Answering Questions

I’ve noticed when it comes to blogging that about half of the bloggers I usually visit seem to respond to each comment on their blog, and about half don’t seem to respond to any, at least in the comments section.  I’m never really sure which one is best.  I don’t know if people actually check back, so I very rarely respond to anything in the comments section. 

I also don’t write many (any?) posts that are going to inspire much debate, or raise very many questions.  There’s only so much discussion possible when it comes to recipes or cat pictures.  That being said, there is an occasional question in the comments section, so I thought I might start periodically doing a post with responses to those. 

I’ve skimmed over the last several posts, and these are the ones I noticed:

On Throw Back Thursday - The Baby Howard Edition, Liz asked if Howard still tries getting into places that are too small for him. 

Not really.  Howard is “portly” as the very nice nurse at the emergency vet once described him, and has been for a while.  I think he’s used to not fitting very many places.  He’s also twelve now, so doesn’t do nearly as much climbing around as he used to. He does like to squish himself into the smallest pet beds possible, but I think that’s probably just for the warm, cozy feeling.  Howard is super cuddly, and is happiest when he’s cuddled up to someone else.

When I posted my Cheap Steak Fajitas recipe, and lamented my inability to make beef stew, Bijoux made the comment that she thought I needed a Crock Pot until realizing that the recipe was a Crock Pot recipe.  

All of my failed attempts at beef stew have been in the Crock Pot.  I usually have great luck with Crock Pot recipes, so I’m not sure what the problem is when it comes to beef stew.  

Betty asked if I’d like a recipe.  

I’d love one!  If it claims to be simple or foolproof, I can definitely put that to the test.  

When I posted my Tzatziki sauce recipe, Cat asked for possible substitutions for dill.  

I’ve had it without dill, and it’s good.  That’s actually how we were taught to make it in the cooking class I took.  Honestly, I prefer it with dill, but it’s still really good without it.  If you’re looking for a substitution, though, I would probably try oregano or mint, since those are typically already found in the types of food you’re likely to be having with Tzatziki sauce.  

And I think that’s it for posts that had any kind of questions.  Like I said, I don’t seem to post very much that raises questions or leads to much debate.  

So, how do you handle questions and comments on your blog?  Do you respond to every comment, or just questions?  Or do you do something else entirely? 

Cheap Steak Fajitas

I tried to be clever with the name and play on the word cheapskate, but I’m not entirely sure it works.  These fajitas, however, definitely work.  They’re delicious!  They’re also ridiculously easy to make.

I’ll just go ahead and be honest with you.  The idea for these came from failure.  Lots and lots of failure.  I cannot make beef stew.  I’m not sure what my issue is, but it just doesn’t work for me.  I’ve tried various recipes, and various combinations of recipes.  The best result I’ve had is mostly edible, which is not the description you really want for your meal. 

I have finally decided to give up on making beef stew.  We’ve suffered enough.  Nick was elated when I informed him that I was officially giving up on making beef stew.  He was kind enough to say that I make plenty of other things extremely well, and we’d be fine without beef stew, but his initial reaction was definitely relief.  I can’t blame him. 

Unfortunately, I had purchased a gigantic package of stew beef at Sam’s Club before I decided that making delicious (or even good) beef stew is not something I am capable of.  I froze it in one pound packages, and decided I’d come up with other ways to use it.  This is one of my alternatives, and I’m happy to say that it’s as good as my beef stew is bad. 

Here’s what you need:

1 pound stew beef, cut into bite sized pieces
1 -2 bell peppers, chopped
1 -2 onions, chopped
1 package (1.2 oz) fajita seasoning mix
1.5 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp tequila

The tequila isn’t in the picture because I didn’t think about adding it until I started thinking about having a margarita with my fajitas, and had already taken the picture.  I think you can probably leave it out if you don’t happen to have tequila on hand, but I do think it probably does help to tenderize the meat a little bit.  It’s so good with the tequila, too, so I highly recommend using it.

Combine all of the ingredients in a small slow cooker, and cook on Low for 5 -7 hours, until meat is cooked through, and the vegetables are tender.

It’s going to look a little dry when you mix everything, but resist the temptation to add more liquid. 

There’s a fair amount of sauce with these, so they’re really good served with rice to soak up some of the sauce. 

Serve with any combination of rice, beans, tortillas, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Enjoy!