We had a significant snowstorm today, and I didn’t want to go to town for groceries, so I started looking around for things to add to a beef and vegetable stew for tonight’s dinner. I started the stew meat in the crock pot this morning, and kept adding stuff to it all morning. I ended up having to transfer it to a large stock pot, for lack of room in the crock pot. By evening, it was a wonderful, hearty concoction that included nearly everything but the kitchen sink!

For my stew, I ended up cooking some stew meat in the crock pot for several hours, then adding some beef broth, water and a can of tomato juice to the pot. To that, I threw in some frozen stir fry vegetables, a bunch of barley, a can of carrots (I didn’t even know we had a can of carrots! I didn’t buy them, but since I was out of fresh, I was happy to see them in the drawer!). I also dumped in a package of dry onion soup, some Yukon gold potatoes, a splash of worchestershire sauce, a bay leaf, some dried basil and italian spices, a couple of gloves of garlic and some salt & pepper. Cooked it all day long, and by evening it was sooooo yummy! Should even be better tomorrow! I put some in the freezer for later, and will put the rest back on in the crock pot for awhile tomorrow.

For desert, I made a cherry crisp with brown sugar, oatmeal, butter and flour topping. I only had a bag of frozen tart cherries available, but it turned out great even with the tart cherries! Timed just perfect to come out of the oven as we were finishing dinner. Perfect end to a perfect evening. Just wish I had thought to make or buy some ice cream yesterday! But not worth fighting the snowy roads to go to town tonight.

After supper, I ended the night with “Julie and Julia”. I loved the movie! It made me want to buy Julia’s book – Mastering the art of French cooking. I have loved to cook and bake my entire life, and it amazes me that I’ve never owned a copy of her book! Definitely going on my Christmas list this year!

Just a side note…I love the title of the movie – my legal name is Julia, but I’ve always been called Julie.

Categories: Recipes & Food Talk, This 'n That

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