Category Cuisine and Beverages

Beef Tips & Rice- Veggies-A one pan complete meal

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Yes, I am a giant fan of “one pot wonders”, not because I am lazy, I simply like to be efficient with my time and efforts (and honestly, who wants to slave over a hot stove/oven all the time?)

Ingredients:

1 pound of Beef tips/stew meat (the butcher’s discount stuff works great!)

1 medium onion chopped

2 large carrots, chopped chunky

Mixed bell peppers, poblanos, etc. (whatever you have for raw veggies that need to be used up)

1 Cup of white rice, 2 Cups of water

Seasonings/spices of your choice (I had a packet of taco seasoning, so I used that)

Simmer/cook the beef tips/stew meat until cooked thru, add in the chopped veggies, simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rise and water and simmer on medium heat until mixture starts to bubble, turn down to low heat and let finish cooking until rice is soft and all items are al dente.

Serves 4-6.

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Coffee and Ice Cream @ Figs Beanery & Creamery

Anna--The Adventurer 1 Comment

A lovely day, sitting out on the veranda with a friend/brother and enjoying two of life’s greatest pleasures–coffee and ice cream.

I enjoyed trying something new–a Mayan Mocha…bursting with steaming flavors of mildly spicy chilis and robust brewed beans, it was a huge treat for me–mixing spices and flavors together that I had previously never had blended together. My brother enjoyed a regular latte and enjoyed the frothiness and flavor as well as he is Classic Cookie and Cream Ice Cream cone.

While the coffee and ice cream are superb, the conversation with my brother was amazing. We caught up on items, discussed hopes and dreams, laughed, told cheesy jokes (the only kind I know, of course) and spent several hours just having fun together in the comfortable outdoor seating. The Cafe boasted faux lawn under the table, which added a nice touch and color.

Adventures are always more fun with a friend and brother.

https://www.figscafeandfarmacy.com/
Figs Beanery & Creamery https://www.figscafeandfarmacy.com/
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It’s Taco Twos-Day! 02-22-2022

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Chili’s roasted, cilantro, diced onions, freshly grilled chorizo and Alpastor, my mouth was already watering even before I could order at the window from the cherry red food truck.

The proprietor doesn’t speak any English but with my improving Spanish language skills, I ordered 8 tacos, 2 chorizo, 4 Alpastor, and 2 Asada–with 4 ramekins of salsa, 2 mild, 2 picoso (hotter) and guess what, my language efforts earned a gold star! I received exactly what I ordered and desired (it’s a true struggle when developing language skills to convey a genuine message when ordering food.)

I delivered said order to my Sweetheart’s house, and much to my delight, his Guatemalan Grandmother even approved and ate 2 of the tacos!

The Food Truck is located on Main Street in Walhalla, in the same parking lot as Napa Auto Parts
The address of it.
The food is outstanding and very affordable. I fed 3 people; sodas included for $25 (tip included)
https://www.ebay.com/sch/apotthoff/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

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Stewed Ginger and Herbal Hot Tea for a Windy Day

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The winds blow here in South Carolina (nothing like what Wyoming and Colorado get for winds, sweeping across the plains but still, it’s windy!) The winds make me sneeze like a fiend and my eyes water, so what is a girl to do—make tea to help!

While I am not a doctor or an allergist, I personally have found that a good, strong cup of tea really does help me and helps keep me hydrated!

I chopped up a 3-inch section of fresh ginger root, putting it on to stew for about 20 minutes on a low simmer, adding 2 bags of Tazo Organic Baked Cinnamon Apple Tea (which was purchased at a buy one get one free special at the store) to the pot. I added a drizzle of honey to my mug and enjoyed! Yes, I even eat the stewed ginger bits when the cup of tea is empty!

The warmth and the aroma, flavor, is amazing! P.S. The pot is enough to share with friends and family.

A spicy twist!

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Homemade salsa, a wonderful way to get more flavor in your food with minimal effort! This recipe is a medium level on the spice scale but super easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes

3 medium raw jalapeños

1 tsp minced garlic,

Sea Salt and pepper

1 medium onion

3 medium poblanos

Put all the raw ingredients in a medium pot on low heat with 2-3 cups of water. Simmer for about a hour until all the ingredients are tender. Turn off the heat and let cool for a bit, doesn’t need to be ice cold, just not boiling hot any longer.

