Beef Stew

Thank you Pioneer woman for having a wonderful Beef stew recipe. 

Bitting into juicy beef and savoring the flavorful potatoes.  Having that tender carrot melt unto your tongue while smelling all the aromas of the spices.  That was my first reaction when bitting into my homemade pioneer woman's beef stew. 

Beef Stew:

3 tablespoons of Olive oil

1 tablespoon of Butter

2 pounds beef stew meat

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bottle of can of beer (12 oz)

4 cups of beef broth

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

pepper

4 potatoes, quarter

3 carrots, unpeeled, sliced

2 tablespoons of flour

Heat olive oil & butter.  Throw in meat and quickly cook for about 5 minutes or browned. 

Remove meat unto clean plate.

Add onions into pot and cook until soft. (3 min.)

Add garlic until browned (1 min)

Pour in beer

Add beef broth

Worcestershire sauce

tomato paste

paprika 

Sugar, salt, & pepper

Finally, add met back into pot and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours.  If liquid level starts getting low add 1-2 cups of hot water at a time.  Add potatoes and carrots and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender.  To thicken, remove 1 cup of cooking liquid and mix with flours and add to pot.  Simmer for 10 more minutes.  Serve and enjoy! 

Photo creds to the Pioneer woman because I didn't get pictures
 of the finished product!  It was eaten before  I got home! 

~Love Jade~

Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade

So everyone, I was just checking up on one of my favorite blogs the other day and read about this amazing 'Starbucks Black Tea lemonade".  After drooling over the pictures and reading her obsession over this drink I just couldn't handle not experimenting myself! 

Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade

2 Family size or 3 regular bags of black Tea
1/2 cup of sugar
12 oz. Of frozen Lemonade Or 1 scoop of powdered lemonade (I happen to like the powdered lemonade better) 

Boil 5 cups Of water

Remove From Heat, Add sugar

Step tea bags in water for 2-3 minutes

Pour Frozen Lemonade Or powdered lemonade in tea. 

Add 5 cups of cold water

Combine and chill in fridge

~Love Jade~

Quick Meringue

So.... nothing really exciting has happened to me lately. 

And because of that I don't really have anything to write about.

Instead I've been staying home doing a lot of cooking.  

I'll get around to writing soon.  Sorta in a writers block situation right now... 

It gently lands on your tongue.  As quickly as it starts it disintegrates.  That's the feeling you get when you eat meringues.  Light almost candy like kisses of sugar. 

Quick Meringues

• 2/3 cup of Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar 
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 egg whites

Pre-heat oven 250º

Beat the eggs whites, cream of tartar, and Vanilla until egg whites are foamy 

Slowly add in Sugar, Beat until soft Peaks

Don't you like my Piggy Spatula?  So cute! Ok... Moving on, 

Next, spoon heaping spoon fulls of Meringue mixture unto lined or greased baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until sides are just browned.  Be careful though, they burn easily.

Let cool.  Don't pick them up and transfer them right away, they'll just break.  Let them cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Tip: Add Espresso for an extra kick
Tip: Coat in chocolate
Tip: Add any extract you'd like! 

~Love Jade~

Spinach Chips

Basically the same concept as my Brussel Sprout Chips.  Just with Spinach Instead! 

You might remember a couple posts back I posted about Brussel Sprout chips?  Well, this is basically the same concept and recipe but instead I've used Spinach! 

If you like to get more greens in your diet this is perfect.  

Plus, if you like that extra crunch you'd like the spinach chips better.

Don't forget to look through my other recipes!

Spinach Chips

• 1 bag Spinach / 6 oz.
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Garlic/rosemary (optional)

1. Preheat oven 250º.  
2. Wash and dry spinach
3. Toss spinach with oil
4. Add salt
5. Add extra seasonings (optional)
6. Spread evenly unto baking sheet
7. Bake 20-15, until Crunchy 

It's gonna look like a lot of spinach and you may want to use to baking sheets.  But trust me!  The spinach shrinks down and gets really small

You can hear the crunch!

~Love Jade~

Brussel Sprout Chips

A healthy Alternative to regular chips.

Not a brussel sprout lover?

Ya, neither am I.

Until...

I had these amazing brussel sprout chips!

Salty, crunchy, and healthy! 

Brussel Sprout Chips:

• 10 Brussel sprouts
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Salt
• 1 garlic clove or 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)

Pre heat oven to 350 º Tear out outer leaves off.  Once you get to the inner part where it's harder to peal start cutting and soon it should just fall apart.  Massage the leaves with olive oil. on baking sheet  Add salt and garlic.  Bake for 10 minutes or until crunchy.  Enjoy!

~Love Jade~

Red Hibiscus Lemon Tea

I'm ashamed to be so obsessed with this tea... 

I've only had like 6 cups... in the last two days....

I have this tree, 

It's has lovely red leaves

The leaves taste good

These leaves, make wonderful tea.

And I am ashamed to say... I am obsessed with the red leaf hibiscus tea. 

A friend of ours was telling us how her hibiscus was over growing but she didn't mind because the tea tasted so good!  She gave us a little bitty piece and now it's

 grown

 Enormous!

Well I'm exaggerating a bit... but it has gotten quite big if I say so myself. 

~Red Hibiscus Lemon Tea~
Ingredients:
10 leaves or 1 cup 
1/2 a cup of sugar (optional) (Add more or less depending on how sweet you like it)
Half a medium lemon
2 cups of water

Boil to cups of water
Add leaves
Let steep, keep stove on low heat (Tea should be a light red)
Add sugar
Add Lemon
Enjoy!

Tip: You can substitute the Lemon and Sugar for the dry lemonade powder.  Works great! 
Tip: Don't like lemon flavor?  Just steep leaves in water!
Tip: Sweet Red Hibiscus tea?  Just water, leaves, and sugar! 

                                                       ~Love Jade~

And so it be begins

It's that time of year!
When everyone starts gettign ready for the holidays
I do a ton of cooking and baking.
A whole lot of crafting.
And a great deal of decorating.

We've gotten our fresh chrsitmas tree.
It smells so good!
And looks very pretty!

And right now we're decorating it,
As I speak... I mean type.

We have a various decorations we put on our tree.
This year we have an assortment ranging from colored lights to musical ribbon.

Musical Ribbon

Here's a sneak peak so far!

Can't wait for Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Pictures to come!

~Love Jade~