New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday

Is this not the cutest cookie? I know Mrs. Olsen will get a kick out of these! And well, another day brings another visit to the hospital and thankfully, not for ME! I was happily enjoying a much-needed day off when The Husband calls me and tells me he’s on his way to the hospital. I’ll spare you the gory details, but he’s fine. Cut his hand, so three stitches and one tetanus shot later, all we need is The Neighbor Wife to make a visit, and we’ve come full circle! Given today’s excitement, no dinner report. We were actually planning on escaping for a little bit to go look at swingsets for Nicholas, but the babysitter was sick, so we ended up getting take-out from the Olive Garden, a place I know the guys at Hungry Magazine appreciate. Everything was delicious, and I love their reusable take-out containers. I’m about to dive into their Chocolate Lasagna … today needs to end on a sugar note.

In one of the nooks and crannies on my site, I have a little tracker that tells me what keywords people punch into Google that lead them here. It never ceases to amaze me how people find me. For instance, if you search for “Giada DeLaurentiis,” my site is actually 4th on Google’s list. Pretty cool, eh? But I bet people that came here looking for “girls playing footsie” were pretty darn disappointed. ;)

Next up is this week’s nod for New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday … Milk and Honey. Whether it’s her unique take on lasagna, her to-die-for potatoes or her cupcake love, go discover her website if you haven’t already.

OK folks, all for tonight. I’ll leave you with the recipe from The Husband’s cooking last night. Until tomorrow … go rap about Sandra Lee and let me know about it – you’ll get included in the Sandra Lee Send-Up tomorrow (see last night’s post for details).

A year ago today… it was a recipe recap.

Carne con Papas
Cuban Beef Stew

1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil
2 pounds boneless chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup drained and chopped canned whole tomatoes
1 cup water
4 large all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1/4 cup brine-packed Spanish capers, drained
1/4 cup green olives

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until fragrant, then add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic, and cook, stirring, over low heat until the onion is tender, 6-8 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the potatoes and capers, and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add the potatoes and capers and cook another hour, until the meat and potatoes are tender. If extra liquid is needed, add water as necessary. Add green olives. Transfer to a deep serving bowl and serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.

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