Tasty Tuesday

                I'm not much of a gravy girl anymore, my tummy is too tender for the fats used in making gravy, so I don't eat it, much. But my hubby loves gravy so I thought if I could find or come up with a better for him gravy without letting him know it's not loaded with fat, might be a good thing. On the menu tonight is chicken fried steak with tomato gravy. Now, I've never heard of tomato gravy but seen it in a magazine and it looks pretty tasty, so I hopped online and googled it and I was surprised to see all the old time recipes for this. It seems to go way back and mostly southern, so it has to be good. Right? We will see. So, I thought I'd share the recipe I'm trying out this evening plus I'm including the one and only gravy that my tummy can handle but my hips don't like,  and it is a hit with kids, a real treat for breakfast too! Read on.

Tomato Gravy

1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 can diced tomato's with juice
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Beef broth or  tomato juice, as needed
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
Melt butter in skillet, saute garlic and onions till done. Add diced tomato's and enough beef broth to equal 2 1/2 cups to butter and blend.  Stir in flour and mix till well blended, stirring till thick, about 5 min. Add spices and heat through and well. Serve over meat of choice, biscuits, mashed potatoes or rice.

      Sounds easy enough and made with no fats or drippings, and I can see where this will save many meals! Now, onto the good stuff and another southern favorite and I know why!

Chocolate Gravy

• 1/2 c. butter
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 cups

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add cocoa and flour; stir until a thick paste is formed. Stir in sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

    This gravy on the other hand, is bad for you, darn that butter,  but we all need a treat now and then. Served over homemade  biscuits fresh from the oven, who needs donuts! Just so you know, I do bake alot, but I don't eat alot of it, thank goodness! I bake for the joy it brings to me and those who keep eating it all!

Snow Days

          We finally got our first real snow of the winter, just the right amount, about 4 inches. Luckily, I didn't have to be anywhere so I had myself a totally domestic day, cleaned the house, did a little baking and finished  my lasted apron for my Etsy shop. I'm having too much fun playing with vintage patterns and making them my own,  SEW much fun!  Speaking of aprons, how is my Valentine apron swap coming along? Don't forget to post your aprons in my new Flickr group just for us, head over and look up CP Apron Swaps and join us.

      I just love snow days, don't you? Maybe I do because we don't get alot of snow here, maybe 2 or 3 good snows a winter, and never a whole lot at one time but no matter, the earth needs this moisture so bad, esp. for us, we had a extra dry summer and fall.  Adults see snow differently than kids do, we see the good in it, or we try too, kids just see the fun in it. Even shoveling the white wonder is a plus, if you think about it as exercise. I enjoy talking walks in it, looking for wild animal tracks or just shooting the beauty of it with my camera. I love the way it makes everything look clean and pure. And who can complain about the calm of it, the peaceful silence, not me! Life slows down for snow and I think that is why winter is meant to be relaxing, a break from the busy-ness of other seasons. It's also a time for home, comfort and cozy snow days inside,  catching up on all those postponed projects that you put off until winter! Guess what, it's winter, hurry up, Walmart has garden seeds out already!

Tasty Tuesday

          What's red and white and sweet with each bite? Red velvet cookies, silly! The next baking season is soon upon us, Valentines Day, and these sweet cookies are easy to make and can be decorated in so many ways, even dipped in chocolate for a double dose of yummy♥ness!

Red Velvet Cookies

1 pouch Better Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. red food coloring
1 egg
1 c. Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting
Mix sugar cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food coloring, and egg in bowl till soft dough forms. Roll dough into 1 in. balls, place 2 in. apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 oven for 8-9 min. Cool. Frost cookies, sprinkle or decorate. Store in air tight container.

     Betty never fails, does she! I've also seen whoopie pies made from 2 cookies with sweet white fluff in the middle.....a little bite of heaven! I think a batch or two of these are in order, soon! Happy baking!

VD Apron Swap Partners

         Ok girls, fire up those sewing machines, pick out your pretty fabrics and get busy creating a lovely Valentine Day themed apron, I've got us paired up and the emails will go out today so check your inbox! Just to remind you, my swaps are easy, just email your partner, get to know each other a little, get mailing info and find out if she would prefer a half or full apron, if it matters. This theme is Valentines day, the day of love so no color choice here, reds and pinks are on the menu this time.  Don't forget tuckin's, and they don't have to be pricey. Check out your local dollar store, mine has all kinds of goodies for Valentines day already, some ideas are chocolates, tea towels, hot beverages, kitchen goodies,etc. There is no limit, except for your budget, just make sure you have included a few nice goodies to go along with the apron you made. Shipping is set for the 1st of Feb. so we all have them in time for Valentines day. If for some reason you get behind and can't ship by the first, please notify your partner, sewing sisters are nice that way! I've also made a Flickr group "CP Apron Swaps" so when you've gotten yours or want to show off the one you made, just post it there. I'm so happy so many turned out for this fun swap, and I can't wait to see all the pretty aprons!

