Outside Temp: 38 F
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I was feeling a little crappy today, so I love making this. It's so easy and after about 10 minutes of prep, start the crock pot and 6 hours later, dinner is served.
Update:
So, the boys played against Belt tonight, and while they lost, it wasn't as bad as last time. If they win tomorrow, their record will be 10-2, which isn't too bad, considering that Belt has a really, really good team. Apparently, they have enough kids, that they only let you play if you are good (as opposed to our school, which is just grateful for a warm body on the court).
We picked up the Aveo, with it's brand new snow tires. Patrick drove it home and said it was awesome! We'll eventually get snow tires on the van, but I think we'll wait until the next paycheck. After all, it's scheduled to be in the 50's tomorrow, and it should be above freezing (at least during the day) for the next 10 days or so. :)
The kids are excited about tomorrow being the last day of school, for the next 5 days! They may not realize that we have a lot of driving to do for Thanksgiving. We're heading to Helena to see Aunt Catherine on Thursday, and then to Missoula on Friday to see Uncle Charles. Of course, it's only about an hour and half to Helena, and about 2 hours to Missoula. No biggie.
We're working with our escrow company and will hopefully close escrow on the California house sometime next week (finger's crossed). I actually just want to get out of paying for December's HOA fees. :)
Showing posts with label Beef Stew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beef Stew. Show all posts
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
November 8, 2011
Outside Temp: 30 F
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I've made it plenty of times, so it's kind of second nature. But this time, I figured I'd be a little frugal and only use one little 8 oz. steak instead of my usual 2 lbs of beef. While I got no complaints, each person ended up with only about 2-3 little pieces of beef in their beef stew. I guess I should rename it 'potato and carrot stew, with a little bit of beef'. Oh well, it was cheaper this way!
Honey Wheat bread: I thought I'd try a new recipe in my bread maker. Next time, I'll make sure the recipe calls for a bread maker, instead of a loaf pan. I halved the recipe, and it was STILL too big. I came home from school to find the bread had spilled out of the bread maker loaf pan, and the top was still 'sticky'. Once I got it extracted from the bread maker, and I cut the top off, it tasted fine. It was very, very soft; almost too soft to cut. I probably won't use that recipe again. Next time, I'll pick a 'bread maker' honey wheat recipe!
Update:
We got a few little flurries of snow today during the day. It was kind of neat to be in class with Ryan and see snow flying horizontal across the windows. The teacher probably thought I was nuts, but I got so excited I had to jump up and run to the windows to watch. She laughed and said I'll get used to it by the end of the winter.
When I went outside with Ryan to play, the snow had stopped, but the wind was still there, biting my nose and ears. I'm beginning to understand the concept of 'long underwear'. I was wearing jeans, and it just blew straight through them, like they weren't even there. I figure if I layer better, it probably won't bug me as much. Of course, I don't think Ryan even noticed. He was running and playing and having a blast! Of course, he had a big winter jacket on, and I had a hoodie. I think I need to invest in a jacket, and ear muffs, and good gloves, and a few other things. Either that, or hide out inside while he's outside playing. :)
The boys had practice tonight, and for the next few nights. The next game is on Friday, so they have a few days to practice. And Patrick thought he would help me out, by washing the boys game jerseys last night after I'd gone to bed. The school colors are Red and White. And he washed them in hot water. Needless to say, I went to do the laundry this morning and pulled out the jerseys that were a little pink. They weren't bad and COULD have been much worse. But I still had to chastise him. You NEVER wash red clothes in hot water. He responded, 'I didn't even look at the water temp (or the load size)... I just turned the knob to start and turned it on.'. Oh lovely. At least he put soap in it...
