Thursday, May 21, 2009

New Recipe

My aunt and uncle have been gracious (and brave:o) enough to let me try my hand at the culinary arts each Thursday night for the past several weeks. Thankfully, we have managed to achieve some sort of caloric intake each of those nights thus far, and I have had a BLAST in the process. I cooked a lot when I was in jr. high and high school, but after moving out and realizing the cost (and pain) of having hundreds of ingredients on hand whenever I wanted them, my ability to enjoy actual cooking was greatly diminished. (Added to this was the fact that I was suddently aware I would be the only person consuming that 9x13 casserole...for the next month...) Now that my aunt and uncle have been gracious enough to indulge me, I'm exploring new recipes and re-discovering old family favorites. It's been a little bit like those cooking shows I occasionally catch glimpses of where the person is cooking and ingredients just appear "as if by magic." I of course tend to roll my eyes and think, "Right." However, my current situation is actually remarkably like that. On Sunday or Monday of each week I select a recipe, and by the time I go to cook it on Thursday each ingredient has "magically" appeared. I am so blessed!(Unfortunately my uncle has suggested that they might not appreciate me quite so much as a house guest if I'm still here 40 years from now...;o) So, all of that to say, I tried out a new recipe this evening and really ended up enjoying it. I know how much I appreciate getting new recipes from others, so I thought I'd try contributing for once.:o) Enjoy!

Southwestern Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
  • 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
  • 2 cups shredded beef master recipe (see recipe below)
  • 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)
  • 4 onion rolls, split and toasted, if desired
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce

Directions:
  1. In large saucepan, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat about 4 minutes or until tender. Add shredded beef, undrained tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until heated through and desired consistency. Stir in cilantro.
  2. To serve, sprinkle some of the cheese over bottoms of onion rolls. Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture over cheese on each bun. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the shredded lettuce. Add roll tops. Makes 4 servings.

Shredded Beef Master Recipe:Trim fat from a 3 to 3 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast. If necessary, cut beef to fit a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Place 2 large onions, cut into thin wedges and 2 cloves garlic, minced in the cooker. Top with beef. In a medium bowl, combine 1, 14-oz. can beef broth, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed; 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper. Pour over beef in cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 11 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-1/2 to 6 hours. Remove beef and onion from cooker, reserving juices. Using two forks, shred beef, discarding any fat. Skim fat from juices. Add onion to beef; add enough juices to beef to moisten. Place 2-cup portions of beef in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 6 cups.

*Note: There seems to be a great deal of flexibility in this recipe. At least I think it turned out ok in spite of my modifications. For example, I used garlic powder instead of the cloves, black pepper instead of the cayenne pepper, less dry mustard than it called for (because I ran out:o), fewer onions, ground thyme instead of crushed, etc. Goodness! Now that I think about it, perhaps I should not be recommending this recipe. I have no idea what it actually tastes like!:o)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Rebecca's Shop Giveaway!

So I realize that my last post was a shameless plug for Rebecca's Shop, but here I am again! My talented, creative, and did I mention wonderful sister is hosting a giveaway for her Etsy shop. She's giving away both a beautiful necklace and an adorable beach themed frame (see pic below). Although I have already benefited from her amazing abilities in the form of a super cute necklace (see previous post), I have definitely entered to win these items also. You can check out her blog and giveaway here, and her amazing Etsy shop here. Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

When I Grow Up...


So I have something incredibly exciting to share with all of you. My sweet and amazingly talented older sister Rebecca has just opened her very own shop on Etsy. I realize that as her sister my opinion could be considered just a little biased:o), but if you doubt me feel free to see for yourself. She has all kinds of sweet and creative products on there, including magnets, necklaces, frames, and notepads. She has allowed me the privilege of taking part in some of her crafting days, so I can tell you first-hand that she puts a lot of creativity and work into making everything. I can also tell you that I absolutely love the necklace she gave me (pictured above), and have gotten several complements on it. Also, as the self appointed director of the quality control department;o), I would like to mention that my necklace survived the nursery test. Yes. That's right. I wore it this morning to help with twenty 10-14 month olds in the nursery, and despite their fascination with it and continuous tugging it's still in one peace.:o) Rebecca is so sweet and has told me she's not sure how she'll do in the marketing department. I may not have the skills to contribute much toward making things, but marketing I can do. The babies in the nursery seemed a little confused by the business cards I whipped out of my pocket when they expressed an interest in my necklace, but don't be surprised if you end up with one in your hands within five minutes next time you see me...