Slow Cooker Night: Balsamic Roast Beef

I think I’ve been upfront with my love of the slow cooker. I try to use it frequently, especially in the winter, for rich, hearty meals that are warm as soon as you are ready to eat them.

This recipe for tender roast beef beautifully seasoned with a balsamic vinegar gravy will most certainly be added to the slow cooker weekly rotation. I love it when I cook a meal, especially one that is simple to prepare, and my family loves it. This is one of those meals- David went back for seconds (and thirds and maybe even fourths!) and, after some convincing that he would be big and strong like Superman if he ate his protein, Jack even seemed to like it (and he doesn’t usually like meat).

This recipe doesn’t even require you to brown the roast before putting it in the slow cooker. All you do is put the roast and the combined liquid ingredients and garlic into the slow cooker…It really is that simple!

I hope your family enjoys it as much as we did!

Balsamic Roast Beef
adapted from Add a Pinch

INGREDIENTS
2 pound boneless beef round roast
1 cup beef broth
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cloves minced garlic

DIRECTIONS
Place roast beef into your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring pitcher, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast beef and then start your slow cooker- cook 7 hours on low heat.

Once roast beef has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs onto a serving dish. Shred the meat using two forks and then ladle ¼ – ½ cup of gravy over the roast beef.

Store remaining gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for another use. I plan to use it for a dinner of portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach and mozzarella cheese…mmmmm!

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Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!

Happy, Happy Christmas from David and I, our own little reindeer, and Sadie (little helper)!
We hope that you have the most joyous and peaceful of seasons and that all of your spirits are merry and bright!
May Santa be good to you all!

Much love, David, Stephanie, Jack, and Sadie

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Happy Birthday, Jessica!

A very happy birthday to my sister (whom I get to see and hug in just THREE days)!
Thank you for “being my person”…we all love you beyond belief!

PS I bought her this cool poster for her birthday! I hope it looks perfect in her Gator-themed TV room!

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I Hope It Gets LOUD

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” – C.S. Lewis

I had no plans to write about the unspeakable tragedy that occurred on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in this space. The thing is, I don’t really know what to say. And, nothing that I do say will bring back the victims, will comfort the survivors, or effect any political change. I am simply another voice that rises up with the wave of others when an incident like this occurs and then quiets down again with time. This is perhaps what scares me worst of all and persuaded me to pen my thoughts this time.

Truth is…I am so angry. I’m sad, of course, but deep down my body is full of rage and fear and more anger about being fearful. I am no expert on gun control or mental health, but the fact is I am so sick of the complete dishonesty behind lines like “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” It’s pretty hard to argue with the news that when a man in China entered a Primary School last Friday with a KNIFE and stabbed 22 children, NO ONE DIED. The truth is guns do kill people. Period.

The Second Amendment has long outlived its purpose. I realize I am in the minority among my fellow citizens and that’s okay. But what is not okay is that ordinary Americans are made to live in fear, to question the safety of schools, to feel the inadequacy of their ability to protect their children. What is not okay is that once again we all are left to wonder how many more children will be killed before any meaningful change takes place.

My hope is that now, rather than next time, the voices of all who can’t bear to watch another Friday begin being heard. I hope we get loud and stay louder.

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Scenes from (MY Birthday!) Weekend

We had so much fun this weekend celebrating my birthday! It really makes a difference when your birthday falls on a weekend day and when you have such wonderful boys, like I do, to spoil you rotten…I feel so lucky!

I came home from work on Friday to find our family birthday banner displayed on our living room wall. It set such a festive mood! We kicked off the weekend with burgers, fries- both regular and garlic fries which have tons of freshly minced garlic and spices mixed throughout-, and eggnog milkshakes from Kidd Valley. Kidd Valley is the Northwest equivalent of Whataburger and I have a soft spot for Whataburger. I love the addition of the fresh, spicy jalapeños I can add to my cheeseburger and the milkshakes are sooooo yummy, especially the eggnog one! We watched Home Alone while we ate dinner and Jack loved it…he was laughing with his mouth wide open and his head thrown back at all the tricks Kevin played on the “bad guys”.

Saturday (my actual birthday) was a perfect day. We took a long, very cold, drizzly winter walk to get coffee and doughnuts from Top Pot Doughnuts. I got an apple fritter (my favorite) which is always perfectly glazed and deliciously crunchy on the outside and gooey with apples and cinnamon swirls inside…mmmmm! The rest of the day was filled with presents (including the very cool red squirrel nutcracker from David’s parents that is equally loved by Jack!), a Greek lunch at Vios, a long nap! (mmhmmm…a deliciously restful 2 hour nap!!! It was awesome!), family, friends, cocktails (a perfectly made French 75) and sushi from Liberty, and a late night!

We spent Sunday at the circus, eating a delicious lunch at Skillet Counter at the Armory in Seattle Center, seeing the model trains and the winter village that Jack wanted to buy and take home (note the village scene was as large as one floor of our home!), and going to the Children’s Museum.

It was a super fun weekend. A perfect birthday…one of my best ones ever.
I hope all of you were having fun too!

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Veggie and Grain Night: Quinoa Veggie “Fried Rice”

Boy, it’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe here. I’ve been cooking (promise.)!

Lately, I’ve had been using a self-made template to create our weekly dinner menu. Instead of having a free-for-all with each day, I’ve decided to incorporate certain menu themes weekly. So, each week we have a slow cooker night, an egg night, pizza night, salad night, and a veggie and grain night. I leave two nights open for going out, leftovers, or recipe inspirations. And, with this type of template, I have direction in the menu planning, but can also be as creative as I want to be.

Last week, for our veggie and grain night, I made quinoa “fried rice”.
I love fried rice- it’s usually one of my choices when we order out for Chinese food- there’s just something about the way the flavors meld together to create a perfectly satisfying dish, but, I don’t often make it because it doesn’t seem that healthy. Using quinoa instead of rice, however, boasted the protein and reduced the carbohydrates, creating a perfectly satisfying AND healthy dish.

Quinoa Veggie “Fried Rice”
adapted from Damn Delicious

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, diced
8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced
Sriracha, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Pour in eggs and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping only once. Let cool before dicing into small pieces.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, and peas. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add cooked quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2-3 minutes.

Add ginger and soy sauce, and gently toss to combine. Cook, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in green onions and eggs.

Serve immediately, drizzled with Sriracha hot sauce, if you like it spicy.

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Our Special Countdown to Christmas!

There have been so many lovely advent calendar ideas floating around this year (like this one designed like a woodland scene found in the magazine Nido , this one of gold paper and lights so beautifully crafted by Famille Summerbelle, a special one just for daddy made by a super crafty mama, and this one made of small boxes used by one of my best friends with her 3 year old son).

I grew up with an advent calendar…it was a cloth one that hung in the kitchen. Inside each cloth square was a little treat (and on our birthdays- my sister and I both celebrate in December- was a bigger treat) and a small mouse marked the day once the treat was removed (and usually eaten). I’m also partial to the paper ones filled with bits of chocolate (why is the chocolate in them always so good?!) that we always had at my grandparents house.

I love the tradition of the advent calendar. I love having something, even a wee little something, to discover each day of this magical month. Last year, instead of buying an advent calendar (or making one), we decided to use a special Christmas box that David’s dad made for Jack when he was 1.

Like last year, Jack gets a small gift in his box each day and it’s such a joy to see the smile on his face when he discovers his treat! Most days, he gets a new tiny animal toy, but he’s also received new books, candy, and a wishbone. I love celebrating the holiday with this kiddo!

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Happy December!

I just wanted to pop in to say hello with the hope that this post will open the door to many more waiting to come. Eeeks…it’s been a while! It turns out that I’m not good with balancing life, work, and my blog with a BIG UNEXPECTED MOVE! Unpacking boxes and decorating trumped writing and picture taking. But, now that we are all settled and happy in our wonderful new home, I hope I will be getting back here more often. And, I even hope to have house pictures to share here soon.

I sure hope that each of you are feeling merry and bright this holiday season…I can assure you that we are enjoying ourselves! We’ve been making modeling clay Christmas decorations for the house and drinking egg nog and apple cider like they’re going out of style!

Merry, merry!

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