Quick Beef and Broccoli

I made this super quick make ahead Beef and Broccoli last night for dinner. It fit perfectly into our plans of trick or treating one grandma and going out trick or treating the town. You see one grandma lives right next to the the school our kids attend. It's a quick trip to slip into costume after school and head over to trick or treat her. The kids love it and I'm sure my mom loves it too. Since they have a tricky driveway we're about the only ones who stop by anymore.


 The secret to making this such a quick dinner are the make ahead qualities like, cooking the rice in a rice cooker and leaving it on warm while we were out and slicing and marinating the meat in the morning so it has all day to get tender. All I had to do was sauté the broccoli, then the meat with sauce and cook the two together. The flavor is outstanding and everyone loved it.

The marinade is made with soy sauce which will tenderize any cut of meat you happen to use, so grab a tough cut and save some dough. I happened to have some sirloin, bought in bulk and cut down to family sized packages, so that's what I used but any cut will work. Also I think pork or chicken would be just as delicious as beef and I may add a spicy kick the next time I make it.


 Quick Beef and Broccoli

you will need:
marinade ingredients+several hours to marinate
beef
sauce ingredients-mix up and set aside
a large frying pan
1 large head of broccoli-cleaned, break into bite size florets, clean and peel the stem, chop also
cooking oil
6-8 cups of cooked rice


marinade and beef
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp cooking oil
2 TBSP water
2 TBSP low salt soy sauce
1 1/4 pound beef--I use a quarter pound for each family member, use less for you family and more rice for the extra sauce

mix the first five ingredients in a shallow pan or like I did right in the freezer bag I had the meat in
slice the beef across the grain and then into bite size pieces
cover or zip closed and marinate for at least one hour but 6-8 is better
turn a couple of times if you can


sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
pinch of dried ginger
2 tsp sugar or honey
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBSP cooking oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 TBSP flour

mix all together, whisk if necessary
set aside until ready to use

beef and broccoli 
heat 1 TBSP cooking oil in a large frying pan
when it glistens add the chopped broccoli and the stem also
cook and stir for a few minutes
when its just tender remove from the pan to a bowl, it will go back in the pan soon
add another dollop of oil to the pan
add the marinated meat and half the sauce
cook and stir until the meat is cooked, 3-5 minutes
add the broccoli back and the last of the sauce
cook until the sauce thickens, another minute or so
serve over the hot cooked rice

It looks so blurry, must be from the steam. Anyway good quick eats that won't break the bank.



Peace and love--



 

Just Another Meatless Monday

Well, it's been quite a week around our house. Our oldest son is now back home with us after spending a week in the hospital. Our friends and family have been wonderful and supportive. We've been considering ourselves love bombed by our community. The other side of this is that I have not had to cook dinner in a week. It's been wonderful to not have to think about food at all, just reheat and eat really. I thought perhaps I could share some of my favorite fall recipes instead of an original this week. Hope that works and as always please LEAVE a link. I should be back to cooking this week and I might even have a recipe too!

I love these Caramel Apple Cookies, probably hands down my favorite fall recipe. Tasty and full of caramel they sell really well at bake sales.

Vegetarian Halloweenies, fun, vegetarian and yummy too! A vegetarian version of the bread stick wrapped hot dog mummy.

Falafel, this family loves falafel and I think you will too. It's great baked or fried, plain or in a pita pocket.

 Vanilla Honey Poached Pears are another fall favorite. I love the simplicity of this recipe and how wonderful they look on a plate and read to serve.

What have you been cooking up? I'd live a little inspiration!





  Peace and Love--


 

The Penny Worthy Project

My thrifting adventures went like this this week no, no, no, no, nope, not today, not happening, still no....ok we need a halloween costume off we go, yep go it lets go. My mind has been off line almost all wee, no really all week, who am I kidding?? The only truly thrifty thing I did was whip in and pick up an orange sweatshirt for our 7 year who wants to be a pumpkin. The 9 year is going to be a WWII pilot and now that his arm is broken he's changed it to be a wounded WWII pilot, adaptability(not his strong suit) we love you!

The only other thifting I did was track down a low priced wheelchair, walker and hospital bed. Yep you guessed it our oldest son is coming home. Much sooner that we expected. If you don't know what happened you can read about it in my last post. It's been a long tiring week, I am just truly emotionally done with this week. Also since the other two boys were hurt on the last two consecutive Sundays our littlest boy is going to be wrapped in bubble wrap and put in a plastic hamster ball all day Sunday. We can't take anymore around here for now!

I did take the time to read everyone linked posts, I enjoyed them all immensely. I really like Van's post about all her thrifted fun finds. We had a nut dish when I was little, I loved it. I can alway count on Van to find the coolest goodies and post about them. She always has fresh ways of looking at the most mundane things and she's a real go-getter, what a powerhouse Van is!! If you want to be my featured linker next week be sure to leave a link here AND link back to this post. I love to read through everyone's posts and pick one that really speaks to me to share with all of you the next week.





Peace and Love--


 

The Problem with Children

They come into this world, ugly, naked, crying and they make you love them deeply, so unconditionally that they can break with a single stupid move. Once chance, one choice, one wrong move and your heart can shatter. They entangle you in their lives and take up every single space piece of your life. They make you do things like wear mom jeans, clean puke out of carpeted stairs, teach them how to wipe their bums and take warm sloppy kisses from the dirtiest faces you've ever seen. You can love them almost more than you love yourself. Their imperfection is utter perfection in every parent's eye.

Love those problematic little beasts right now. Walk away from this right now, find you kids and hug them until they cry. Ok maybe not that much at least until they protest. Call them if you have to. Tell them every day how much you love them, they need to know. Now go call your parents and tell them how much they mean to you, for all they have done for you, given up for you, loved you through. Now if you have a spouse or partner get to it, tell them how much they mean to you. Because seriously in one stupid move your life, your love can be broken.

We almost lost our oldest son this last weekend. He was the passenger in a small car that was t-boned by a truck doing 55. He was hit on his side, full force, full brunt. Bone crushing, life ending yet miraculously he lived. The seat he was in was crushed to 8 inches wide. The truck that hit him flipped and rolled. The car was unrecognizable. The weird thing is it happened a hundred yards from our home and they landed in our trees. I was gone, my husband and the kids eventually saw the emergency lights outside and went to investigate. They discovered my son's drum set in the car and the horrible realization came to them. Thankfully he was long gone to the hospital by then. He will live. He will walk again. He will.

One blink and your heart can be utterly destroyed. That's the problem with children right there.


Peace and Love--


 

Just Another Meatless Monday Monster Eyes

Monster Eyes. Yep served them to my kids the other day to their complete surprise. And utter delight. Gross food for dinner?? AWESOME!!  Full of cheese with a dash of pesto and a green olive for zing, they are definitely good eating. Monster Eyes would make great party food too, can't you see serving up big pans full of eyes to a bunch of kids? "I always feel like somebodies watching me" might be good party music too. If the thought of eating Monster Eyes is NOT appealing well leave off the green olives and just enjoy big gooey stuffed shells.

Monster Eyes
1/2 a 12 ounce box of Ronzoni Jumbo Shells
1 pound ricotta
1 pound shredded mozzarella
2 TBSP pesto
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or so green olives with pimentos
3 cups spaghetti sauce


cook shells according to package directions
drain a keep in cool water until ready to use
pre-heat the oven to 350˚
don't let them sit for too long, use within 10 minutes of being done
while the pasta is cooking mix the cheese, pesto, eggs and salt together, set aside
heat the spaghetti sauce
when the shells are done cooking and resting in cool water it's time to put the eyes together
spoon about 1/2 the sauce into a 9x13 pan
stuff each shell with the cheese and pesto mixture
if you get the shells stuffed and have cheese leftover divide it evenly between the shells
you are going for a stuffed eyeball look so they should be nice and full
once they are all stuffed place an olive in each eyeball
spoon the last of the sauce around the eyes trying to not get too much on the shells but tucking it around them
cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes
let them rest 5 minutes before serving

Peace and Love--

 

The Penny Worthy Project

How was your thrifty living week? Mine was pretty fantastic! I sold the Rena Ware for 5 times what I paid for it. I like that. And into the vacation fund it goes. Woohoo! I love reselling when it works like this. Of course most days I make not a penny but one big sale makes it all worth it.

I enjoyed looking through last weeks links to find one to feature this week. So many without links back to The Penny Worthy Project--if you want to be my pick of the week you've got to link back here. My featured linker this week is Cap's Creations! Not only did she link back to here but she had some AWESOME thrifted Halloween decorations. She really inspired me!
Check it out--

In spite of the birthday boy with a broken arm I managed to get out and thrift a few times. I also found these adorable bookends! Love them.

And this seriously huge jar with that giant glass stopper. What do you think it was used for?

Peace and Love--



 

Tank Cake

Among all of the hullabaloo of the last couple days I forgot to share the cake I made for the birthday boy. Who by the way is doing wonderfully even though he seems to be allergic to ibuprofen AND tylenol three. Poor kid nasty rash AND a broken arm AND every present he got needs TWO hands to play with them. Luckily he can pull the trigger on a nerf gun, WHEW! All is not lost.

And we DID have a nice party before the break. Here's a few shots of the cake.

So the basic specs are one 7x11 cake-one loaf pan cake and 10 cupcakes--2 batches of buttercream--one chocolate one tinted with cocoa powder and a wee bit of food color. This was SUPER easy and I think super cute. I would definitely make something like this again if the need arises.

Peace and Love--



 

WINNER!

The Hand Me Ups Sale is NOW happening in Anchorage. It is today(Thursday), tomorrow(Friday), Saturday and Sunday. Whew, with the broken arm this week we barely made it to drop off our items, but we did. Now that I'm MOSTLY caught up on the week(don't ask the laundry if I'm caught up please!) I should really get the winner announced.


 Right?


 Ok so here goes. The winner of the 25 dollars to spend to spend at the Hand Me Ups sale is Amy!


Amy said... "Just found your blog through the Hand Me Ups FB page (which I already like)! I went last year and found some really nice things and I know this year will be great too! October 12, 2012 10:19:00 PM AKDT "

So Amy send me an email with your full name on it so I can pass that to Kari at Hand Me Ups! My address is -----> over there on the right side bar.

Thanks to everyone who joined in. Now get on over there and SHOP!!



Peace and Love--



 

Diary of a Submissive

Well.

Book clubs can sure throw you for a loop, eh? You never quite know what you're going to read next. Ahem. Enter Diary of a Submissive. I would never ever ever in a million years have chosen this book. It's not my style, I'd never pick a book with SEX in it to read. I have young children! And then Diary of a Submissive was dropped on my door step and I read it in two days.


It was packed full of sex. Did that make me read it faster? Possibly. Or it could have been the painfully honest, endearing, blundering author. Writing under the pseudonym of Sophie Morgan, she takes us on a journey through lovers and affairs, the ups and downs of life. Yes it's full of D/s (Dominant/submissive) sex but it's also full of discovery about herself and her kink. Would I have bought it on my own? Nope. Am I glad someone sent it to me to read? Yep.

This is a review for the BlogHer Book Club, I was given the book and a small stipend for my time. The opinion as ALWAYS is all mine. Join the conversation.



Peace and Love--

 

Nice Swirl From the Ice Cream Bucket?

or freaky Anime Bride of Frankenstein in ice cream?

Peace and Love--

 

Oh Give Me a Break!

Ohhhhh I didn't mean literally. Well too late! Our middle boy is celebrating his 9th birthday this week. Our lives have been busy with festivals and birthday fun. I needed a break but not the kind of break we got.

We got a humerus break. A broken arm on the birthday boy to be exact. Oh fuuuuuuuuuudge. 6 weeks in a sling and swath deal. Great. I guess, as someone pointed out, it IS better than a cast but still. The boy can't move his writing arm for 6 weeks. He broke it directly below his shoulder, so we are very lucky he didn't break his shoulder or elbow. The party for his ninth was the culprit. We ran an army training camp and he had to do the obstacle course one more time. Wham he fell and broke his arm, off a foot high bench.

