Happy Sunday!
Last night I was looking over some of the posts on my blog from a couple of years ago. What a great experience to see how life has truly changed so much. My life is so different than it was 2 years ago! Last year around this time I was meeting my great niece Jaidyn for the first time, and now she’s two! And she looks like this:
and let me just say this girl…she is full of life and energy and personality!!!! I love her soo much!
Anyway, today I didn’t get to sorting my fabric, but I did spend some time cooking and baking. Last year for Christmas, my parents gave me a chest freezer, and so for the last year, I have been obsessing about freezing things. It’s changed how I grocery shop and cook! A couple of weeks ago, I was cleaning out the freezer and was amazed at how much stuff was in there. So…I have been trying to cook and eat out of the freezer. Today, I made this winter stew that my Mom used to make when I was a kid.
How I made it: I browned 1 pound of ground beef and added about 3/4 cup of beef broth, a diced onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I had some whole frozen tomatoes from my Dad’s garden that I froze this summer, and I dipped them in simmering water to remove the skin. I rough chopped the tomatoes and added them to the skillet. Then I added 4 peeled, roughly chopped potatoes (also from my Dad’s garden), and about 2 cups of chopped green beans (I bought those at the end of the harvest season at a farmers market on sale…another added bonus of a freezer!). I added a little bit more salt and pepper, stirred it up, and covered it. I kept it at a low simmer and it was done in about 30 minutes. It is a great one pot meal and is hearty and warm for a cold winter day!
Then, I thought I would make some blueberry muffins. I had some blueberries that I bought (also on sale at the end of the season at the farmers market and froze). This was not a complete success…in fact, it was kinda a flop.
I didn’t use a real muffin tin, I wanted to be adventurous and try a couple different pans my Mom gave me. As you can see, they kinda turned out, but not really. They don’t look very pretty, but they taste incredible!!! Here’s the recipe:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
Mix the butter, sugar, sour cream, eggs, milk, lemon extract until well blended. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until just blended. Try not to overmix. Fold in the blueberries (lightly dust them with flour so they don’t sink to the bottom of the muffins). Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Keep Simply Delighting!
Simply Delighting 