from Crockin' Girls Website
I think was really sealed the deal for me was the little bit of red wine and the onion soup mix. It hit the spot. Now my go to stroganoff recipe!
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Normally, I would right a whole post about a recipe but I am being a bit lazy today. I really wanted to make some beef in the slow cooker. I thought - beef stroganoff sounds yummy. I have tried a couple of stroganoff recipes before - but I think this one is probably the best one I have come across:
I think was really sealed the deal for me was the little bit of red wine and the onion soup mix. It hit the spot. Now my go to stroganoff recipe!
I think was really sealed the deal for me was the little bit of red wine and the onion soup mix. It hit the spot. Now my go to stroganoff recipe!
Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Butter
In preparation for our impending time in India, we have been slowly trying out Indian cuisine. Since there really are no Indian restaurants in the middle of KS, we have been doing it at home. Unfortunately, given my pregnant aversion to all food, I had not made Indian dishes in a while. Enter sad husband. He really really wanted some. So for about 3 days, he bugged me to make food. Then he started telling me - I will make it for us. To be honest, sometimes I cringe when he gets in the kitchen, or when I have to direct cooking. But he said I want to make some for you. After some inner thought, I resigned myself to letting my husband spend an afternoon in my kitchen making me dinner with the express condition that he must find a recipe where the ingredients are relatively benign and won't cause any pregnancy unpleasantness. Here is want he found:
Ingredients
After spending most of the afternoon smelling the mixture of spices from the kitchen, I almost had second thoughts of sitting down and eating this meal. But I am glad I pushed through the queasiness because it was totally yummy. The spice was not to hot but definitely gave a kick. Not to much of a kick because my tummy really enjoyed the meal. We ended up with a lot of sauce mixture. Next time, I would probably throw in another pound of chicken breasts just so we don't have to get rid of the sauce.
I have to thank my hubby for insisting that he make me dinner. Now for his immortalization:
Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Butter
from Madhur Jaffrey's An Invitation to Indian Cooking
Ingredients
4 chicken legsSteps
2 chicken breasts (we just used a pound and half of chicken breasts)
2 medium sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
fresh ginger, 2 inches long by 1 inch wide, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cinnamon stick, 2 1/2 - 3 inches, broken up
Seeds from 6 whole cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 hot dried red pepper, crumbled (to save my tummy - I think we added about a 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes)
3 tbsp water
6 tbsp vegetable oil
16 oz canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp lightly salted butter
1. Since we only had chicken breasts, we just washed them, quartered them, and set them aside. If you have chicken pieces, remove skin, pat dry, and put aside.The Final Product
2. In a blender, combine the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, red pepper, and 3 tbsp water. Blend to a smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a 3.5 quart dutch oven over a high heat. When hot, put in the chicken pieces, and brown them quickly (a minute per side). Remove with slotted spoon. If need be brown chicken in batches.
4. Turn heat to medium and pour in paste from blender. Stir and fry for 5 minutes, scraping bottom of pot well.
5. Add tomato sauce, 3/4 cup water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir every 6 to 7 minutes.
6. Add the chicken pieces to the pot along with any juices that may have collected. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir gently to avoid sticking.
7. Cut butter into 4 pats, Take chicken off heat and drop in the butter. Stir to incorporate and serve immediately.
After spending most of the afternoon smelling the mixture of spices from the kitchen, I almost had second thoughts of sitting down and eating this meal. But I am glad I pushed through the queasiness because it was totally yummy. The spice was not to hot but definitely gave a kick. Not to much of a kick because my tummy really enjoyed the meal. We ended up with a lot of sauce mixture. Next time, I would probably throw in another pound of chicken breasts just so we don't have to get rid of the sauce.
I have to thank my hubby for insisting that he make me dinner. Now for his immortalization:
Catch Up
Since this whole second pregnancy thing got started, I have been quite bad about posting. We have a fun little weather even coming up so, I am hoping to play a little catch up on some recipes. I have couple of new ones that we have tried out that have turn out well and one, well, not so well but I won't post it to save you the attempt of trying it.
I decided one night that I had these nice beef steaks - perfect for grilling. The packaging was all sorts of misleading - the shape made them seem like steaks. Once I opened the packaging, I found that it was steak pieces. Would have been great for stew - except, yeah, I already had potatoes boiling in water and breaded broccoli in the oven.
So, I made some stuff up on the fly. I'll be honest. I can work a recipe like it's nobody's business. I even feel comfortable switching out ingredients to obtain new tastes. But this - this usually doesn't happen.
Quickly, I move the grill pan, which I had heating in preparation of a nice sizzly steak searing, and got out a saute pan. I whipped out an open carton of beef broth, dumped about a quarter cup into a pyrex measuring cup and began to whisk in some flour to make a little slurry for some thick sauce. I added the steak pieces to the pan to get the pieces browning. I think I added another 1/4 cup of beef broth to my slurry before dumping it in my saute pan with my meat. Then for my stroke of genius - who wants beef pieces with a beef broth sauce, that isn't fun or exciting? - I ran to the fridge and pulled out a container of dijon mustard. A little mustard goes a long way. So, I added two little squirts from the bottle and mixed away.
