Nashville Wife

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Archives for 2015

Basic Beef Stew

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Ever had one of those days when all you need is a good, hearty meal? Well then I have a new recipe to share with you. This stew is delicious and chocked full of veggies. The first time I made it, I was shocked to find out that my husband had never had beef stew. Maybe it’s not as normal of a meal as I thought…
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Basic Beef Stew

Course Main Course
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 lbs beef stew meat sold in cubes
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1-1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cups assorted chopped veggie Carrots, broccoli stems, green beans, celery, peas, mushrooms, etc
  • 3-4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 teaspoons water Optional but makes stew thicker

Instructions

  1. Add oil to a dutch oven or regular pot, and cook meat (on the stove) until brown.
  2. Add beef stock and spices, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
  3. Mix in veggies, onion, and potatoes. If you want a thicker stew, add the cornstarch dissolved in water.
  4. Cover and simmer for another 1-2 hours.

Ask Ellie

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I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing posts with you all and communicating through the comments forum, and I am blessed to have such loyal readers.

With the six-month anniversary of Nashville Wife coming up this Thursday, I thought I would give you a chance to provide feedback. After all, the primary purpose of a blog is to write about topics that interest the readers.

What are your favorite posts that I have shared? What types of post would you like me to share in the future? Do you have any questions that you have been eager to ask me? Ready, Set, Go!

Simple Slow-Cooker Chili

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Everyone needs an easy, go-to meal for those days when life keeps you running from sunup to sundown and you barely have enough energy left to think about dinner, let alone cook it. For me, that meal is slow-cooker chili.My mother-in-law gave me a delicious recipe that takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and by the time I’m done loading it with tomatoes and zucchini, it’s healthy, too. You’re going to love it!

It takes a bit of forethought, as the chili is tastiest when cooked at least three hours, but the prep time is short enough that you can throw all the ingredients together during breakfast or lunch and then return to your busy day.

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Slow-Cooker Chili

Course Main Course

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • Chili powder to taste
  • 1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1- 6 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2- 16 oz cans kidney beans
  • 1- 15 oz can tomato juice
  • 1 small shredded zucchini*
  • Salt to taste
  • Diced jalapeno pepper (optional)
  • Hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brown ground beef, and season with chili powder. Drain grease, and add meat to slow-cooker.
  2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, tomato juice, and zucchini to slow-cooker, and stir.
  3. Stir in approximately 2 teaspoons of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of salt.

  4. If you like your chili hot, add diced jalapenos and/or hot sauce. (Those are my husband's favorite ingredients.)

  5. Cook on high for at least three hours.
  6. Add additional chili powder and salt as needed.
  7. Serve with your favorite chili fixins. (We like crackers and shredded cheese.)

Recipe Notes

*A friend gave us several large, homegrown zucchinis this summer. I shredded and froze them in portions that are the right size for this recipe.

Feeling Festive For Fall?

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This week I have been nannying for one of my husband’s coworkers, whose regular childcare provider is recovering from surgery. She has twins who are two years old (a boy and a girl), and although they have their moments (like all kids), they are usually quick to obey.

The children’s mom is one of those gals who goes all out with fall decorations. I admit that our house hardly has any fall decorations, although I was feeling festive on a recent shopping trip to Trader Joe’s and bought several pumpkin flavored snacks. The pumpkin granola bars were delicious, but the pumpkin flavored Cheerios were quite strange.

This sign is one of the fall decorations I came while nannying. I thought you all would get a kick out of it. Do you enjoy decorating for fall?

‘Hooked On You’ Picture Frame

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Coming up with ideas for meaningful gifts can be difficult. In preparation for Christmas this year, I have a running list that I add to whenever I think of something that a certain family member would like.As a combined Christmas and birthday present last year, I bought Mr. Handsome a new iPhone. We were not engaged yet and lived three hours apart, so I suppose you could say I had ulterior motives for giving him that gift. His old phone was on its last legs and would disconnect without notice, which put a damper on our nightly chats. (Thankfully, he qualified for a two-year upgrade, so it ended up being less than $100.)

In addition to the phone, I wanted to give him something from the heart, so I purchased a wooden picture frame from Walmart and decorated it like so:

The first letter of each word is made of fishing hooks that were extremely difficult to bend. This is the perfect gift for fishing fanatics, although if you glue a few shells on, it can become a beach-themed frame.

Displaying our Wedding Vows

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Soon after our March 2015 engagement, we decided to write our own marriage vows. (Click here to read them.) We wrote a rough draft together, and then we each took that draft and made the vows our own.While decorating our rental house after the wedding, I wanted to display our vows in a place where we would see them every day. What better place than above our bed? (I considered hanging them in the living room, but that seemed too public.)

Instead of paying a pretty penny for professional framing, I purchased two pieces of blue cardstock paper at Jo-Ann for $0.20, printed our vows in a fancy cursive font, and placed them in 8×10 picture frames from the Bed Bath and Beyond clearance rack. What do you think of my arrangement?

50-Cent Kitchen Decorations

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During my college years–which I spent living in a house with three dozen other Christian girls–I decorated my dorm room walls with paper flowers from the Michael’s clearance rack. Each flower cost only 50 cents. After graduation, I packed the flowers into a box and forgot about them.

While moving into our rental home after our wedding, I was surprised to find my 50-cent wall decorations. How exciting! Using sticky tack, I carefully placed the flowers throughout our kitchen, which instantly made the room seem brighter and more cheerful.

For those who are wondering, I have not been able to find these flowers for sale online. Perhaps check the clearance rack at your local Michaels. 🙂

Jars as Drinking Glasses

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During high school, I babysat at least one night a week. My favorite clients–my youth pastor and his wife–had three toddlers and lived in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment. I always admired the creative ways they saved space and pinched pennies.For example, I distinctly remember how their entire set of drinking glasses was made up of miscellaneous Mason jars. What a neat idea!

Fast-forward about eight years. While making popcorn last week, I finished off a 14-oz jar of organic coconut oil and thought, “This would make a great drinking glass!”

After removing the label and soaking the jar in hot, soapy water overnight, it was still covered in a sticky film. Instead of purchasing Goo Gone, I used nail polish remover to wipe off the stickiness.

These 14-oz jars of organic coconut oil cost only $4.99 at Aldi, and the lids are interchangeable with regular Mason jar lids. Maybe by this time next year, I’ll have an entire set of miscellaneous drinking glasses.

An Unexpected Gift

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Do you remember back in August when I posted about my bookshelf on a budget? At a recent family gathering, one of Mr. Handsome’s aunts (I suppose that would be my aunt-in-law) said she had been reading my blog and had seen that post.

“Do you still need a bookshelf?” she asked. “I found an old one in our garage, and you’re welcome to it. I brought it along in the backseat of our car, so you can take it home with you.”

The shelf was in fabulous condition, so we gladly took it off her hands. It holds all our books with room to spare and fits well in our bedroom. And best of all, it was free!