Coconut Beef Stew

Ready for a super-quick, super-easy recipe?

On December 31st I put together a new-to-me stew

that is fantastic.  Yeah, that's right, I'm braggin'.

I started with ground beef and chopped mushrooms

(in quarters) dumped into the slow cooker. 

I cooked that on high until the beef was cooked through

and then poured off the excess fat. 

I then added in diced onions, peppers, and celery.

I sprinkled a heavy dose of peppersteak seasoning on top

and left it to cook again. 

Once everything was thoroughly cooked

I added most of a can of coconut milk. 

I also added some garlic and some more peppersteak

seasoning 'cause I like it hot. 

It really doesn't need to be cooked anymore,

mostly the milk just needs to heat.

And there you have it.  Wasn't that simple? 

 The coconut milk gives it such a subtle sweetness

that is the perfect complement to the heat of the spices.

I might break the ground beef up into smaller chunks

next time, but for a first try they weren't that bad as is. 

Before I put the excess away I added another dollop

of coconut milk and a sprinkle of shredded coconut. 

You think I'm crazy, right?  It was so good though! 

Here it is reheated with the additional ingredients. 

The coconut milk gives just the right consistency

- not too watery, not too thick. 

I asked Tom what I should call it and he said, "Nom!" 

I think we have a winner.

~~~~~~~

I'm linking to these parties this week!

75% Off? Don't Mind if I Do.

I managed to get in a little bit of post-Christmas clearance shopping today and I wasn't even looking.  I was at the grocery store and all of the Christmas decorations were 75% off. 

How do you say no to that?

 

Tom says it's easy to say no to that. 

Good thing he wasn't there.

First I found these shatterproof ornaments.  12 balls for 94 cents. 

Regularly $4 and $5.  I scooped up 4 of those.

I love that there are so many different patterns and textures. 

Then I found some snowball ornaments.  14 for $1.44. 

 Ahhhhh, the fluffy! I just want to pet them.

And finally some little glitter ornaments in different shapes

for $1.44 - 24 in a pack.

Look at all that shiny just waiting to spread the love.

And the glitter apparently.

So not bad, right?  All this for $6.64.

Can you guess what colour scheme I'm going with next year?

~~~~~~

Christmas Has Gone to the Dogs

Let's take a little break from crafting. 

We let the dogs open their own gifts on Christmas Day.  Here are the "kids" waiting to get started.  About as close as we got to a family portrait.  I'm going to have to start photoshopping myself into these things.

Sasha got right into the gift opening.  She had a very efficient system - rip off piece, turn head, spit out piece, rip new piece.  It was so methodical. Let's see if I can get a video to embed.

Chloe was much more delicate.  She would snuffle it a bit, then if it didn't open by itself, she'd go lay down.

  Sasha was more than happy to help her out.

Thanks Santa:

And a shot of Tom with his favourite gift.

Plus the bread he made with it afterwards (cheese & garlic).

Yesterday (Boxing Day) we travelled to Kinmount to spend the day at my aunt & uncle's cottage.  Even though it was a small group it was still a noisy get-together.  The count was 11 adults and 7 dogs.  Yep, seven. Ranging in age from 3 months to 5 years.  But I've got to say, it was so much fun.

Here is a little photo retrospective of these gorgeous puppies.

Callie on the left and Desi on the right. 

My aunt got a picture of this from the side - not rated PG at all.

 Stella doing her best JLo impression.

This is Ziggy.  She's just pretending she's happy I'm so close to her.

This little sweetheart is Kasey. 

Oh my gosh, am I in love with this puppy! Look at those eyes! 

If I could have snuck her out in my purse I would have.

Trying to get all of the dogs together in one shot. 

The most we ever managed was three. 

Why don't the little 8-pound dogs want to sit beside these guys?

Off to the spa

It turned out to be a long, long day for Kasey.

I think she's happy to be with her new family.

Sweet dreams puppy.