What could be better than walking into your kitchen to a pot full of delicious Soup, Stew, or Chili? The fact that it has been simmering for hours in your slow cooker or crockpot! Try this classic French Onion Soup, Italian Sausage Vegetable Stew or a Pork With Beans Chili Verde. All are delicious and easy!
A CLASSIC – FRENCH ONION SOUP
1/4 cup butter
3 large yellow onions, sliced
1 cup dry white cooking wine
3 can (approx. 14-oz each) beef (or chicken) broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 thick slices French bread, toasted
4 oz shredded Swiss cheese
Fresh thyme or parsley for garnish, if desired
In a large skillet, over high heat, melt the butter; add the onions and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned. Stir in the wine.
In a slow cooker or crockpot, combine the onion mixture from the skillet with the broth, thyme, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Place lid on cooker and cook for 4 to 5 hours on low setting.
To serve, ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, top with one of the toasted bread slices and the cheese. Garnish with the thyme or parsley, if desired.
ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLE STEW
1 lb Italian sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pkg (16-oz) frozen vegetable mix of onion, and colorful bell peppers
1 can (14.5-oz) diced Italian-style tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 jar (4.5-oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp basil
Brown the sausage in a large skillet; drain.
Add the sausage to a slow cooker or crockpot along with the frozen vegetables, tomatoes with the juice, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic. Place lid on cooker and cook on low setting for around 4 hours until zucchini is tender.
Stir the basil into the tomato paste; stir mixture into the other ingredients in the cooker. Replace the lid and cook another 30 to 45 minutes until the juices have thickened.
Yield: 6 cups
Note: Goes great with Italian or Garlic Bread.
PORK WITH BEANS CHILI VERDE
3/4 to 1 lb boneless lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (15-oz) Great Northern Beans
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb tomatillos, coarsely chopped
1 can (14 to 15-oz) chicken broth
1 can (4-oz) diced mild green chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
Sour cream for serving
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned on all sides.
In a slow cooker or crockpot combine the cooked pork with the beans, onion, garlic, tomatillos, chicken broth, green chilies, and ground cumin; place lid on cooker and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently press the meat against the side of the cooker with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to shred. Reduce the heat of the cooker to low. Stir the cilantro into the cooker and cook for 10 minutes on low.
Serve with the sour cream.
Yield: 4 servings.
Enjoy!
For more of Linda’s crockpot/slow cooker recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com
She also shares her quick and easy recipes at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com
Author: Linda Carol Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Tue, May 1 2012 » Cooking » No Comments
The Syrah is a type of grape that is known to produce the world’s most powerful red wines. Wines made from this grape are some of the world’s most popular; it’s the 7th most grown grape in the entire world, and it’s because it is very useful in many ways. Syrah is perhaps best known for the fabulous wines that it produces. Most commonly, it is used to make a very dry red table wine that can be either blended or varietal, depending on the preference and situation. When it comes to syrah wines, there are four main uses that are most common.
The first wines are Varietal Shiraz. This style of wine is known as Hermitage wine and is very common in either Rhone or Australian Shiraz. Syrah can also be blended into a very small amount of Viognier, a type of grape. This style of wine is called Côte-Rôtie and is commonly found in Rhone. In another type of syrah wine, syrah is used as what’s called a “blending component” in Cabernet Sauvignon, and it is then blended in Australia, where it’s branded with the name of Shiraz-Cabernet. And last but not least of the syrah wines, there is the Grenache and Mourvedre. Syrah is used as a minor blending component and the wine is then blended using a traditional style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape; the blend is most commonly known as GSM in Australia.
Syrah is also used in small amounts in many other, non-syrah wines. Rose wine, Port wine, sparking red wine and fortified wine are all examples of wines that can be blended using small amounts of syrah grapes. This is interesting because typical Australian Shiraz is supposed to have some sweetness, but many Australian winemakers choose to include syrah as well to add. In fact, many choose instead to ignore the Australian norm and make these wines on their own – the full-bodied sparkling Shiraz wine that is then produced is dry and contains complexity and earthy notes. Like some other wines, syrah wines truly taste their best when they are allowed to age for a time. In fact this aging process can last up to 15 years or more. Its recommended wine serving temperature is around 65°F.
Syrah wines are noted for being full-bodied and have a very powerful flavor. Because they can be used in so many different ways, there is a very wide range of flavors. It all depends on things like where it was grown, the condition and type of the soil it was grown in and countless other factors that can range from the weather one year to how a specific winemaker chooses to lay out his vines. There is no typical aroma for syrah wines; in fact, many people not everything from berries to black pepper to espresso and even chocolate.
Syrah wine bottles can be a bit hard to decipher, as most wines in Australia are labeled as Shiraz. It’s European wines that get labeled as syrah wines. And in other countries, it’s even harder to decipher became the labels differ there, too. They are able to choose the label based on their own personal judgment. Most often wines that get labeled as syrah wines are the ones that have a taste that’s similar to most Northern Rhône red wines. Syrah wines are known for many things: they have a lot of flavor and their tastes can vary greatly. They go along well with most meals that one wishes to have them in, making them an ideal wine for most who like their dry tastes.
David Cowley has created numerous articles on Wines. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to wine information. Visit http://www.wine-team-usa.com.
