Colder Weather Recipes

  A bowl of delicious, warm stew on a cold winter evening? The only thing I can image would be cozier is eating a bowl of delicious, warm stew while sitting in front of a fire, an afghan tucked around your feet, on a cold winter evening. :)

Of course, that could be just my romantic fantasies of a cozy winter night too since I live in middle Georgia and we rarely get a winter bad enough for all that. But still ............

Anyway, I love beef stew no matter what the temp is outside, but I definitely make it more in the colder months. Usually I like to serve it with a crusty garlic bread and maybe a small side salad. If no salad, then I'll do an apples and cinnamon type dessert.

In celebration of colder weather coming soon, ( it's still in the mid to upper 70's here) I thought I'd put up a few stew recipes, all from Betty Crocker.

Classic Beef Stew (pictured above)
Prep Time- 25 min, Total Time- 3 hr 45 min, Servings- 4

Ingredients:

1

tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening

1

lb boneless beef chuck, tip or round roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

3

cups water

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon pepper

2

medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

large unpeeled potato, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1

medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

medium stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

1

teaspoon salt

1

dried bay leaf

1/2

cup cold water

2

tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1. In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides.
2. Add water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes or until beef is almost tender.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. Cover; cook about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.
4. In tightly covered jar or container, shake cold water and flour; gradually stir into beef mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute until thickened.

Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Stew (Betty Crocker)

Prep Time- 5 min, Total Time- 9 hr 35 min, Servings- 6

Ingredients:

2

lb beef stew meat

1

can (28 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, undrained

1

cup frozen small whole onions (from 1-lb bag)

1

teaspoon chili powder

1

package (1 oz) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix

1

can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed

1

can (11 oz) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained

1. 1. In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix beef, tomatoes, frozen onions and chili powder.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 9 to 11 hours.
3. With whisk, stir in taco seasoning mix. Stir in black beans and corn. Increase heat setting to High; cover and cook 15 to 30 minutes longer or until thickened. 

I know one isn't a beef stew, but it looked so yummy and it is still a cold weather stew. 

Slow Cooker Creamy Herbed Chicken Stew (Betty Crocker)

Prep Time- 15 min, Total Time- 6hr 35min, Servings- 2

Ingredients:

1

cup baby-cut carrots

1

Yukon Gold potato, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1/4

cup chopped onion

1/4

cup sliced celery

1/2

teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/8

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon pepper

1/2

pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

3/4

cup Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)

1/2

cup snap pea pods

1/4

cup whipping (heavy) cream

2

tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1. Place carrots, potato, onion and celery in 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle half of the thyme, the salt and pepper over vegetables in slow cooker. Place chicken on vegetables. Pour broth over top.

3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 7 hours or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (180ºF) and vegetables are tender. Add pea pods; cook 5 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender.

4. Remove chicken and vegetables from slow cooker to serving bowl, using slotted spoon. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm. Increase cooker to high heat setting. Mix whipping cream, flour and remaining thyme; stir into liquid in cooker. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until thickened. Pour over chicken and vegetables.

Beautiful Northern Lights!

I love seeing videos of northern lights, so beautiful!! Since most of the videos are in time lapse modes, I always wondered what the lights might look like if you lived there and were just sky gazing. I finally found this video today on Vimeo.com. Enjoy!


Northern lights HD from YASUSHI TANIKADO Photography on Vimeo.

Burberry Fragrance Sample Arrived!

I was so pleased with my Burberry sample that arrived today! Did you order yours from the freebie link I put up? I only added the link and ordered mine a couple of weeks ago and it arrived today, very impressive. The best part?? It's an actual vial of fragrance! That's right, not one of those swab gauzes, I really don't like those but can't complain when I get them for free, huh? :)

Hurry and get your sample before they run out! 

Pillsbury Recipe

Chili Cheese Dog Crescent - under the recipes tab.

Burt's Bees Review

I have been given the opportunity to try out and review a couple of products from the Burt's Bees sensitive line as a Bzzagent, and if your skin is as sensitive as mine, this line was made with you in mind. If I use just any product on my face, I end up with patches of dry,  irritated, and itchy red areas; usually on my upper lids and the high spots of my cheekbones. 

I have been using the facial cleanser and the daily moisturizing cream, both with cotton extract, for about three weeks now and I have to say I am very happy with them. My face is always left feeling moisturized without feeling greasy and not once have I had any problem with irritation or redness. I have used a very high SPF lotion on my face everyday for the last year or so and the Burt's Bees Daily Moisturizing Cream does not contain SPF, so if I were to recommend any improvement at all, it would to be to add SPF. However, I just wait about 5 - 10 minutes, then use my SPF lotion. 

The new line of Burt's Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin products are formulated to cleanse and moisturize without causing redness or irritation. The line contains Cotton Extract to soften and help replenish the skin's outer layer. It's fragrance free and hypo-allergenic and is Dermatologist and Allergy tested. It can be found in most mass retailers, drug stores, grocery stores, and natural health food stores nationwide. To learn more about Burt's Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin, please visit their Facebook page. You can "like" Burt's Bees, get a coupon for $2 off, and post your thought on the new line.

Disclaimer: The Facial Cleanser and Daily Moisturizing Cream have been provided by Burt's Bees through Bzzagent for me to review. Opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Deal of the Week

Looking for an unusual gift for that "someone who has everything" that won't break the bank? How about their own personalized photo canvas portrait? You can turn their favorite photo into a beautiful lasting memory, suitable for framing and gift giving and it's as easy as 123! Oh, and you can add effects to it too such as sepia or black and white.

This deal of the week is a $49.99 value! Get a free 8 x 10 canvas or get 40% off toward any size canvas and free shipping. I can't wait to get started on a canvas portrait of my granddaughter for my son for Christmas. Not only will he be in love with it, my granddaughter will be so proud of it too, double win. :)