The other night I made a flat iron steak on the stove with a blue cheese sauce for dinner. It was really good. If you are a fan of blue cheese you will love this sauce on a steak or burger. I seasoned the steak with salt and pepper and cooked it in an iron skillet with olive oil on the stove at medium high. I cooked it for about 6 minutes on each side as we like our steak medium. Be sure to not put the steak in the pan until it has warmed up. It will smoke up a bit so have your exhaust fan on and ready.
Blue Cheese Butter Sauce
1 4oz. container of crumbled blue cheese
1 Stick of butter
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1 clove of garlic
Put all of these ingredients in a saucepan at medium heat and stir until cheese has mostly melted. Pour over a juicy steak or burger and enjoy.
This was Penelope's bento today. It is also my first entry into the Bento Blog Network weekly themed bento contest. This weeks contest theme is Birds.
Granola with chocolate covered raisins, 2 hard boiled eggs, open faced turkey and cheddar bird sandwich on flatbread, mixture of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe, gummy worms.
I am no where near as talanted as some of these bento artists.
Granola with chocolate covered raisins, 2 hard boiled eggs, open faced turkey and cheddar bird sandwich on flatbread, mixture of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe, gummy worms.
I am no where near as talanted as some of these bento artists.
Check out my green onions after just 10 days!
She chose Marigolds, Asters, Onions, and Parsley to plant. We will definitely be visiting the yurt again soon.
And here is the before shot...
Penelope is also getting a green thumb. There is a lady here that owns a yurt and holds workshops and play days for kiddos in the neighborhood and Thursday I took Penelope to the Worms and Seeds workshop. This was her very first time visiting the yurt so we were both a little nervous not knowing what to expect but as soon as we walked in Penelope's nerves quickly vanished. The inside of this yurt is a kids dream. It looks like a mini circus! With mats all over the floor, a trapeze and bars to swing on, a balance beam, tightrope and more. If you ask Penelope what she wants to be when she grows up right now her answer is a mommy, a nurse, and a tightrope walker. Tightrope walker? I don't know where she got this from but in any event she was absolutely delighted when she saw the inside of the yurt. Although she did get to play around with all the fun equipment for a short while she was there for the Worms and Seeds workshop so the majority of her time was spent digging for worms and creating planters out of toilet paper rolls to plant seeds in.
Here is Penelope's lunch for today.
Top tier: Blueberry yogurt with honey granola, kettle chips, baby carrots and ranch in the bear cup for dipping.
Bottom tier: Bear shaped ham and cheese sandwich, mini chocolate Teddy Grahams, red licorice balls in the bear cup.
So I was finally convinced to take a peek at Pinterest and while checking it out I came across this post about growing your own green onions. This peaked my interest because it claimed to be a way to never have to buy green onions again. I use green onions a lot in my cooking and while you people down in the lower 48 can get them pretty cheap (my mom says 4 bunches for a $1.00!) they cost us sometimes up to $3.00 a bunch. What?! Seriously when my mom was visiting last summer she refused to buy green onions at the grocery store because of their price. Anyway, I learned that if you save the bottom white parts of the onions along with the roots once you've used up the green parts, and put them in a glass with a little water they will continue to grow. (I never knew this!)
You gotta keep them in a sunny window which can be a little difficult here at times so I will let you know if I have any luck with this. The prospect of having free green onions whenever I need them sounds nice. So much so that I think I am also going to plant an indoor herb garden with Penelope this summer. Stay tuned for that!
You gotta keep them in a sunny window which can be a little difficult here at times so I will let you know if I have any luck with this. The prospect of having free green onions whenever I need them sounds nice. So much so that I think I am also going to plant an indoor herb garden with Penelope this summer. Stay tuned for that!
The letter of the week at Penelope's school is X. She was very excited about playing the xylophone at school today. She said she tried and tried to play Mary Had a Little Lamb but she couldn't find the notes. She said she just needs to keep practicing.
Top Tier: Chocolate covered strawberry that we made a couple of days ago, pistachios, ranch
Bottom Tier: Baby carrots to dip in her ranch, X and O ham and cheese sandwiches.
