Porcini Chuck Roast with Macadamia Carrot Greens Basil Pesto

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So I have started watching the 7th season of Masterchef Australia which I've never seen before and I watched them cook this amazing venison and I wanted it soooo bad. However, the local grocer does not carry venison and my parents are 4 hrs away so that was out. So I though I'd do a pot roast which we all enjoy at my house. Upon entering the store I just had a touch of inspiration and decided I wanted lost of color and did not want to throw all of my ingredients into one pot. So here is everything in order and I will tell you now my head is already mulling over new ideas on how to improve this and make it look even better, as plating is not my forte.

Chuck Roast

Beef Chuck Roast
Garlic
Onion
Shallot
Lavender
Dried Porcini Mushrooms
Sel Magique
Flour
Butter
Olive Oil
Knorrs Homestyle Stock in Beef
3 Cups of Water

Dice garlic, onion, & shallot and set aside. Amount is based on preference. Toast off lavender in skillet and set aside. Mix Sel Magique with flour (I did this because I only had a sample and needed to make it go farther for the sear) and coat the roast. I seared the beef on all sides in a mix of olive oil and butter then placed it in the crock pot. I then took the same pan and added the garlic, onion, shallot, lavender, and mushrooms. I cooked it down for awhile and then added the stock (which comes in a small cup) and added water to make the broth. I brought the broth up to a boil and then added the liquid to my crock pot and set it on high.


Macadamia Carrot Greens Basil Pesto

This was a bit trial and error because carrot greens are bitter so many people do not use them. I started using a recipe from one site because I really wanted to use those carrot greens but they did not counter the bitterness very well. So I decided I would need basil and found a recipe through bon appetit which can be found here. You will need

Carrot Greens
Basil
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Macadamia Nuts
Salt
Pepper

They do not tell you to but I roasted my macadamia nuts before pulsing them. They also have the recipe for the carrots but its standard stuff.

Oven Roasted Carrots

Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

I only did mine with salt and olive oil. They also tell you to use vegetable oil but I prefer the olive oil.

Indigo Rosemary & Garlic Potatoes

This is actually a Gordon Ramsay recipe I just used Indigo potatoes instead. We've done this one many times and its always very tasty and easy to do. It can be found on thegordonrasayblog.com here. They take

Potatoes
Garlic
Olive Oil
Rosemary
Salt 
Pepper


As you can see the roast doesn't look like a roast given the way I sliced it but it was very tender and I'm happy it held up for photos. I so many ideas about how to do this next time and I'm so glad I tried a pesto sauce with beef because it is divine!


Enjoy!

Octonauts Birthday Party

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So I'm a bit behind on a lot of posts especially this one from back in April. With being a full-time student working birthday parties in around school break and family schedules has been difficult but we usually manage something regardless of how small it is. This year my daughter was insistent on Octonauts which I really like. I think many of you know what I'm talking about but if you don't you can find these little guys on YouTube.


My mother did the cake this year and for some reason I baked 4 layers but it actually worked with the seaweed/kelp on the side. Not to get too deep into the Octonauts but it worked well since Shellington (the otter on top of the cake) appears in an episode where they have to clear the kelp fields of sea urchin some Shellington apparently cannot eat due to allergies. So here we have a nice urchin free kelp forest along the sides with large edible cake pearls for bubbles. I think it turned out rather nice even if it wasn't as fancy as some of the ones on Pinterest.


For the wall my mother hung a blue table cloth with streamers for kelp and made paper plate sea creatures. We had a terrible time keeping the animals adhered to the plastic table cloth and my mother was about ready to lose her mind. We tried glue dots, scotch tap, you name it. Had I known what she was doing I may have brought some scrapbooking adhesive tabs that you use to raise your die cuts from the page. I think those would work the best against a slick surface like this. 

My daughter loved the whole thing which goes to show that as a parent you're more worried about the details than they are!


