Sunday, March 25, 2012
Old Clothes -Sounds Amazing Let's Eat It!
So I spent this weekend crying over movies...which honestly I am notorious for crying at the end of just about every movie. So this was nothing new for me. I am that girl that will cry every single time I see Old Yeller or even those cheesy Hugh Grant films where everyone always finds love and lives happily ever after....I know lame but yes tears...and I am not a pretty crier I am the full on snot, red eyes, streaks through the make-up kind of crier. Its truly awesome! It was especially wonderful yesterday after leaving the movie theater because I swear there were like 5 ushers waiting to clean the theater as I walk out looking like I had been through the washing machine.
But this weekend although both of the movies I watched told very different stories they both had a common theme-Courage! I watched The Help and Acts of Valor and I walked away from seeing them both with a very strong message. Courage is not just about being strong it is about standing up for what you believe, its about doing what is right even when that is hard, its about fighting for those you care about and the ideals you treasure, its about standing strong when there is opposition and its about finding the positive even in the darkest times. Its about making sacrifices, looking fear in the face but continuing to move forward and its about finding the passion within yourself to be strong. These movies made me treasure our soldiers that are fighting for our country and who are keeping our values, ideals and beliefs safe. They also made me thankful for our predecessors who started the fight that brought us our values, ideals and beliefs. It made me think about the people before us who forged ahead when there was no path and started a trail when all they saw was brush. This message came at a perfect time because fear can be a crippling emotion but we all have the courage inside of ourselves to hold our heads high, celebrate life and embrace the passion that makes us whole. Cheers I will drink to that!!!
Since its a rainy day I decided to make something in the crock pot which would make the house smell good and be warm and cozy after a wet and dreary day. I found a recipe in Food Network Magazine for Ropa Vieja which is literally translated to mean Old Clothes. When I first saw that translation my first thought was obviously WTH! I just didn't get the correlation between old clothes and wanting to eat it. Hmmm....however once I found the legend behind the name it all made sense. Legend has it that this recipe got its name from a man who was very poor and couldn't afford to buy dinner for his family. So he went to his closet and gathered some old clothes and imbued them with his love. When he cooked the clothes the love for his family turned them into a wonderful beef stew. As you all know I truly believe that cooking is an act of love and its often one of my favorite ways to be nurturing and show I care so this legend made this recipe really resonate with me.
The recipe is Cuban and is normally a shredded skirt steak in a tomato base. I did learn that often times people mistake skirt steak and flank steak for each other however they are different cuts of meat. Skirt steak is most commonly associated with carne asada however if you have trouble finding it just ask your local butcher as they will usually have it on hand.
This recipe has a tomato base that is made with crushed tomatoes, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cumin, salt and jalapeno. Depending on how spicy you like your food you can either leave the seeds in your jalapeno or take them out. I opted to take the seeds out as I decided its easier to add spice than it is to take it out. Then add the steak, thinly sliced onions and sliced bell peppers (I decided to use orange because I thought the color would be pretty). Awww aesthetic food!Put everything in the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours.
When you are ready to serve it shred the meat with 2 forks and then add olive brine and 3 T chopped green olives with pimientos. Love the salt! Serve over rice. It is definitely the perfect meal for a warm, cozy winter night and I recommend it paired with a light Mexican beer like Pacifico.
I found a recipe for bbq oysters, has anyone ever tried that? I love oysters and I truly think that shucking them is the biggest pain in the ass on the face of the Earth. So this recipe says that if you put them on the bbq they will open themselves. Just wanted to know if anyone has any experience with this method. Anyone?
But this weekend although both of the movies I watched told very different stories they both had a common theme-Courage! I watched The Help and Acts of Valor and I walked away from seeing them both with a very strong message. Courage is not just about being strong it is about standing up for what you believe, its about doing what is right even when that is hard, its about fighting for those you care about and the ideals you treasure, its about standing strong when there is opposition and its about finding the positive even in the darkest times. Its about making sacrifices, looking fear in the face but continuing to move forward and its about finding the passion within yourself to be strong. These movies made me treasure our soldiers that are fighting for our country and who are keeping our values, ideals and beliefs safe. They also made me thankful for our predecessors who started the fight that brought us our values, ideals and beliefs. It made me think about the people before us who forged ahead when there was no path and started a trail when all they saw was brush. This message came at a perfect time because fear can be a crippling emotion but we all have the courage inside of ourselves to hold our heads high, celebrate life and embrace the passion that makes us whole. Cheers I will drink to that!!!
Since its a rainy day I decided to make something in the crock pot which would make the house smell good and be warm and cozy after a wet and dreary day. I found a recipe in Food Network Magazine for Ropa Vieja which is literally translated to mean Old Clothes. When I first saw that translation my first thought was obviously WTH! I just didn't get the correlation between old clothes and wanting to eat it. Hmmm....however once I found the legend behind the name it all made sense. Legend has it that this recipe got its name from a man who was very poor and couldn't afford to buy dinner for his family. So he went to his closet and gathered some old clothes and imbued them with his love. When he cooked the clothes the love for his family turned them into a wonderful beef stew. As you all know I truly believe that cooking is an act of love and its often one of my favorite ways to be nurturing and show I care so this legend made this recipe really resonate with me.
The recipe is Cuban and is normally a shredded skirt steak in a tomato base. I did learn that often times people mistake skirt steak and flank steak for each other however they are different cuts of meat. Skirt steak is most commonly associated with carne asada however if you have trouble finding it just ask your local butcher as they will usually have it on hand.
This recipe has a tomato base that is made with crushed tomatoes, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cumin, salt and jalapeno. Depending on how spicy you like your food you can either leave the seeds in your jalapeno or take them out. I opted to take the seeds out as I decided its easier to add spice than it is to take it out. Then add the steak, thinly sliced onions and sliced bell peppers (I decided to use orange because I thought the color would be pretty). Awww aesthetic food!Put everything in the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours.
When you are ready to serve it shred the meat with 2 forks and then add olive brine and 3 T chopped green olives with pimientos. Love the salt! Serve over rice. It is definitely the perfect meal for a warm, cozy winter night and I recommend it paired with a light Mexican beer like Pacifico.
I found a recipe for bbq oysters, has anyone ever tried that? I love oysters and I truly think that shucking them is the biggest pain in the ass on the face of the Earth. So this recipe says that if you put them on the bbq they will open themselves. Just wanted to know if anyone has any experience with this method. Anyone?
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