I love Wildfox and I love Opening Ceremony so this disheartens me to see. Wildfox has been using a cat image for quite some time and I don’t believe that Opening Ceremony hasn’t come across it.

Opening Ceremony x Glamour

Wildfox White Cat One Piece

My Siwy Hannah Skinnies in Intense Love are my new favorites. You can pick them up at my place of employment, boutiquetoyou.com.  The color is the perfect medium blue wash and the length perfectly accents my favorite leopard print smoking shoes. 

Growing up, my mom had a staple of about three recipes: pasta, King Ranch Chicken, and beef stroganoff. I love the tangy bite, the sauce, and, most of all, the mushrooms. Here’s the recipe I use now.

1.5 lbs thin beef cut (I use Round Steak Cap Off because it is usually on sale)

1 lb mushrooms 

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 can beef broth

2 Tablespoons corn starch

4 oz cream cheese (I use half of an 8 oz container)

Garlic Salt

Lemon Pepper

1 bag wide egg noodles (cooked according to package), polenta, or mashed potatoes for serving

Freeze the meat for 10 minutes - this makes cutting it super easy. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat with garlic. Slice it into thin strips and season with the garlic salt and lemon pepper. Brown on all sides and remove beef to a plate. Cover with foil and place in the microwave to keep warm. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until they release their water and start looking “cooked.” Add in the can of beef broth saving about 1/3 of it in the can. Mix this 1/3 with corn starch and add to mushrooms. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Return the beef to the pan and continue cooking until sauce has thickened. Stir in the cream cheese well and be careful not to boil again. Serve warm over noodles, polenta, or mashed potatoes. 

This recipe is a healthier version of chicken wings. I like to eat it on a toasted English muffin.

1 lb ground chicken

4 strips bacon, cooked and cut into pieces (I like to microwave them until crispy then cut with kitchen scissors)

8 Tablespoons bleu cheese crumbles

Salt

Pepper

Hot Sauce

Season the ground chicken with salt, pepper, and a couple of splashes of hot sauce. Let sit for about 5 minutes then separate into 4. Start rounding the chicken into a large circle. You’ll be folding it over into the middle so keep this in mind if you think it’s too round for the grill. Fill the center with 2 tablespoons bleu cheese crumbles, one strip of the crumbled bacon and a splash of hot sauce. Fold over, sealing the edges. Repeat with all the patties. Grill over medium high heat until cooked through. 

I like serving this with some homemade oven fries or waffle fries from the bag and a salad. 

My leopard smoking shoes are my new favorite. Yesterday, I had a leopard top on and I had to do everything in my power not to wear these shoes with it.

I learned a long time ago that Italians call all pastas macaroni and then differentiate. A lot like how us Texans call everything coke and then you have to ask us what kind of coke we want. 

1 box of penne or rigatoni (they catch all the meat sauce)

1 lb ground beef

1 jar of store bought marinara (I like Safeway Arrabiata because it’s marinara with a lot of red pepper flakes in it)

8 oz sliced mushrooms (optional)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 bay leaf

Italian Seasoning

Salt

Pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add your ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Break up as it cooks. When the meat is cooked through, drain the fat. I hold a big dinner plate over the sauce pan and carefully tip the pan to drain the fat into an awaiting jar. Add in the jar of sauce, Italian Seasoning, bay leaf, and mushrooms to the saucepan. Bring to a quick boil (a couple of bubbles) over medium high heat and then reduce to low.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions. This recipe is already quick- don’t save time by cooking the pasta at the same time as the sauce. The sauce benefits from the extra time to blend flavors. When the pasta is done, drain and serve with the sauce. I like to serve it with crusty french bread and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. 

It was cold and rainy all day in Arizona yesterday which put me in the mood for stew and crafts. Here’s my recipe for Beef Stew that I always count on. It’s quick, easy, and delicious. Don’t get overwhelmed at the shopping list - I bet you have a lot of it already in your cupboards. If you don’t have Italian Seasoning, throw in some oregano and basil. If you have beef broth instead of stock, use it up. Likewise, I also tend to use Montreal Steak Seasoning instead of salt and pepper.

I cook this in a slow cooker but I will explain how to cook on the stove at the end. 

1.5 to 2 lbs meat for stew

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup red wine

1 quart beef stock (set aside 1 cup)

1 small can (8 oz) tomato paste

1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes in their juice

4 carrots, sliced 

3 stalks of celery, sliced

5 red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

2 bay leaves

Italian Seasoning

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Flour

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion cut into 8 slices (optional)

8 oz sliced mushrooms (optional)

Dredge the meat pieces in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and when hot, add in the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add in the coated meat pieces and cook until browned on all sides. Add into the slow cooker. 

