Stewing With Ideas

Hello Sweets,

Well last night was the first step in moving forward with my little business, and it was more stressful than I anticipated -_-  I am trying to create my website and just like when I was designing my blog I am putting entirely too much pressure on myself, but I just want it to be perfect!  I found the right layout, now to focus on color, pictures, content.....  Ya that is what is tripping me up, lol myself :p  So I decided to take a little break and write a little post for y'all :)

This is the last post from my Texas stash :(, but as the saying goes I've saved the best for last.  For the last two years Nathan has been bragging about his delicious stew, yet until recently we had never made it.  Lucky for me he made it a few days before I left, and I made my deliciously sweet cornbread to accompany it :)  Growing up when my grandfather made stew it was a thicker style broth, the way Nathan prepares it it's more of a broth.  Now don't get me wrong it's absolutely delicious, it's honestly the best stew I've had :)  And now it's time to share with y'all!

  Nathans Super Delicious Stew

Ingredients

2lbs stewing beef, cut into bite size pieces

red potatoes, chopped

onion, chopped

carrots, chopped

celery, chopped

2 cans tomato sauce

Worcestershire sauce

teriyaki marinade

garlic, chopped

parsley

black pepper

salt

seasoning salt

garlic salt

garlic powder

oregano

beef bouillon cube, dissolved into hot water

 

  

 

Directions:

1)   Tenderize meat, season with spices and add marinade and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix well and allow to sit for at least six hours.

 

 

2)  Meanwhile, chop all veggies.  Don't worry about uniformed cuts as it is a rustic meal :)

 

 

 3)  Place veggies into a large cauldron with the tomato sauce and dissolved beef bullion cube.  Keep on a low simmer.

 

4)  Take the beef and place into a frying pan, be sure to save the marinade to add to the broth.  Brown the meat slightly as to not fully cook it, the beef will finish cooking in the cauldron.

 

5)  Add the partially cooked beef to cauldron, also adding the marinade.  Also add in additional seasonings, but not too much because as it cooks you'll taste and adjust. 

 

 

6)   Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covering with a lid to cook for 2-3 hours.  Taste as you go along adjusting spices as needed.

 

7)  Once all the veggies are soft and you've achieved the flavor you're looking form enjoy!

 

doesn't it look so delicious!!

This stew is so good, it's full of flavor and very filling.  I didn't add anything extra to mine because Nathan made it perfectly delicious!!  Once it was paired with the sweet cornbread it was a perfect dinner, not that it needed anything more.  To be honest, this would be the perfect dinner for a cold Canadian night....which is now so I want!!  Lol I don't have any so I'll have to make something else for dinner :(

Now I need to get back to creating my website, but I don't know why I'm having such a difficult time :(  Maybe I just need to remember why I'm doing this, and stop over thinking it.......but if any of my lovely readers has any helpful suggestions they are more than welcome :)  But in the meantime I'll be brainstorming away behind my laptop, until something wonderful hits me :p lol ya I'm cheesy.  Until next time.....


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

In Grandma's Kitchen

Hello Sweets,

(This was supposed to be posted Monday evening, but health stopped that, so there will be multiple posts on one day to catch up with what I've done :p )  Did you have a manic Monday?  Mine although not busy felt manic, and I think that was largely because of my wonky sleep schedule.  I didn't sleep on Saturday night and tried very hard to stay awake, to the point that my roommate was worried about me using a stove lol, but then around 2 o'clock I knew I had to have a nap and then I didn't wake up until midnight.  When Nathan heard this that night he thought for sure I would not be getting back to sleep, but thankfully my eyes got tired around 2am and I snoozed off and on until the morning.  I am hoping the tonight my body gets back to normal, or as close as possible because clearly the schedule I am on is not healthy :(

As I told you all a few days ago I am going to be making my wonderful grandparents dinner every few nights, and tonight was the first time!  They choose chicken to be the protein and left the rest up to me, which had me thinking all weekend about what I wanted to create for them.  One of the first ways I learned to cook chicken was with vegetables and mushroom soup in a casserole dish, so that is what I decided to do something simple and delicious (starting to think that is my signature).  I knew what they had in regards to rice and some veggies but I wanted some green veggies in there as well, and on Sunday I picked up a head of fresh broccoli and knew it would make a perfect addition.  So this recipe is one that is very versatile, you can add or change the veggies  and soup, and serve with rice, potatoes, or even a salad.

Canuckette's Tasty Chicken

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 can mushroom soup

garlic powder, to taste

roasted red peppers, to taste

broccoli, handful

red and yellow peppers, handful

2Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2C rice, made as directed (2Tbs butter and pinch of salt)

1/4-1/2C milk

milk not pictured, oops!

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  Season the chicken to your preferences, preheat a skillet with the olive oil in it.  Brown the chicken on each side, do not cook thoroughly, this will make your chicken flavorful and juicy.

 

2)  Line the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish with your veggies (fresh or frozen works), and place the chicken on top.  Mix the milk and mushroom soup in a bowl, and pour over the chicken.

3)  Place in preheated oven, uncovered for about 40 minutes (until the chicken is fully cooked with no pink in the center).  Plate on top of a bed of rice and enjoy!

I am glad to say that the grandparents enjoyed the dinner very much, so much that they both had cleaned plates at the end :)  As a loving granddaughter I'm happy to give something back to them, of course it never feels like enough but a smile goes a long way.

Tomorrows post I'm going to share a recipe of my grandmothers with you, but you'll have to come back to see what this delicious healthy and tasty treat with a twist of my own of course ;)  Later this week I'll make my grandparents dinner again and that will be a dinner post too!  Until next time.....................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo