Monday, November 15, 2010

thanksgiving Countdown #13...

Today I am thankful for Blogs. I love reading blogs, writing blogs, and stalking blogs (my google Reader helps me keep track of anyone who posts something new so I don't have to check each person's blog every day). It is a great way to keep in touch with friends and loved ones, to get inspired and to inspire others, and for learning new things, relevant or not.

Even though I personally think the word 'blog' is stupid, and sounds like an STD or ugly growth, I LOVE the idea of them. There are certain blogs I look forward to reading every day. People who are professional bloggers. People I have never met, yet feel like I have known forever. Then there are my best of friends who I talk to all the time, yet still enjoy reading about their adventures.

But today, I am especially thankful for food bloggers. Anyone who knows Kelly Why (the old me) knows I couldn't even boil water without ruining it. One time, my mom asked me to start dinner for her. She told me to preheat the oven, take the roast out of the fridge, put it in the pan and surround it with veggies (already precut and ready to just add to the pot). So I did all of the above. But she never specified to actually put the roast in the oven - so she was pretty disappointed when she came home to a roast sitting on the counter for an hour or so. Seriously - I was pathetic. When Patrick and I first started dating I knew how to make Easy Mac...and that was seriously it. But slowly and surely, he got me interested in cooking. One of the first things I learned how to do (and one of my favorites still) was to use the crock pot. I got a cookbook with different recipes, slow cookers for dummies, and some recipes from my mom. Then I ventured out and started using the grill. Until finally, I was not a total klutz in the kitchen all around.

The thing I love most about food blogs is that they are usually done by stay-at-home moms, not some gourmet chef. They use practical items and teach you how to use items you have already. Don't have brown sugar??? One cup of sugar and 1 TBSP of molasses. Don't want to run to the store for fresh broccoli? Use frozen bagged broccoli and add it to a boiling pot of pasta in the last 6 minutes. I have a plethora of food blogs I follow on a regular basis (OK - I stalk them) to get ideas for the week. I am trying new recipes about 3 times a week. Some are good...some we will not try again. But I love trying them. I can follow slow cooker blogs, southern comfort food blogs. I love one in particular that has a weekly menu along with some favorites from food blogs that she follows. She posts pictures along the way - to dumb it down for me specifically (at least, that is what I would like to believe).

So today, I am thankful for food blogs. Today's dinner was slowly deviled beef.

2 lbs. stew meat
1 med. onion, chunked
1 med. green pepper, chunked
1 envelope dry sloppy joe mix
1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
6 oz. water
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
Mix all ingredients together. Cook 4 hours on Hi or 8 hours on low.

Great served over noodles!!! Enjoy!!!

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