Beef short rib and this and that~

A robust meat dish .... Full of flavour to comfort you these cold winter nights!
We really enjoyed these caramelised ribs baked in the oven slowly for around 4 hours.
The dish needs all your love and care and it will turn out a hit.
I picked up my meat at the 2 Fat Butchers around the corner and my new favourite stop.
The 2 brothers are such great chaps and so obliging with how to get the best out of your joint ....they have free printable recipes to go!

Here's what a did with their recipe for short rib!

Ingredients~

Olive oil
6 thick cut meaty beef short ribs
a large head of garlic, cut in half
1 tsp of puree of tomato
around 750ml good red wine..minus a glass for yourself!
1 litre of beef stock
150g chopped bacon
250g portabelli mushrooms, halved or button ones
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Chopped flat leaf parsley
fresh organic baby tomatoes roasted with olive oil and honey

Method~
Preheat oven to 170deg C. Heat a deep sided roaster or heavy bottom casserole dish.
Add olive oil . Season the ribs and fry off for 10 to 15 minutes until browned on all sides.
Add the garlic, tomato puree and heat for a minute or 2 . Pour in the wine to de glaze the pan, scraping the bits at the bottom.. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the liquid reduces to half, then add the stock to cover all the ribs. Bring to the boil basting the ribs.
Cover and cook in oven for 3 to 4 hours, basting now and then until the meat is falling off the bones.
About 10 minutes before the meat is ready, fry some bacon and add the mushrooms when bacon is crispy!
Roast the baby carrots for 15 minutes or so tossed in olive oil and honey. Drain the excess fat from the bacon, mushrooms and baby glazed carrots.
Serve the short rib topped with this mixture and complete by garnishing with flat leaf parsley!

Here are some photos from around and about my home~

 salmon, avo, pesto  and rocket on ciabatta!

beautiful lilies are some of the flowers I had arranged for the weekend~

I've been here only a short while
I've pruned, added, removed and dug over
a little fence adjusted
to keep my Chloe in..
all this has made me come to know
that there's no better place
than one's own sanctuary
one's own garden!
No matter how big or small !

some little collages to end! Have a great week.....

There's those words from that lyric of Diddy...
it  always stops me in my tracks...
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday....

so much to be grateful for....just everyday things so many take for granted...  Shel

Red Velvet and all things coming up spring!

My children were here for a little weekend break~
I found this recipe in the "Kos" magazine....
It was for a chocolate cake but as I like all things bright,  I decided to add quite a lot of Red food colouring~
I must say~ I've tried a few chocolate cakes but this one definately beats them all~
Its moist, dense and seemed to stay fresh until the last crumb had been licked from the plate!

The photo has not come out so well as a little sweetheart that was visiting just used her blackberry to upload~ non the less~ the proof was in the eating~

 

here is the recipe~

 

560g cake flour

800g sugar

160g cocoa powder

20ml baking powder

4 eggs

7ml salt

500ml buttermilk

500ml sunflower oil

10ml vanilla

500ml boiling water

and quite a few (many!) drops of red food colouring....but you could leave this out.

 

And the method is really my style~ real easy ~ all thrown together in the mixer and the buttermilk keeps it really moist

 

Put the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 150deg C.

Cut 2 rounds of baking paper and line  the bottom of 2 25 x 7cm loose bottom cake pans with this.

Spray with cooking spray or lightly grease .

Put all the ingredients into your mixer and mix on medium speed until well mixed.

Its a large amount of mixer so be careful of spillage.

Divide into the two pans. Bake for 1 hr 15min. Test if it has baked sufficiently.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans. Remove from the pans very carefully and allow to cool further on wire rack.

 

I used Ina Garten's cream cheese frosting with a tsp of grated zest of orange and 1 tablespoon of orange juice added.

Decorate as desired.

I cannot bake but this cake is truly foolproof!

 

Now for a few snaps of my garden and braai room readily awaiting the arrival of spring!

