Thursday, February 21, 2013

yummy food

We just began a new tradition in our house last week.  
Hmm, can you call it a tradition after only a week?

Well, whatever it is, I wish I had started it sooner.

Each of the boys helps me cook dinner once a week.

I married a man who does not cook (boxed mac and cheese sends this man into a panic).

He is a wonderful man, with many talents and abilities.  Cooking is just not one of them.

We have been blessed with three boys.  Three smart and eager-to-learn boys.

I refuse to send them out into the world without a working knowledge of the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, I am no Julia Child.  I can get by in the kitchen enough to scrape together home cooked meals 5 or 6 times a week, and I admittedly live for take-out night.

I get a lot of help, and one of my favorite cooking partners is The Pioneer Woman.  This girl can cook! I have never tried a recipe of hers that I did not like, and often my sometimes-picky eaters will ask for seconds.

Well, last night's dinner was no exception.


Seriously the best beef stew known to man.  And the mashed potatoes?  Out of this galaxy!

I have to admit, I did not follow the recipe for the stew exactly.  Tuesday was my middle son's turn in the kitchen.  We were cooking along: him pulsing the mini chopper on the onions and garlic, me handling all the raw meat parts.  Happily cooking along, the two of us, when I came to this line: "simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours."  Uh-oh.  Um, yeah, it was already pushing 6:00 and feeding my children at 8:30 is just not an option.  He sprang into action and threw together a pizza on a pre-baked crust, and I set the stew to simmer.

Later that night, I followed the rest of the directions on the stew (omitting the turnips--remember those "sometimes-picky eaters"), let it cool and refrigerated the whole pot until about an hour before dinner the next night.  I set the pot on the stove to simmer and whipped up TPW's to-die-for mashed potatoes (also included with the stew recipe link above), and had a delicious, stress-free dinner on the table in no time.

And oh, what a dinner it was.  Today's lunch leftovers were equally yummy.  I highly recommend this one!

Oh, and if you're looking for a yummy banana bread recipe, this one is the best I've ever tasted (and that's coming from a girl who doesn't even like banana bread).


The cinnamon-sugar swirl makes it divine!

How about you: try any yummy recipes lately?

4 comments:

  1. Hi I just found you from down to earth, and that is some seriously good looking stew you have there. The banana bread looks way too sinful for me though!

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! The stew was seriously as good as it looks, probably even better! And the way I look at it, the banana bread has a serving of fruit, right?! ;)

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  2. Hi, I have just found you through dte as well! I love pioneer woman's blog - she has given me a love of cinnamon scrolls. I love that your teaching your boys to cook. I have promised my eldest (a girl) that I will start letting het help with dinner and how to use the knives - I think its a great life skill.

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    1. I completely agree, Mel! And I've found it's a great time to connect with each of the kids and spend quality one-on-one time together. Win-win!

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