Beef Stew

Since you keep asking for a new post - Laurie, Kristine - I decided to share with you a recipe for Beef Stew I came up with a few weeks ago.

2 lbs. Beef for Stew
2 TBS. flour
1 TBS grill seasoning
1 large yellow onion
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
2 TBS red wine vinegar
2 medium zucchini
2 c. low sodium beef stock
2 c. low sodium V-8 juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can carrots, drained
1 15 oz. can diced potatoes, drained
1 15 oz. can green beans, drained
1 15 oz. can sweet peas, drained
1 15 oz. can corn drained

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the onion into bite size pieces. Place the flour and grill seasoning into a 1 gallon zip top bag and add beef. Shake to coat. Place beef and flour mixture into a 13" by 9" baking dish. Top with diced onion and garlic. Drizzle with Worcestershire and red wine vinegar. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Cook at 350 degrees 45 minutes to one hour until onions are transparent. Place the contents of the baking dish into cock pot. Add the beef stock and the V-9 juice, then the canned vegetables. Cut the zucchinis into half moon shapes and add to crock pot. Let stew cook overnight. Enjoy.

Really, I'm going to try to be a better blogger. I've joined a gym and that takes time. I'm loosing weight, though, and my blood pressure's down. Yay!

Mom's Macaroni and Cheese

Here's the recipe:

8 ounce package of Elbow Macaroni
1 pound shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
One 15 ounce can Evaporated Milk
Can refilled with regular milk
One Egg, slightly beaten
Black Pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a two quart casserole. Reserve a handful of cheese for topping. Mix both milks, egg, and black pepper. Stir in the majority of cheese. Add drained macaroni. Stir gently. Pour into a two quart casserole. Top with reserved cheese. Bake until browning and bubbly -- or as Mama told me "'til it's right on top." YUM!

My Heart Is Racing

Oh. My. God. The Yarn Harlot is coming to Atlanta. My heart started racing when I read this fact on her blog tonight. I felt like I'd done 30 minutes of aerobics. I could not be more thrilled.

Speaking of aerobics, I have been getting up in the morning and exercising! What a great idea for someone who needs desperately to lose weight. I have all these exercise videos that I'm just sick of. So, here's my plan: I have the Digital Cable. On the Cable is "On Demand" - or pay-per-view. There is something called "Free Pass On Demand" - free-per-view. There are exercise videos on there that they change out periodically. There are lots of videos. I shouldn't have to repeat many, if any. I think it's a good plan.

I went to sock class with my knitting group on Sunday at the library. It was very interesting, and challenging. I know I'll eventually get it; but boy, it's definitely not mindless knitting.

Tonight's Dinner Recipe (modified from Fitness Magazine):
Garlic Chicken and Zucchini Pasta
1 cup whole wheat pasta cooked
1/2 cup cooked chicken strips (bought the Perdue strips at Publix) (Fitness Magazine called for shrimp - I don't do seafood.)
1 thinly sliced zucchini (used my box grater)
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Make It: Cook Pasta. Mix hot noodles with remaining ingredients. (I also steamed the zucchini. I don't like my zucchini to make noise when I bite into it.)

It was good. I made a double recipe so I can take it for work tomorrow. I also grated a little parmesan on top of it.

Okay, my pulse rate has returned to normal. Y'all take care.