Beef and Noodles

I don’t know if it’s because
fall is in the air, or it’s just the mood I’m in, but I have been feeling very
domestic lately.

I’ve been reading magazines and cookbooks and finding myself staring off into space, dreaming.
I like to collect pictures and quotes from books and magazines and I paste and/or scribble it all in a scrapbook.

These are some quotes I found the other day from an old issue of “Country Home”:

“Defining “Country”:
*a warm welcome that makes friends and family want to stay
*a simple place to relax and get away, not pretentious

*colors and patterns, vibrant or gentle, that are felt as well as seen
*treasures of a lifetime, whatever brings a smile and evokes a memory
*fondness for the old and a creative touch that blends the new
*the sound of birds and the smell of flowers through an open window
*lots of good food to share” Feb. 1998

And, speaking of food:

I found a fantastic recipe yesterday. It was so satisfying that I danced around the kitchen, provoking wide eyes and a comment from my 3 year old, something about being crazy. I’m thrilled with the recipe because it reminds me of the wonderful, fragrant, homey, and filling Amish cooking I had in Lancaster County, PA.

Beef and Noodles

salt and pepper to taste                         1/2 c. butter
3 to 4 pound beef roast                           3 T. flour
3 T. vinegar                                         3/4 c. cold water
3/4 c. warm water                                16 oz. medium egg noodles,
48 oz. can beef broth                              uncooked

Salt and pepper both sides of the roast; place in a slow cooker. Add vinegar and warm water; heat on low setting all day, about 8 hours. Shred with 2 forks; set aside. Pour broth from slow cooker into a Dutch oven; add beef broth and butter. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer. In a small bowl, whisk flour into cold water; gradually stir into broth mixture. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes; add noodles. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes; stir in shredded beef. Heat until noodles are soft. Serves 6 to 8.

I enjoyed the whole process and put my face down in the pan to smell the wonderfully buttery mix of flavor:

It is good in many ways: smell, touch (the steamy hotness while stirring the broth), taste. . . . .most of all the TASTE!

Antiquing:

I’m starting to go in the direction of antiquing to accessorize my home, instead of buying retail. I like the idea of poking around in shops–old shops, dusty, full of stuff, with the anticipation of finding some used, wonderful thing that I can take home with me. Here are some magazine quotes from a married couple who love to buy antiques for their home and use them in everyday life. I enjoyed their thoughts:

“I don’t want to go crazy if something gets broken. I don’t want to worry about things that much”
“We enjoy everything we have, and we like to look at it every single day”

“I look at things and say, Would it make me happy to look at that every single day? If it will, I’ll probably buy it”
“Cruise, no. Fancy dinner, no. We said, ‘Let’s go antiquing!'”

“We truly put our hearts into working on the house and making it a
wonderful place to live.
Every morning we start out the day sitting on the porch,
watching the geese on the pond.
I have a sign that says, Be Thankful
and every day we say we’re thankful
that we’re here.”

If I have a goal with this blog today, I suppose it would be to inspire. It’s so much fun to enjoy our lives! If boredom has set in, it is very easy to spice things up a bit by trying a new recipe, learning a new skill, reading, or exploring your neighborhoods, local towns, or even the backyard! Redecorate an entire room or simply make a small change. It doesn’t have to cost a thing or take too much time. For example, the other day I washed out a large pickle jar, filled it with pinecones that the kids brought home from grandma’s woods, put the lid on and tied a pretty piece of fabric around the rim. Quick, easy, and satisfying!

ENJOY LIFE

17 thoughts on “Beef and Noodles”

We need to go antiquing together. I wish we had gone through some of the old cookbooks that we left in this house for me. They were Roger’s mom’s. She has some old grange and PTA cookbooks and some have notes written in them. You would have really enjoyed them! I guess I’ll have to save that for our next visit.

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17 thoughts on “Beef and Noodles”

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