Rainy Day calls for Beer and Beef Stew!

Image

Is your crockpot ready? Cuz this one is awesome! It’s one of those recipes for Sunday afternoon in the winter, or a cold, stormy day in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the oven, or stand in front of the stove…but you kinda want something warm to eat for dinner. THIS IS IT!! It’s a good one!

I adapted my recipe from this one: http://bakedinthesouth.com/2012/08/crockpot-freezer-meals-part-2/
She used it as a freezer meal! So, this can actually be frozen in a large gallon bag, and taken out and put into the freezer! I put mine directly into the crockpot though. 🙂

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat (I prefer the grass fed beef like you can find at Earth Fare or Whole Foods)
2 TB olive oil
1 TB salted butter
3 large carrots, cut into large pieces
4-5 potatoes cut into 4 or 6 pieces
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh parsley chopped fine
1 cup dark beer (My FAV for this is Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Pace Restaurant Style Salsa- medium (you can also use Rotel)
2 tsp. Himalayan pink sea salt
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

put everything in crock pot, cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. DELICIOUS!!!!!

Steak and Potatoes Revisited

DSC_0744 DSC_0746 DSC_0747 DSC_0749 DSC_0755

steak&potatoesrevisited

Steak:

I marinated the steak in the following: (I only marinated it in the fridge for an hour, over night would be best!

Marinade
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  •  3 Tb honey
  • 1 scallion (green onion), thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbls Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • sea salt ground – approx 1/2 tsp

After the steak has been marinating the the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, place on grill, OR the grill pan. Grill for 7.5 to 8 minutes per side for a medium temperature steak. Enjoy!!!

(If you use the grill pan, drain all marinade extra marinade off of steak, and place onto HOT grill pan that has been sprinkled with sea salt)

Let your steak rest for 8-10 minutes on a plate before you cut into it.

Potatoes, Onions & Carrots

Wash and cut 8 potatoes into 8 pieces each. Then peel and cut carrots into large chunks. Then, cut up onion into large pieces. Put them onto a tin foil-lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. spread them out on the cookie sheet and cover with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh rosemary. (about 1/2 tsp of each). Then cut up 2 TB of butter into small pieces and put over the vegetables. Put into the oven at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Do this BEFORE the steak!!!!! (or as it finishes marinating!)
Take out when the carrots and potatoes fall apart from the fork.

Enjoy!

Curried Rice with Shrimp

curriedshrimp

Original Recipe Credit: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/curried-rice-shrimp-00000000006830/index.html

I have adapted my recipe from the recipe listed above.

I used brown rice in my recipe… I’d actually recommend white rice, I just didn’t have any left, so I used what I had.

Step 1: Put 1 cup of rice into the rice cooker, and fill it with water until the water reaches the first crease on my pointer finger. That’s how my mom measured… so that’s how I measure it. Don’t even know how much water that turns out to be, but it works! Then, I add 1 tsp. of minced garlic and 2 tsp. of curry powder. I close the rice cooker, and press cook. (If you do NOT have a rice cooker, I recommend you following the original recipe link above.)

Step 2: Peel and cut 4 carrots. I cut the carrots into about 1 1/2 in to 2 inch pieces. Then, I chopped up 1/4 of an onion. I put the carrot and onion into a skillet w/1/4 cup of water and 1 TB olive oil and 1/2 tsp minced garlic and a dash of curry powder. I put the lid on and simmered on med-low heat. (15-20 min).

Step 3: While the carrots and onions are simmering, I put the shrimp, still frozen, on a tin-foil lined cookie sheet and drizzled olive oil over top. (2 TB?). I then sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic powder and just a touch of curry powder (to continue with the theme). I baked them at 375 for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble. All things should get done right around the same time. Carrots should be firm, but tender. Shrimp should not be translucent at all, and cooked through. Rice should be sticky and a nice curry-yellow. Put rice in bowl, then carrots and onions, toss, and add shrimp to top. Garnish with basil as desired.

Enjoy!

Easy Peppered Pork Loin

porktenderloin

EASY Peppered Pork Loin (with carrots and onions) with homemade honey wheat rolls and rosemary potato wedges

Ok. So, this will be REALLY easy, especially if you have a Trader Joes nearby.

Step 1: Purchase Trader Joes peppered pork loin.

Step 2: put in crock pot.

Step 3: add peeled and cut (into about 2-3 inch pieces) carrots and add to crock pot

Step 4: add 1/2 onion chopped into large pieces.

Step 5: add 1 cup of water, and pour over top, and add salt & pepper

Step 6: cook on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours (4 hours on high)

That’s IT for the pork!

Potato wedges:

5 potatoes
Olive oil
Salt (I use pink Himalayan salt grinder from TJ)
Garlic powder
fresh rosemary

Wash and scrub potatoes, and then dry. Slice potatoes in half, and then wedges, as thick as you’d like, just try to make sure they are all relatively the same size. Line a cookie sheet or pan with tin foil ( I LOVE the new non-stick tin foil… just sayin’)

preheat oven to 425 degrees
in a glass bowl,  toss the potato wedges with 2-3 turns of olive oil, salt, pepper, and FRESH rosemary (it smells AMAZING!).

Spread over the tin-foil covered pan and bake for 15 min. Then, take tongs, or a spatula and turn them over, and bake for another 15-25 minutes (depending on thickness of wedges) until tender.
DONE! Not bad huh?

Oh… now for the rolls. I followed this recipe to the T, so here it is: (IT’S SOOO EASY!
30-minute honey wheat rolls recipe: http://www.ihearteating.com/2013/07/29/30-minute-honey-wheat-rolls/

They are perfect…. and delicious. All 12 were gone in 2 days! YUM!

There’s that!