Author Archives: mydaughterandiblog

Crockpot Beef Stew

Posted in main dishes, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I- Crockpot Beef Stew

Everyone is talking about comfort food, snow and seriously, Christmas decorations! While it may be like the arctic in 50% of the U.S. – we are having Santa Ana’s in Southern California right now. When it is 75-85 degrees during the day, it’s hard to get excited about making a hot and hearty meal. But I persevered with a fall recipe and I’m so glad I did. Jordan and I visited the farmer’s market on Saturday and got a beautiful bunch of rainbow colored carrots. I remembered that I had some stew meat in the freezer along with some red potatoes and sweet potatoes in the pantry. I looked online for beef stew recipes that I could throw in the crockpot and then I modified it a bit. So in record time, we had a delicious and hearty meal. I loved the addition of the sweet potatoes. It was so colorful and flavorful. I also loved how everything just got dumped in- it truly was a one pot meal. No browning the meat before. Yay! The meat was tender and the beef stew had a rich flavor.

We made a batch of our delicious one hour cast iron focaccia to go with it. Who cares if we ate the stew in our shorts and tank tops – it was delicious!

My Daughter and I- Crockpot Beef Stew 1

The Best Crockpot Beef Stew
Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat, (cut into bite-sized pieces), I used a bit less
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 T minced garlic
6 oz can tomato paste
32 oz beef broth
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups carrots, diced
5 – 6 small red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1 cups frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water

1. Combine the first 12 ingredients in the crock pot and mix well. Cook on LOW for 10 hours or on HIGH for 6-7 hours.

2. About 30 minutes before serving, mix the flour and the water together in a small dish and pour into the crockpot. Mix until well combined. This will add a nice thickness to the stew. Next add in your frozen peas and corn. Continue cooking covered for 30 minutes.

Recipe found on familyfreshmeals.com and adapted slightly.

Cindy

Friday Favorites- Happy Week Before Food

Posted in Fashion Friday, obsessions, other obsessions by

Well, Thanksgiving is nearly upon us and I’m getting quite excited for pumpkin pie. And stuffing. And all the food in general 😉 Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

And on a completely unrelated note, here’s a Friday Favorites post for your viewing pleasure.

Favorite New Etsy Shop– ComeJew

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Delicate, pretty jewelry, and it’s inexpensive? Win-win.

Favorite Sweet – Sour Cream Pumpkin Muffins

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Yum. Just yum.

Favorite Wanderlust- Glacier National Park

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This makes me want to pack a backpack and leave home right now.

Favorite Outfit Inspiration

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If this doesn’t look like Christmas to you then I don’t know what will.

Favorite Drool- 7-Ingredient Zuppa Toscana (Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Kale and Sausage)

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This looks absolutely, amazingly delicious.

Favorite Words to Remember

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Lysa TerKeurst’s devotions are great- well-written, funny and thought-provoking. Click here to read them or subscribe.

Favorite Funny

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Oh my goodness. I have no idea what this is from, but it makes me laugh so hard.

Favorite New Song- Tee Shirt by Birdy

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Jordan 

 

Fashion Friday- Fall Wardrobe

Posted in Fashion Friday, obsessions by

We don’t really have season changes around here- there’s a reason that the year-round average in our little town is 73*. Pretty tough, huh? 😉 Because of the lack of cold weather, as soon as the temperature’s drop into the low 70’s, the fall clothing makes an appearance.

During Fall and Winter I tend to gravitate towards wearing jeans and chunky knit sweaters- occasionally I’ll mix it up and wear a dress and tights, but comfort is still king.

With this in mind, this week’s Fashion Friday includes items that I either own, or things that would fit perfectly into the Fall “uniform” that I am constantly wearing about this time of year.

Ombre Sweater

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This is unusual and cute.

 Rumor Has It Bag

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I have a similar purse from Tilly’s that I love- I’ve had it for almost 2 years and use it nearly every day and it’s held together amazingly well. I thought this Roxy bag from Tilly’s was super cute too.

Vintage Slub V-Tee

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I have two of these shirts and they’re great. The cut is relaxed and the fabric is not at all clingy which is normally a pet peeve of mine with shirts like this.

Cinnamon Infinity Scarf

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I don’t wear scarves very much but I do love infinity scarves and this one is so cute.

Lauren Conrad Skinny Jeggings

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These are, without a doubt the most comfortable pants I’ve ever worn. They are so soft and stretchy but seem to hold their shape well even after multiple wears. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised at how much they look like real jeans, with all the comfy benefits of jeggings. I don’t know about you, but normally when I see jeggings, they don’t look like real denim. These look nice while still being insanely comfortable.

Drape-front Cardigan

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A cute alternative to a cardigan.

Taupe Desert Wedges 

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I bought these last Fall and love them- even with the wedge, they’re super comfy.

Wood Ridge Jacket

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I love my military jacket and this one is super cute. Here’s another (more expensive) option that comes in multiple colors.

Boxy Cable Knit Sweater

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Another chunky knit sweater that I love.

Jordan 

Carrot Cake

Posted in sweets, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I- Carrot Cake

Hey! I feel like it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted a new recipe. I’m not sure what has been going on around here, but clearly it’s not cooking or at the very least not posting new recipes 🙂

Today I have a good one – carrot cake! This cake is simple to put together and has beautiful color and texture, thanks to all the freshly grated carrots. It’s almost like eating a salad! Except that it’s covered in a rich, delicious cream cheese frosting…so I guess not so much like a salad. Anyway, you need to try this delicious recipe today!

My Daughter and I- Carrot Cake 1

Carrot Cake
For the cake:
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 whole Eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 cups Grated Carrots

For the frosting:
1 stick Regular Butter, Softened
1 package (8 Oz) Cream Cheese
1 pound Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Pecans, Chopped Finely

Instructions for cake:
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix together the sugar and oil in mixer. Add the eggs and then the vanilla and mix until creamy. In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and combine. Then add carrots and mix well. Pour into a well greased and floured Bundt pan and bake at 350* for 45 to 50 minutes or until done.

Cool completely before frosting.

Icing:
In large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend, then mix in the nuts. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman– I just made a few minor modifications.

Cindy

Happy 3rd Birthday Callie!

Posted in the important stuff by

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Whew! Long time no see, huh? It seems like every time things start getting busy, blogging flies out the window. Hopefully I’ll be better about posting consistently because we missed you guys!

Wednesday was our sweet Callie’s third birthday!

callie's b-day 3It’s crazy to think that this was taken nearly three years ago- the majority of the time, she still acts like the adorable little puppy in the photo above.

Last year around this same time, we made Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats as a celebratory treat for Callie’s second birthday, and we thought we’d repost that same recipe now. The funny thing is we normally aren’t the type to make a big deal out of pet’s birthday’s- no cake or presents around here that’s for sure. But these doggie treats are too fun to pass up. Plus, having some leftover canned pumpkin lying around this time of year is a given, so this recipe is perfect for using it up.

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Clearly, Callie loved her treats! (This is her “please, please, please! say that it’s okay for me to eat it” face :))

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats
2 1/2 cups flour, I used all purpose but the recipe recommended whole wheat
2 eggs
3 T peanut butter, I used chunky
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*.

Put all ingredients together in bowl and mix well. I used my KitchenAid mixer. If you need a bit more moisture add water to the mixture one tablespoon at a time. The dough should be pretty dry, so don’t add too much water. I didn’t need to add any water. Once mixed, turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/4 to 1/2″ thickness. Cut out to desired shape. Put onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for a total of 40 to 50 minutes. I turned the cookies halfway through the cooking time. Keep in an airtight container.

JordanÂ