Kitchen Connection - Orange Beef and Broccoli

I tried this recipe tonight, and I have to say that it was delicious!  It's only 5 PointsPlus on the Weight Watcher plan, and is super easy.  It's got a little heat and a little sweet to it!  Enjoy.

Orange Beef and Broccoli

1 pound uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, cut into thin strips
2 T. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ginger root, minced
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
2 t. oil
5 c. uncooked broccoli, florets only
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 T. orange zest
1/4 c. orange juice
1 t. cornstarch

Combine the steak, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a large zip-lock bag.  Squeeze out the air and seal; turn to coat.  Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add oil and swirl to coat the pan.  Add the beef and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Transfer beef to a plate.  Add the broccoli and onion to the skillet and stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green, about 3 minutes.

Stir together orange zest, juice and cornstarch in a small cup until smooth.  Add to the skillet.  Stir-fry until the sauce thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute.  Add the beef and stir-fry until heated through.

Finding Inspiration in Your Own Home

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that I purchased a DSLR camera a couple of months ago.  I absolutely LOVE it!  I'm sure my husband, my son and my friends and family are tired of it (let's just say I've taken a lot of pictures in the past two months), but  I'm so happy I bought it!

Ben and Andy were gone this morning (they've started a new tradition by having breakfast up town on Saturday mornings).  I'm always invited, they say, but seeing as breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day, I gladly leave this little tradition to them.  It's good father/son bonding time :) 

Anyway, that leaves me with a couple hours free every Saturday morning...what to do, what to do???  This morning I thought it would be nice to get the camera out and mess around with photo editing.  It's still freezing cold outside, so that shot down the idea of heading out for inspiration.  So, instead, I thought I would look inside my own house...

I love to decorate and repurpose old mason jars with the tin lids

This bowl is from one of the neatest pottery places I know.  It's Bonepart pottery from Bonepart, Iowa.  You can read about the history of it here.

 I found this a few years ago at an antique sale in Ohio.  All I did was add the decals.  I'm thinking you could easily do this to an old window of your own with some chalkboard paint.  Quick and easy!

This is probably one of my favorite pieces in my home.  It's an old tobacco drying basket that I picked up somewhere (probably in Springfield, Ohio if I had to guess).  I just hung it on the wall, and I've loved it ever since.

When we bought our home, this was the door to the outside.  I thought it was so beautiful, but knew that it would not be very weather-proof.  So, we repurposed it as our bathroom door. 

I found this little gem at an antique store in town.  I had to have it, because it reminded me of the one my grandma has (I spent lots of time on her kitchen stool making cookies at her house).  

Kitchen Connection - Zucchini Spaghetti

As promised, here is the recipe for Zucchini Spaghetti.  I can't take the credit for this one, I got it from the Nutri-Medical diet.  It really is very tasty, and very healthy!  Hope you like it!



Zucchini noodles:

6-8 medium zucchini
1 T. olive oil

Cut ends from zucchini.  With a vegetable peeler, or sharp knife, slice the zucchini lengthwise to make "noodles".  I cut mine like matchsticks, but I think next time I'll just use my mandoline slicer and slice them in rounds.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and zucchini and saute until tender-crisp.  Remove from heat and keep warm.

Spaghetti sauce:

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
2 T. tomato paste (I used tomato paste with Italian seasonings in it)
1/2 c. water
1 pkt. Splenda or other sugar substitute
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef with onions and garlic.  Drain off grease.  Add in other ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Serve over zucchini.  Enjoy!

Random Thoughts on a Snowy Night...

It's 8:30 on a Friday night, I've already had dinner, showered, I'm in my PJ's, and am currently whitening my teeth as I write this...don't worry, it's OK to envy my exciting life! :) 

Anyway, do you ever have those days where you just have random thoughts?  Today was one of those days.  It's cold outside, snowing and blowing, and my mind just keeps wandering. 

"Why is my storm door frosted on the inside?  Is that normal?"

"Will this recipe for "zucchini" spaghetti really be as good as it looks?"

"Is my husband REALLY planning our vacation this summer?  I thought that was always my job..."

"What can I do to make my basement more functional?"

These are just a few of the questions that crossed my mind today (and that was in a 60 minute period)!  But, you know what else crossed the path of my brain today? 

"Call Mom, she probably would like to catch up on what's been going on"

"Check in on my sister and see if her girls are feeling better"

"Put a stamp on that card that has been sitting on the counter all week...it will probably do more good in the home of the person it's addressed to!"

"Make sure and read extra books to Ben tonight, since he only got one story last night."

Looking at both lists of random thoughts, I have to think that the second one is a bit more important.  Yes, I am concerned that my storm door is flawed (or maybe it's just the SUB-ZERO weather we're having...yuck)!  And yes, it's true that I would like to make my basement better.  But, between all of these thoughts, I can tell you without a doubt, that it was sure nice to talk to my mom and sister today, and you can bet that Ben's going to get a couple extra stories tonight from this mommy!

I say, let's take time to think about our random thoughts every day...I bet we all have people to call, stories to read, and cards to send...and maybe, if we're lucky, some delicious "zucchini" spaghetti to fix (it actually was pretty tasty, but that's another blog post)!

Good night all!  Happy random thoughts...

Wabash Always Fights!

Last night we were able to go to the Wabash basketball game to watch my cousin, Andy.  Despite a great effort, and a VERY exciting game, Wabash was defeated.  It was still fun to go...it's been a few years since I've had a relative to follow on the college court. 

That's Andy taking the shot

Ben, of course, was super excited to go.  He loves anything to do with basketball (or as he sometimes calls it "the hoopin basket")!  I think the high energy, fast pace of college ball (thank you, shot clock) keeps him focused more on the game and less on the fact that he "needs" popcorn the whole time.

Hopefully this will just be the first of many games we go to.  Andy's got a few years left, so I'm sure we'll get to see plenty more "hoopin basket"!

Basement Transformation

Our basement underwent a transformation last night.  We now are the proud owners of a working Lionel train set.  Andy's parents got this train for Andy back in 1989, and he never opened it and put it together.  So, this Christmas, they wrapped it up (they had kept it all these years) and gave it to Ben. 

Needless to say, he LOVED it!

Ben has quite an infatuation with trains.  We thought the best place for this train would be in the basement.  We have a mini-gym in the basement, and when we work out, Ben has to be right down there with you (usually he wants to be on the treadmill...not very safe, let me tell ya)! 

So, now when we're down there, Ben has something to keep him occupied...and keep him occupied, it does!  He begs to go downstairs from sun up to sun down.  The first words out of his mouth when he wakes up are "can I go down to the basement and play with my train"!  I'd say this 20+ year old gift was a hit :)

Stepping into the New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  It's 2012, and our family is excited to see what is in store for us over the next 12 months.  They'll be a couple vacations, LOTS of visits to Grandma Debbie's, time spent in tractors and the combine, warm summer days in the pool, get togethers with friends, and hopefully many, many wonderful memories. 

So, our family is stepping into the new year with smiles on our faces and happy hearts (even if it means stepping into snow).  We hope you'll all do the same!  Enjoy the new year :)