Mmmm, Mmmm, Stew!

It has been a while since I have posted a recipe here. With the passing of our blogging friend Yabu, I lost the desire to annoy food pic haters, as he used to call them. But after yesterday’s near debacle, I felt I should share the wondrousness of the beef stew. So easy, and so good, you’ll want to make it every week. Or so my kid tells me.

It was inhaled so fast I had no time to take nice photos.

Simple Beef Stew

(Adapted from Lipton Recipe Secrets™)

• 2 lbs. Sirloin, cut up into cubes
• 4 medium gold potatoes, halved and quartered
• 4 carrots, cut into 1 inch lengths
• 1 small white onion, halved and quartered
• 2 envelopes Lipton Recipe Secrets™ Onion Mushroom Soup mix
• 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 C water
• 1 C Red wine*
• 1 C peas (waaaaaay optional)

*You can substitute a cup of water for the wine.

If using a Dutch oven, preheat oven to 275* F.

Brown the sirloin in a large pan with a bit of cooking oil. Once browned, transfer all the sirloin and the collected juices to a Dutch oven. Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, and peas (if you must…). Add the soup mix and tomato paste to the water, and mix well. Pour over meat and vegetables. Pour wine if desired. Stir well, and close lid. Place in oven for three hours or until meat is tender.

If using a crock pot, follow the same steps but heat on low for six hours, or high for 3½ hours.

Good food doesn’t have to be complicated. Thank goodness 😀

Snowday, Texas Style

Today we are enjoying a snowday, that rarest of holidays here in South Texas.

By “snowday”, I mean there is ice on the ground and the vehicles are iced shut. And by “enjoying”, I mean the kids are testing my patience.

Snowdays down here are nothing compared to what Michiganders endure. I am sure they are laughing at us down here for shutting down schools and businesses, but the reality is we are not savvy drivers on icy roads. Heck, rain freaks us out. So better safe at home than sorry wrapped around a light pole.

Of course, Michiganders would probably melt down here in the spring, so we have that going for us.

But I am ready for Winter to go away.

Soooooooo done with winter. I want to feel the sun as it turns the asphalt into a mushy mess. I want to see flowers bloom in the adversity that is a Texas summer. I want to see water boil off the sidewalk. I’m getting nostalgic just thinking about it. If we humans could hibernate, I wouldn’t have such an issue with the cold. Or with shaving my legs.

Anyway, I hope that wherever you are, you are keeping warm and safe, and stabbing winter in the head 😉

He Sees You. Enough Said.

I am almost done with the shopping and the cleaning and the decorating and the shipping. But I am getting tired of some asking what I got for so-and-so, or is that for me?? Honestly, I thought I was done with those questions once they got older, but apparently not.

So what can one do to prevent peekers from peeking under the Christmas tree?

That’s right. You trap Cthulhu in a jar and put him to work keeping pesky kids at bay.

You may wonder how I managed such a feat. Suffice it to say, I am Sith.

I would tell you, but then I would have to Sith you 😉

I’m Turning Into My Grandma

I have passed the turning-into-my-mom stage and gone straight to plaid, apparently.

Let me tell you, she loved, LOVED those cookies. But we seldom got to eat any because she got to them first. And then came the disappointment as we sneaked into the kitchen and found the tin under the cabinet, and opened it to find needles and thread. Or tape and pencils. Or ANYTHING BUT COOKIES.

And now guess what?

I can’t wait to finish the cookies so I can use the tin to hold my crap.

*sobs uncontrollably*

At least I get cookies out of this 🙂

Tourism, Texas Style

I love my state. There is always some exotic attraction no matter where you are. And by “exotic”, I don’t mean a gentleman’s club. Though there’s a few of those too. No, I mean weird.

Today we shall be going here. That’s right, the SNAKE FARM!!!

ZOMG!!! Isn’t he adorable?? But it’s not just a reptile place. They have a petting zoo and rescue exotics from around the world. The farm was featured on an episode of Dirty Jobs, and Mike Rowe was a snake handler. He was thisclose to me and I missed out. It still pains me to this day. Anyway, we hope to catch a show or maybe feeding time. A LIVE feeding!!

And then we shall go to lunch 😀

Thursday Never List

A few days ago, I was talking to a friend of mine who has become concerned about the rapid appearance of little wrinkles around her eye area. She told me she bought some wrinkle cream from a high-end cosmetics brand and after recovering from the price she quoted, she went on to say she would even have cosmetic surgery to “fix” the wrinkles. She asked for my opinion on what she should have done to stem the tide of ageing.

She asked a woman who can’t even be bothered to get rid of her gray, much less bother to put on wrinkle cream on her face.

Anyway, it got me to thinking: what cosmetic surgeries would I consider too much?

