Salmonella. Photo: AP

A California meat packer has recalled more than 825,000 pounds of ground beef that may be linked to salmonellosis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week.

Beef Packers, Inc., of Fresno, Calif., recalled the ground beef products on Aug. 6, 2009. Meat included in the recall was produced between June 5, 2009, and June 23, 2009; contains the code "EST. 31913" on its labels and was distributed to 11 states.

Officials say the meats may be linked to an outbreak of salmonella in Colorado. The strain of that particular outbreak -- salmonella Newport -- is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs.

One of my favorite books when I was a kid was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." In the beginning of the book, the main character Francie is sent to the butcher shop to buy $.10 worth of ground beef for her family's Saturday night dinner. Her mother insists that she have the butcher grind it in front of her instead of buying it off the plate, because you never know what might be in your meat if you buy it pre-ground.

I remember reading that section back in the day and thinking how nice it was that ground meat is so safe and available so that people didn't have to worry about it anymore. I went on thinking that way until Tuesday, when I read this post by the Grocery Guy. Apparently mass market ground beef isn't nearly as safe and clean as we think it is. The Grocery Guy stresses that it is important that you know and trust the people who make your ground beef, which is not always an easy thing in this day and age (especially if you tend to shop at large, chain supermarkets). He says that if you don't know your butcher that you should grind your own (and gives tips on how to go about doing just that). It's an interesting read and will definitely make you think about ground beef more critically (if you are still among the number who eat the stuff. Personally, I have a very hard time resisting a good hamburger).

Cargill isn't having a good fall. A month after recalling 840,000 pounds of beef because of E. coli contamination, the company is again recalling beef. This time it's one million pounds of beef distributed to Stop & Shop, Giant, Weis, and Wegman supermarkets. The states involved include Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia.

Here is the info for this particular recall. If you have any questions, consumers are urged to call Cargill at 877-455-1034.

And no, this isn't connected to the massive recall announced recently by United Food Group. This is a whole new possible E. coli contamination. Weeeeeeeee!

Tyson Fresh Meats has recalled 40,000 pounds of ground beef that was shipped to Wal-Mart stores in 12 states. The states include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. There have been no reports of illness, but test results came back positive.

This is happening so much now that I should probably put this under our "Trend" category.

Meatpaper is the self-proclaimed "journal of meat culture," and judging from what's up at their site, they're correct.

The site is filled with several articles on the "arts and ideas about meat," including pieces about the dry-aging room at New York's Master Purveyors, pig slaughter in Italy, why Filipinos eat Spam, and getting over the guilt of eating meat. There are also links to various food blogs.

The site itself says that they "like metaphors more than marinating tips," which I take as an indication that they're going to be talking about the world of food and not recipes and kitchen advice. They're taking subscriptions now, so you might want to check it out.

Yes, that's 75,000 pounds. The company has recalled the ground beef because of possible E. coli contamination, and the state of Colorado is urging consumers not to eat ground beef from the company and to throw it away.

The beef was distributed to several Albertson's stores in Colorado, and the store chain has removed all of the beef mentioned in the recall. Other products not mentioned in the recall are still on Albertson's shelves and are safe to eat.

Food Consumer.org has the full details on the recall, including a list of the products recalled and their dates and codes.

I've never gone out of my way to add chocolate to lunch and dinner recipes (except for dessert, of course!). I know there are moles and even chocolate pasta, but I've just always separated the chocolate from the main course.

That might change with Hershey's Spicy Cocoa Sloppy Joes. I haven't had a Sloppy Joe in many, many years and was going to make them soon anyway, and now this just gives me another reason to make them sooner rather than later.

Cargill, Inc., the US's second largest meat processor, has done some research on consumer knowledge of beef. As it turns out, people don't know a lot about it. To remedy the problem, as well as hoping to boost sales, the company has launched a program to educate meat buyers on meat, including the differences between things like chuck roast and tri-tip and how to cook them properly. The target age group is people between 25 and 45 who may not have grown up in a family that cooked a lot in the home, so they have limited experience with meats.

BeefQuiz.com is a site launched by the company to help consumers learn about meat. As an incentive, people who do well will get a coupon for up to $1.50 off Sterling Silver beef, a Cargill brand. There is also a beef buying guide on their website, though you can check out our list of the leanest beef cuts if that is more your style. Consumer-friendly labeling is another one of their strategies, adding cooking tips and recipes right onto the packaging.

From a consumer standpoint, the campaign will help people to eat better. If you have no idea what a skirt steak is but know that you can make hamburgers from ground beef, you might never get around to trying the skirt steak. Knowledge gives consumers more options and, in this case, might help eliminate a beef with beef.

My high school boyfriend's mom used to make this strange pasta dish she called "American Chop Suey." If I recall correctly, it was a dish she grew up eating in the Fifties. There is nothing Chinese about it so perhaps the "chop suey" refers to the hodge-podge of ingredients found in the dish.

I made it tonight after not having eaten it for almost twenty years, and I have to say, it wasn't bad. No, I'm serious! It really wasn't. ...But my three-year-old wouldn't eat it.

American Chop Suey

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. of  garlic powder
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 can of Campbell's Tomato Soup
1 pound of elbow macaroni

Put on pasta water to boil. Salt water generously. When it comes to a boil, cook macaroni according to package direction.

In the meantime, fry the ground beef, onion, and garlic powder together over medium heat until beef is browned, crumbly, and cooked through. Stir in the tomato soup and sugar. bring to a simmer and then turn heat to low.

Drain cooked macaroni and combine with ground beef-tomato soup mixture. Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.