The Post Breakup Haircut

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I think most women have had that reaction shortly after a breakup where they get the urge to do something drastic with their hair I sure know I have many times. What you probably didn't realize is that you'll still have that feeling in a long term relationship/marriage. Granted you're not breaking up but those major moments that would have previously driven you to a breakup in a previous relationship can have the same effect. Sure you feel like you're more mature or you've grown in your relationship practices and the truth is you have because it doesn't result in a breakup or divorce however you still need that outlet. Mine has actually evolved a little and sometimes a major issue results in a haircut or the repainting of a room in the house or both! What it comes down to is that need for immediate change and control.  So for throwback Thursday I thought I'd show a few of my relationship post "you make me crazy" haircuts.


March 2007

When I met my husband 7 years ago I had very very long hair but then life happened and he pissed me off a bunch of times ha ha. Actually there is some truth in that but life in general played a part so here it is...



2008

The funny thing is I can't remember what happened that made me chop my hair off in most of these picture which really tells you how traumatic that particular fight was. 


2009

Here it's actually starting to grow out again and by the time I reached my wedding I had enough for clip in extensions.


May 2009

I know its attractive isn't it. This is about 2 days before my wedding so the nice long hair you see in my wedding pic isn't really mine. Thank goodness for clip in's!


Wedding Day May 2009

Look how fast it grew!



Later that year 2009

I was preggo so I have no idea what set me off although i have a few things in mind and some really big fights that may have inspired this short do.


April 2010

This would have been post baby which I believe most mom's get the post baby haircut. It had actually grown out quite a bit if you can believe it so I just chopped it off again.


Fall 2013

Then it grew and grew into this long mess and was actually longer than this just a few days ago.
We've actually been having a terrible time so much so that the post fight haircut took months to happen. I never get them until I feel things are changing however I only had my gal take off 5-6 inches and I didn't get that feeling of relief that I usually do. So I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it at a little past shoulder length or go and properly get that post-fight haircut. Maybe my hesitation or inability to make up my mind says a lot because he still doesn't have my complete forgiveness and somewhere in the future I will disclose the details but for now I do not have the perspective time affords us to glean any wisdom from the experience. 




Skip Hop Zoo Kids Rolling Luggage-Owl Review

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My daughter has been in need of some luggage for a while now so I decided to upgrade after seeing this cutie! For the first few years of her life we just stuffed her things in with ours our carried a duffle bag since we had all those diapers and I didn't like to stop and repurchase all her essentials. Now that she's into her preschool years we had been using a small suite case I acquired after my uncle passed and I couldn't bear to part with it but its not really that cute and especially not for a little girl so this was the perfect transition. Also keep in mind the colors on this are blue and red. My lighting was little off.


First its part of Skip Hop's Zoo line of products which are so cute and I was first introduced to by the Citrus Lane subscription box when I received their canvas bin in the same design and just loved how big and sturdy it was.  I also went on to buy one of their flip top straw bottles and have found their products to be well made. So if you haven't subscribed to Citrus Lane i'll have a coupon code below as well as a link to my review of their box.


Ok so now for the little details. In their photo it appears the leaves are black but the have a nice polished brass sheen to them which I really like. The poly-canvas is nice and sturdy but this luggage is not suited for putting under the plane. Although its sturdier than a backpack I think it was mainly designed to be a carry-on and with 16 x 12 x 5.5 dimensions it should be allowed as a carry-on on most airlines.


The back has a place for your child's name, although I typically do not do this so I can resell items down the line, and a strap so the parents can carry it if need be.


The side pocket is great for an easy access drink which we always bring on a plane trip.


Although it may look like a backpack it completely unzips like any other luggage to allow you ample room to pack.


The front contains a pocket for extra packing room or things you want quick and easy access to. 

On Citrus Lane's shop this goes for $30 but they sent me a $10 promo code. I can't remember if I signed up for e-mails or if it was because I signed up for their box but I get promo codes quite often.

If you'd like to see my review on their subscription box you can click here: Citrus Lane February Box Review

And here's a 50% off coupon code for your first box