Four Foods on Friday #131

It’s back again! I can’t believe the week has whizzed by so quickly. HOW does that happen?

This week’s question. What product do you wish a brand would come out with based on something it already makes?

Hm, wow this is a tough question. I know I have an answer in there somewhere… I KNOW I have thought something like this before, but at the moment, I draw a blank. I’m not a “brand” person, actually. I generally go with what’s least expensive, or healthiest. Those two rarely collide, by the way, haha.

Ummmm…. well, maybe I wish that Dove Chocolate made rustic furniture. I would nibble all day. lol

Ummmmmm….. maybe that Vlasic would make more natural Greek-style olives. You know, those great big black olives from the deli, bathing in olive oil and balsamic vinegar? Yummmm. My mouth is watering now!

Or that the local pizzeria would make small pepperoni rolls instead of those big doughy ones.

I guess I’m not doing too well with this one. How about you?

Crockpot Recipe: Beef and Barley Stew

This is one of my old tried and true recipes. I’ve been making variations of it for years. We love it, and it is SO good on a cold night! Pardon my ad hoc measuring units– I rarely use measuring cups so the units here are good guesses. Use your own creativity a little, and adjust the recipe as you wish

Beef and Barley Stew
2 lbs beef cubes
2 Tablespoons flour
Ground pepper
1 cup dried barley
2 cans beef broth or stock OR 1 can beef gravy with 1 can water added
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (optional)
1 cup chopped or shredded carrots
1 white onion, diced
1 teaspoon paprika

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and ground pepper. Toss in the beef cubes and coat the cubes thoroughly. Place them in the crockpot.

Toss the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot. Stir everything. You can add other vegetables in there if you wish, such as leftover green beans, etc (just make sure the pieces are small). Turn on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Stir the stew from time to time. Add a little bit of warm water if the stew needs it.

Tip: remember to sift through the barley before you toss it in the crockpot. You should also do this with dried beans. I commonly find stones in the bags, as big as stepping stones! Well, OK, they are not THAT big, but they sure feel like it when your teeth hits them!

I also make this in a Dutch oven on the stovetop, too. I usually cook that all day on low. You’ll know it’s done when the barley is very tender and the beef melts in your mouth.

Weird Crockpot App Discrepancies

Yes, I’m blogging about the iPhone Crockpot app AGAIN. I’m purposely forcing myself to try out a large number of the recipes (I usually grow bored with them by now), so that I can get used to the thing. If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, see my post here about the app I’ve been experimenting with. Also, if you search under “Crockpot” you’ll find where I have posted various recipes and my reviews of the results. It’s been interesting, to say the least.

This week I was sifting through more recipes, trying to decide on what to make. As I looked at ingredients and read cooking directions, I noticed a terrible flaw with the app– the directions do not match the ingredients.

Look at this recipe, the Thai Chicken I was thinking about making:

8 chicken thighs
1 cup hot salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Coat bottom of skillet with oil and place on stovetop set to medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, and jalape-o, and saute until soft.
2. Move onions, garlic, and jalapeno to one side of the pan and brown chicken breasts on other side…
3. Place stoneware in slow cooker heating base, add onion mixture, chicken, potatoes, chicken broth, coconut milk, salt and pepper, and curry powder…

WHOA WHOA WHOA.

Now I thought I was supposed to have chicken thighs? And what’s this with coconut powder and potatoes and curry?

The thing is messed up. It wasn’t just for this recipe, I saw this for a few others.

I don’t think I can use this app anymore. It’s unreliable. The whole reason I liked it was so that all I had to do was literally “click here“, and it would automatically create a shopping list for me …. but if it’s going to add different ingredients than what the recipe calls for, what good is it?

I’m sad. I was hoping that I had finally found the perfect app. Please leave a suggestion if you have any apps you want to share. I’m obviously in the market for one! LOL

P.S. By the way, am I the only one who hates cooking things twice? When I want to make a crockpot meal, I just want to throw everything in the pot and forget about it. All this chopping and sauteing and transferring is a royal pain!

Worst Crockpot Recipe Ever: Three Cheese Penne

I’ve been in the process of trying out and reviewing some new recipes here. I downloaded an iPhone app, iPhone Crockpot Recipe Finder. The app is nice because it automatically generates a shopping list when you save recipes. I’ve already tried a few recipes, the very tasty Cranberry Brisket and the mediocre Beef Stroganoff. Oddly enough, the best recipe so far (Cranberry Brisket) got a low rating on the Crockpot app, only 2 out of 5 stars. Huh.

Well, I spotted another easy recipe, Penne with Three Cheeses that rates a whopping 4 out of 5 stars. The recipe was awful! I had to force myself to down it. It was pasty and sticky and WAY too cheesy. I thought about giving the leftovers to the dogs, but I didn’t think they’d even eat it, despite all the dog training we’re giving them to eat the scraps. This stuff was awful.

I mention it here because it goes to show you that the ratings mean next to nothing (to me, anyway). In case you are curious, here’s the Penne with Three Cheeses recipe:

10 ounces refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 cup milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
4 cups shredded Italian 3-cheese blend
1 pound uncooked penne pasta
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I couldn’t even bear to snap a photo. The stuff was like glue, and the milks and cheeses melted before the pasta was done, so on top of the glue-y cheese, the pasta was chewy.

I guzzled about 5 cups of cold water after having some.

Four Foods on Friday #129 #130

The week flew by!

I’ve been cooking a little more frequently. The refrigerator has been bare because I procrastinate the grocery shopping chores…. so I cook to give the family leftovers to eat! How’s that for a weird family! I cook so they can eat leftovers! LOL

Well, anyway. Oh yeah, Four Foods on Friday!

#129 The first question is, Is there anything you eat or make that you don’t follow the directions for?

Um, this would be pretty much everything. I am always adding different things (or missing ingredients), etc. I rarely ever follow a recipe perfectly, unless it’s baking cookies. They never turn out very well with experimentation.

#130 This week’s question is, Do you have any food quirks?

This would be pretty much everything! LOL. I guess I am an eccentric kind of cook. But let’s see if I can think of any specifics…

1. I can’t stand fresh or dried tomatoes or tomato juice, but I love spaghetti sauce, cooked tomatoes in soups and stews, etc.
2. I cannot eat breakfast. Even the smell of food before noon makes me feel queasy. I don’t know why that it is. But once noon or 1pm rolls around, I suddenly HAVE to eat something or else I may feel sick. It’s just weird.
3. I sometimes wish I never felt hungry. I wouldn’t eat food if I didn’t feel the hunger. I’d rather just not eat! Sounds like a great method for weight loss, we wouldn’t need those supplements for weight loss anymore! I wish.
4. I don’t like dinner (or supper, as some call it). I’d rather throw together some raw veggies and nuts, or maybe chick peas and feta cheese, and eat that stuff. I don’t like cooking dinner, I don’t like eating dinner. It seems that many women are that way. We’d rather just have a bowl of cereal at the end of the day. But I think we cook because the husband wants dinners. Sad thing is, dinners make women fat. Give me a bowl of cereal any day! LOL

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