I am enjoying a nice cuppa on a cool morning -- Celestial Seasonings Peach Apricot Honeybush tea. Just sweet enough to satisfy without any sugar added, and the warmth is so soothing to my very tired bones. I have that tired thing where my ribcage seems to hurt a little when I inhale. I really need to get more sleep.
It would help a lot if no one would come in at 5 AM to tell me they lost their "grandma blanket." Both my kids have gorgeous quilts made by my mom -- they are really special. But not special enough to warrant a visit to mommy in the deep middle of the night. Don't tell me 5 AM is morning; I don't believe it.
It would also help a lot if I did not stay up until midnight, but you know.
So I have been cooking this week from Everyday Food. I made the hunter-style chicken which was okay but I did not see the point of cooking it in the microwave. It did not cook the chicken in the specified time period, so I basically could have done it just as fast or faster on the stove. Anyway we ate it with kamut rotelle and parmesan, and it was tasty.
The really good recipe was this beef stew in the crockpot. Super easy and flavorful with the garlic and onion and bay leaves. Perfect for Wednesday when G was basically persona non grata because he was preparing a talk for the Yosemite Hydroclimate meeting yesterday, and I had to take S to a neurofeedback appointment at 5:15 so we didn't get home at all until 6:30. Translation: no time to cook. Crockpot ideal. My only modification was that I did not cut up the beef. I just plopped it in there and broke it up with a wooden spoon when it was all cooked. I love it when meat does that.
I'm reading The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. It's the kind of book that makes me want to write a novel. It's just beautiful writing, so evocative of place and person. The funny thing is, as I was reading in the car last weekend, I said to G, "This book could never be a Hollywood movie. Everything is just too complex and there is no movie star who would look right for Quoyle." And then I found out there is a movie after all. But I don't think I will see it. Without the prose, what would be the point? And there's also that old thing about me being mentally able to handle R rated books but not R rated movies. Mysterious.
I also got a couple of new paperbacks to read from my mom and sister. Woo! More book posts to come. Maybe I will have to get my butt back to the gym and start reading on the elliptical trainer again. That would probably be a good idea. If I could get to bed on time, I could get up in the morning and do it.
8 comments:
The link wouldn't let me view the Martha Stewart beef stew recipie. THat sounds SO good.
Glad you are back safe and sound. :-)
You can come to my house and cook any time! I would love that talent.
I will have to read that book. I just read a really good one called "Vienna Prelude" It's the fourst of 4 or 5 books.
I know what you mean about no getting enough sleep. I stay up later and later and then can't even sleep the whole night through.
Ooh... bring a couple of packets of that yumminess with you and I'll trade you some True Blueberry!
Dang! Okay, Martha, I am sorry for plagiarizing your content but if you don't want this to happen you should really make your site more link-friendly.
Beef Stew
Serves 6; Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes
You can make this beef stew in the oven or a slow cooker. Either way, you will have a warming, wholesome, and wonderfully flavorful meal.
3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound (about 6) small white or red new potatoes, well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.
2. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and, if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.
Note: To cook slowly, place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).
YUMMM
BTW...I am a non tea drinker who is trying to become a tea drinker... after living in Russia AND England how can I not like tea?
I am starting w/ Zemon Zinger...I still need milk and honey..suggestions?
Bek, do you like black licorice? Stash makes a licorice tea that is AWESOME!
I am making that beef stew this week! Crockpots are magic pots, and make me feel like I can cook.
It was so fun to see you in Utah last weekend! Hope it can be a longer visit next time
I enjoyed The Shipping News. I usually don't like to see movies of books I enjoy, but I seem to recall I enjoyed this movie.
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