The weather has turned so chilly that may face hurts when I go outside. Like my 3 year old nephew, I want to yell at the wind to stop blowing, "stop blowing on me, you mean wind!" Because of this, I've been finding ways to remind myself that spring is mere weeks away. And if I close my eyes I can smell the sun warmed earth and feel the cool new grass beneath my feet. I can also whip myself up a batch of homemade lemonade to remind me that soon I will be sitting at a picnic table sharing a warm sticky evening with the boy I love. More than likely complaining that it is yet again too hot.
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It is really easy to do. Grab yourself a large vessel, such as this pretty mason jar, squeeze a whole lemon inside, cover with a little simple syrup and ice. Then fill the rest of the space with seltzer water. Screw on the lid and give it a sexy James Bond shake to combine. A little lemony fizz can chase a huge cloud of cabin fever away in mere seconds. You can also make it with limes, which just happens to be my favorite. Happy Winter Survival!
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
"Hearty" Beef Stew
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There's been a good bit of stress in my life the past couple of days. So, with the sun shining and the breeze of a 63 degree January day blowing through my screen door, I set out to clear my head by cutting vegetables in the kitchen. There's nothing really as stress relieving as spending time hearing the chop on the cutting board, or feeling the heat from the stove top as you gingerly stir something bubbling in a pot, or my most favorite, dancing around in your kitchen while something simmers. Being a crazy creative person, there's no "just" making something. You need to make it with pizazz. I set out today to make "hearty" beef stew.
[singlepic id=46 w=640 h=480 float=center]
Pinterest is filled to the brim with valentine's day ideas, and while perusing the endless pins, I came upon one that showed how to cut carrots into hearts. "YES!" I exclaimed to an empty room, "this is perfect!" But, why do carrots get all the love? Why not the potatoes too? I dug around in my cookie cutter drawer and found the smallest heart cutter I had, sliced up some potatoes and voila! heart potatoes. The rest is just normal beef stew. I love stew because you can put absolutely anything you want into it and it is going to be awesome. All the root vegetables you have on hand can go into a pot and with a few herbs and some spice, you have a soul warming dinner. Below is the recipe I stick to on a normal day, but feel free to tinker with it to suit your tastes or to clear out the fridge.
[singlepic id=45 w=640 h=280 float=center]
"Hearty" Beef Stew
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
4 potatoes, cut into hearts if you are feeling creative!
4 carrots, carve those things up!
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon rosemary
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
chuck roast (amount depends on how meaty you like your stew)
flour, just enough to coat beef
olive oil
Rinse and pat dry beef. Cut into cubes. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed pot). Place beef in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Toss to coat. Once the olive oil is hot, place flour-coated beef in pot. If it doesn't sizzle, your oil is not hot enough, let it heat a little longer and try again. Let beef brown on all sides, turning every couple of minutes. Once beef is browned, remove from pot and place on a plate. Deglaze the pot using a splash of red wine or water, however you see fit. Scrape up all the chunky beef bits from the bottom. Toss in the onion, celery, garlic, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is tender and slightly translucent, 5-10 minutes. If the onion starts to stick, add a little more red wine or water. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat. Once the tomato paste is heated and fragrant, add potatoes, carrots and canned tomatoes. Heat the mixture thoroughly. Pour in the beef stock and bring to a boil. Next, stir in browned beef. Add lemon juice and fresh parsley. This will really brighten the flavors. Cover and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes. Add more beef stock or water if needed. Enjoy!
[singlepic id=47 w=640 h=480 float=center]
P.S.
Carving vegetables tends to create a lot of waste. I ran my scraps through the food processor and will have amazing carrot and potato hash browns in the morning. You'll be amazed at how good they are.
There's been a good bit of stress in my life the past couple of days. So, with the sun shining and the breeze of a 63 degree January day blowing through my screen door, I set out to clear my head by cutting vegetables in the kitchen. There's nothing really as stress relieving as spending time hearing the chop on the cutting board, or feeling the heat from the stove top as you gingerly stir something bubbling in a pot, or my most favorite, dancing around in your kitchen while something simmers. Being a crazy creative person, there's no "just" making something. You need to make it with pizazz. I set out today to make "hearty" beef stew.
[singlepic id=46 w=640 h=480 float=center]
Pinterest is filled to the brim with valentine's day ideas, and while perusing the endless pins, I came upon one that showed how to cut carrots into hearts. "YES!" I exclaimed to an empty room, "this is perfect!" But, why do carrots get all the love? Why not the potatoes too? I dug around in my cookie cutter drawer and found the smallest heart cutter I had, sliced up some potatoes and voila! heart potatoes. The rest is just normal beef stew. I love stew because you can put absolutely anything you want into it and it is going to be awesome. All the root vegetables you have on hand can go into a pot and with a few herbs and some spice, you have a soul warming dinner. Below is the recipe I stick to on a normal day, but feel free to tinker with it to suit your tastes or to clear out the fridge.
[singlepic id=45 w=640 h=280 float=center]
"Hearty" Beef Stew
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
4 potatoes, cut into hearts if you are feeling creative!
4 carrots, carve those things up!
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon rosemary
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
chuck roast (amount depends on how meaty you like your stew)
flour, just enough to coat beef
olive oil
Rinse and pat dry beef. Cut into cubes. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed pot). Place beef in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Toss to coat. Once the olive oil is hot, place flour-coated beef in pot. If it doesn't sizzle, your oil is not hot enough, let it heat a little longer and try again. Let beef brown on all sides, turning every couple of minutes. Once beef is browned, remove from pot and place on a plate. Deglaze the pot using a splash of red wine or water, however you see fit. Scrape up all the chunky beef bits from the bottom. Toss in the onion, celery, garlic, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is tender and slightly translucent, 5-10 minutes. If the onion starts to stick, add a little more red wine or water. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat. Once the tomato paste is heated and fragrant, add potatoes, carrots and canned tomatoes. Heat the mixture thoroughly. Pour in the beef stock and bring to a boil. Next, stir in browned beef. Add lemon juice and fresh parsley. This will really brighten the flavors. Cover and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes. Add more beef stock or water if needed. Enjoy!
[singlepic id=47 w=640 h=480 float=center]
P.S.
Carving vegetables tends to create a lot of waste. I ran my scraps through the food processor and will have amazing carrot and potato hash browns in the morning. You'll be amazed at how good they are.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Blueberry Crumble for Breakfast
I'm on vacation this week. Doing nothing but all the fun stuff I never have time for. Like rearranging my living room and going through my fabric stash and taking as many naps as I like without feeling guilty. So, whipping up this easy crumble recipe was a perfect part of that. Here's to eating dessert for breakfast.
Easy Blueberry Crumble
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
5 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper
Place all ingredients in a casserole dish and toss to coat
For Topping:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
Put all ingredients into a bowl and crumble with your fingers. Allow some of the butter clumps to stay pretty large to allow for a crispy crust. Spread generously over top of the prepared blueberries and bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Enjoy!
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