Now you have to understand, my boys are all boy, 110% boy. They play tough, they play rough. They joust on bikes with very long sticks, they will also finger joust when they can. They climb to the top of trees, so high the tops bend over under their weight. They play in dirt, wear rubber boots 13 months out of the year, out of need and for fashion. They sword fight with live steel, bamboo swords, sticks and anything else you can think of. And a one foot tall bench took him down. I pondered this all day as we trekked to the doctor's office and back and forth across the valley. I ran it by friends and laughed the irony of it all.

And then I ran it by my husband. Who snorted.



He filled me in on how the one foot tall bench took the boy down. I was assuming the obstacle course was the SAME as the last time I saw but of course that's silly! The boys had modified it. And what really broke his arm was NOT the simple bench. It was jumping off a table, rebounding off the mini trampoline and attempting to LAND on the bench that did him in.

It makes so much more sense now.

I need a drink.


Peace and Love--



 

Just Another Meatless Monday Slow Cooker Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

I love dropping dinner into the slow cooker, or crock pot, in the morning and coming back to a yummy smelling house and dinner practically cooked for you later on. It works well if you're heading off to a full day in the office or, as we did today, wrangling a half dozen boys for a birthday party. No sweating dinner, no ordering food you can ill afford, dinner is ready when you are.

This soup starts with dry pinto beans in the slow cooker and a couple quarts of fresh water. Later when you return home will be the time to season it and add the salt. So kick back, enjoy your day and relax knowing dinner is on it's way.



Slow Cooker Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

4 cups dry pinto beans
3 quarts fresh water
1-2 TBSP salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups salsa, fresh or from a jar
3-4 large flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese for sprinkling on top

wash and sort through the dry pintos
pour into the slow cooker
add the water
cook on high for 6-8 hours
in the last half hour before serving add the salt, chili powder and cumin, add the least amount of salt and then taste--add more as needed
pour in the salsa and cook for another 1/2 hour
tear the flour tortillas in to bite size pieces and add to the soup
stir and cook until warmed through
serve with shredded cheese to top it off

Peace and Love--


   

The Penny Worthy Project

Another birthday weekend is here and our annual fall festival too, same weekend. Busy week, busy life keeps me hopping. I don't mind, when I'm busy I'm engaged. I recorded my THIRD radio show this week too. Fourth one is planned and we are off and running. Thrifted a couple times this week but after last weeks BONANZA it all seemed blah. Or maybe it was blah because the sun shone brightly every single day this week. hey after a MONTH of rain and clouds a sunny weeks dulls everything in comparison. Thoughts?

Yesterday's post has a giveaway for local folks but consignment sales happen all over the United States so make sure you check in your area. The site you can find them listed on is Flash Consign, you have to get a free account. Once you have joined the site simply click join a sale and scroll though for sales in your area! Easy money to be made selling your used clothes AND easy on the budget if you need to buy clothes.


Last week I said I would feature one linker this week. Um yeah that was hard to choose!!! SO many thrifty crafty people in the world. This week I am excited to feature Garbage to Glam. This link caught me right away and I went immediately to see what she had done that dresser! Amy refinishes lots of awesome pieces and sells them at a flea market. One thing I loved as I perused her blog was that she tells you the name of the paint she uses on her projects so you can use it too. I don't know about you but me buying paint is a CRAP SHOOT. I never get the right colors. Once I bought orange and cream to make an adobe color and pattern and it was creamsicle which we lived(suffered with) with for 7 years SEVEN YEARS!!. Check out Amy's blog for great projects and the color choices too.


I listed the Rena Ware on ebay. Was tempted to keep it but I have enough Le Creuset and DescoWare and my grandmother's Revereware to make the Rena Ware seem a silly excess. Someone will LOVE it.

I also found and listed this Starbucks mug.

I was glad to find it!

And I had the weirdest email the other day someone asking if I would list a little teapot I posted about a few years back on this blog. Hunh. So I did, I hope they make an offer. They bought one and it broke right off the bat and really want another.

Peace and Love--



 

Hand Me Ups {giveaway}

A few weeks ago I participated in a HUGE consignment sale here in Palmer. I really enjoyed
the sale, I made some money and got some great clothes for my kids. While working there to
earn volunteer hours(not mandatory!!) I met Kari. Kari is the owner of Hand Me Ups another
consignment sale held in Anchorage. We got to talking and decided we should get the word out
about the next big consignment sale. So without further adieu here is my interview with Kari and
the details on how you can win 25 dollars in Hand Me Ups credit to their next sale.

so Kari jumping right in, when IS the next big sale?

The next Hand Me Ups Sale is going to be this coming week, Thursday, October 18 through
Sunday, October 21st at The Mall at Sears in Anchorage (Benson side in the newly renovated
entrance). Admission of course is free!

How did Hand Me Ups get started?

Hand Me Ups began as an idea as I traveled in the lower 48 to visit family. My sister introduced
me to a consignment sale in her area. These types of sales are very popular in the lower 48.
She showed me how she was able to sell her kid’s items and buy clothes/toys/furniture for
the upcoming season (and sometimes beyond) without even spending a dime. I went to the
sale and was amazed by the organization and cleanliness of it all. It was exciting to be able to
browse through all the deals and know that I was not only getting great bargains on high quality
used items but also helping families within the community out. It was very easy to shop and
it was so nice to have everything I could ever need all in one location. The more I began to
understand about the sale, the stronger my desire became to start a sale in Anchorage. I love
watching the community come together and help each other save money as their kids outgrow
their stuff. It is an even bigger bonus to serve the community and local outreach programs by
being able to connect unsold unwanted items to families and kids in need. I couldn’t wait to
get home and start a similar program, blessing the community and families in Anchorage…and
that’s how Hand Me Ups was born.

Is it only kids clothes for sale?

No, It’s definitely not only kid’s clothes. The sale is for anything maternity, baby, or child related
from birth to teen. We accept toys, furniture, clothes, outdoor equipment, sports equipment,
books and everything in between. If it has to do with pregnancy or children, we can accept it at
the sale.

How does this all work? Can anyone sell their clothes?

Basically, Hand Me Ups provides the venue , handles the advertising and marketing, provides
racks, tables and equipment, handles the organization of items by gender, size and equipment
for easy shopping, handles all monetary transactions so sellers don't have to deal with bounced
checks or credit card fees, haggling, meeting with strangers or the hassle of hosting a garage
sale and... we do it for a small percentage of the items that sell! We charge a small percentage
of just 35% for consignors and as little as 25% for volunteers. All someone wanting to sell
their stuff has to do is register, hang &, tag their items by pricing them at what THEY want to
sell them at and we do the rest! Sellers do not have to be present at all during the 4 whole
day event. All the items received from sellers are placed in an organized, clean and fun
environment with lots of exposure by being in front of over 500 families in the community.
Sellers receive a check at the end of the event for all their sold items. EVERYONE that has
stuff relating to kids is welcome to become a consignor.

How much money could I make?

The amount you could make at a sale like this is endless. In the lower 48 there are folks who
make a living by finding really good deals and then reselling them at consignment sales like
Hand Me Ups. If you have 1,000 items to sell or 100, you are welcome to join us. We had
checks cut for $50 up to $1000 at the last sale in April. The money is only limited by the amount
of items you bring in and what you price those items at.

What happens if my clothes don’t sell?

If your items don’t sell, you have two great options. #1, you can pick up those items at the end
of the sale and try to sell them another way. If it doesn’t sell, you don’t pay any percentage.
#2, you can choose to donate those unsold items to local community outreach programs and
charities to help families in the Anchorage community that need it most.

So basically I can sell my used kids clothes at your sale, set my own prices and make some
cash without having a garage sale? I love this idea!

If you want a chance to win a 25 dollar gift certificate for use at the upcoming consignment sale (NEXT WEEK!!)  you need to hop on over to facebook and like Hand Me Ups (www.facebook.com/handmeupsllc). Then come back here and leave a comment on this post so you
will be entered to win. Already like them on Facebook?? Then simply leave a comment stating that and you’ll be entered. Good Luck! Contest ends Wednesday at HIGH NOON winner announced on Thursday and you can pick up your winning certificate at the Hand Me Ups sale when you go.




