Cranberry Beef Stew

It's crazy how nice the weather has been over the last two days! I can't believe that it is already November. The only clue you would have around here is all the leaves on the ground.
Once November starts, I get all sorts of giddy. Cranberries are among my favorite foods, so naturally, this is the season for me to stock up on one of my favorite snacks, dried cranberries. Now that the month is here, cranberries of ALL types are not only readily available, but are on sale to boot! Plus, while I was picking up a few things at the grocery store the other day, I found that beef stew meat was on sale, too. Score! I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I knew that I needed to utilize my cranberry obsession.

Of course, I happen to pick one of the warmest days in the history of November to make stew, but by evening, the wind flowing through our open windows was crisp and cool, providing the ideal atmosphere for enjoying this dish.

Cranberry Beef Stew
1 lb beef stew meat
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup hot water
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb egg noodles

Combine the beef and the flour, salt and pepper, tossing to coat.
In a large saute pan with high sides, add the oil over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add the meat and sear. Add the onion and celery. Once softened, add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Let the stew come to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the lid, and let the stew continue to bubble and thicken while you prepare your egg noodles.

Once the egg noodles are ready, drain and place in a large serving bowl. Top with the stew. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Comfort Food. Just saying those words immediately makes me feel better. At it's core, comfort food is typically inexpensive, uncomplicated, and easy to prepare. It is different for every person, but the basics do first come to mind: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, the list could go on and on.

Lately for me comfort food means soup.

This recipe was so easy to prepare, quick, and just plain good. It also can be changed and modified easily to suit one's taste. For me, I will add corn and black beans next time. I hope you enjoy!

Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
salt and pepper
1 small can green chilis
1 can (14oz) can of enchilada sauce
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups rotisserie chicken
(you could also used canned chicken, or roast your own)

In a medium saucepan, add about a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the pepper, onion, and celery and saute until the onion is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and lower the heat to medium and let the ingredients bubble together for about 15 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms and a WINNER!

I think it's safe to say that when I am ordering an appetizer it 9 times out of 10 will be stuffed mushrooms. What is crazy is that I don't even enjoy mushrooms that much! However, stuff some cream cheese in those little fungi and (even better) fry them up and I'll take the bait every time.

And considering that we rarely eat out anymore, ordering these wonderful morsels is just a simple treat.

So, as my birthday meal approached, I could think of nothing better than to whip up some stuffed mushrooms of my own. I didn't go all out and fry them up, but the results were so good that that extra step wasn't even missed at all.

Stuffed Mushrooms
6 large button mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
salt and pepper

Set the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and cut off the tough ends. Finely mince 4 of the stems (or enough to make about 1/4 cup).

In a small saute pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom stems and saute until most of the water has been removed, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until the garlic is softened and fragrant. See aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine about 3 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese with the remaining ingredients. Once the mushroom mixture is cooled, add it to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

To assemble the mushroom caps, take about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and stuff them into the mushrooms. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Place the mushrooms on the baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with ranch or (my favorite) barbecue sauce and enjoy!

I'd like to thank those of you that entered my first giveaway! I thought I would be official and use the random integer dealy to pick my winner, but of course I can't figure out how to show the page. One of these days I'll get all the pieces in working order, but I hope for now you'll take my word for it!

Congratulations: Sweet and Savory Says It All! I have forwarded your email to the DM folks. Look for your gift certificate in your email inbox soon!

Bad News and Good News

So, first the bad news. I haven't gotten the changes to my blog done...not in the least.

I do however have a bit of good news that I really want to get posted, so pretty new blog be darned.

It's my birthday today. The big 35! Wahoo!

And because today is my birthday and because I love comments I have something to offer you.

I mentioned that I am going to be a guest blogger on Due Maternity's blog, right? Well, because of my relationship with Due Maternity. I would like to offer you, my readers a $25 gift certificate!

Since finding out I was pregnant, and if I am being totally honest before that, I have been obsessed with slings. I never used one with either of my sous chefs, why I have no idea. But, this time around I am so doing it. Even if they are in it for only 3 months....I'm rockin that sling just you wait. Luckily Due Maternity totally satisfies my sling obsession.

This one I LURVE...

Due Maternity doesn't just sell Maternity clothes (which by the way are fantabulous). They also have a wide line of skin care products including my favorite line: Mambino. They also have the coolest diaper bags around...I am loving the Storksak Emily Bag right now.

