Cranberry Beef Stew

Many moons ago way back before the teen was even a blip, I attempted to make the classic version of beef bourguignon. Maybe it was the inexperience, maybe it was the cut of meat, maybe it misguided view of wine. Whatever the reason I don't remember enjoying the meal. With time and learnings I have come to appreciate cooking with ingredients outside my comfort such as wines. Not being a consumer of any alcohol it is hard to know what is good wine and what is bad wine. Thankfully today there is the internet to help in learnings.

Ever in my quest to cook cranberries in dinner, Cranberry Beef Bourguignon was cooked yesterday and served to tonight.

Modifications Made:

Holy moly, this recipe stated it served six but called for two and half pounds of meat. Therefore, this recipe was halved for all ingredients except the meat which only totaled .97 pounds.

Cognac was omitted as the wine was enough alcohol flavoring for my taste. Carrots were increased to four large sticks and mushrooms were increased to 16 oz to offset the decrease in meats.

Scaled for Likability: No, Thank You
Have no reasonings for not liking the bourguignon other than it is just an overly fussy meal. Flavor was full, meat was tender, and carrots and cranberries offered a nice color. For all of the effort, this table would rather have had pot roast with cranberries added.

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes). Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft. Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water). Bring to a boil and then add po...

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almos...

Cold Corn Bean Salsa

Nothing says junk food like chips and salsa, chips and cheese dip, chips and guacamole. Over the years I have perfected my salsa. It's good on tacos, on nachos, on enchiladas, and of course on chips. Just because I have the best salsa doesn't mean I don't like to try new salsa's like this Best Black Bean and Corn Salsa. Modifications Made: Shoepeg corn was replaced with one can of standard yellow corn with no salt added. Petite diced tomatoes were reduced by half. Italian dressing was swapped for half teaspoon comino, half teaspoon of chili powder, and two tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Salsa was made and let rest for two hours before eating. Scaled for Likability: Good Salsa this was not. Good it was however. It was too much for chips by themselves but was great served over a soft beef taco.

Eating Waffles

Search This Blog