Top Tier: Chocolate covered strawberry that we made a couple of days ago, pistachios, ranch
Bottom Tier: Baby carrots to dip in her ranch, X and O ham and cheese sandwiches.
For the last couple of weeks I have been craving a Cheese Steak sandwich. But not any 'ol Cheese Steak sandwich, the kind made from Steak-umms! You know Steak-umm the frozen wafer thin beef you buy in a box at the supermarket. I swear these make the best Cheese Steak sandwiches. Unfortunately you can't find Steak-umm in Homer Alaska. *sigh* Last night I really wanted a Cheese Steak though so I went to the supermarket and bought some thinly sliced roast beef from the deli instead. Let me tell you, my Cheese Steak made with roast beef was awe-some! It totally satisfied my craving.
Slice up some onion, bell pepper and mushrooms and saute in butter until the veggies start to caramelize. Lower heat and add your slices of roast beef, salt and pepper and mix. Spread meat mixture and veggies out and cover with slices of provolone cheese. (No Cheez Whiz here) Put on roll that has been slathered in mayo. This makes one tasty sandwich.
Slice up some onion, bell pepper and mushrooms and saute in butter until the veggies start to caramelize. Lower heat and add your slices of roast beef, salt and pepper and mix. Spread meat mixture and veggies out and cover with slices of provolone cheese. (No Cheez Whiz here) Put on roll that has been slathered in mayo. This makes one tasty sandwich.
Made some delicious filling for tacos the other day. I love my slow cooker!
Chipotle Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
3 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast
2 tbs. Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup chopped Onion
2 tbs. Lemon Juice
1 Cup of Water
2 Bay Leaves
1tbs. Cumin
1tbs. Oregano
3 Chipotle Peppers
Salt & Pepper
Oil
In a food processor puree the garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, and chipotle peppers. Set aside. Generously salt and pepper the beef. In a large pan heat some olive oil and sear the beef on both sides to seal in the juices. Place beef in crockpot along with the pepper puree, 1 cup of water and bay leaves. Cook in low for 6 hours. Once finished remove meat leaving juices in crockpot and shred in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and cumin if needed and then put back in crockpot with juices and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Serve in warm corn tortillas with mashed avocado, sour cream, and cheese.
We had meat leftover so the following night I made Enchiladas using the shredded beef as the filling.
I also made my own Enchilada sauce instead of the canned I usually by. It was so much better then the canned stuff I am no longer going to purchase.
Enchilada Sauce
In a large glass bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of corn, canola or vegetable oil, 2 tbs. flour, an 8oz can of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of chili powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic salt, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1 1/2 cups of water, and salt to taste.
Chipotle Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
3 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast
2 tbs. Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup chopped Onion
2 tbs. Lemon Juice
1 Cup of Water
2 Bay Leaves
1tbs. Cumin
1tbs. Oregano
3 Chipotle Peppers
Salt & Pepper
Oil
In a food processor puree the garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, and chipotle peppers. Set aside. Generously salt and pepper the beef. In a large pan heat some olive oil and sear the beef on both sides to seal in the juices. Place beef in crockpot along with the pepper puree, 1 cup of water and bay leaves. Cook in low for 6 hours. Once finished remove meat leaving juices in crockpot and shred in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and cumin if needed and then put back in crockpot with juices and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Serve in warm corn tortillas with mashed avocado, sour cream, and cheese.
We had meat leftover so the following night I made Enchiladas using the shredded beef as the filling.
I also made my own Enchilada sauce instead of the canned I usually by. It was so much better then the canned stuff I am no longer going to purchase.
Enchilada Sauce
In a large glass bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of corn, canola or vegetable oil, 2 tbs. flour, an 8oz can of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of chili powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic salt, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1 1/2 cups of water, and salt to taste.
Looks appetizing right? Really, it taste better then it looks. My mom use to make Creamed Beef on Toast (or known to some as S*** on a Shingle) when we were kids. Her dad who was a cook in the Navy use to make it for her. It's one of those meals that you don't have for years and then one day out of the blue you get this strong craving for. That's exactly what happened the other day and so Penelope got her first taste of this family tradition and guess what, she loved it!