 

the last of the winter pansies yet still so pretty !

These are on my patio and really thriving!.....it must be the peet keeping them going....

 

 thriving under the palms and strelitzias.....

In the herb garden on the other side of the house.....it's really my little hiding spot here...
with a quick cup of tea and a magazine....

I keep cutting back, using it in stews and soups and salads, but the rocket and the flat leave parsley is never ending!.....gorgeous! I should try out the freezing method I found on Latabledenana's blog!

and so here is  my Spring collage below!

  

A few of my favourite pieces at the moment......

A ♥  .......with my name delicately written in wire.....from that same sweetheart......
The Namaste bag for my ipad.....and the softest jersey for summer......
and not forgetting that book!

It's good to be back.......with love from Shel on Solomon ♥
Linking to SEASONAL SUNDAYS....

Blueberry coffee cake, easy peasy pasta and my roses~

A great weekend of sun at last ~
Time with special friends♥, yummy food and our first swim of the season....
I'm first showing off more of my beautiful roses!

Double Delights in a very special little hessian bag all the way from Canada ♥

 the easy peasy pasta ......

here is my recipe for a delicious quick and easy pasta~
1 pkt of Knorr dry "Chicken Ala King" sauce
fry a few chicken boneless thighs, a touch of garlic with some sweet peppers, an onion (or a few shallots), mushrooms, brocolli tender stems and about 150g of streaky bacon (panchetta is better)
Add 250ml cream to pkt of Knorr sauce and mix well. I also add 250ml  fat free milk.
Toss this sauce with pasta of your choice.
Serve with shavings of parmessan cheese
Delicious for someone studying ♥

Then onto a lovely refreshing pound cake I found here ♥

 

 

 

 

 

Now onto more of my roses ......

 

 

  ♥ this rose called Blue Moon!

 little tussie mussie  from my garden for a dear old friend ~

Take care!
Shel

I'm sharing my roses with Saturady Showoff.
A Return to lovliness!
and Teatime Tuesday

Solomon Popovers

I found this recipe on a few blogs

....my family are truly in love with these and I'm renaming them on my blog......
POPOVERS ON SOLOMON!


The recipe~

2 large eggs
1 cup full cream milk
1 cup bread flour
pinch of salt
pinch of bicarb of soda
 Preheat oven to 220 degC.
Grease a muffin pan all over very well.

Beat eggs at high speed for about 3 minutes until thick and lemon coloured. On the slowest speed add 1/2 cup milk very slowly. Beat well.
Sift the flour, salt and bicarb together and add to the egg mixture. When mixed stop the mixer and scrap the sides down then turn down mixer and slowly add the milk. Beat a further 2 minute.
Then turn mixer on highest speed and beat for 5 - 7 minutes until the mixture is thick as is the consistency of double cream.
Strain the mixture through a sieve and fill every other muffin cup to the TOP! Bake the popovers in the middle of the oven on a baking tray to allow for any spillage for the first 15 minute.

Do not think about opening the door and reduce temp of the oven to 180deg C and bake a further 15 -20 minutes longer.

Remove and eat immediately!!

A gorgeous vehicle for just about anything from ice cream to blueberry jam and loads of real butter to mopping up the gravy of a delicious oxtail stew!!

This morning I sat outside on a daybed and watched the magnificent sun rise on a beautiful day whilst enjoying mine with a cup of hot chocolate.....thinking of the Steele family and their  bubbly vivacious daughter, Janine,  who is getting married this afternoon.....what a beautiful start to my day!

Nicci Stewart butter dish!!

All the while he was combing my lawn for fresh worms for his breakfast....I must have made him hungry!

And of course....Madame waiting for the leftovers....she's my greatest taste tester!

hers without jam and butter!!

My garden in winter.....just a dash of shocking colour here and there!

Wishing you all a great and happy weekend.....Enjoy with me!!
Shel xx