shredded beef tacos

mmmmm....


2.3# beef round roast
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 small cans green chilies
1/2 white onion, chopped*
2-3 t cumin
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can beef broth**
275F
5 hours***

add black beans.colby jack cheese.guacamole.salsa.lime.cilantro.

among the many things i love, i love shredded beef tacos. pure goodness.

and since this was just one of those "attempts" here are a few notes for next time:
*that's all i had, otherwise it would have been a whole onion
**i would use additional fluid [water or beef broth], it was slightly dry, but still tasty
***though it was tender enough, if i had added more fluid, it could have cooked for another 45 minutes and been even more tender without being overdone

this recipe brought to you by bec and james...their recipe, slightly modified by me (only for time and temperature). thanks guys!

bit the dust

the basil bit the dust today. i had a glimmer of hope that it would make a miraculous recovery (especially since there was no real reason that i can think of that it was dying). but that was not the case. sad. maybe i will try again...

in pursuit of...basil

i love love love fresh basil.

i love it on pizza.


i love it in soup.

i love it in just about anything.

i also love growing it.

and sometimes i am successful.


and sometimes i am not.

after having such a fabulous growing experience this summer with my basil (see green gorgeousness above), i just couldn't resist the following. while searching out some of the fresh herb last week for a few recipes, i ran across a live basil plant. it was green. and growing. and i am a sucker for live plants. i need those living things. they are cheery. they bring outside in. they make me happy. and generally, i'm a successful indoor plant grower.

however...this little dude is not doing so well.


i have a feeling it was doomed from the beginning. it's only been under my supervision for 10 days now...and it started this limp behavior from day 2. i kept the soil nice and damp. i put it in the sunniest place in my house. i did everything right...so really, i'm not crediting the demise of this sad little guy to a failure of my green thumb. i'm chalking this one up to...well not me.

any tips out there for growing herbs indoors? i'd love to hear them!