Creamed Beef
Jar of Dried Beef
Flour
Butter
Can of Evaporated Milk
Pepper
Take your dried beef and soak in water as it is extremely salty. We tend to like salt in this household so I only soak it a bit. Chop the beef up into small squares and set aside. In a pan melt some butter, about 3 tablespoons and then add some flour, about 1 heaping tablespoon to make a roux. Use a whisk to stir until bubbly and then add the can of evaporated milk. Stir to a boil and then lower heat and add the beef and sprinkle with pepper. If the sauce is too thick you can add some regular milk to thin it out. Pour this addicting sauce over buttered toast. White bread is the best, we only had sourdough. Sourdough is the second best. My grandpa and my mom use to serve this with these killer oven potatoes that were baked with bacon and onions. Unfortunately the bagger at the grocery store forgot to put my potatoes in my cart and I didn't realize until hours later. I was so annoyed I didn't want to bother going back to the grocery store. I was so annoyed that I almost didn't make dinner, but I had to feed my craving. If you have never tried Creamed Beef on Toast now is the day.
Last weekend we decided to spend the weekend in the big city of Anchorage and continue Penelope's birthday celebration. It turned out that it was Fur Rondy weekend so there ended up being a lot more to see and do, not to mention a lot more people. Not only did we take Penelope to Chuck E Cheese (her request) and Toys R Us (special treat when we visit Anchorage) but she also got to ride on a dog sled. How cool is that!? We waited in line for close to an hour for this special treat.
Yes it was cold but Penelope had a blast zooming around.
We also got to enjoy a fireworks display in the warmth of out hotel room. Our window was directly facing the show.
Penelope loves Ikura (Salmon Roe) she calls them squishy balls.
To top it off my sweet husband bought me my first pair of clogs. Too Cute!
Our drive home took a lot longer then expected with having to stop so that road crews could blow up potential avalanches. They use cannons! We took the opportunity to nap and play video games on the iPad.
Back on the road the snow was coming down and the wind was blowing. Can you see the road? We couldn't but we could feel ourselves slipping and sliding.
It was a fun trip away. I am now looking forward to our next vacation, Oregon here we come!
We also got to enjoy a fireworks display in the warmth of out hotel room. Our window was directly facing the show.
We had a delicious Japanese meal in which I ordered Ikura and Toro along with a yummy roll they called the Wow Roll.
She also enjoyed a sushi bento. I love that she has now acquired a taste for sushi. Mommy/daughter lunch dates!
To top it off my sweet husband bought me my first pair of clogs. Too Cute!
Our drive home took a lot longer then expected with having to stop so that road crews could blow up potential avalanches. They use cannons! We took the opportunity to nap and play video games on the iPad.
It was a fun trip away. I am now looking forward to our next vacation, Oregon here we come!
Here is my recipe for Swedish Meatballs.
Swedish Meatballs
1lb. Ground Beef
1 1/2 Slices of Sourdough Bread torn in small pieces
1/2 tbs. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/2 cup of Milk
1 tbs. Flour
3/4 cups of Beef Broth
1/2 cup of Sour Cream
Butter
Oil
In a large bowl combine bread, onion powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and milk. Add ground beef and mix together. Form meat mixture into small meatballs.
1 pound of ground beef should make about 2 dozen meatballs. In a large skillet heat a combination of butter and oil and brown the meatballs on all sides. Once browned put in a baking dish . Drain all but 2 tbs. of the butter/oil. Stir in the flour and using a whisk mix until bubbly. Add the beef broth and sour cream. Stir till boil and then lower heat. If the sauce appears to thick or like there is not enough you can add a bit more beef broth and stir to desired consistency. Pour over meatballs and cover baking at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Serve with egg noodles that have been seasoned with butter, parsley, garlic salt and pepper.
We were out of noodles so I served ours with Rigatoni, all that was missing was the lingonberry sauce.
