Beef Stew, 7 Ways

Guess what I just found in the very back of my freezer? A package of beef stew meat. I don't think I've ever made beef stew in my life. But for some reason, when I was pregnant with Callie, I thought I should stock-up on every kind of food imaginable. So I bought a package of beef stew meat. It's funny to think back on the things I did while "nesting!" Even today, I still have extra packages of ziplock bags, Windex, canned goods, and frozen _______ (you guess it?).

As I was saying, I've never made beef stew. My mom never made beef stew. We just weren't that kind of family. So I'm going to try it, but would like to find a recipe with a little twist. I've searched on epicurious.com for some out-of-the-ordinary beef stew recipes. Here are my top contenders. Help me choose which one to make.

1. Irish Beef Stew. So I guess this is pretty much the classic recipe, but it sounds better with the word "Irish" in it. It has tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, so that might give it a little extra kick.

2. Beef Stew with Curry and Lemongrass. I love, love, love lemongrass, but have yet to cook with it. And I do really like curry as well. However, I'm not sure about combining these things into a beef stew? This one sounds pretty different, and it's served over rice. Hmm.

3. Tuscan Beef Stew with Polenta. Sounds interesting, and I like the fact that it's served with polenta (another thing I like but have yet to make at home). It sounds like the flavor might be from the tomatoes and red wine. Can you make polenta with regular cornmeal?

4. West Indian Beef Stew. This recipe is from a restaurant in the West Indies. The interesting ingredients are dark rum and green olives, with tomatoes and a little sugar. It's also served over steamed white rice.

5. Swedish Sailor's Beef Stew. This one caught my attention because I married a Swedish boy. Sounds kind of weird though...the main ingredient is 3 cups of beer!

6. Ranchero Beef Stew. A Spanish twist with green olives and green chilis, served over rice or pasta.

7. Moroccan Beef Stew. Cinnamon, cumin, kalamata olives and garbanzo beans. Served over couscous. I've had this kind of stew before and really liked it.

Okay, so I need to make a decision. Which recipe sound I try?

Food of Phoenix

One thing I love about traveling is the food. I'm usually pretty adventurous and like trying new things, so I jumped at the opportunity to try some new restaurants in Phoenix! And one of my favorite things is to re-create restaurant dishes when I get home.

The Herb Box is a quaint little eatery in Scottsdale that Steph took me to for lunch. I tried the Butternut Squash and Corn Enchiladas (pictured below), it was really good, and surprisingly light for enchiladas. A few other things on the menu that sounded good were the Cilantro-Lime Crab Dip with Plantain Chips, Asparagus Couscous with artichoke, lemon, feta and mint, and the Smoked Gouda Mac Cheese. Yum! I also loved how all of the sandwiches came with sweet potato chips. I just might have to experiment in the kitchen with some of these ideas.


I had dinner with my friend Laura at an awesome pizza bistro called Oregano's. They had a cute Italian-style courtyard out on the patio where we had dinner. We had Oregeno's salad, with romaine lettuce, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, roasted red peppers, red onions, pine nuts and raisins. The pizza was one I definitely want to try to make sometime...a thin-crust white pizza topped with roma tomatoes, diced red onion, fresh basil, and four cheeses. Any my favorite, our drinks. Peach bellinis topped with chianti. Too good.


Next was the coolest frozen yogurt place I've been to, ever. Yogurtology. A modern little place in a strip mall, decorated with all white.

Everything is self-serve and you pay by the ounce. There's a whole wall of different flavors of frozen yogurt (think pomegranate, mint, cupcake batter, chocolate, pina colada, blackberry, etc.) and then a whole counter with tons of toppings. What did I get? A little pomegranate topped with cheesecake, chocolate with heath-bar, and cupcake batter with sprinkles. I know, I couldn't decide and had to try a little bit of everything! And it was perfect after a day in 100-degree weather!

Okay, the best for last...I finally experienced In-N-Out Burger! Yes, it's just as good as they say. I'm usually not a burger-and-fries type of person, but at In-N-Out Burger, it's a different story.


If reading this post doesn't make you hungry...

Callie and Nora: In Harmony

Just a little peak into our time in Phoenix. Who knew babies cried in harmony?! Steph and I thought it was pretty hilarious. Can you hear us laughing in the background?

Actually, it was a really fun trip, and the two girls did great (this video was the worst of it).

More to come on our trip. As soon as I can find the time to blog.

Twitter

I just joined twitter. FYI.

How Sweet

How sweet that Steph just sent pictures of little Norah with her giant flower headband. You might remember our giveaway from a few months back. Even before she was born, Nora was selected as our winner!

So much style at only 8 weeks old. How lucky am I that I get to meet her this weekend!

And It Starts

Since this, I can't keep this baby from pulling herself up to standing on any surface she can reach. In fact, look what I found today when I put her down for her nap and she didn't want to sleep.


How can you resist that face?

Whining

I think she's learned the art of whining, what do you think? Poor baby!

Sweet 16

It's Almost Here

If this doesn't make you think of fall, then what does! My baby is ready for fall, it's almost here! It sure feels like it lately, doesn't it?

Fall is my absolute favorite season. It makes me think of hooded sweatshirts, Uggs, bonfires, fall leaves, and football (although I can't say I really pay attention when I watch it). Summer is my second favorite season, so I have to try not to wish that it ends quickly.

We had a nice weekend in Clear Lake. It was pretty cool out, so it definitely felt like fall. We played whiffle ball. Most families have enough people for a team. We have enough people for two teams (mom, dad, me, Kyle, Kiley, Matt, Brady, Lena, Wesley, Jasey, and Callie of course as the cheerleader). We also made s'mores (I love s'mores) with these giant marshmallows. I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture just how giant they are! Mmmm...