Kitchen calling

Cooler weather calls me to the kitchen.    Between the pumpkin cheesecake, the pumpkin muffin mishap (unbelievably I forgot to add milk to the batter) and the banana muffin comeback; I have been cooking up a storm, starting with the Thanksgiving holiday. We cooked the traditional turkey and our beef stuffing.  Ok, ok.. "dressing" not stuffing.  Each year I get a lesson from my father-in-law about not calling it stuffing if it isn't actually cooked IN THE BIRD!

My honey doesn't care as long as I make it.  He is a true carnivore so the 4-meat (beef, bacon, Vienna sausage & ham) ensemble is something he salivates for all year long and when it finally comes is reluctant to let go of (in form of guests taking left overs home).

Each year I get one step closer to writing down the recipe, which I've had every intention of giving to my siblings. I learned it by helping mom & grandma in the kitchen and mostly I "eyeball" it just like they do.



Beef "stuffing"

It's hard to stop and write down a recipe which you only cook once or twice a year. Especially when one is cooking and trying not to kill the other people sharing the stove.  This year I had a little "snap" and declared ONLY TWO PEOPLE AT THE STOVE!!

 It happened when we (me included) kept turning up and down the wrong burners while cooking the Thanksgiving meal: both my in-laws (insisting they help with the cooking), the honey and I reaching to control the burners.

At one point all four had our arms extended reaching for a knob to turn.  I had to send a couple of them away from the stove afraid we would burn part of our feast.  Of course my honey has been enjoying the fruits of my labor no matter the outcome.  I was just telling my mother-in-law about her son.  Any food I put in front of him he will eat it!  As long as he is fed, he is happy!  There has only been one dish I've cooked that he hasn't liked.  He mentioned he didn't care too much for it, and of course at the time still being a new couple it absolutely hurt my feelings.  Now neither one can remember exactly what it was that he didn't like, might have been a "new" recipe" but he has never complained again. 

Anyways, the temperature is dropping and I am already in the mood for stew.  I found a recipe a few years back when I went hunting on the FoodNetwork website for stews that has become my "go to recipe" for winter comfort food. I've modified it a bit to our liking (add mushrooms, reduce wine & onion), but I recomend it.  Just a few more degrees in temperature drop please, I am ready to cook!