Author: David Cowley
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Sun, April 29 2012 » Cooking » No Comments
I saw her at the mall the other day. You know…the woman with perfectly coiffed hair, a size four waist, and clothes with labels that do not come from Target, Wal Mart or TJ Maxx. I couldn’t stop myself from staring as she browsed the housewares department with her kiddos all in a row. If I was a betting woman, I would say her nails had recently been manicured, her hair freshly blown-out and that her handbag cost more than we spend on groceries in a month (and with a family of six, that says something.) I allowed myself to get lost in the moment and travel to the land of “if only.” If only I made it a priority to get my hair done every month… If only I spent money on my clothes instead of on things for the house…If only I sucked it up and wore what looked great instead of what is most comfortable and most stain resistant…
I stood completely still, watching, for what seemed like hours. I couldn’t stop looking at her beautiful skin, perfect makeup, and fit body. She couldn’t be much younger than me, I mused. She had three kids trailing along behind her-behaving wonderfully, I might add-and yet she had it all together.
I had a silent debate with myself as I gawked at her. I bantered with my alter ego back and forth about what she was like; snobby, nice, shy, outgoing, caring, aloof. I made terrific assumptions about what her husband did for a living, what her house looked like, and in which neighborhood she lived. I imagined when she left she would drive off in a Mercedes or an Escalade. I watched her children follow her quietly; never once pinching, hitting or whining.
It was utterly fascinating.
The spell was broken when my daughter threw a hay-maker at my son and a full-blown wrestling match ensued. I pulled my gaze away to referee my children, administer the necessary threats to ensure good behavior (no candy at checkout and no Sprout television when we get home) and offer a hasty glance in the mirror at my stay-at-home mom’s uniform of knit pants, long-sleeved t-shirt, ponytail, and naked face. By the time I looked back in Super Mom’s direction, she was gone.
I couldn’t get her off my mind as I finished my shopping, corralled my children and headed for our minivan. I couldn’t help but wonder where she was headed; lunch with the girls, to the club for some tennis, or out to dinner with her husband while the kids stayed with a sitter-all things that rarely, if ever, happen in my day-to-day world.
As I was buckling what felt like a hundred seat belts and laying the ground rules for the drive home (sit quietly in your seat and keep your hands to yourselves), my son interrupted my spiel by calling out, “Mommy!” Still lost in my self-deprecating thoughts brought about by a woman whom I didn’t know, had never met and probably never would, I absentmindedly answered. “Yes?”
“I love you.”
And there it was: the only reassurance I needed that while I may not wear expensive clothes in single digit sizes, carry a bag that costs the same as our monthly mortgage, or live in a house with enough bathrooms for all of us to have our own, I am living the dream. My dream.
I have four beautiful, healthy children who think the sun rises and sets by me, a husband who works hard to provide for our family so that I can stay home with our babies, and peanut butter flavored kisses any time I want. What could be better than that?
Most days, I realize the awesome life I lead lovin’ on my family, working at my church, picking up toys, changing diapers, refereeing fights, cooking seventeen meals a day, and kissing away boo-boos! In my “free” time I blog about the craziness of this thing I call my life at http://www.mandypmommyof4.blogspot.com
Author: Mandy Pagano
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Tue, April 24 2012 » Random » No Comments
Wines are becoming more and more popular every day. Many people drink a large variety of wines with their lunches or dinners. Many people even use it to cook. Wines are not easy to produce, or store, however. It can cost thousands of dollars to purchase and adequately store wines. And it takes months to produce a wine from start to finish because the grapes that make them have to be grown first. That doesn’t take into account the aging process, which can take years; some wines taste better if they are allowed to ferment over long periods of time. Because so much goes into producing wines and they cost so much, it makes sense that people want to choose the right ones – and in many cases, varietal wines are the way to go.
To put it simply, these wines are wines that are produced primary from one single grape variety. Many wines are actually a mix of different types of grapes. However, varietal wines are wines that are produced using only one single type of grape – and varietal wines are very common. They typically use the most popular types of grapes. In fact, in many places like California, varietal wines are the most commonly purchased. California boats a large selection of varietal wines for sale. These include both red and white varietal wines. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Gewürztraminer are examples of white varietal wines and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah are examples of varietal red wines.
Many people confuse the term vine variety with the term varietal – when one refers to variety, they are referring to the vine or grape but the phrase varietal refers to the actual wine that is produced by said variety. That’s why one can use the term varietal in conjunction with cider made from the same type of apple. It’s easy to confuse the term because they are related but they do not mean the same thing; bottles will display the name if their variety on them. Varietal wines are usually thought to have a stronger flavor than others because they are made up of only one main component.
However, varietals are labeled differently from country to country. Australia, for instance, has entirely shifted over from labeling their bottles with “claret” “hock” or “Chablis” to the typical varietal wine system. Interestingly, this allowed the interest in alternative varietal wines to truly take hold in Australia. In Europe, for a wine to be called a varietal wine it has to contain at least 85% of that variety; some national limits might place that restriction higher but not lower. In France, wines typically do not have any variety listed at all; champagne is an example of a blend of three separate types of grapes but the labels there do not indicate this fact at all. Now, varietal labels have become more common but they are far from widespread.
Here in the United States, a wine only has to be composed of 75% varietal content for one group of wine, the Vitis vinifera wines, and 51% for the Vitis labrusca wines. These two terms refer to the region where the grape was grown, so that’s how the wines are divided into those categories. However, many states require specific compositions when a wine is sold under a particular label. In Oregon, for example, some wines are required to be composed of 95% of a grape variety. Varietal wines are some of the most popular in the world. Their pure flavor is very pleasing to most consumers, which explains their ever growing popularity.
David Cowley has created numerous articles on Wines. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to wine information. Visit http://www.wine-team-usa.com
Author: David Cowley
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Tue, April 24 2012 » Cooking » No Comments