Also, we are NOT going to be going to LA next week... We're having some issues getting the financials arranged (getting our insurance up here to talk to their billing system down there). That's probably for the best, since we have a storm coming in this weekend, that's supposed to last from Saturday through Monday. Which would have meant Patrick and Ryan, flying out in a little Cessna, in the middle of a snow storm. Of course, it's only going to get worse as the winter comes on, so maybe we can schedule it next time around the weather. Or wait until spring. :)
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I've made it plenty of times, so it's kind of second nature. But this time, I figured I'd be a little frugal and only use one little 8 oz. steak instead of my usual 2 lbs of beef. While I got no complaints, each person ended up with only about 2-3 little pieces of beef in their beef stew. I guess I should rename it 'potato and carrot stew, with a little bit of beef'. Oh well, it was cheaper this way!
Honey Wheat bread: I thought I'd try a new recipe in my bread maker. Next time, I'll make sure the recipe calls for a bread maker, instead of a loaf pan. I halved the recipe, and it was STILL too big. I came home from school to find the bread had spilled out of the bread maker loaf pan, and the top was still 'sticky'. Once I got it extracted from the bread maker, and I cut the top off, it tasted fine. It was very, very soft; almost too soft to cut. I probably won't use that recipe again. Next time, I'll pick a 'bread maker' honey wheat recipe!
Update:
We got a few little flurries of snow today during the day. It was kind of neat to be in class with Ryan and see snow flying horizontal across the windows. The teacher probably thought I was nuts, but I got so excited I had to jump up and run to the windows to watch. She laughed and said I'll get used to it by the end of the winter.
When I went outside with Ryan to play, the snow had stopped, but the wind was still there, biting my nose and ears. I'm beginning to understand the concept of 'long underwear'. I was wearing jeans, and it just blew straight through them, like they weren't even there. I figure if I layer better, it probably won't bug me as much. Of course, I don't think Ryan even noticed. He was running and playing and having a blast! Of course, he had a big winter jacket on, and I had a hoodie. I think I need to invest in a jacket, and ear muffs, and good gloves, and a few other things. Either that, or hide out inside while he's outside playing. :)
The boys had practice tonight, and for the next few nights. The next game is on Friday, so they have a few days to practice. And Patrick thought he would help me out, by washing the boys game jerseys last night after I'd gone to bed. The school colors are Red and White. And he washed them in hot water. Needless to say, I went to do the laundry this morning and pulled out the jerseys that were a little pink. They weren't bad and COULD have been much worse. But I still had to chastise him. You NEVER wash red clothes in hot water. He responded, 'I didn't even look at the water temp (or the load size)... I just turned the knob to start and turned it on.'. Oh lovely. At least he put soap in it...
Also, we are NOT going to be going to LA next week... We're having some issues getting the financials arranged (getting our insurance up here to talk to their billing system down there). That's probably for the best, since we have a storm coming in this weekend, that's supposed to last from Saturday through Monday. Which would have meant Patrick and Ryan, flying out in a little Cessna, in the middle of a snow storm. Of course, it's only going to get worse as the winter comes on, so maybe we can schedule it next time around the weather. Or wait until spring. :)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
November 1, 2011
Outside Temp: 23 F (and falling... chance of more snow tonight)
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I love making this one, since it's so easy! I got some tri-tip on sale about a month ago, and it went right into my FoodSaver and my freezer, so it was really easy to defrost and make into stew. I know, generally for stew, you would use a 'lower quality' type of meat, but it's what I had, and it worked great! I actually defrosted it 1/2 way in the microwave, then cut it up into chunks. I browned the chunks of meat while I cut up the potatoes and carrots and onions and celery (I don't think celery was in the recipe, but it worked fine). I tossed everything into the crock pot, turned it on and walked away. When the boys came home from practice, they had hot beef stew for dinner, which made me the most awesome mom in the world... :)
Homemade Rolls: I've been playing around with the sweet bread recipe from Patrick's mom. It takes about 2 hours, since you have to let it rise twice, but it's pretty easy. And everyone seems to like it! I usually make it into dinner rolls (although I've done cinnamon rolls before) but I wanted to try something new tonight. I made three batches. One was regular dinner rolls, one was crescents and one was cloverleaf style. Allen, Connor and Katie all said they liked the crescent style, although Katie said the cloverleaf was 'pretty'. I think next time I make the crescents, I should brush them with butter, to make them a little crispier.