Tasty Tuesday

 
                   I didn't mean to go all week without posting but here we are again, Tuesday! When the weather outside is frightful, I turn to making soup and bread, pure comfort food! One of my favorite soups is really a stew, hearty and hot, a bowl of this makes me long for my summer gardens even more but sure does take the chill off!

Meatball Garden Stew

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 c. water
6 med. potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 med. carrots, chopped
1 pkg. green peas
1 pkg. frozen corn
4 Tbsp. flour, divided
Pepper to taste
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can beef broth
1/2 tp. thyme
In med. bowl combine beef, 2 Tbsp. flour, pepper, salt, egg, milk and onion. Form 1 in. balls. Melt butter in large skillet, saute garlic for 1 min. Brown meatballs on all sides. Push meatballs off to the side, blend remaining flour into the drippings. Add broth, water and thyme. Cook stirring till thick. Add vegetables and stir with meatballs and sauce. Cover and simmer till vegetables are tender about  30-35 min. Season as needed. Makes 6 servings.

     Winter's worst will aways seem do-able once you fill up on a hot bowl of soup or stew, and paired with home made bread, you won't care how cold it is out there! The longest season is here but you can get through it if you fuel your body with good food, layers and dreaming about warm summer days out in the garden! We finally got got some snow, just half a inch  but it's bitter cold, and high nasty winds makes it unbearable! But my kitchen is always toasty and guess what, soup is on the menu!

Tasty Tuesday

               It's all about tips this week, not how to, but the useful kind found in kitchens! I know you have your own, don't we all, but we all can use the best of those tired and true tips. Don't worry, I have a recipe too, one that you will want to keep handy!

    As you know, and I've shared on my blog, I prefer to make my own vanilla, it's that secret ingredient that just makes all my baked goods, scrumptious! You can find the post by using the search bar on the upper left hand side of this blog.  Good vanilla really does make all the difference.

   Another favorite tip of mine is, make your own buttermilk! With the price of regular milk so high why would you buy another carton of specially milk just for a recipe? I sure don't. Just measure the needed amount of milk needed, in this case, the amount of buttermilk you need, and add one tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, let sit for a few minutes and you will have the correct amount of buttermilk for your recipe without leaving the house. In case you ask, I've used both kinds of vinegar and both had the same results.

    This last tip was only recently discovered over Thanksgiving and am I ever grateful! The BEST potato salad I ever made came from left over mashed potatoes. We had a good bowl size full of mashed potatoes left over so I boiled about 6 eggs, added all my usual potato salad ingredients and combined them all in my big mixing bowl and beat them with the mixer for a minute or two and oh my! Not only did I get 2 meals out of one pot of spuds but it was quick and the best!

      Now, onto the recipe, I don't remember where I found this treasure but I'm sure glad I did! I'm the muffin mama for our Sunday School class which has turned into feeding all classes so this recipe is my little helper. You can turn ANY cake mix into muffins! Yes, it's true, I know what your thinking, all those possibilities and add ins! Yep, just take your cake mix, pour into a big bowl. Add these ingredients ONLY:
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. flour
2/3 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
NO NOT go by the box here. Just combine the cake mix and the ingredients above, mix well and pour into 24 muffin cups and bake till done. They usually take longer than cupcakes because they are denser but keep a eye on them, usually about 30 min. depending on your oven.

        New tips, I hope, for the New Year so you are set to reclaim your kitchen! My word for 2011 is simple, I want to create a simple life. So, bake up some cake mix muffins, pour a cup of coffee or tea and simply enjoy!

Valentines Apron Swap Update

           Here we are girls, getting closer to my first apron swap of 2011 and it's going to be a sweetheart of a swap, I can feel it!  So far, we have a good number and with 10 more days to enter, we may even have a great turnout. If you have signed up already, I need you to make sure I have your email addy, so when I pair us up, I can contact you with your swap partner, then it's up to you to get her mailing info, likes and specs.
If you'd like to sign up for this swap, please do so on the swap post below, making it easier for me to keep it all together and not get it confused with another swap. Tuck in's are not only welcomed but a must, it's so much fun to get a  apron and finding some extra goodies tucked inside, and they don't have to be expensive. I love adding tea towels, oven mitts, coffee, tea, chocolates. Just keep the theme going for Valentines Day and have fun. Nothing sweeter than a pretty new apron and goodies too! I hope your starting your New Year off sewing, creative souls gather here!