Tube Beef or Not To Beef

Tube Beef or Not Tube Beef

This is one of my favourite beef stew recipes...........it is not your typical traditional beef stew like your Mother or Grandmother use to make. If I want to shed a few pounds....I know I blah, blah, blah.......I dig out my low calorie recipes and start whipping them up. This is one of them.
This has a sort of sweet and sour taste and while it is roasting the aroma is amazing.
.........it come from a cook book called "The Looney Spoons" by the Podleski sisters Janet and Greta. They are two sisters who come from Canada and have three cookbooks out on the best seller lists and their own TV show......which is comical in a way to watch, very entertaining. What I love about their recipes is that they cut down calories and substitute items.
I know the picture doesn't do it justice and looks like a bunch of mush....but it is very yummy. :-)))

Tube Beef or Not To Beef
Source; From Looneyspoons by The Podleski Sisters.
Serves 6.

1 1/4 pounds beef stew meat



28 ounces canned tomatoes -- cut up


6 ounces tomato paste


3 cups sliced mushrooms


1 cup chopped onions


2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium


2 tablespoons brown sugar


2 tablespoons white vinegar


2 teaspoons low sodium beef bouillon powder


2 cloves garlic -- minced


1 teaspoon dry mustard


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1/2 teaspoon pepper


1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


10 ounces pasta......any choice (I use penne, rigatoni or spaghetti)

 Preheat oven to 350



Trim all visible fat from beef. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Arrange beef in a small roaster or a large casserole dish.


Combine remaining ingredients, except rigatoni, in a large bowl. Mix well and pour over beef.

Cover and bake 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, until beef is very tender.

Stir halfway through cooking time.


During last 15 minutes of cooking time, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Serve hot beef and sauce over pasta


Per Serving:
422 Calories; 9g Fat (20.2% calories fromfat); 30g Protein; 55g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 692mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Today I'm linking to: FOODIE FRIDAY at designsbygollum.blogspot.com

Crabapple Trees

 I have a few 'crabapple' trees in my backyard.........they are roughly almost 50 years old.

Every spring we get to enjoy a few days of these gorgoeus breath-taking pink spring flowers. In the summer pretty leaves with the crabapples.

But........in the fall it is very messy and bushels and bushels of crabapples we have to pick up off the ground. Mostly we enjoy it as it is like a buffet for the lil' critters that live in our yard. Every bird that is indigenous to our area flies over for a nibble.......we even have seen a few hawks around also. The squirrels well.... they are very busy there all year round. Most of all the resident Raccoon has all his meals around the crabapple tree daily.........I've also seen "Alvin' the Chipmink running around there but not sure if he or she  munches on them. So I hope you enjoy my photo's of my crabapple trees in my backyard.

I'm linking to

www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

for Outdoor Wednesday.
and
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
for Three or More

Thanks for stopping by.

Turkey, Cesme, Blue Monday

This is the town of Cesme in Turkey......which means fountain in the Ottoman days because of the many fountains around the city. It is a very popular summer resort area and gets quite populated during the summer season.

 Blue waters.......

 Blue skies....and waters.

 This part of the town is like a small fishing village. Every morning the fisherman bring in their catches of the day and sell them off. Mostly this town has a lot of restaurants and that's from where most buyers are from.
During the summer season this town has thousands of tourists because it has great beaches and lots of great hotel resorts......fabulous daily bazaars, lots of old ruins, great restaurants and night life and antiquities to visit.

Today I'm linking to "BLUE MONDAY".

Thank you for visiting.

Church Icon

Today I'm linking to "BLUE MONDAY"

BLUE Church ICON

Since this is Easter Monday I thought I would post this painting of The Virgin Mary.........it's in a Ukrainian Orthodox church that I went to for Easter. I've always loved this turquoise blue background.

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your day and be sure to visit the other participants at Smiling Sally.

Happy Easter

"HAPPY EASTER"

He is not here,

for

He has risen.

Matthew 28:6

Happy Easter to All my Friends!

Easter Eggs

Wishing eveyone a very "HAPPY EASTER"

Here I am all set up ready to colour my 6 dozen eggs..........yes 6 dozen. Seems like a lot but I hand them out to family members.........and then we have them for Easter dinner. We also take an Easter basket to church with eggs, ham, butter, salt, horseradish, Paska (Easter Bread)....to be blessed.........every year a few hundred people show up all with their baskets. Then on Easter Sunday morning the family gathers together for breakfast and we eat the contents of the basket. One of my sister in laws is Polish and she also does the same tradition.....so we all come together. After we have the big easter dinner with the works.
One day at this time of year I would like to visit the Ukraine which I've never been to. To see how Easter is celebrated there.........but being 3rd generation Canadian we still keep some traditions.