Today, at school, when I saw him, he seemed more positive and happier. And when he came home from practice, he said the coach really noticed a change in his behavior. He was so proud of himself! And he made a few baskets during practice! See, a positive attitude really can change everything!
Patrick has come down with a touch of a flu/cold, so he's been stuck in bed all day (except when he talked me into driving to Belt to get him Gatorade and to check on the parent's house). Hopefully, he'll be better tomorrow, since we have clinic in Great Falls.
We also had a offer on the house in Temecula, but it was a little low, so we countered and hopefully, will soon be able to get rid of the monthly insurance and utilities and taxes and HOA fees associate with it. We almost accepted the extremely insulting low ball offer, just to get it off our hands! We'll see if the buyer counters with something reasonable, and then we can just be done! Crossing our fingers...
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I love making this one, since it's so easy! I got some tri-tip on sale about a month ago, and it went right into my FoodSaver and my freezer, so it was really easy to defrost and make into stew. I know, generally for stew, you would use a 'lower quality' type of meat, but it's what I had, and it worked great! I actually defrosted it 1/2 way in the microwave, then cut it up into chunks. I browned the chunks of meat while I cut up the potatoes and carrots and onions and celery (I don't think celery was in the recipe, but it worked fine). I tossed everything into the crock pot, turned it on and walked away. When the boys came home from practice, they had hot beef stew for dinner, which made me the most awesome mom in the world... :)
Homemade Rolls: I've been playing around with the sweet bread recipe from Patrick's mom. It takes about 2 hours, since you have to let it rise twice, but it's pretty easy. And everyone seems to like it! I usually make it into dinner rolls (although I've done cinnamon rolls before) but I wanted to try something new tonight. I made three batches. One was regular dinner rolls, one was crescents and one was cloverleaf style. Allen, Connor and Katie all said they liked the crescent style, although Katie said the cloverleaf was 'pretty'. I think next time I make the crescents, I should brush them with butter, to make them a little crispier.
Update:
We had a little snow today, just enough to warn us about what's coming. While we were at school (with Ryan), I was pretty cold outside. We've managed to lose most of the 12 pairs of cheep knit gloves we got from Wal-Mart a month ago, so I was standing outside with no gloves. It was kind of nippy. Temp was probably about 30, with enough wind to make it feel like the 20's. Brrrr. And, of course, Ryan wanted to make another snowman when we got home from school. He was bummed when I told him there wasn't enough snow...
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Connor has been kind of upset about basketball practice, since it's kind of hard to run as much as he's been running. So, last night, we had a long talk with him about teamwork and positive attitude. He said he was worried that the team wouldn't like him because he wasn't a very good basketball player.
I told him about my time on the swim team in high school, when I was one of the worst swimmers. I'm not sure (looking back) if I was lazy or if I could have tried harder, but everyone else swam laps around me. But, I was still there, every day (almost), practicing with the team and at every swim meet. I was right there, at the end of the lane, cheering on my teammates. By the end of my senior year, while I doubt anyone would have said anything nice about my performance, the team knew that I always had a positive attitude. My part of the team was not about being the best swimmer, but about always supporting my team.
Today, at school, when I saw him, he seemed more positive and happier. And when he came home from practice, he said the coach really noticed a change in his behavior. He was so proud of himself! And he made a few baskets during practice! See, a positive attitude really can change everything!
Patrick has come down with a touch of a flu/cold, so he's been stuck in bed all day (except when he talked me into driving to Belt to get him Gatorade and to check on the parent's house). Hopefully, he'll be better tomorrow, since we have clinic in Great Falls.
