Motivational Monday
Have a fantastic week all! xo, g.
Month: March 2017
Best Friends Forever Beef Bouguignon
When friends bless you beyond measure… Maybe some of you know what I’m talking about, perhaps you are also blessed with best friends that have been in your life for decades, too many to admit. Lol As far as friends go, these ladies are everything to me. They are the most fun loving ultra-supportive group one could ever ask for, I am beyond blessed to have them in my life. I treasure ever moment spent with them. I wanted to do something special for them as my life has been a complete roller coaster ride for the past year or so and I just haven’t been able to devote enough time to them. So to show my love and my continued sincere appreciation for their amazing friendships recently I decided to cook them one of Julia’s greatest specialties. Beef Bouguignon… And there it is, the star of the meal! It is so delicious. Tasty, warm and comforting. Thank you Julia! 💛 << ecial friends deserve a special table setting too. 💛 I cooked the main …
Homemade Chile Seasoning
Hey there all, at least one of my blog recipes calls for Chile seasoning, a packet of it, so…. I thought I’d post this recipe link on how to make your own. For those of you with food additive sensitivities this might be a much better option for you anyway. I’m making a big pot of my Taco Chicken Chile soon for a family in need due to medical issues, well, I just realized I’m out of chile seasoning packets, that got me thinking, so here you go… http://allrecipes.com/recipe/26391/chili-seasoning-mix-ii/ , this recipe has very good reviews, I’m making a batch very soon. The ingredients are mostly pantry staples (that’s a win) and a batch should last through a few good food blogs. (winning for sure) I’m hoping that despite all, this pot of chile will warm our friends home and their hurting hearts. Have a good week all. g. Oh, and here’s a link to my Taco Chicken Chile… https://ginasjoys.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/taco-chicken-child/
Onward and Upward, To Tenaja Falls
I hiked up to Tenaja Falls in the Cleveland National Forest with friends recently. What a glorious area. And so it begins… By car to get to the trail we took it’s about a 4 mile drive on a one lane winding road. Our trusty driver knew to take it slow, having completed this hike a few times already. I was just fine with the slow ride as there are many a blind corner to be manuvered along the way. The trail is about 1.4 miles over rocks and stream up to the Falls. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/tenaja-falls-trail From what I understand and as you will learn from the All Trails link above there are a few different access points to chose from. We went with the shorter trail to the water falls. So much beauty along the way… Not such a bad idea, it is mountain lion country afterall. Hope you enjoyed this post. g. P.s. Next time I’d take a bit more water and a hiking emergency kit due to, no cell …
Crockpot Guinness Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ladies and Lads, its not too late late to celebrate St. Paddy’s day with a traditional Irish meal…. now I’m not quite sure how traditional it is to add Guinness to the mix, but it is a delish way to go! Enlist the help of some good Irish/Celtic tunes to set the mood. Loving this… Okay, on to more about the good eats, (at serving time) So this year I decided to cook a Point Cut, why you might ask… rumor is that the point cut has more flavor because it has more fat. There are different schools of thought on what cut to buy, this year I’m happy I went with the Point Cut, the corned beef turned out excellent, so very tasty, moist and extra tender. Start here Layer your crockpot with onions then potatoes, add pepper. Hour 7, almost done. Process… Place the corn beef on top of the onions and potatoes, add the seasonings (bag) in. This corned beef was already seasoned. Pop open a can of Guinness, let it breath …
Magnificent and Moist Meatloaf
There are quite a few meatloaf recipes out there, I based this one on my own taste buds, I like to think I’ve got a bit of a handle on flavor matches, I will let you be the judge here. 😉 I hope you’ll give this meatloaf recipe a try. It really is quite tasty and definitely husband (my) approved. Ingredients 1 pound ground turkey 1.25 pound ground beef 1 egg beaten 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 1/2 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes 1/8 tsp salt 1/3 cup ketchup Process Preheat oven to 375 In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients just until blended well Press the mixture down lightly into a glass baking dish, 8 x 8 Top with the ketchup, spread evenly Place meatloaf on top of a baking sheet to catch any grease that might spill over Bake in the oven at 375 for 1 1/2 hour Remove from the oven (very carefully) drain the grease out Cut, …
Spanish Rice
Growing up Spanish rice was a staple in our home. My mom’s version, though a bit different than the way I like to cook mine now, was pure perfection. She did like mine, but she was always partial to her own, no tomato sauce, extra garlic, version. My, I can still picture her in our kitchen preparing her rice, aromas sweetly enveloping our home, warmly tantilzing our taste buds… Having spent an extended period of time in Spain, Barcelona mostly, where I throughly enjoyed the cuisine and cooked and shopped like a local, I discovered that paprika (their secret ingredient) is a favorite spice there, it’s added in the cooking process of many a wonderful dish. These days I love to add paprika to my Spanish rice. This gives the rice a rich deep flavor and adds that little extra something others will be dying to know about later. 😉 Ingredients… 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup white rice 1/3 cup tomato sauce 2 cups chicken broth 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp …
Stove Top Smoothered Pork Chops and Braised Onions
Years ago I was watching this show or that one, really I can’t recall which one, but that’s not too important here because what I do remember…. is the amazing recipe shared that day! Thanks to the Southern Chef for sharing this major pot of goodness on that fateful day. This has to be one of my most favorite comfort meals, it is so darn delish. I hope you’ll give it a try. You are only browning the chops here Set them aside You want to cook off the flour flavor here, so don’t rush this step. Cook the flour & butter mixture until thickened and good and hot. And there it is, perfection on a plate. Ingredients… 8 thick cut boneless pork loin chops 1 onion, thinly slices 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 tsp salt (divided) 1/2 tsp pepper divided 1 tsp garlic 2 Tablespoons butter 1 cup seasoned flour mix divided (season with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tsp garlic powder) 1/3 cup (already seasoned) flour 2 packets pork gravy …
Smoking Skills
We recently moved back to our family home in So.Cal., my smoker’s, of the food cooking vessel type, been patiently waiting for my return. I recently rolled her out again… I’m sure noooo expert but I will definitely keep trying. Anyone out there that can offer tips? I’d greatly appreciate it. Here I smoked a rack of pork ribs. Though they were beautiful. They were definitely over cooked, tasty, but yes definitely overdone. Gorgeous, right?! Simple homemade dry rub and garlic, that is what I used to season them, plenty of pepper as well. (Hmmm, I think (starting off) this is a good set up 🤔, side vent open too) In the end, here are the mistakes I believed I made… Too much charcoal. I used a whole 10 pounds, I’m sure I should have just used 5 My flavor chips might have been weathered, therefore they burned to hot and too fast even though I soaked them beforehand The average temperature stayed too high around 300-350, due partly to too much charcoal, I believe …
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