Day 12: Beef Stew

As my brother would say, " Today is not a beef stew day." He says this in regards to the weather. On a hot day, he calls my mom and says, " today is a cold tuna noodle day." On a rainy, cold day he calls and says, " today is a beef stew day." Well, as of two days ago when I went grocery shopping, it was supposed to be a perfect beef stew day today. Instead it ended up being more like a cold tuna noodle day. However, since I had already bought the fresh ingredients and didn't freeze the meat, I was left with no choice but to make it a perfect beef stew day.

Though prep is quick(as the rules state it needs to be), the cooking process is not. In total it takes about 2 and 1/2 hours. So, I had plans to begin around 3pm. Plans changed when my aunt Robin from New York called and said she was in town last minute for business and was leaving for the airport at 6pm; Could we meet her and Nana for a quick visit? I hardly ever see my Aunt Robin so of course I was thrilled; but in the back of mind I was thinking about the challenge, and my possible failure at only day 12. So I decided to meet her around 2pm and stay out until 4pm at the latest. That would mean that dinner could still be on the table by 7pm. Turns out Peyton was overly crabby from some shots today, so we had to leave earlier than expected which got me home by 3:45. Paul was already browning the meat. What a great husband I have. Long story short, dinner was being served at 6:10pm.

Beef Stew(Mom's Recipe)

1 1/2 lbs stew meat
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
5 medium potatoes(quartered)
carrots(sliced)
onions(about 4 small, halved or use pearl onions)
1 can of peas

Step 1: Brown meat. Salt/pepper. Cut large chunks in half

Step 2: Add green peppers, 1 cup water and beef bouillons. Simmer on low 1 1/2 hrs

Step 3: Add potatoes, carrots, onion, 1 cup water, tablespoon salt. Cook on Medium heat until vegetables are softened 20-40 minutes.

Step 4: Add peas with juice. Bring to boil for 5-10 minutes.

Kitchen Play by Play: I cut the carrots and onions while the kids were napping. It took about 8 minutes. Then I just threw them in baggies and put them in the fridge. I peeled the potatoes right before putting them in so they wouldn't sweat. The whole recipe is pretty easy; just make sure that you don't cut your potatoes or carrots too big or they'll take longer to cook. However, too small and they'll turn to mush. My veggies only needed to cook for about 25 minutes today. Make sure you stir about every 20 minutes or so. I don't do dumplings, but you can add those right at the end. They take about 5 minutes. I serve Pillsbury Grands biscuits with it. Yum!

Too excited to eat. Forgot to take a picture. Sorry.

The Verdict:
Nicole- This is another one of my favs. Although, like my brother, I would have enjoyed it a little more if the weather would have cooperated and made it a "true" beef stew day. I added a little salt to my bowl and dove in for the first bite. A little meat, peas and carrots...delicious! I was pretty proud of myself. Though it is not my first beef stew rodeo, I'm never sure if I can replicate it every time. Nailed it!!! I give myself and the stew a 5.

Paul- gives it a 4. "Little hot for beef stew, but meat was tender, sauce was flavorful, overall beun trabajo ( "Good job" in Spanish. He learned it from Handy Manny and is very proud of himself). Note: I did not share my blog with Paul prior to asking for his comment, so he came up with the "too hot" comment all on his own. Clearly, we're all related and a little weird.

Austin- Ate it up. Enjoyed the strawberries I served with it as well. I think he ate 12...no exaggeration.