There we have it. It was edible, HURRAY! Not to mention it had a nice tangy sauce. Some mushrooms might be good with it, if I ever decide to do it again. Although, I don't plan on having to make something like that on the fly again - that's why we meal plan!
Random Concoction
I decided one night that I had these nice beef steaks - perfect for grilling. The packaging was all sorts of misleading - the shape made them seem like steaks. Once I opened the packaging, I found that it was steak pieces. Would have been great for stew - except, yeah, I already had potatoes boiling in water and breaded broccoli in the oven.
So, I made some stuff up on the fly. I'll be honest. I can work a recipe like it's nobody's business. I even feel comfortable switching out ingredients to obtain new tastes. But this - this usually doesn't happen.
Quickly, I move the grill pan, which I had heating in preparation of a nice sizzly steak searing, and got out a saute pan. I whipped out an open carton of beef broth, dumped about a quarter cup into a pyrex measuring cup and began to whisk in some flour to make a little slurry for some thick sauce. I added the steak pieces to the pan to get the pieces browning. I think I added another 1/4 cup of beef broth to my slurry before dumping it in my saute pan with my meat. Then for my stroke of genius - who wants beef pieces with a beef broth sauce, that isn't fun or exciting? - I ran to the fridge and pulled out a container of dijon mustard. A little mustard goes a long way. So, I added two little squirts from the bottle and mixed away.
There we have it. It was edible, HURRAY! Not to mention it had a nice tangy sauce. Some mushrooms might be good with it, if I ever decide to do it again. Although, I don't plan on having to make something like that on the fly again - that's why we meal plan!
Work of Art...Sort of
Yesterday, JT and I had a day to ourselves. I realize that it may have been way to early for me to introduce coloring to JT but heck I felt like breaking out the markers. So, we did. Thank goodness for Crayola's Color Wonder markers - no messy clean up afterwards. If I had a pack of regular markers, I might have thought twice about this little project.
While we didn't seem to really to care much about getting the marker on the paper, getting the markers in and out of the box was loads of fun. We did manage to get something on the paper though - so JT's first work of art:
Ignore the sun and the flower...and the red birds. I was trying to entice JT to scribble. :o)
Snow Day
Yesterday, we had what some were calling "The Blizzard of Oz". Disregarding the fact that we only got about 6-7 inches here (other places did get 12 +), this was the first snow that JT could really interact and run around in. So here are some snow videos (they are not very exciting seeing as I bundled JT up to the point where he could just about shuffle his feet):
Posted with BlogsyNew Marching Orders
Orders 364-758
Baby
You Will Proceed On Permanent Change of Station
ASSIGNED TO: Giesey Family Unit
REPORT DATE: 17 AUG 2013
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS:
(A) Report to Central Clearing Agency no earlier than 21 days but no later than 10 working days after to your anticipated report date.
(B) In the event you need emergency assistance after your departure you should contact your gaining unit.
(C) Once you arrive at your gaining installation, you are required to report to the housing office to make arrangements for renting, leasing, or purchasing of any housing.
(D) Babies moving to privatized housing must comply with all installation specific requirements- including sleep schedules and noise restrictions.
The first trimester has been brought to you by our sponsors: Eggo Waffles, Ramen Noodle, and Carnation Breakfast Essentials. The only things I could stomach for the past month and a half without wanting to well...you know... I hope that explains my lack of yummy foodie posts. I am slowly returning to normal - not everything makes me nauseous now. Here are shots of the little bugger (includes 10 week and almost 13 week shots):
Baby
You Will Proceed On Permanent Change of Station
ASSIGNED TO: Giesey Family Unit
REPORT DATE: 17 AUG 2013
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS:
(A) Report to Central Clearing Agency no earlier than 21 days but no later than 10 working days after to your anticipated report date.
(B) In the event you need emergency assistance after your departure you should contact your gaining unit.
(C) Once you arrive at your gaining installation, you are required to report to the housing office to make arrangements for renting, leasing, or purchasing of any housing.
(D) Babies moving to privatized housing must comply with all installation specific requirements- including sleep schedules and noise restrictions.
The first trimester has been brought to you by our sponsors: Eggo Waffles, Ramen Noodle, and Carnation Breakfast Essentials. The only things I could stomach for the past month and a half without wanting to well...you know... I hope that explains my lack of yummy foodie posts. I am slowly returning to normal - not everything makes me nauseous now. Here are shots of the little bugger (includes 10 week and almost 13 week shots):
Musical Jolly Chimp
That is what I thought of when I first saw JT doing this. Actually, I was more impressed that he finally picked the toy and used it in the manner in which is it supposed to be used. Boy, we definitely like banging things together!
