Thursday, 2/17/2011

For dinner, we made burritos with the left over taco meat from Tuesday.  Low-carb tortillas, filled with seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, and hot sauce.  They are always quite tasty. 

Friday, 2/11/2011

Ben and I are very fortunate to have friends and family who will watch Katie for us while we go on dates.  Tonight, our friend Shellie took care of Katie while we went out for dinner and a concert at The Triple Door.  We got tickets to sit at a table right in front of the stage.  Other than having to turn to look to the center of the stage, our seats were great.  We saw Susan Werner and David Wilcox.  It was a unique concert experience.  David started with six songs and then Susan came out and they traded off after each song or two.  David stated that they were going to try to have a conversation with their songs.  And, it worked pretty well.  For instance, she sang a humorous song about being bad and doing all the things bad for ourselves and the environment.  He followed up with a song about the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year.  Then she sang "Mercy Me", another song with an environmental conscience.  Anyway, it was a great show.  

The Triple Door serves food from Wild Ginger, the Tom Douglas restaurant upstairs.  We started off with chicken pot stickers.  For our main dishes, we shared Pad Thai with chicken and Seven  Flavor Beef.  Both were quite good.  With our meals we enjoyed wine and a few cocktails.  For dessert we shared a ginger chocolate gelato.  Oh, the food was very good. 

Wednesday, 2/2/2011

We tried a new recipe tonight that we all loved!  I got it from the Cook's Country magazine years ago and finally gave it a shot.  The recipe would feed four just fine if you serve it over rice.  We did without the rice tonight and ended up with just three servings.  Here's the recipe:

STIR-FRIED BEEF WITH SNOW PEAS AND CASHEWS

Note: Put the raw flank steak in the freezer for 15 minutes to make slicing easier.  Working with the grain, cut the steak into three long strips, then cut each strip across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices.  Serve with steamed rice. 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds flank steak, cut into thin slices (see note above)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 pound snow peas, stem ends trimmed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews, chopped

Directions: 
1.  Combine steak and soy sauce in medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate while preparing other ingredients.  Whisk hoisin sauce, water, and pepper flakes together in small bowl.
2.  Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add half of steak, break up clumps with wooden spoon, and cook, without stirring, for 1 minute.  Toss steak until browned around the edges, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to clean bowl.  Heat 2 teaspoons oil in skillet until just smoking and repeat with remaining beef.
3.  To now-empty skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking.  Add snow peas and cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes.  Clear center of pan and add garlic and ginger.  Cook, mashing garlic mixture with back of spatula, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.  Stir garlic mixture into snow peas, then toss in steak.  Whisk hoisin sauce mixture to recombine, pour into pan, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.  Stir in cashews and transfer to platter.  Serve.

Saturday, 1/15/2011

3 batches of spices for the beef chili

We hosted our church potluck group at our home tonight.  I made a batch of beef chili for our contribution to the potluck. The others brought:

• Chili with sausage and beans
• Jalapeno cornbread
• Shepard's pie
• Spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, yellow bell peppers, and mushrooms
• Pigs in a blanket

After everyone arrived and the food was prepared, we sat down to watch the film "Inlaws & Outlaws".  It is a wonderful film that shares the love stories of several couples and singles, both gay and straight. There was a screening of the film at our church earlier in the week, but most of our group could not attend.  Our friend Laura suggested we watch it during our gathering too.  I'm really glad she did.  I found the film to be very moving.  It reminded me of how thankful I am to have already found the love of my life. 

