So apparently I've become a regular cook. My friends and family have indicated how I've become such the expert. No, I'm just a newly wed! lol And it has become a lot of fun. Before I got married and even the first couple months I was incredibly insecure about my cooking abilities. I used to just joke about it, but it was something I always wanted to learn how to do, but just never knew how. But then I started to be adventurous. I started with some simple recipes and after those were a success it built my confindence to do more. I still prefer the simple recipe to the complex, only for the sake of convenience. But I do feel that I can cook pretty much anything if I have a good recipe in hand.
With that said a few more recipes to share. The Pumpkin Cheesecake I made for Saturday was a success. It's a
Paula Deen recipe, so it's extremely healthy! Yeah not so much, but its OH SO YUMMY!! And then the Classic Beef Stew is currently stewing away in the 'ole slow cooker as we speak.
Both recipes are below. I'll update you on how the stew turns out, but it already smelled delish after prepping it last night.
Ingredients
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Susie Cushner
Serves 8-10
Hands-On Time: 35m
Total Time: 8hr 00m
Ingredients
4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
2 large onions, diced (2 cups)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1/2 pound baby carrots (about 2 cups)
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Directions
1.Coat the beef in the flour. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
2.Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions; transfer to the cooker.
3.Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add to the cooker. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf.
4.Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas and heat through.
