New Kitchen, New Adventures

Well, as of yesterday we have been in our new house for one week. With all the chaos of unpacking boxes and having the phone people over, the electric people, the cable (or in the country apparently it only satellite) and a million errands, I sadly have not really had the opportunity to break in my new kitchen- that is until last night!




Though I normally have a fairly good idea of what I want to cook for the week before going shopping for my groceries, I found myself this week, walking the aisles at the market trying to put meals together. Finally I decided that I would try a nice beef stew even though I know my husband isn't a super fan of the dish. For some reason I feel deep down it is my duty to make the greatest version of all the meals he could live without, just to hear him say "Wow, that was amazing! I change my mind, I love it!". Yeah, that never really seems to work out though. This time though I was extra determined. So I got all my ingredients and left the market feeling very confident.



To me, there is nothing like a lot of action going on in the kitchen. By action I mean, boiling, simmering, dicing, chopping, sprinkling etc. I am sure I look like a chicken with my head cut off, but that's how I like it- with action.

Here is a pic of the chopped carrots and potatoes awaiting their journey into the pot of stew. Watching me chop these would have been much more entertaining, but I might have lost a finger in the process and that would have been tragic for the stew.

Ingredients? Oh yes, I almost forgot! If, by chance, this sounds like a yummy meal idea, let me tell you how I make mine.



I use:



2 pounds extra lean cut beef stew meat



4 medium potatoes



4 carrotts



a sprinkle of soy sauce



salt & pepper



medium white/yellow onion



1/2 clove of garlic



(this time I also used the beef stew seasoning packets from the grocery store. I normally don't but I wanted the gravy to be extra thick)



What I do:



First, I lightly flour all the stew meat, then in a pot (I use the same pot for everything but you can do this step in a separate pot/pan) I place a tablespoon of olive oil and the meat on medium-high heat and cook until the meat is brown. Then I add 2 1/2 cups of water and the beef stew seasoning (if your are using it), the garlic, soy sauce and the onion. I mix all of them so that everything is blended well, cover and lower heat to let simmer. I leave it all simmering for about 1 1/2 hours.



While the meat is simmering, I cut up my potatoes and carrots (and whatever else you want to put into it). After the 1 1/2 hours is up, I add the veggies and a little water if needed, stir, and cover for about another hour. When the time is up, just check the veggies and meat to see if they meet your desired tenderness, and EAT!!!! I paired it with parmesian rissotto which , in my opinion, works really well together.



Hope that you enjoy this dish, and that your kitchen is serving you well today. I have some other projects up my sleeve for the day myself. I am trying to finish a bracelet, and I just received a new shipment of stones and gems from South America that I am excited to begin creating with. I am also in the process of making an oversized clutch/wallet too. Whew!!! Better get started! Pasta may be on the menu tonight...I'll snag some pics to post and maybe I'll even include the recipe if it turns out well (haha). Happy Handmaking everyone!



<3 Elena



PS- My husband loved the stew beef!!! I feel like such a champ (hehe)