Friday, 1/7/2011

We had beef burritos again tonight.  Katie really wanted my burrito last night.  Tonight I filled our tortillas with a bit more meat than normal so that she could have one end of mine.  It worked well.  I just cut off a couple inches and she went to town! I really like it when she is willing to eat what we are eating:)

Thursday, 1/6/2011

I was planning on serving left over pork chops for dinner tonight.  But, when Ben called on his way home from work, he told me that he was really looking forward to beef burritos.  Burritos weren't on my menu for any day this week.  One of two things must have happened.  Either he had a dream in which I told him that was what we were having for dinner, or we had a serious miscommunication.  Since his heart was set on it, I pulled a pound of ground beef from the freezer and started working it in a frying pan until it was thawed.  I managed to get it thawed, seasoned, and ready to put onto the tortilla within five minutes of when he got home.  I'm a pretty darn good wife, if I do say so myself;) 

Tuesday, 11/30/2010

We celebrated 2nd birthdays with our PEPS group tonight.  Barb, Tad, and Ronan hosted the party.  Barb made a fantastic beef stew and fixed up gnocchi to go with it.  Continuing with our cycle of potlucks, we also had snacks for the kids, a spinach and strawberry salad, and crusty bread.  I signed up to bring the dessert.  What fun to make the birthday cupcakes:)  I used a recipe my friend Taran passed to me several years ago for a spice cake made with cream sherry.  Usually made in a Bundt cake pan, it was different to go the cupcake route with the recipe.  Thankfully, it worked great!  Here's the recipe:

SPICE CAKE

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1 small vanilla instant pudding
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup cream sherry
4 eggs

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a Bundt pan. 
2.  Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add oil, sherry, and eggs. 
3.  Bake for 25-35 minutes.  The cake is done with a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
4.  Loosen the cake from the pan with a spatula.  This helps it from sticking to the pan when you turn it over.  Place on a plate and let cool completely.
5.  It tastes great with a cream sherry/powdered sugar glaze on top, or just powdered sugar.  For the glaze, mix a small amount of cream sherry with a large amount of powdered sugar until it reaches a very gooey, non-translucent state.  Pour over top of cake and let harden.  Voila!

Note: This recipe made 6 large and 12 medium sized cupcakes that were all bulging at the top.  I baked them for 23 minutes.  Since the cakes were mainly for 2-year-olds, I didn't think the cream sherry glaze was appropriate.  I frosted the cupcakes with store bought cream cheese frosting instead. I added green sprinkles for the boys and purple sprinkles for Katie. 

Thursday, 10/28/2010

They are here!!!  My first album, Favorite Things, arrived this morning.  Whoo Hoo!!!  Katie and I went to Ben's office during the lunch hour so that she could show off her pink kitty Halloween costume, and so that I could sell some of my CDs.  It was surreal to see my photo on a professional CD and to be asked to sign it.

After leaving Ben's office, Katie and I ran errands until 3pm.  That is when the Halloween party at my office began.  I was very thankful for Judy and Danielle who provided non-candy treats for the little kids.  Katie picked up a toy ring, jelly bracelets, bubbles, and play-dough.  After the party, we picked up Ben from work and headed home.  Katie did not nap today until we were .25 miles away from home.  It was not a quality nap:)  After a day with no break from Katie, I was exhausted.  Ben took on Katie and dinner duties while I took a quick nap.  Thanks Ben!

We had beef burritos for dinner, and they were goo-ood.  We used non-lean beef, which always improves the overall flavor.  Ben made one burrito a little thicker so that we could cut off the end and give it to Katie.  She did a great job eating it, but the hot sauce did a number on her little lips.  They got all swollen and red:(  She didn't seem to mind it too much and just licked them a lot.  I was thrilled that she was willing to eat something with a lot of flavor. 

Tuesday, 10/5/2010

Tonight we had a simple dinner of beef burritos and fruit salad.  We all have colds and just aren't up for anything fancy.  I made the fruit salad out of frozen raspberries from my parent's bushes, bananas, and grapes.  The funny thing is, I think Katie's cold has affected her nose to the point that she can't smell or taste very well.  Usually she passes on taco meat, because it is a bit too spicy.  It didn't seem to bother her at all tonight.  In fact, she insisted on eating the last inch of my burrito.  I was so happy to see her eating dinner that I gladly gave it up.  She also gobbled down the grapes and raspberries in my fruit salad.  I guess she prescribes to the "feed a cold" motto.