Add 1/2 cup wine and 1 cup beef stock to the sauce pan and simmer for a few minutes to pick up all the good bits of flavor. Add this into the slow cooker with the can of tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, remaining beef stock, 2 bay leaves, and any vegetables and the potatoes. Season with Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cook for 4-6 hours over high heat or 8-10 hours over low heat. When stew is about done, check to see if it is as thick as you’d like. If you want to make it thicker, spoon out about 1/2 cup of the liquid and let cool for a few minutes before adding 2-3 tablespoons of flour. Mix with a fork (or whisk) well and return to the stew stirring to mix it in. Cook for 30 minutes more. 

To make this on the stove, use a large soup pot where I specified slow cooker. I follow all directions except I like to bring all to a boil before turning to low heat. Cook covered for about 3 hours or until potatoes are tender and meat falls apart. You also (most likely) will not need to thicken the soup with extra flour. 

8 slices Texas toast (you could also use any bread that you slice thick)

50 mL Chambord (close to 2 oz so just fill a shot glass)

1 cup maple syrup

4 eggs

12 oz whole milk (I used a single serving bottle - it comes out to 1 1/3 cup plus a splash)

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 to 2 cups berries (I used two containers of blackberries because they were on sale. If I had my druthers, I’d have used raspberries.)

Pinch of salt

Splash of vanilla extract (Optional. I didn’t have but would be amaze.)

Preheat oven to 325F. With a fork blend the eggs, milk, whipping cream, sugar, a pinch of salt, and half the Chambord. (This is also where you would add vanilla extract if you like.) Lay the bread out on a baking sheet and pour the mixture over. Let the bread absorb all of the mixture for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. 

After they absorb all the liquid, transfer to a new baking sheet lined with foil. Pop into the oven for 25 minutes. While they cook, pour 1 cup syrup into a small pot and add the remaining Chambord. Heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Turn heat to low and add your berries. Cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

When the toast is done, pull it from the oven and sprinkle with sugar. Switch your oven to high broil and put the toast back in to get a caramelized top for about 5 minutes. Keep your eye on it though so that it doesn’t burn. When it starts looking done, take it out because they’ll continue to brown out of the oven. Now it’s time to feast! Layer your toasts, add some Chambord syrup, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

For this recipe, I used Chambord that I got from the Z Tejas Anniversary Party in Scottsdale. Thanks for the tickets Deborah!

1 lb flank steak, cut into thin slices

1 lb mushrooms

1 bag of wide egg noodles

1 can beef broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

Italian Seasoning

2 bay leaves

A pinch of sugar

Splash of red wine (optional)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/2 cup cream cheese plus another dollop

Cook the egg noodles according to package. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and add the minced garlic. When you start to smell the garlic, add in the sliced steak and Italian Seasoning to taste. Cook until browned on all sides and remove from pan. Don’t worry about cooking it through cause it’s going back in the pan. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until they start to sweat. Use the water they give off to pick up all the good bits of flavor from the pan by stirring them around. Add the tablespoon of corn starch to the beef broth (it’s easier to add corn starch to cold liquids - no lumps) then pour it into the pan with the mushrooms. Add your pinch of sugar and splash of red wine. I like to use a dry red wine (Just kidding- I don’t know what that even means. I was drinking wine while cooking so I added some). Bring to a boil then reduce to heat to low. Add the steak back into the sauce pan. When the sauce has thickened, add in the cream cheese. You can add a little over 1/2 a cup if you so desire for some more flavor. Serve over noodles.

I was told to make a dinner with chicken, pasta, and cheese. I went to Martha for inspiration and went to work. Below is the recipe I concocted. It is perfect for a dinner when you’re running short on time or crave some carbs. I served this with a bagged salad and some sliced french bread from the store.

1 box bow tie pasta (penne would probably be amazing here too!)

1 package of 4 pre-cooked chicken sausages

1 can (28 oz) peeled tomatoes in sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bag of shredded mozzarella (the 2 cup size)

Shredded parmesan for topping

Preheat oven to 400F. Cook 2/3 of the box of pasta according to directions. In a saucepan, heat oil and add garlic when hot. Cook until fragrant and add in the entire can of tomatoes and italian seasoning to taste. As the tomatoes cook, smash them to make a thicker sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce to low. 

Slice the chicken sausage into 1/4” slices and set aside. 

Drain the pasta and start the combining. In a 2 quart baking dish, combine the pasta, sausage, pasta sauce you just created, and add a little over a cup of the mozzarella. Mix well. Top with the remaining mozzarella and some shredded parmesan. 

Put it into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese starts bubbling and browning. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving.