Goulash

Hey beautiful people of the world! 

Sorry... No cards for today, but I thought I'd share a quick comfort food recipe. Perfect for rainy days like today, in not so sunny Montreal... Are you ready for some yummy GOULASH :P This is a different variation as it's more soupy... You may always add a side of plain pasta to it, if you prefer a more traditional Goulash. 

Ingredients:

1 Packet Cubed Beef Chunks (2lb)

5 Medium Sized Carrots (Pelled/Chopped) 

3 Regular Sized Red Onions (Quartered)

4-5 Garlic Cloves

4 Medium Sized Potatoes (Chunks)
Generous Amount of Flat Leaf Italian Parsley (Finely Chopped)

1 Regular Sized Can of Chickpeas

1 Regular Can Tomato Paste

8-10 Cups of Water

2 Tablespoons Salted Butter

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

Hungarian Paprika

3 Tablespoons of Vegetable or any other soup Seasoning

All Purpose Flower

Pinch of Fresh Thyme

3 Bay Leaves

Crushed Peppercorns (to taste)

Kosher Salt (to taste)

Prep your beef, coat with a couple of tablespoons of All Purpose Flour, Paprika, Kosher Salt & Pepper.

Heat Butter & Oil in a pressure cooker. Sear Beef Chunks until golden brown and remove from pot into a separate dish. 


Next, lightly brown onions and garlic. Add your carrots and tomato paste be sure to nicely fry the paste, that's my secret! Add your liquid and don't forget to lift off all those highly flavored brown bits at the bottom of your pot. Add your potatoes, seasoning, thyme and bay leaves. Cover your pressure cooker, and let simmer on medium-high heat for about an hour. 

After an hour slowly remove from heat wait until the steam subsides, open lid and add chickpeas. Cover again and let simmer again for about 15-20 minutes. (Be really careful with pressure cookers I've only had awful experiences with them LOL)!


Open lid carefully and throw in your parsley, season with salt & pepper to your taste and that's about it! You're now ready to fill up your belly!



Hugs & Smooooches! ~ Nini xoxo :)

An Apology + A Recipe

Hey peeps,

first and foremost I would like to apologize for not updating the blog. Thank you everyone for the kind emails I truly appreciate your concerns and I'm happy to know that my "Art" has been missed. I'm sending you-all the biggest hug I can offer and a ton of smooches!

Life has been hectic in my neck of the woods, to say the least let's just put it this way... my heart has been crushed into gazillions of pieces and I'm trying to be stronger each day.

I don't have a crafty creation for you today but I do have a yummy recipe for Ricotta Cheese Fritters... Enjoy!!

Ingredients: (no measurements I just go by eye)

• Ricotta Cheese (I used the regular format)
• Bread Crumbs (slightly double the amount of Ricotta) + Extra for Coating
• Couple Spoonful of Fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• Kosher Salt (to taste)
• Coarse Black Pepper (to taste)
• Chopped Parsley
• Olive or Canola Oil for deep-frying

Drain your Ricotta in a cheese cloth to get rid of the excess water.
Mix all ingredients even the bread crumbs into a mixing bowl.
Form walnut sized balls.
Coat them with bread crumbs.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Place on towel to remove excess oil and serve.
Bon Appetit!!

These make great bite sized treats for parties and they are super easy to make!

Hugs & Kisses ~ Nini xoxo :)

CANDY ALERT

Hey peeps!

Check out my blog candy giveaway over at the Posh blog! Click HERE and hurry you wouldn't want to miss this! Believe me!!! (you've got until May 4th)...

I will be posting it on my blog's sidebar as well!

Nini xoxo

PDSS CSC13 ~ Designs by Leeré Aldrich

Hey peeps! I'm still here! Here's a quick & easy card I made for PDSS sketch challenge #13! My friend Michelle who is also the DT Coordinator is giving away a Designs by Leere stamp set! Be sure to play along with us!

My interpretation... :)

This card was super easy to create! I used Bazzill Kraft cardstock as my base and the gorgeous patterned paper I used are from Pink Paislee's new Queen Bee 6x6 paddie! These papers are beautiful, they remind me of Basic Grey's Origins collection! You can find all these great new products at Posh Designs except for the sentiment! (Stampin' Up! Of the Earth set). 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week everyone! ((hugs)) ~ Nini :P

SUPPLIES: BAZZILL KRAFT CARDSTOCK, PINK PAISLEE QUEEN BEE PAPER PAD, PRIMA BAROQUE BLOOMS - SIENNA, MAKING MEMORIES GEM COLLECTION - BROWN, RANGER ARCHIVAL INK - COFFEE, STAMPIN' UP! OF THE EARTH STAMP SET, STAMPIN' UP SCALLOP TRIM BORDER PUNCH, WE R MEMORY KEEPERS CROP A DILE CORNER CHOMPER - STUB/DECO CUT

Feeling grungy!

Heyyyyy... I hope you've all enjoyed our long Easter holiday! I know I've been MIA lately, buuuuut girls you wouldn't believe the drama that has been goin' on *lol*... A day after my birthday I found myself with a massive case of food poisoning I was so sick and feeling REALLY *bleh* for a whole week and then some!

My dad had a Hernia repair surgery done so I've been spending most of my time helping out my folks. Long story short between home, work, and family I've had more than the usual on my plate resulting to less time crafting... :(

Now... Let's talk crafts! Here's my take on this week's challenge over at Inspirational Card Sketches. Our sponsor for this week and for the next week as well is the lovely Cassandra Sloan, the talent behind PaperMom.com she's the illustrator and owner of a fabulous Shop Handmade store she sells digital stamps and adorable handmade goodies. Please take a moment and have a look at her store, I know you will adore her whimsical images to bits!

My interpretation of Dawn's sketch really reflects on how I've been feeling lately all emo & grungy but in a bright and Springy kind of way *lol* does that make any sense to you! :P

I hope you've enjoyed today's project have a fabulous week everyone! Nini xoxo :)