Wednesday, 9/15/2010

P.F. Chang's has come out with a line of frozen meals for two.  I noticed them in a freezer at the end of an aisle at the store this week and decided to give it a try.   I chose the Shanghai Style Beef variety--beef with a sweet and savory sauce, onions, string beans and red bell peppers.  It was really easy to make.  Empty the bag of frozen ingredients into a non-stick skillet, cover and heat on a medium-high burner for 6 minutes.  Then remove the cover and cook for another 7 minutes or until the sauce thickens and food is hot.  I didn't have to add anything to the dish.  It was plenty of food for Ben and me.  Other than being heavy on the onions, it wasn't bad at all.  I think I paid $7.99 for the meal, which is definitely less than it would have cost me to purchase all of the ingredients for it. I'll definitely try another variety. 

Katie was ready to eat before we were.  She ate watermelon chunks, cheddar cheese sticks and deli counter chicken breast.  When it was time for Ben and me to eat, she was begging for a cookie with the most adorable little girl smile.  I couldn't resist.  She got her cookie:) A week ago she called them "co-coos".  Now she proudly calls them "cookeees".  It is certainly a joy watching her figure things out. 

Thursday, 5/6/2010

Tonight is easy to describe: Leftover Beef Roast with Vegetables. It took a while to reheat the dish, but it was pretty good. It helped that we reserved some of the juices to pour over everything.

No photos of this dish; beef roasts just don't look very appetizing in photos.

Wednesday, 5/5/2010

It's been a while since I cooked a Pot Roast, so I decided to give it a try again. I used the recipe that came with my Slow Cooker. To loosely quote Ben:

"It was enjoyable, but I've had better."
"I would be perfectly happy if that exact dish was in our regular dinner rotation. However, I wouldn't mind if it was more moist and flavorful."

So, there is room for improvement:) The recipe does give the option to brown the roast in a skillet over medium heat before placing in the cooking pot. I haven't done that before, but perhaps that would help to seal in more moisture and add flavor. Also, I have not attempted to make a gravy out of the juices. I'll give those options a try next time. I cooked our 2 1/2 pound roast for 10 hours on LO, seasoned with steak seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper. Here's the recipe as it is printed.


BEEF ROAST WITH VEGETABLES

2-2 1/2 pound beef roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, quartered or sliced
4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium potatoes, quartered and halved
1/2 cup water

Cook at:
LO for 9 to 10 hours
HI for 5-6 hours

1. If desired, brown roast in skillet over medium heat of range unit before placing into stoneware cooking pot. Season as desired. Place vegetables around roast. Add water.
2. Place pot into heating base, cover and cook at desired heat setting for time given or until meat and vegetables are tender. (Meat thermometer should read 170° for well done). Thicken juices with mixture of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water if desired. Set control to HI and slowly stir mixture into juiced until thickened. Serves 4.

Wednesday, 3/24/2010

Left over beef burritos tonight. Katie had some of the taco meat, a jar of Earth's Best Chicken and Brown Rice puree, and cheddar cheese.

We are getting pretty tired of her throwing her food off the high chair tray. It seems to happen when we aren't giving her the attention she wants, she doesn't want to eat what we've given her, or she is ready to be done. Sometimes she teases us and hangs a hand full of food over the edge of the tray and then smiles and eats it. Other times, it might as well be a one sided food fight. Hopefully this is a phase that will end when she can talk more.

Monday, 3/22/2010

BEEF BURRITOS

1 pound of very lean ground beef
1 1/2 packages of Lawry's taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
Cheddar cheese- shredded
Pico Pica Real Mexican Style Hot Sauce
Mission Carb Balance whole wheat tortillas

Brown beef in skillet, add seasoning and water and cook per seasoning instructions. Roll beef, cheddar, and hot sauce in tortilla. Nuke in the microwave for 45 seconds or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Although margaritas usually sound good with mexican food, we opted for flavored, carbonated water. Katie had a little cheese and meat, but decided the tortilla was better on the floor than in her mouth.