Beef Stew!

I made the stew and omg it was good! There are a few things I'd do differently next time, but practise makes perfect as always. My rough recipe I used was as follows.

1 lb. beef chunks
1 small onion (no bigger than a tennis ball)
2 medium potatoes (little smaller than a softball)
three handfuls of baby carrots chopped in half
2 stalks of celery
4 mushrooms
1/2 tsp of thyme
1/4 tsp of garlic
1 can of beef broth (I used consumme, had an old can in the back of the cupboard)
1 can of tomato paste
1/4 tsp of pepper
2 cups of water

3 tbsp of cornstarch
1/3 cup of water

Veggies chopped on the bottom of the crockpot, brown the meat in a skillet. Add the water and broth and paste and spices on top of the veggies and then add the browned meat. Cook on high for 4 hours. 1/2 hour before it's done, add the cornstarch and 1/3c of water to help thicken.

The general concensus was too many carrots and a little too salty (I'm thinking from the consumme) I think next time I'll add more mushrooms and onion in place of some of the carrots, add beef broth instead of consumme and maybe a bit more garlic for flavor. Some recipes call for paprika too, that might be tasty.

No PS3 controllers!?!?

We forgot the ps3 controller at Terence's Mom's house. So I decided might as well buy another one. Then we have two when we get the other one back... Unfortunately, no one in town has any left to sell me ;(

/sigh no Drake's uncharted for me today, I'll have to wait until we go to dryden again.

I think I'll look for some recipes for my crockpot tonight and set it up tomorrow morning for some tasties for supper. Maybe something with chicken and potatoes, roasted garlicky potatoes, mmmm tasty!

Sloppy Joe's

This is the recipe I'm using for supper tonight, I hope it's tasty!


1 lb ground beef
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar



1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef, celery and onion.
2. Drain the fat
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. If Joes appear too'loose', leave cover off and let moisture evaporate.
5. Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns.

Here is the recipe I use for my cookies and my god, they're tasty! It's from www.cooking.com (where I get most of my recipes) http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe5856.htm Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies RECIPE INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 3/4 cups (11.5 ounce package) Nestle Toll House Semisweet Chocolate Chunks 3/4 cup chopped cocktail peanuts

RECIPE METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chunks and peanuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets; press down slightly.

Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.