How do you win? Just leave me a comment with something that you would get from the Due Maternity site.

Would you like an extra entry?
1) Follow me or subscribe to my blog
2) Follow Due Maternity on Twitter
3) Become a friend of Due Maternity on Facebook

Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.

I will randomly select a winner on Saturday, October 31st.

So, maybe you aren't pregnant or don't know anyone pregnant. I do accept gifts. Just putting that out there. Or, sign up to win and if you do pick up something to donate this holiday season! All I'm saying is. It's my birthday people, just give me some comment love and I'll love you forever.

Best Laid Plans

I hate my computer sometimes. Each time I tried to get on to do some blog work, Firefox wouldn't respond, Internet Explorer would just cut out. It was maddening. But, you did come here to listen to my complaining.

I did spend a lovely portion of my day cleaning out the sous chef's closets. Boxing up the old, getting out the old to #1/new to #2 stuff. Good times!

I really want to get back on the blogwagon...ha, get it? So, I thought I'd start with my soup tonight. I've been meaning to make this soup for a long time and I am so glad that I did! It was hearty and delicious and really besides the baking of the potatoes took no time at all.
Total comfort food.

Chunky Baked Potato Soup
3 large (about 3 pounds) of baking potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups skim milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese
bacon

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees, scrub your potatoes and poke some holes with a fork. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, you can go ahead and prepare your bacon (if you dig on swine). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Lay the bacon strips on top of the rack and bake in the same 425 degree oven for 17-20 minutes (depending on thickness and desired doneness). Set aside to cool, cut into small strips.

Once the potatoes are cooked, set them aside to cool. You can do this the day before even.
When ready to prepare the soup, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the potato out with a spoon. I just gave mine a rough chop, but you can do whatever you wish. If you like a smoother soup, just mash the potato.

In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the butter and oil. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Add the flour and stir to coat the flour in the fats. Using a wisk, slowly add the chicken broth. Once well combined, slowly add the milk, continuing to wisk. Once everything is combined, add back in the potatoes and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. (The bacon I had was kind of salty, so I went easy on the salt). Stir to combine and keep over medium heat. Do not let the soup boil.

Before serving, I added the bacon and a little bit of cheddar cheese to the soup, stirring to combine. This is totally optional. You could just add them as toppings or leave them out all together.

Serve with a side salad, crusty sour dough bread and enjoy!

Big things to come...

I know, I know. It's been a month since I last posted. I even missed my one year blogaversary! But, since I haven't been blogging for a full twelve months, I'm not gonna count it. So, November 11th is the date, agreed? Good, I am glad we got that settled right out of the gate.

Rest assured, I am good. Just a little tired.

I have been given an amazing opportunity to be a guest blogger with DueMaternity.com. AND, with that I have the opportunity to have giveaways, ya'll! However, now I am riding this line between my cooking blog and really what would become something a little different. So, I am trying to navigate my place in the blogging world and what I want to do in this next year. With that, I am working on some big changes and I promise by the weekend I am going to finally get going again.

Thanks for sticking around.

Amy

Are you still there?

Wow. It has been a LONG time since I posted. What the heck?

I have been cooking, yes, but honestly, it hasn't been anything blogworthy. In fact, I think I have been stuck in a rut of just making our regulars. Dinner is more of a necessity to feed the family and less of an enjoyable experience.

I also have been fortunate enough to start up a little bit of a baking business on the side. So far it is going well; people seem to like cupcakes, and I enjoy making them, so that's been fun.

I'd like to thank the posts and emails asking how I am doing. It means a lot to me.

Rest assured, the sous chefs are good and the hubs is living large.

What about me you ask? Oh yeah, I'm pregnant. A third sous chef is in the works!

This pregnancy has hit me harder than the previous two. I am not getting sick per say, but I am definitely feeling quite nauseous. Fatigue is my foe and cooking has become a big chore to me. Because of that, my blog has suffered. I haven't even looked at my reader or visited a fellow foodie. For that, I apologize.

However, I am nearing the end of my first trimester and hopefully the nausea will leave right along with it. I am also slowly approaching my one year blogaversary, and hopefully, by then, I will have implemented all the new changes that I wish to have on this little project of mine.

Until then, I'll try to post more often and comment more. I hope you'll stick around!