Put contents of the pot in a blender, puree until it’s the consistency of your choice. I put the salsa into upcycled food jars (jars that previously held other things, like marinara sauce or olives, jar and lid thoroughly washed and dried before re-use).

Serve with chips, top on roast beef as a “marinade” or in any way you prefer. Great with a variety of dishes and sides.

Chilly Day Chili, simple and delicous

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It’s January in the northern hemisphere and baby, it’s cold outside! While I do live in South Carolina, the chill is even here, having snowed last week, the snow is melted but the cold remains. With the holidays now over and most of us wanting to cut back on expenses or curb spending, a homemade meal is an easy way to accomplish both, why not make something easy that also brings a bit of warmth to the body as well?

Ingredients and Instrutions:

1 pound of ground turkey or ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped up

Salt, Pepper, Chili powder, italian season blend

Cans of assorted beans

2 cans of diced or crushed tomatoes

Brown the ground meat, dump in the cans of everything, add spices to your strength preference. simmer for 45 minutes. Enjoy! Adding a dollop of sour cream on top or shredded cheese is also delicious.

Easy Brunch, pulling it all together

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Brunch is made to be enjoyable and make it easy for yourself, simply use what you have about in your fridge or make it “potluck” style with a couple of friends, bring only what you have on hand!! It makes it a fun and easy way to dine tastefully and on a budget…. and who doesn’t like that?

An easy brunch of things pulled together, a bagel with scrambled eggs, quartered roma tomatoes, red grapes and radishes made in the shapes of flowers (my neighbor is food crafty)

Stone Soup–using what’s at hand.

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The Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a moral regarding the value of sharing. In varying traditions, the stone has been replaced with other common inedible objects, and therefore the fable is also known as axe soup, button soup, nail soup, and wood soup.

Stone Soup – Wikipedia

While I most certainty don’t go hungry, I don’t like to waste. While trying to figure out what I wanted to make for dinner this evening, I realized I bits and bobs of this that and the other. I didn’t have enough of any item to make a “proper dish” of anything, so I made stone soup at home of the bits and bobs from my refrigerator that needed to be eaten; while none of the ingriedients were any were near spoiled or bad, they still needed to be used an eaten.

What is included in this stone soup:

CHicken Bullion-water, carrots (diced)-half a large onion (course chunked)-medium tomato chunked-3 cups of raw kale-salt-pepper-2 medium red potatoes (chunky diced)-2tsp Italian seasoning

It was all simmered together for about 90 minutes (of course, while I caught up on my pen pal correspondence).

Stone Soup –potato vegetable soup

She Crab Soup, a Charleston Delight

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I found a postcard in Charleston with a delightful recipe I feel is worth sharing! I hope you also enjoy!!!

See recipe below

Charleston, South Carolina She Crab Soup (taken from the Postcard)

2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp. Flour, 1 quart milk, 2 cups white crab meat with roe, 5 drops onion juice, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp mace, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 pint heavy cream (whipped) , 4-5 tbsp dry sherry, grated rind of one lemon

In the top of a double boiler, melt butter and blend with flour until smooth. While stirring constantly, add teh milk slowly. Then add the crab meat and roe plus all the seasonings, except sherry. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Serve warm in cups with one teaspoon of Sherry, and a topping of whipped cream.

Easy Homemade Pasta Primavera

Anna--The Adventurer 2 Comments

Sometimes an easy but tasty meal is needed and in a flash!! but who wants to blow their budget on an expensive meal? The following recipe costs a total of about $4-$4.50 I shopped at the local Dollar Tree/Dollar General for the items (when I was already out and about) and the recipe serves 3-4 adult size servings.

Ingredients:

1-1 lb box of whole grain penne pasta ($1.00 at Ingles Supermarket)

1 bag of frozen stir fry mix ($1 at Dollar Tree)

1 jar of Ragu Alfredo sauce ($1.25 at Dollar General)

1 can of Chicken breast ($1.25 Dollar General)

Cook the whole box of pasta according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, open the bag of frozen stir fry and dump into a medium sized sauce pan with a little water added to the bottom, open the can of chicken (drain it first) and add to the stir fry vegetables (you won’t actually be frying the vegetables, just lightly steaming them with the chicken.)

When the pasta is about finished cooking, add the jar of the alfredo sauce to the chicken and chicken mix, simmer until hot. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water off.

Layer pasta on the bottom of the plate and top with the sauce/chicken/vegetable dish and voilà, you have pasta primavera with chicken.