Monday, January 7, 2019

Cookin' at Home-Italian Beef Stew

For whatever reason, Monday ends up being the day I pretty much don't leave the house, except for the back yard. When I started typing this, it was 10:17 am and I still hadn't had breakfast even though I awoke at eight. My exercise is done at home, I move at my own speed and it works for me.

Thinking on this, it's probably because Sunday is generally a lazy day. If I have not gone somewhere after church, then I am eating, relaxing, watching TV and chilling at home-and generally heading to bed without having cleaned up organized or done anything else to prepare for the next week, or even the next day! Ah, the joys of retirement.

Anyway, one of the goals for the year is to lower our grocery bill to fifty dollars or seventy dollars a week max-for two and a half people. A challenge since, well, I don't cook. Or particularly like to. I am one of those odd folks who loves to eat really good food, has a pretty good palate but never picked up the cooking thing. Since this causes part of my grocery budget to be frozen casseroles from those "downtown dinner" type places, or deli offerings or the occasional Schwan's meal, I need to be ruthless yet healthy with the "in the grocery store" budget portion. Restaurant meals are not part of the food budget.

Since I am one of those crazy paranoid types who prefers to be home when she cooks in her slow cooker,  Monday is almost always slow cooker day, today being no exception. For what it's worth, I've never even seen This is Us, so not the cause of said fear.

Beef stew is beef stew by any other name, and Italian beef stew is pretty much as it sounds. A couple packages of beef stew meat (bought at loss leader prices), beef broth (the same), tomato paste, wine, and a variety of veggies which today included mushrooms, baby carrots, celery and Italian flavored diced tomatoes-along with the attendant seasonings. Since my son is working and he seems to be the only person in this house who can make popovers at altitude, I'm cheating and pulling out a Pillsbury French loaf that comes in one of those whack em on the counter tubes. What works, works. And of course, except for the produce it's all bought at loss leader prices and usually with coupons.

Since beef stew by any name is also as good or better on the second day, this is a doubled recipe. Actually, I figure we'll get by with more than a few days of not cooking (which is great by me). Yesterday, someone in this house cooked a half a spiral ham. So for Tuesday and Wednesday at the minimum, we'll have been stew and leftover ham (I'll probably throw some biscuits in the oven at some point) as well as having ham for breakfast. Eventually of course, we'll freeze the rest of that ham in portions and assign the bone as well as some ham to split pea soup. The only way to live when you love to eat but don't love to cook is to cook a bunch a couple times a week-which is what we do except at the height of the summer grilling season (and even then we grill large amounts and use the leftovers in salads or whatever. This is especially true when trying to cook for two or two and a half economically.

Meanwhile, since it's also Making it Monday below is a quick photo of the yard goat I got for my sister for Christmas. At the moment it (he?? she??) sits over on the dirty patio in front of the large brick fireplace that is normally blooming the other half of the year. Since I've decided said goat needs some decoration, also below is the fabric I intend to use for a Valentine's bandana. Yep, I'm going to have to add goat outfits to that creative project plan list on top!!



3 comments:

  1. I am doing much more cook once eat at least twice type of meals this year. I can just see how full my freezer will be... Main reason for doing this is preparation just in case I need surgery. Can't have Harvey trying to cook and clean. Just will not happen.

    God bless.

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  2. I don't use my crock pot if I'm not home either. That would be the I'd have an accident and by the I'd get home the house would be burned down.

    Love the goat and the idea of dressing him for the holidays. One of my other blogger friend does that with a plaster dog.

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  3. HaHa...love the goat, and that you are planning outfits for it (he or she?)

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