Slow Cooker Chicken Makhani
In the next few years, our little family will be heading to India. Believe me, it is weird that we know where we are heading over the next couple of years - since with the army the mentality is more - "wait for it....wait for it...oh we wanted you to be at x-y-z location a week ago". To prepare us for the all of the new adventures to come, I have done a few things - 1. got Hindi language software for me to work at home (goodness knows I am a whiz at foreign languages :o( ), 2. hubby got me a starter set of common spices in Indian food, and 3. I received two awesome Indian cookbooks at Christmas. Since spicy and I do not mix well, I scoured for a simple not so spicy recipe to start with. Here it is:
Ingredients
First, let me note some things that I did slightly differently. I used just over a pound of chicken tenderloins, 1/2 of one small onion minced, and just about a 1/2 tsp of minced ginger (I have a little jar of minced ginger and I honestly didn't know how much a 1/2" knob of ginger was equivalent too). Even though I am here in Kansas, I was able to get some ground cloves. The fenugreek, thankfully, my hubby got as part of my spice set.
I thought it was really tasty. It was just enough spice for me. Now Kansas is not known for Indian food - so I do not have any way to say...go to an Indian restaurant to compare what I made. But I enjoyed it so I think that is all that really matters.
Now, I usually don't let anyone else play around in my kitchen unsupervised. My husband really wanted to try his hand at Naan bread. He researched it, found a recipe he liked, and went to work on it. I have not even really read the recipe for it yet. This was his second attempt and I thought it was really yummy. JT loves to eat it so I guess my hubby has the recipe down. I won't mess with it. He can make it anytime he wants then.
Chicken Makhani
from The Everything Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook by Prerna Singh
Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breastsSteps
2 shallots minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2" knob ginger, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp fenugreek
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1. Place chicken and all ingredients except the yogurt into slow cooker. Stir well.The Final Product
2. Cook on LOW for 5 hours.
3. When finished, add yogurt and serve immediately.
First, let me note some things that I did slightly differently. I used just over a pound of chicken tenderloins, 1/2 of one small onion minced, and just about a 1/2 tsp of minced ginger (I have a little jar of minced ginger and I honestly didn't know how much a 1/2" knob of ginger was equivalent too). Even though I am here in Kansas, I was able to get some ground cloves. The fenugreek, thankfully, my hubby got as part of my spice set.
I thought it was really tasty. It was just enough spice for me. Now Kansas is not known for Indian food - so I do not have any way to say...go to an Indian restaurant to compare what I made. But I enjoyed it so I think that is all that really matters.
Now, I usually don't let anyone else play around in my kitchen unsupervised. My husband really wanted to try his hand at Naan bread. He researched it, found a recipe he liked, and went to work on it. I have not even really read the recipe for it yet. This was his second attempt and I thought it was really yummy. JT loves to eat it so I guess my hubby has the recipe down. I won't mess with it. He can make it anytime he wants then.
2013 Aspirations
I am ready to close the book on 2012. It has been a heck of a year - good times with its handful of trials and tribulations. But I do not want to dwell on the past. Here are my aspirations for the future:
Let's do it 2013!
- Be less stressed - this is an ongoing battle for I am a worrywart at heart. It is what I do. I hope to try to make my mantra, only do what is within my own control and not worry about the things that are not. I also want to take time to do some things for me during the day - whether is it reading a book, working out for a few minutes, or another little projects I have in mind.
- Be more healthy - it is difficult to do as someone who has an aversion to fruits and vegetables. So when I make my meal plans for the upcoming weeks, I am trying to include at least some sort of bearable veggie (I've made strides with veggies...not fruits...oh well)
- Be a bit more adventurous - in life, in cooking, in general. This year is affording us the opportunity to make a new army home, travel to our new destination, and prepare more adventures in the coming years. So I want to try to be less of a stick in the mud and get out and about. I am going to start by dipping my toes in the world of Indian cuisine (yes, I will chronicle my journey here).
- Be a better me - that includes being a better mom, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, friend, etc. I realize I am somewhat antisocial and it gets compounded by our distance from home but I aspire to be a better communicator in any case.
Let's do it 2013!
Seven Fishes Recap
I felt that I needed to recap how our little appetizer type Seven Fishes Feast went down on Christmas Eve. It was definitely a lot more manageable that last year. The amount of food was just right.
Dish 1: Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce
Dish 1: Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce
Dish 2: Baked Calamari Rings (we decided to switch out the Salmon dish for the easier prepped dish)
Dish 3: Stuffed Clams
Dish 4: Mini Tuna Melts
I used some leftover water crackers, mixed tuna with mayonnaise, and topped with some Swiss cheese. Next time, I definitely want to use some big bruschetta type rounds and then add a little bit of pepper to the tuna. It was a good first attempt.
Dish 5: Lobster Raviolis
We had 12 raviolis, leftover sauce from Sunday night, and a new can of pesto sauce. Decided to let everyone get a taste of each. The Pesto Sauce was definitely the winner!
Dish 6: Spicy Crab over Polenta
I deviated a little bit from the original recipe I posted. Instead of using whole chilies, I substituted some cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp. It cleared out your sinuses but was still good. Next time I would go a bit lighter on the cayenne pepper.
Dish 7: Fish Tacos
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