"EASTER EGGS"

Every Easter since I can remember I have coloured Easter eggs...........I'm of a Ukrainian background and it is very important tradition to colour eggs.

This tradition is very old and its beginnings reach back to antiquity. During ancient times people developed all sorts of myths which the egg perceived as the source of life.......like the universe and the sun.

All though many similar myths are found in many cultures of the world......Ukrainians today are one of the few groups of people who still strongly adhere to many of the ancient traditions associated with the Easter Egg.

Coloured and drying...then put out nicely.

These are hard boiled eggs with a sleeve that adheres when put into boiling water.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Today I'm linking to "BLUE MONDAYS".

I have to show this "BLUE" picture first.......my Sister-in-law sent this. It's in Bodrum, Turkey. I just look at the photo and dream and dream, wishing I could be there......with the warm temperatures. I think with this wintery, snowy, cold and damp weather I'm ready for some warm temperatures. But then I do like living in a country with 4 seasons.

Ukrainan Easter Egg Collection

Since Easter is around the corner I thought I would post my Ukrainian Easter Eggs with the gorgeous BLUE background..........this Easter Egg display is dear to me because it was from my Dad who passed away 5 years ago.

When I was a younger kid I liked to play with the Easter egg collection and probably I broke more then one, so when my Dad saw this he bought it for me. I now have it hanging in my den as a reminder of my Dad.

I never did learn how to make these eggs........well I did go for a few classes but never continued. I guess other things were just in the way. Now if I go to a church bazaar I just pick up one or two to add to my collection during the spring. They are a very labour intense job to decorate and take up a lot of time.

Thank you for stopping by.

Potato Croquettes

POTATO CROQUETTES



Ingredients;

4 potatoes (2lbs.) peeled and cubed
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cups dry breadcrumbs
Veggie oil for frying

Directions;

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cover and cook potatoes and garlic for 15 minutes till tender.............drain.

Using a potato masher, mash potatoes adding butter, salt and pepper....let cool completely.

Stir in 1 egg and flour.

Form by 2 Tbsp. into 12 cylinders....or 1 Tbsp. into 24.

In a shallow dish, beat remaining 2 eggs. Place breadcrumbs in a second shallow dish.

Dip one at a time, into egg mixture then roll into breadcrumbs to coat. Place on a baking sheet.

In a large saucepan or deep fryer heat about 1 1/2" oil til deep fryer reaches 350 deg. or 1 cube of white bread turns golden in 30 seconds.

Fry croquettes in batches for about 4 minutes or til golden.

Drain on paper towel........

****Can be made for up to 24 hours ahead......reheat at 425 deg. F. for 7 minutes til crispy.
****I used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, gives it a better flavour.

Thanks for stopping by.

Turkish Beet Salad

If you didn't like beets.........you might want to try this recipe. It might change your taste buds to actually like beets. I grew up on beets being from a Ukrainian background my Baba made the famous Beet Borscht soup. Also a popular salad from beets called 'Vinaigrette' [Vinigret] a Ukrainian Beets Salad which is very popular there. I still yet have to visit the Ukraine at least once. Today I'm focusing on a Turkish recipe......I fell in love with this Beet salad when my sister/in/law made it. This dish is made very often as a side during the winter months in Turkey, but I like it during the summer also as it is refreshing and cool with that tangy taste. I might add it is very healthy and easy to make.

Beet Salad

4 to 5 beets

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp. mayonaise

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. vinegar or fresh lemon juice 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried mint

salt to taste

Scrub and wash beets to remove any dirt and roots. Put into a saucepan and simmer about 1 hour till done. Poke them to make sure they are fork tender. Cool beets....then peel. Using a hand grater or food processor grate them. When I use a hand grater I wear plastic disposable gloves so my hands won't be red...... the processor is faster and cleaner. Place the beets into a bowl and add yogurt, garlic, Olive Oil, vinegar or lemon juice, mayonaise, dried mint and salt to taste.........Mix well to marry all the ingredients. Keep in fridge for 1 hour at least so the flavours can mingle together for a better taste. Serve cold as a side dish to any meats. Today I'm linking to; "FOODIE FRIDAY" "FOOD ON FRIDAYS" "FRIDAY POTLUCK" Thanks for stopping for a visit.