Recipes!

I don't post a lot of recipes on here. It has nothing to do with my ability to cook. As a matter of fact, I am a pretty darn good cook, if I do say so myself. I won't take the credit for my abilities though. I owe that to my mother.

I love trying new recipes. I love seeing the recipes that others post. So, what's holding me back, you ask? Well, besides the fact that I already spend my quota of computer time doing the blogging thing, it is all because of my lack of photography skills. I can cook food, I just can't take very good pictures of it. And what is a recipe without a picture? I know that I, for one, am much more inclined to try something that has a mouth watering picture to accompany it.

Long story short, I don't really plan on getting in the habit of posting recipes. Tonight, however, while my hubby is asleep on the couch behind me, I will step outside my comfort zone and post not one but TWO recipes! Complete with my sorry attempts at pictures of the finished products.


FIRST: Syrup.
I thought I would post this because it is so easy, it is so much cheaper than store-bought syrup, and it is so much tastier than store-bought syrup.

1 part water
2 parts sugar (brown and/or white, any combination that you like)
1 teaspoon of vanilla (optional)
1 tablespoon of butter (optional)

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 4 minutes. Add vanilla and butter. Stir. Serve over something delicious.

Note: My favorite combination of sugars is 1/2 part white sugar to 1 1/2 parts brown sugar.

How easy is that? Another bonus is that you can pronounce all the ingredients, which I daresay cannot be said of the ingredients in store-bought syrup.

SECOND: Beef Stroganoff Sandwiches


1 loaf of french bread
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
worchestershire sauce, to taste
salt
pepper
butter
sweet pepper (any color you like), sliced
tomatoes, sliced
cheese (choose your favorite kind), grated

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut bread in half lengthwise. Butter. Place halves back together. Wrap in foil and place in the oven. In the meantime, add garlic and onions to pan with olive oil. Cook until onions are tender. Add ground beef. Cook thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Add worchestershire sauce (I usually use about 1-2 tablespoons), milk, and sour cream. Stir until warm but not boiling. Take bread out of the oven and unwrap. Switch oven to broil. Place the two halves on a cookie sheet. Evenly distribute beef mixture on the two halves. Place peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkle cheese on top. Place in oven until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Note: All measurements on ingredients are flexible. I make this recipe from memory so I just eyeball it. If you want more or less of something, be my guest!

Note II: I was just thinking that if you like mushrooms that would probably be really good. I, for one, abhor mushrooms so I would never add them and also have no idea how to cook them. If you like mushrooms though you might want to give it a try.

Note III: When I make this for just Brandon and I, I halve the recipe and only use about 1/3 of the loaf of bread.

There you have it. Two recipes. If you try them, I would love to hear about it! Happy cooking.