Butter Beef

 I get emails from Allrecipes.  You should, too!  A recent one was for Butter Beef.  I tried it because it was super easy and I could use a Crockpot. There are only three ingredients.

Butter Beef

2-3 pounds stew meat

1/2 cup butter (one stick)

1 packet Lipton soup mix

I found that stew meat is way more expensive than just buying some top sirloin and cutting it myself.  I also used two pounds as there is only two of us. 

Cut the meat into bite size pieces and place in the Crockpot. If you bought stew meat,  just dump it in from the package. 

Place the butter on top of the meat and sprinkle the soup mix on top. 

Cook for 8 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.  Stir a couple of times while it is cooking.

Serve the Butter Beef over egg noodles or rice.  I used rice. Make sure you get some of the sauce to drizzle over the rice or noodles.

It was delicious.   

Butter Beef Burrito

1 very large or 2 medium Russet potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium onion. I used a sweet onion

salt and pepper to taste

reserved Butter Beef 

sour cream

salsa

Large flour tortilla

I knew I would have a lot more beef than we could eat at one meal, so I planned on using the rest in some burritos. 

 

Cut the potato into cubes, place in a saucepan and cover with water.  Boil for a few minutes.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, cut up the onion.  Heat a large fry pan over medium. Add a slab of butter and the onions.  

Drain the potatoes and add to the onions.  Add salt and pepper to taste. (I boil the potatoes for a bit to shorten the frying time. ) After the potatoes are browned, add some of the Butter Beef.  Cook until warmed through.

Smear the sour cream on a warmed tortilla. Top with the potato/butter beef mixture and add salsa. 

Fold the sides over the mixture and roll up the burrito.

After the burrito meal we STILL had Butter Beef and fried potatoes. 

I chopped them into smaller pieces and heated in a fry pan.  

I cooked two eggs over easy in another pan and served the whole shebang on toast. 

 

Meal three with one batch of Butter Beef. A win for me!

Jumbo Breakfast Cookies

 I get daily emails from Allrecipes and some of them are great.  I made these cookies with some minor modifications.  The comments are useful to get ideas for changes.

Jumbo Breakfast Cookies

   

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

2 T vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups of a mixture of Craisins, chopped peanuts and chocolate chips

4 cups Cheerios

Preheat the oven to 375°.  I used Silpat sheets on a baking sheet, but parchment paper would do great.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the peanut butter and keep beating. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer and then I can get other things ready while it beats. 

In a medium bowl stir the flour salt and baking powder.

Add in the sugars, eggs and vanilla to the mixing bowl.  Beat until fully incorporated.

Stop the mixer and add in the flour.  Start it up slowly them mix.  Add in the oats. Then place whatever combination of nuts and chips you choose in and incorporate them. 

I slightly chopped the peanuts and Craisins.

Remove the mixing bowl and hand stir in the Cheerios.   

Use the largest cookie scoop, about 1/3 cup and place 6 on a cookie sheet, leaving spaces for the dough to spread.  

   

Use a spatula to slightly flatten the cookie to about 1 inch tall.

   

Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown.  Do not remove to a cooling rack for 5 minutes or they will fall apart.  

   

I made 18 of the jumbo cookies and then I made a dozen using the mid sized cookie scoop. I only baked them for 8 minutes.

Because I added a bunch of different treats, each bite was a bit different. And the smaller ones were also unique.  They were almost like a trail mix cookie!  If you don't like the Cheerios in the cookie you can add in Rice Krispies instead or even the flavored Cheerios.   

I imagine these would be great to grab on the way out the door if you don't have time for a sit down breakfast!

Pink Baby Afghan

My daughter is pregnant with a baby girl.  I make all my grandkids an afghan. 

   

I made a pink one with a pattern I found on Etsy.  I like how it urned out.  But for the first time I bought some blocking squares to see if that made it look different.

In order to block a knitted item, you need to soak it. I used lukewarm water.  After about 15 minutes, I gently squeezed out the water.  I was careful to not twist or wring.   

I placed the wet afghan on a large towel and rolled it up.  Then I squeezed along the length to get out even more water.  

I placed the blocking squares on a large table and gently straightened the afghan.  I used the blocking pins to hold the afghan in an even rectangle and left it to dry.  

I like that there are no uneven spots or curled edges. 

    

Now I just need to wait for that baby.

Cucumber Salad

 I found a version of this salad on Costco Connection.  I changed a few things to suit me and really liked it.  It makes a nice change from the usual salad 

Cucumber Salad

Package of small cucumbers, thinly sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup basil, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

2 T sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Dressing

3 T fresh Lime juice, I just juiced a whole lime and didn't measure

2 T olive oil

2 T rice vinegar

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

2 T honey

   

Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.

      

Slice, chop and toast all the other ingredients per the recipe and place in a medium bowl

Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and toss gently.  Serve immediately or chill up to 24 hours.  It is good both ways.  The cucumbers and onions were crunchy and fresh tasting.  I've made this twice so far and will add it into my regular rotation of delicious salads.

I had enough for two meals.  On the second night I served it over some leftover rice that I heated up with a little water.  I drizzled a bit of soy sauce over the rice and topped it with the cucumbers.  It sounded weird but was quite nice!  In fact, in the future I may serve it that way as a filing side dish.