Saturday, February 27, 2010

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
Serves 4

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 large onion, cut into wedges
3 lb. boneless top round or rump roast
3 carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
3 medium white potatoes, cubed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. sale
2 envelopes (1.4 oz each) onion soup mix
1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • Heat the butter & sunflower oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion & beef.  Brown the beef on all sides.  Transfer the beef & onion to a slow cooker.
  • Arrange the carrots, potatoes & bay leave around the beef.  Sprinkle with salt.  In a heatproof bowl or measuring cup, combine the soup mix with 3 cups boiling water, stirring until smooth.
  • Pour the soup mixture over the beef & vegetables in the slow cooker.  Cover & cook on HIGH until the meat is very tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the cornstarch & about 1 tsp. water; stir to form a paste.  Add 2 cups hot liquid from the slow cooker & bring to a boil, stirring until the gravy has thickened.  Slice the beef & serve with vegetables & gravy.
Great Idea:
You can replace the onion soup mix with an herb soup or mushroom soup mix for a different flavor.

Serving Suggestion:
Complete this all-in-one dinner with steamed string beans, freshly baked rolls & a mixed green salad!

Cupcakes

I've been digging through some old magazines to see if I could find any interesting cupcake recipes for Cupcake Camp.  So far, I found one for sweet potato cupcakes.  Guess I'll keep searching.  Any ideas?

Friday, February 26, 2010

Sometimes cheaper is better

I learned something today that I never would have thought possible...

Pancakes turn out much better in a $12 Farberware frying pan than in a $120 Scanpan skillet made in Denmark.

I thought I would be thrifty (time wise) and cook four pancakes at a time in Mom's expensive Scanpan (and I just love using that pan).  First, all the pancakes were sticking to the pan.  After a rather large coat of Pam cooking spray, they were still coming out thin and wimpy.  That's when I decided it was time to switch over to the Farberware.  Then, and only then, did they come out fluffy and brown and extra yummy.

Just goes to show you, expensive is not always better :)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Back in the kitchen :)

It's lunch time for Mom so I decided to make some spaghetti for us.  I'm cheating a bit by using a jar of Classico Mushroom & Ripe Olive sauce and adding a few extra ingredients of my own.  Mom isn't real big on extra herbs & spices so I don't get to play as much when I'm cooking for her.

Cupcake Camp

As if I don't already have enough to keep up with, I've gone and found myself another hobby...Cupcake Camp! 

Yes!  You read it right!  I'm going to organize a Cupcake Camp!  Don't worry, I'm not doing this on my own.  In fact, it's been done before and sounds like a blast!

Check it out for yourself: cupcakecamp.org

Now, I'm looking for individuals who would like to participate in this wild and crazy venture.  Do you have some awesome cupcake recipes you would love to try on perfect strangers?  Or, do you just love to eat cupcakes?  If you answered yes to either (or both) of these questions, you're the person for me!

Drop me a line and we'll get started...the sooner the better :)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I need suggestions!

Believe it or not, I'm out of ideas to cook!  Oh, I have tons of magazines and recipe books and recipe websites but I'm not feeling anything special.  Anyone have anything they would like for me to test?

If only I had a camera

My camera is a home, I'm cooking at Mom's, and these Tomato Dumplings look amazing!!!

I haven't tasted them yet but I'll give a report as soon as I do :)

A moment of silence

We've had 2 deaths in our family in one week. 

First, my beautiful little man, Jimbo Bean.  He was so full of energy, affection and sweetness.
RIP 10/2008 ~ 2/2010










Second, one of our beautiful Hemmingway kittens, Horus. 
RIP 10/2009 ~ 2/2010
(this photo is Horus at 8 weeks old)


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

More Tomato Dumplings

I found another recipe for Tomato Dumplings.  This one calls for fresh herbs.  What's better than that?

Sweet Tomato Dumplings

I'm sitting here with Mom discussing things my grandma used to mak, meanwhile, looking up the recipes to see if there really is such a thing.  Some of these recipes have made me laugh.  Some have made me cringe.  Others have completely surprised me such as the Sweet Tomato Dumplings. 

Although the thought of tomatoes and dumplings combined left a funny taste in my mouth, I continued to Google the recipe and was surprised to find they actually sound quite yummy.  In fact, so yummy that I plan to make some this week.

Tomato Dumplings


1 quart tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar


Dumplings

1 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cold butter
2/3 cup milk


In a medium skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add
tomatoes, brown sugar, salt and pepper; cover and simmer for 20
minutes.


Combine flour, baking powder and salt, cut in butter. Mix in milk.
Drop by tablespoons onto bubbling tomato mixture; cover and simmer
for 15 minutes.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Yummy Beef Stew

Last night was MY night.  LeiLani spent the night with Sissi, Jay had his boys-night-out and I cooked!!!

After a quick trip to Publix for a few extra ingredients, I made the most amazing Beef Stew!  I used Giada's recipe for Beef & Butternut Squash using potatoes instead of butternut squash.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I love butternut squash but have tons of potatoes I need to use.

At 11:00pm, I sat down to an amazingly warm, comforting bowl of stew accompanied by a chunk of crusty white baguette.  It was perfect bedtime food.  My tummy was happy and so was my budget.

Friday, February 19, 2010

I love House Party!

If you haven't already, you MUST check out HouseParty.com!  You apply for all sorts of free, name brand parties.  They choose so many applicants then send the winners the supplies to throw a party.  All you have to do is post to the website!

Today, I received my supplies for the Sandwich Thins Sandwich Revolution House Party!  The box was full of all sorts of goodies:
5 - $4 off coupons for Sandwich Thins rolls for me
1 Sandwich Thins cutting board for me
15 - $1 off coupons for my guests
15 reuseable grocery bags for my guests
15 grocery lists for my guests
15 sets of recipe cards for my guests
45 blank recipe cards for guests to fill out their own recipes to share
14 nutritional facts & healthly living tips cards for my guests

My party is scheduled for 2/27 so I really need to get busy planning some yummy sandwich ideas for my guests.  If you have any ideas, please share.  I love new recipes!

Strawberry Mousse

Strawberry Mousse

An easy strawberry mousse recipe, made with whipping cream, fresh strawberries, and powdered sugar.


Ingredients:


• 2 cups whipping cream, cold
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 pint box strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and mashed


Preparation:


Whip cream until thick but not stiff. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, a little at a time. Fold in mashed strawberries. Spread in an 8-inch square dish and freeze until firm.