2weeks later, and a taco tuesday

so it's been just about two weeks since i last posted, sorry about the lull. things have been a little crazy around here. we have a ton going on with our little family, and thankfully we have just begun a two week vacation. our anniversary is in 6 days, i can't believe it's been a year already! it seems like this year has been forever and just yesterday all at the same time. to prepare for being gone on vacation, work was slammed [thankfully!] last week. i more than doubled my normal week and worked a ton. so that's in part for the reason for no posts.
anyway, we don't know what the plan is for these two weeks, surely rest and enjoying each other, maybe an a few over night trips, or maybe the best stay-cation there has ever been. who knows! but i'm up for whatever and i'm loving the time off. hopefully i'll be able to put this lovely camera to use tons and can update ya'll on some adventures! as for tonight, we are enjoying dinner with my parents & brother; i can't wait!
and speaking of dinner, last week, tuesday to be exact, i made tacos for dinner. they were nothing super special, just absolutely delicious! if i do say so myself of course :) oh, except i DID make homemade guacamole using my moms fantastic recipe. thank you momma! taco tuesday should be weekly; i love tacos. at very least monthly!

homemade beef & broccoli

tonight i made, for the very first time ever, chinese. i decided to start with stir-fry, and i choose beef & broccoli. mainly, because i found a fairly simple recipe, but who doesn't love beef & broccoli?!

anyway, i've been wanting to get into making chinese food because we have a wok & some great cookbooks by Martin Yan. the recipe i used today, however, is from a Great American Recipes card i ended up with sometime in the last couple years. the recipe was fantastic! i had a little trouble getting the sauce to thicken [took an extra minute & a half than what was called for], and we decided that next time we'll use more brown sugar [just our taste]. i made white rice to accompany the meal. mr. phipps loved it, and i was pretty stoked to have tried it out. it's a great introductory recipe. it was easy & did i mention delicious? i can't wait to venture more into asian cooking.
i'll share the recipe & some photos. enjoy!

Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
serves: 6, prep time: 20mins, cook time: 15mins


ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
2 lb top sirloin, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium heads broccoli
2 tsp. grated fresh gingerroot

steps:
1. in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, garlic & pepper. set aside.
2. heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. add beef & stir-fry until almost cooked through, about 2 mins. transfer beef to a plate & cover to keep warm.
3. heat remaining oil in wok/skillet. add onion & stir-fry for 5 mins. cut broccoli into florets & add to wok/skillet with 1/2 cup water. bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat & simmer for 3 mins.
4. return beef to skillet with soy sauce mixture; add ginger. bring to a boil & cook stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. serve hot.

sandwich delight

it's amazing what a cupboard will hide! while moving we found a sandwich grill we had gotten as a gift for our wedding. and a couple weeks ago when my parents were up helping us unpack my mom suggested that we use it to make lunch. i just wanna say... if you have never used one, you're totally missing out! it's probably one of the greatest things ever.
we have this one by Cuisinart; it's really reasonably priced. there are several out on the market, however, if you have a different  preference or price range. this one grills 2 at one time, so that is an awesome feature. it not only grills your sandwich into delicious yumminess, but it also seals off the crust and cuts it on the diagonal. it transforms a blah lunch/dinner into something amazing. i think we've had more sandwiches in the last 2 weeks than i had in the previous year. there are so many options, and we are having a great time coming up with new spins on a classic.  my current fave is kind of our take on a Monte Cristo. kind of.

ingredients [for two!]:

-4 slices of bread

-deli sliced turkey, ham or both

-cream cheese

-2 small slices sharp cheddar cheese

-spreadable butter

-raspberry preserve 

steps:

lightly butter 1 side of each slice of bread. lightly spread cream cheese on 2 slices, on the non-buttered side. place on grill butter side down. add meat[s] and cheese. grill sandwich. add preserves to your preference and enjoy!

sandwiches have never been more delicious or easy! do you have any sandwich favorites? 

cheeseburger- redesigned

today was more of a lazy day, however, three great things came from it. i got to spend time with my best friend, i did more organization around the house [things have been shifting around since we found out we have a mouse visiting us on and off... not the most welcome of visitors] and i tried a new recipe for dinner: all-american cheeseburger soup.

i found the recipe a few years back in a magazine [i wish i could remember which one] and have been meaning to try it ever since. luckily it got lost in my recipe book and resurfaced! mr. phipps LOVES cheeseburgers, so this cold day seemed perfect for it.
it was quite tasty, although, i have to admit it didn't taste much like cheeseburgers until the toasted bun [served on the side] was dipped in. it was an extremely hardy soup. i think this will be a yearly soup at very least!

breakfast for dinner

today mr phipps and i, both, had quite a day. up at 445am and work til 5pm. so, we settled on breakfast for dinner. i used my favorite vegan french toast recipe [as i am allergic to eggs] & we cooked up some turkey bacon.

it was delicious and a great way to start the evening.