Osso Buco Stew

This is one of my husband's favorites and it's perfect for a cold, rainy day! It's easy to make and really, really delicious! I used beef rather than veal or lamb but you can choose your favorite meat.
Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into small chunks (I use a beef roast - it's cheaper that way)
4 T olive oil (you can use any oil)
1/4 cup white rice flour (this also makes it gluten free)
Coarse ground salt and pepper to taste
2 cups stock or broth (you can use chicken or beef)
1 chopped onion, small
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 stalks chopped celery
4 large carrots, sliced
1 T thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (you can used canned tomatoes if you want)

• You can make this in a crock pot but I like to use a large dutch oven pan for mine. 
• Heat oil in a skillet or the dutch oven pan. Using a gallon size baggie, pour the flour with some salt and pepper into the baggie and place the cut meat in the baggie and shake. 
• Add the meat to the hot oil and brown for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. 
• Add enough veggies (except the tomatoes) to cover the meat. Top with the tomatoes, then pour the stock over the top. Cover with the lid.
• I cooked mine in the oven at 300F for 3 hours or until the meat was tender, I turned it down to 250F for about an hour (yes, late husband). 
• You can also cook this on the stove in your covered dutch oven pan on low, simmer for 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender.
• If you are making this in a crock pot, cook on low for about 6-8 hours or about 3-4 hours on high.

I served this with fresh, homemade dinner rolls made from Simply Sweet Homemade Buns recipe, listed on our Popular Posts section. You can serve this over rice, biscuits, polenta, or potatoes. Enjoy!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Mantel Decorating

On an earlier blog I posted a similar idea for decorating a wall in my daughters room.  I wanted to show how this idea can be used in other spaces. I am always decorating and moving things around in my house but I always have a hard time finding just the right thing for my fireplace mantel. I have several pictures around the room and because the fireplace is the focal point of the room, I wanted something a little bit different. 
I used jute because it goes with the decor of the room. You can use what you have, like yarn, string, rope, etc. I used tacks to hold it up on each side of the fireplace. Look around your house for unusual items, pictures, postcards, etc. to display.  I had a bonnet from my Grandma, a baby shirt that was my Grandpa's, a letter someone wrote and some family pictures. This is a good way to get those family heirlooms out of a closet or drawer and use them for a display. It can be changed seasonally or updated as often as you like.  Happy decorating!

~Simply Angie

Lemon Buttercream Cupcakes

My cupcake baking days have arrived! I am baking more than 200 cupcakes for our upcoming graduation party and only the best tasting cupcakes will be chosen! So if you have a great cupcake recipe please share it! I am making chocolate cupcakes (previously posted) because it is our favorite, really moist and oh so chocolately! Today I made lemon cupcakes and I have a feeling, upon the approval of the graduating princess, these will be chosen. I personally loved loved loved them; they are moist, not too tart but still taste like lemon with a hint of buttery goodness!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used our homemade yogurt previously posted)
I used my stand mixer and combined the butter and white sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in the lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Then start adding the dry ingredients and alternate with the yogurt. I just mixed it on speed 2 until the batter was smooth. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full - I used a cookie scoop heaping full. (Hint: I always use aluminum muffin pans because they bake so evenly, I never use the dark non-stick pans because they seem to get too dark on the bottoms for my taste). Bake at 350F for about 28 minutes or until you touch the tops and they don't leave a dent. Place on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes, then cool completely before you frost them. Makes about 35 cupcakes.
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 T lemon juice (I squeezed 1 lemon)
1 tsp lemon zest
3 T half-n-half or milk
colored sugar for decoration is optional
Mix butter and powdered sugar, then add liquid ingredients until frosting is smooth. You can use a decorator bag or just use a knife to frost your cupcakes.
Enjoy your perfect, yummy-licious cupcakes!

 

 












Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Baked Donuts

I made these donuts this weekend and they were delicious, but best eaten the same day. The original recipe is from homejoys.blogspot.com

Here's the recipe:

• 2 T yeast
• 1/4 c warm water

Dissolve the yeast in warm water

• 1 1/2 c warm milk
• 1/3 c butter

Add milk and softened butter and stir for one minute

• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t salt
• 1 t nutmeg (I didn't use this)
• 1/4 t cinnamon

Add all ingredients together with above and beat on low speed until smooth

• 4 1/2 -5 c flour

Stir in flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour.

Punch down turn onto a floured surface and roll 1/2 inch thick. Cut donuts and place on greased baking sheet, let rise until doubled. Bake 350 degrees about 12 minutes. This makes between 10-14 donuts. Glaze while warm with powdered sugar glaze.  

The glaze:

3 c powdered sugar 

about 1/2 can evaporated milk and a couple tablespoons softened butter. I dipped the donuts in the glaze and added sprinkles.

~Simply Angie