Mid-Week Moment #48

"Life is like a mirror,we get the best results when we smile at it." -Anonymous

Mid-Week Moment #47

Mid-Week Moment #47

" A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."                      - Joseph Campbell

New post,next chapter...

   So it's been a while since my last post and weeelll I've been busy,busier than I ever thought possible.

I had a baby.

                            She is a cute,precious amazing little girl and my life has forever changed.
   It's a funny thing.Ya know how seasons change,pages turn and in my case a new chapter began this past summer.It's fall now. The leaves are changing,the wind has a bit of a chill in blowing through it and if you would have asked me four months ago about fall,I could have cared less about fall. The only season on my mind,the middle of summer.Hot,muggy,clothes-stick-to-you-like-cling wrap summer.

        ( "Lucy you gotta sum 'splainin' to do!)

        You see my last post was written back last November. I was about 10-weeks pregnant and using my last bit of energy to write that post. I wanted to make it a good one seeing as I would be taking a break for a while.Break has been takin',baby had and now it's time to get back down to business.

   I knew that one day I would make it past the summer time and fall would make it's debut.I was so pregnant and so hot that the thought of cooler weather was a brief,fleeting thought. I couldn't imagine a bowl of hot,spicy chili,spice cookies or heck for that matter wrapping up in a blanket with our amazing baby girl for cuddle time.Time marches on and folks let me tell you,cuddle time is amazing,the spice cookies are just perfect and my goodness give me a big ol' bowl of hot,spicy chili! Sign me up it's fall and I couldn't feel more excited,accomplished and have a belly filled with good food.

       You gotta get your feet under you after having a baby.I knew this fact AND knew that in my own time I WOULD get back into my kitchen. The days past,a lot of simple dinners made and sleepless nights have turned into a little-bit-more-rested nights in our house.The thought of even attempting to make a real dinner wore me out,but! the thought of making up a handful of casseroles and freezing them brought joy to my heart.The days for a fresh,hot dinners are happening every now and then.The nights of a thawed,homemade casserole baking in the oven while I play with the baby,all the time. Casserole recipes to come.

        I need to also admit my slow-cooker and I have become close pals.See working mostly full-time,taking care of baby and keeping the house slightly picked up can wear a girl out.The smells of a delicious meal cooking away in the slow-cooker can make 6-o'clock much easier.Knowing that dinner is made,there are leftovers to be saved and after I get the baby to sleep I too can have a hot and fresh plate full of food,PRICELESS. The slow-cooker recipe that has won my heart,a simple old-fashioned chili.I have no photos to show you of the steaming-spicy bowl of chili,because well...I'm not that quick anymore.

    (Could be that my camera is filled with pictures of a cute baby more than food these days,but bear with me I'm gettin' my groove back .)



                     










           Alrighty here's that fine,fine,fine chili recipe.It's simple,easy and after you had a big ol' bowl of chili goodness find you a big ol' blanket and have yourself some cuddle time.

Really Old-Fashioned Chili
adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook
Ingredients:
2lbs ground sirloin
2 medium-sized yellow oninos,finely chopped
1 medium-sized green bell pepper,finely chopped
3 cloves garlic,minced
1 15-ounce can kidney beans,rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can black beans,rinsed and drained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes,with juice
1-2 cups beef broth
2 TBL chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
Directions-
1.In a large skillet brown the ground sirloin until no longer pink.(if you brown any further the meat will be tough after cooking in the slow-cooker.)Scoop the beef from the skillet and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.Soften the onion,bell pepper and garlic in the same skillet you browned the beef in,3-5 mins.You still want a little crunch to the vegetables,so don't brown,just soften them.
2.Put the beef and softened vegetables in the bottom of the slow-cooker.Add the remaining ingredients and cook the chili on LOW for 8-9 hours.ENJOY!

Slow-Cooker London Broil

   The cool lady on the left is my Grandmother Sue. and the girl on the right is me on my wedding day at the wonderful-much needed bridal brunch given by some other amazing ladies in my family. She is known for her sweet,caring nature,her sweet pickles and if you ask any member of my family they will tell you her London Broil recipe is out of this world. I had heard rave reviews of her recipe for London Broil for years and I knew I had to make it.

Sooo... I did.

For her.

At her 90th birthday dinner at our house a few years back.I must admit I was nervous and a little intimidated.She would love me if my hair was blue although she might not like it.She gets just so excited at any thing her children,grand children and great-grandchildren accomplish and just smiles from ear to ear. I knew if this meal was awful and we wound up ordering pizza she would still be thrilled with me,my efforts and that was enough for me.Good thing the meal didn't stink and a lovely time was had by the guest of honor and her family.

    Her London Broil recipe is not hard and not time-consuming. It's a simple treat that calls for pretty simple ingredients.The cut of meat is the real star in this recipe. The sauce that coats the meat is just luscious.I knew that a recipe for this classic was such a treasure. I also knew that there had to be a slow-cooker version of London Broil. It didn't take me long to find that slow-cooker recipe and I didn't have to look very far.

   Thank you allrecipes.com for coming through for me yet again. I love this website,have for many years.You should love it too. The recipes number in the gagillions. The folks that look at this site,cook the recipes on this site comment and the comments help.The suggestions made in the comments listed on the Slow-Cooker London Broil recipe made a difference in the final product.The leftovers made for some fine eating the next night at dinner. Hooray for another stellar slow-cooker recipe in the recipe box.


