And you thought I was gone....

So, here I am...down in Carpinteria, CA (pop. 14K). This is my hometown, the place I sometimes still call "home" when I've had a glass of wine or two. This is probably my first trip down here without my husband since the birth of our second child almost 2 years ago. Traveling alone 6 hours with the two kids seemed unfathomable, but in reality, it wasn't that bad. We actually stopped in SLO and played at Mitchell Park in the rain. We laughed and danced in the gazebo...it was one of those picture moments that you can only capture in your head.

Anyways, I went a whole day (yesterday) without thinking about cooking and subsequently photographing it for your pleasure...haha! But today, I was back at it. This is what we had tonight....chuck roast was on sale, so in honor of being in my childhood home, I made a meal that dates back beyond my own birth. It's called Beef Paprika and served on egg noodles. The basic ingredients are beef, onion, garlic, paprika, ketchup, mustard powder and Worchershire. I remember my mom making it in the "electric skillet," a contraption that was probably replaced with the crockpot? However, I'm not really sure if they were similar at all or which came first! I will post the recipe later on, but I remember eating this one as a kid and loving it every time. A little sweet and savory trip down memory lane.