We also had a offer on the house in Temecula, but it was a little low, so we countered and hopefully, will soon be able to get rid of the monthly insurance and utilities and taxes and HOA fees associate with it. We almost accepted the extremely insulting low ball offer, just to get it off our hands! We'll see if the buyer counters with something reasonable, and then we can just be done! Crossing our fingers...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
October 25, 2011
Outside Temp: 27 F
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I got a roast from Albertsons on Sunday (they had a deal where you got free carrots, celery and potatoes when you bought a 3lb roast. Score!). It was about 3.5 lbs, which is a lot of meat. So, I cut it in half, sealed the side with the best marbling in my FoodSaver, and cubed up the rest for beef stew. Since it was sort of cold today, I thought the boys would like a great hot stew after practice.
Buttermilk Biscuits: I used to always use Bisquick for my biscuits. It's not bad, but I wanted to try something from scratch. Of course, Alton Brown had a recipe for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits in his cookbook. I was pretty sure I was doing it wrong, since I only got about 10 biscuits out of the recipe, and they only filled about half of my cookie sheet, but they turned out great. A little too great. Now I HAVE to double the recipe, since everyone wants biscuits with honey and butter. Katie even told me they were better than KFC. Oh jeez, I should hope so!
Update:
Okay, so one rule on mouse traps... they don't do much when they are not set. Apparently, Ryan went through the house yesterday, or maybe Sunday, and, using a knife, set off every mouse trap he could find. So, this morning, I had Patrick go through the house and re-set every trap. He did find a single mouse, dead, behind the couch. I guess Ryan couldn't reach that one. I expect to find a few more tomorrow morning, since it's getting cold and it's nice and toasty in my house. Okay, not toasty, but I guess 60 degrees is better than freezing outside!
Also, today, we had a beautiful snow storm!
I was inside, working at the community center to prepare for the halloween party on Friday and Saturday, when one of the ladies opened the door and commented on the snow. So, of course, being new to this whole 'snow' thing, I had to run outside and take pictures! It was sooooooo pretty!
One of the comments around here is 'if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes and it'll change'. When I left about another hour later, I took a few more pictures of the snow on the ground. The storm blew through in about an hour or so, and we were left with a pretty dusting of snow on the cars and on the ground... just enough to make a snowball and throw it at the kids!
The pellet stove is keeping the house at a nice 68 degrees, so I'm sitting here typing in my short sleeve shirt and no socks. Okay, that's a lie, I have socks on. :)
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I got a roast from Albertsons on Sunday (they had a deal where you got free carrots, celery and potatoes when you bought a 3lb roast. Score!). It was about 3.5 lbs, which is a lot of meat. So, I cut it in half, sealed the side with the best marbling in my FoodSaver, and cubed up the rest for beef stew. Since it was sort of cold today, I thought the boys would like a great hot stew after practice.
Buttermilk Biscuits: I used to always use Bisquick for my biscuits. It's not bad, but I wanted to try something from scratch. Of course, Alton Brown had a recipe for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits in his cookbook. I was pretty sure I was doing it wrong, since I only got about 10 biscuits out of the recipe, and they only filled about half of my cookie sheet, but they turned out great. A little too great. Now I HAVE to double the recipe, since everyone wants biscuits with honey and butter. Katie even told me they were better than KFC. Oh jeez, I should hope so!
Update:
Okay, so one rule on mouse traps... they don't do much when they are not set. Apparently, Ryan went through the house yesterday, or maybe Sunday, and, using a knife, set off every mouse trap he could find. So, this morning, I had Patrick go through the house and re-set every trap. He did find a single mouse, dead, behind the couch. I guess Ryan couldn't reach that one. I expect to find a few more tomorrow morning, since it's getting cold and it's nice and toasty in my house. Okay, not toasty, but I guess 60 degrees is better than freezing outside!
Also, today, we had a beautiful snow storm!
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One of the comments around here is 'if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes and it'll change'. When I left about another hour later, I took a few more pictures of the snow on the ground. The storm blew through in about an hour or so, and we were left with a pretty dusting of snow on the cars and on the ground... just enough to make a snowball and throw it at the kids!
The pellet stove is keeping the house at a nice 68 degrees, so I'm sitting here typing in my short sleeve shirt and no socks. Okay, that's a lie, I have socks on. :)
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