Peace and Love--



 

Dried Soup Starter

Last February or March I bought a FLAT of celery, that's 72 celery plants. I'm not really sure why, but I did it. I worked my tail off to keep them alive so I could get them in the ground come May, some 3-4 months later. I had so much a friend asked if we were planning an Amish wedding, WHAT? I'd never heard of celery at an Amish wedding. She informed me it was a prominent part of Amish weddings. I looked it up, it's true, they use it for decorations and eating. Hunh learn something new every day.

Well, in fact, we are not planning an Amish wedding I simply bought an entire flat of celery. Well that celery has come home to roost. We've eaten celery six ways to Sunday. I've made broth with it. I've frozen broth and I still have celery left. It was literally planted every where! It's pretty dang tough too, it survived a few good deep killing frosts. I finally decided to start dehydrating it so it would go away and I would stop feeling guilty for letting sit out there in the cold.


I simply washed and dried the celery and carrots. I roughly cut the celery into 1-2 inch chunks and laid them in the dehydrator, I filled half of the dehydrator with celery. I then ran the carrots through the food processor fitted with the chopping blade. When they were chopped pretty finely I spread them out on the other half of the dehydrator. Then I simply turned on the dehydrator and walked away.


I checked every few hours after the initial 12 hours to see if they were dry. When they were crispy I turned off the dehydrator and let them cool completely. Then it was back to the food processor they went. I pulsed them a few good times and then let it run for about 30 seconds. That's it. I poured them into a jar and popped them in the pantry. Instant flavor anytime every time even when I don't have time.

before grinding

after grinding

Peace and Love--



 

Just Another Meatless Monday

We are a family of roasted veggie lovers. It can't be denied we love them best roasted, no matter what kind, no matter what season we'd prefer them roasted. Ask us to pick our favorite and we reminisce on the last roasted veggie we consumed to figure it out. I don't think I've roasted a vegetable that we do not like, correct me if I'm wrong. That happened once, I think, ha!

I'm sure I've explained my boys love of beets before. The, um, biological properties never fail to amaze and delight small people around our home. In fact it seems to up the love of beets and I can never make enough to satisfy. I've taken to roasting a couple pounds at a time to have them on hand for snacking or quick weeknight dinners. Or this simple weekend lunch salad. I love pulling out pre-cooked ingredients and whipping up a quick meal.

Roasted Beet Salad

4 large roasted beet
4-6 hard boiled eggs
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp good vinegar, apple cider works well here
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon mustard(optional)

peel the roasted beets
slice and plate them-1 beet per plate
peel the eggs, chop coarsely and set aside
mix the remaining ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste
pour over the beets
divide the eggs evenly over the beets
serve immediately

Gee now I want roasted beets! Better get some roasted up so we can have salad again.











Peace and love--

 

The Penny Worthy Project

I guess I've never been to a proper estate sale before. Are they always so disconcerting? I have trouble wandering around a house that someone spent their last days in. I hope I can get past it because on the other hand I loved having everything to look through. I'm very torn about them, do you like estate sales? Do you find them creepy?


 I found some wonderful things this whether or not I found the sale creepy and disconcerting.

ooohhhh vintage DescoWare YES!! all for me no reselling involved here. This is a smaller french oven style about the perfect size for a nice chicken. We happen to have nice chickens we need to cook up in this baby, dang roosters anyway.



another little piece--unmarked not sure of the brand Le Creuset or DescoWare one of the two.

I found a GREAT set of RenaWare--these have an awesome sell through rate and I will be listing them soon.

Found packing supplies

and envelopes for shipping. I ship a lot of things in manilla envelopes, really saves on shipping BUT you need to pack it well with bubble wrap.

MEGA kettle, present for someone shhhhhh.

Video cassettes, sell well too. YEAH.

 May be the coolest canisters EVER.

YES?? I love them and I think I might keep them. If I do I have to use them, I can't just keep them because.












Peace and Love--