So here is the Never List of cosmetic surgeries for moi.

#5– Buttock augmentation

I’m sorry, but if I need a cushion, I’ll just get one from the store.

#4– Ear pinning

Nothing a hat or a good haircut wouldn’t help.

#3– Liposuction

I have seen the “suctioning”. I would rather cut any fat out with a machete than go through that.

#2– Implants for the female upper pectoral area*

It’s not that it’s a bad thing. It’s just that I imagine a 1,000 years from now, some archaeologist will be digging a grave and find these globules and think they are a religious artifact. The sad part being, he would be right.

#1– “Stiletto” surgery

Cutting off the pinkie toe so you can wear stiletto shoes?? Back in the 1400’s it was called torture. Now it’s called fashionable.

I love shoes, but not that much 😉

*Sorry for the wording, but the pr0n spam would find the blog otherwise!

ZOMGooooood Stuff

A couple of evenings ago, I asked Hubby what he would like to have for dinner the following day. I always ask, and usually he responds with, “Anything is fine”, which is great. The other night he had an actual request, though: a cream-based dish I hadn’t made in at least a decade.

The man is patient, I’ll give him that.

Anyway, I searched for the recipe and finally found it! I was thrilled because this dish is not for anyone wanting to watch their health. It’s that good!! And to make things even better, very easy to make.

Ok, it’s a crappy photo of it. You’ll just have to trust me on the delish, ok?

Paprika Beef

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1½ lbs. flank or skirt steak (I use sirloin, though)
• 2 C. heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp. sweet paprika (or sharp, if you like it spicy)
• 1 tsp. salt

Heat 2 tsp. of the butter in a pan on medium heat until bubbly. Add half the steak and cook until done to your liking (we like it medium rare here), about three to four minutes per side. Remove to a platter, and do the same with the other half of the steak. Remove to the platter as well. Let it cool a bit, then cut crosswise into strips ¼ inch thick and about two inches long. Or you can cube it.

Raise the heat to high. Add the cream, paprika, and salt to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk until well-blended, about four to six minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the remaining butter and then return the steak pieces to the pan along with the accumulated juices. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until heated through, about three minutes. Serve over buttered noodles or rice. Season to taste.

I’m going to see if it is slow-cooker adaptable. For now, I’m going to enjoy leftovers 😀

Small Hiatus

This week I am hosting the Glorious Lemur King and his family, so I am not blogging as usual. But some of y’all may be wondering what we have done, so….

This is where we went:

AQUARENA SPRINGS

OBVIOUS….

And today we shall be going here:

NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS

And after that, we shall tour the Alamo and the Riverwalk.

And after that, we shall rest. Maybe. I’m a bit fuzzy right now.

Anyway, hope to be back here soon. I’m off to go gawk at the new electric smoker the Lemurs have been kind enough to gift us. Ta ta for now!! 😀

My Evening as Head of the G-7

And what an evening it was!

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting friends and family, and spending quality time at  The Kemah Steak Company. Situated on a quiet street in Kemah, Texas, the restaurant is vibrant and eclectic, with warmth abounding throughout, from the gleaming copper bar to the settees and mismatched tables. Though most of the areas are set up for cozy conversation, they can also accommodate larger groups as well. That was fortuitous, since there were eight of us that evening. And one of their prized features is the “G-7 Table”.

This table was once the property of former President George H.W. Bush. This was the table used for a G-7 summit, back when there were only seven industrialized nations: the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. I can only assume the last seat was occupied by Millie. The table is a beautiful discussion piece, but not as awesome as what was placed upon it. The restaurant has an ample wine list which includes imports from all over the world. Trust me when I say there is a wine here for every one.

Better Than Biting Nails

One of my kids’ friends won a scholarship to flight school. She aspires to be a pilot in the USAF. She is a very dedicated young woman and I have no doubt she will achieve her dreams. Tomorrow she will be doing her first solo flight, and has asked us to go watch.

She is just shy of 17 years of age.

And I am just shy of having a full blown panic attack.

It’s not that I doubt her abilities as a pilot. It’s just that ZOMGSHEISFLYINGSOLO!!! I am not sure I can handle that. And she’s not even my kid!! Usually when I am this nervous I tend to eat sweets, but that would means making a cake and having to explain to the kids why it’s gone. So today I shall be crafting my little black heart out, keeping my mind off tomorrow as much as possible. So, I’m going to the garage to find a book to murder to alter.

I’ve been dying to make this for my craft area, or for Little One to pilfer, and found the perfect book for it a few days ago, an old illustrated German book. This project looks like it can’t be messed up. If I do mess it up, I can always use the pages for something else, right?

Sharp blades and scissors always calm me down, so it’s worth a try 😉