A couple of weeks ago, my husband told me we have to buy a freezer because his parents are giving us a bunch of beef. I asked what he meant by "a bunch" and he replied by saying two hundred or so pounds. Calf slaughtering season is here, and he and all his siblings were getting a piece of the action.

So, last week, our new freezer arrived. The dead cow showed up a couple of hours later. We got I would guess 250 to 300 pounds of frozen beef, completely filling our freezer. I have more meat than the the local Shnucks puts out in their display case! Of course, this happened to be the day that the killer storm blew through St. Louis and then south to where we are. We were lucky; we only lost power for 12 hours. The beef came frozen from the slaughterhouse, and it didn't thaw much during that time.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I generally don't eat that much meat, maybe a pound two over the course of a week. Now I've got so much hamburger, cube steak, sirloin tip roast, chuck, tongue, liver, and God knows what else, that I don't have any concrete plans for. I generally do cook a couple of meat heavy meals during the weekend, but it's going to take a long time to make a dent in the amount of dead cow we have. I love my in-laws and appreciate their generosity, don't get me wrong. I just have to find a way to incorporate all of this into my new way of life.

First time ever I wished that the idea of doing low carb appealed to me! So, what would you all do if you suddenly found yourself with The Gift of Dead Cow?

I am doing low-carb, so I would eat it. We usually buy ours by half a cow at a time and my brother buys the other half. We actually go through it pretty quick. Good luck with using it.

I cook beef maybe once or twice a week, usually in one of the following forms: a steak with a potato and a vegetable, meatballs and spaghetti, strips of steak done fajita-style with peppers and onions, or a pot roast.

Other ideas:

You could serve beef to guests whenever they come over.
You could take beef dishes to pot lucks.
Maybe you could even give some of it away.

Entertain other guests!!

I like all of these ideas. Comments for each:

1. You could serve beef to guests whenever they come over. We don't eat a lot of beef but when guests come over they expect meat. Since it is still summer you could host a large bbq!

2. You could take beef dishes to pot lucks. Nothing like having extra ingredients for dishes to share especially when it didn't cost much or anything.

3. Maybe you could even give some of it away. An extra freezer is a wonderful thing. I rely on mine so much so I wouldn't want it too full of meat. I need room for other stuff.

Regift! Whenever we get beef, I send some to college with the kids, send some with my family members and friends who visit. Besides that ... I love having protein in the freezer. All you have to buy for groceries is veggies, whole grains .... the bills get much smaller.

I would give it to a local food bank or someone who can use it. I am not a big fan of meat all the time, but I am sure there are places that could use it.

Ummm, vomit! But that's just me Sorry I can't be of much help, but I do like the suggestion of donating some of it to a shelter or food bank or similar charity.

1. Feed steaks to your husband on those days when you want just a salad or some dish he won't eat.

2. My mother used to "throw a chop in the oven" on those days when she felt too lazy to cook. It'll come in handy on those occasions.

3. Extend it. In the '50s and '60s, housewives used to get creative about making full meals by adding other things to just a bit of beef because it was expensive. In your case, it's expensive in terms of fat and calories rather than dollars, but you can make fajitas, beef salads, chili with beans as well as beef, meat loaves and burgers with soy and whole grains in them, casseroles with plenty of veggies added, etc.

4. Remember that you aren't obligated to use it up quickly, so use it at a rate you're comfortable with.

5. While I like the donation/regifting idea, also consider swapping it with someone who has a garden. Someone would probably love some beef in exchange for their tomatoes or zucchini or whatever. You could also swap for services or other goods, perhaps through a local barter organization.

Sorry, I laughed at your problem

Send some of it to lillybelle!!!

Make Christmas ornaments out of it.

Send dead cow baskets to ailing friends.

Put the tongue in an enemy's car in the heat.

Hee hee . . . I'm amusing myself. Excuse me.

Listen to the other posters, they had some really great advice. I've never had your paticular problem before, so I can't think of any solutions.