Here we go:   

      ***Weelll just a quick note: I did this recipe in two days. I prepped the meat the night before, added all the ingredients and turned the slow-cooker on the next morning.Soooo the pictures reflect those steps. It can totally be done the same day,whatever suits your fancy. Ok so now esshhhmmm-throat clearing ...***

Let's get started:

            Oh a jar full of gold: pork fat. Simple,unadulterated pork fat.It makes a fine flavor on browned flank steak. The aromas that stick around are just barely evident hours later on your plate full of London Broil.

  Break out your roasting pan or big ol' skillet. Pat dry the flank steak,salt and pepper each piece of meat and brown the steaks on each side.

  Since I decided to do this recipe in two steps,parts,nights...I browned the meat,let it rest and cool down then wrapped it in foil  and let it spend the night in the fridge. This step also helps seal in the juices of the just cooked meat.

       Also before I went to bed that night,as the flank steak rested and cooled I prepped the vegetables and  whipped up the terribly time-consuming sauce ingredients: cream of mushroom soup,dry onion soup mix,condensed tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce,and red wine vinegar.People it was tough. I had to put ALL of the ingredients in a bowl and stir.Tough job but you will thank yourself in the morning.Now cover that bowl of goodness and toss it in the fridge too. See you in the morning.

  Morning! So here we are: Put the meat in the slow-coker first,then the vegetables and finally the sauce you whipped up last night.Put the lid on and let that wonderful-piece-of-kitchen equipment do the work.

 Dang fine dinner that night. And just for fun and gluttony's sake ...

I made mashed potatoes too. I mean really fine eating that night,not nearly a celebratory as a 90th birthday dinner,but I know if I made this new slow-coker classic for my amazing Grandmother Sue,she would love every bite.I can't tell you how lucky I am,I just am.

Slow-Cooker London Broil
adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs flank steak
vegetabel oil or pork fat :)
salt and pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1 TBL red wine vinegar
4-5 carrots,chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 box of button mushrooms,roughly chopped
Directions:
1.In a large skillet or roasting pan,heat the vegetable oil over med-high heat.Pat dry the flank steak,salt and pepper each side then brown on each side for 5-8 minutes.You want a good crusty brown on each side,this will help the meat hold up the slow-cooker. Put the meat directly into the slow-cooker or if making ahead,let meat rest and cool,wrap tightly in aluminum foil and store in fridge overnight.
2.Next mix together in a medium bowl the cream of mushroom soup,tomato soup,dry onion soup mix,Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar.Wrap and store in fridge if making ahead.
3.Put the carrots and mushrooms in the crock of the slow-cooker on top of the meat and then pour the sauce on top of the vegetables.Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.I don't reccommend cooking this on on high,just because this much meat takes time to get as tender as it was and slow food is good food.ENJOY!

Sue's Biscotti

"Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in the snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all algow." 
                 -Anonymous

   A little perspective on just how big that crepe myrtle is,IT IS HUGE! I hadn't noticed the colors of the leaves had changed until my husband showed. Really let's be honest,I didn't think ( for some reason...) that the leaves on the crepe myrtles even changed colors in the fall. I guess all of the others trees have had me so mesmerized I didn't notice. Now every time I walk outside my back door,I look up,just to enjoy the simple beauty right in front of me.

                           Now onto some delicious biscotti with a hint of pumpkin pie spice and fresh nutmeg. The theme this week at IHCC is Harvest Moon.It's now really fall outside and my perfect idea of warm comfort is big ol' cup of coffee on a cold fall morning.Biscotti is a perfect addition to any hot cup of coffee.

Tessa Kiros has a friend named Sue and Sue has a fine recipe for biscotti.I've made biscotti before and quite frankly I can't ever get enough of this simple,stale bread treat that makes a hot cup of coffee divine.















                   Biscotti is a pretty simple cookie,biscuit in itself and so easy to make.The only effort really is the 2nd round of baking that takes place.It makes a difference in the crust edges and those crusty edges get better with time.I have learned from experience that biscotti is better about 2 days after making them. Stale biscuits are a good thing in this case. I threw in a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and a couple scrapes of fresh nutmeg and boy howdy it was just enough. You could just barely detect the flavors of fall,perfect I think.

Sue's Biscotti

adapted from Falling Cloudberries
Ingredients:
1/2 lb plus 2 TBl unsalted butter-cut into small pieces
plus about 2 TBL extra butter
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg (fresh nutmeg if you have it)
1 3/4 cup milk
2 TBL white wine vinegar
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.In the bow of a food processor add the flour and butter pieces.Pulse 5-6 times,enough to break up the butter into pieces.Add in the sugar,slat,baking powder,pumpkin pie spice and fresh nutmeg.Pulse 5-6 more times to mix everything and at this point the crumbles of butter and flour and spices should be about the size of a pea.
2.Add in the vinegar and then with the machine running pour in the milk.The dough will mix and ball up on itself.Take the dough out of the food processor and divide it up into 3 portions. Shape each portion into a long,rounded at the ends rectanle that measures 12 inches long.
3.Place each log on a baking sheet that can accommodate all three logs.Cut up the extra butter into small pieces between the logs.Bake for 45 min to 1 hour.The logs will bake together,but when youtake them out of the oven quickly run a knife between each each log to separate them.Let them cool completely.
4.Heat the oven again back up to 300 degrees. Slice each log into smaller logs and lay on cut side down on a baking sheet.Bake for 30 minutes more,until the edges are a little hard.Remove from the oven and let cool again completely.Enjoy!