with malts and grain from Mecca Grade. 

The evening will begin at 6:30pm with a cocktail hour, appetizers, mingling and malt sampling. Following cocktails, from 7 to 9 pm, dinner will be served in five courses paired with five Worthy Brewing craft beers. The menu and beer pairings for the evening include:

Mecca Savory Rye Sandwich Cake

House Cured Columbia River Steelhead, Cucumber, Radish, Onion, Crème Fraiche

Rye Lager

Coffee Roasted Local Beets

Goat Cheese Semi-Freddo, Orange, Cocoa Nibs, Mint, Toasted Opal 44 Malt

German Hefeweizen

Toasted Wheat Berries

Lardoons, Local Honeycrisp Apple, Leeks

Hazy IPA

Mecca Barley Waffles

Carlton Farms Pork Schnitzel, Bandon Dunes Cheddar Fondue, Lingonberries

English Mild

Mecca Honey Wheat Crepes

Farmers Cheese, Huckleberries, Worthy Garden Club Honey, Filberts

Grisette

As a special dinner gift, guests will also take home a mixed 6-pack of Worthy craft beers. Ticket sales are limited to 50 people, so hurry now and purchase your tickets HERE.