Cooking A Rare Success

I never get tired of looking at this view from my patio.  Mother Nature has blessed us with back-to-normal temperatures of 50-70 degrees.  Well ..... until tonight when it's going to rain, but at least we are not expecting SNOW!!

As you know,  my cooking does not often turn out a success, which is probably why I rarely EVER have company because you have to FEED them.  So when it's my turn to provide lunch for the sewing klatch girls, I'm always VERY nervous.  So nervous in fact that all I have ever prepared is a cold chicken salad.  I can't mess that one up.

Since I like this beef recipe so much, I decided to give it a shot ... and it worked!!  Of course, the truth will be told when they EAT it.  

Here's the quick recipe.  Brown 3 pounds of cut up beef, anything cheap, either in your instant pot or a frying pan.  Take it out and put in one chopped yellow onion along with a couple tablespoons from your can of beef broth.  When almost done, drop in a tablespoon of cumin, 1-1/2 teaspoons oregano, 4 cloves of garlic, 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I actually found a bottle of chopped chipotle chiles in sauce, so much easier to handle), 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and two bay leaves, followed by the remainder of the beef broth.  Put the meat back in the pot and pressure cook for 35 minutes or cook in your crock pot 6-8 hours.  See the benefits of an Instant Pot???

Let it natural release for something like 30 minutes to ensure the beef is tender.  Take out the meat and pour the sauce in a blender for a few whirls, then return to the instant pot to saute and reduce the sauce.  Kind of a long process, but worth it.  Once reduced, pour it back on the meat and you are done.

The key lime pie was easy peasy.  No baking.  You can find the directions here.  Pie recipe.  Be sure to beat it for at least 4-1/2 to 5 minutes and put it in the freezer to set up.  That's it ... super simple.

I'm ready to cart this all up the hill for lunch, along with all the toppings, like chopped onion/cilantro, tomatoes, shredded cheese, olives, green onions and avocado ... everything you ever wanted to top a bowl of Mexican/Caribbean meat with.  I can't believe it ... a rare cooking success for me!

That was it ...  I spent the entire day concentrating on cooking, except for the hour I spent playing with Cooper.  I don't know that I have mentioned, but my Cooper and Jessie do NOT get along all that well.  They never have.  Both seem to be one owner dogs and don't want to share.  

Miss Jessie dive bombed across me on the couch to nail Cooper to the cushion.  I stuck my hand in between to push her away and Mr. Cooper bit me HARD by mistake.  That nice rounded tooth went right through, making an ugly hole that bled profusely.  Luckily, the food was already cooked.

I couldn't find any alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, so I washed it with dish soap and hot water, cringing from the pain.  I totally smothered it in Neosporin and covered it with a bandaid.  If my hand falls off, you'll know why.

To make me feel better, I sat on the patio and watched this magnificent sunset melt away.  It wasn't even there 30 seconds before disappearing into darkness.

I've got lots of chopping and hacking to do, mostly one handed, so I'd better get busy.  I'll see you on the flip side with a review of my lunch!!