Today’s post is a very short one.
This past week I tried to sprout adzuki beans, but for some reason the beans are not sprouting. Went to the health food store to buy a new batch of organic adzuki beans to try again, will publish results in a future posts.
Thyme poking through the snow. Photo taken 1/26, 2015
I have a small herb patch by my back door. When I opened my back door on 1/26, I was most surprised to see thyme poking through the snow (above photo). The sight cheered me up and brought a smile to me face. Quickly got my camera for a photo. Decided to leave it alone and harvest at a later date when needed.
Since then, we have had numerous snow storms with no thawing in between so its been snow on top of snow on top of snow not to mention bitterly cold. Will be a long, long time before I see my lawn.
I need comfort food! Stew is one of my go to comfort food so that’s what I made this past week, a nice big pot of hearty stew.
Not wanting to venture out to the store again decided to see what I could put together using whatever is in my fridge, freezer and storage.
The following is the results. Like the tofu soup I posted last week, this is also a NO recipe kind of dish.
Beef Stew with carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and onions
Beef Stew with Carrots, Potatoes, Mushrooms & Onions
∗Shin beef and homemade tomato sauce from the freezer (because these were solidly frozen had to thaw in the fridge overnight and wait for the following day to make the stew)
∗Onions, garlic, potatoes and orange carrots from storage, last fall’s harvest from my garden
∗Yellow carrots from storage, fall’s harvest from Locust Grove Heritage Vegetable Garden
∗Mushrooms and watercress from the store
Season meat with S&P and brown in a bit of oil, add minced garlic, couple bay leaves, slices of fresh ginger, tomato sauce, some wine and broth as needed. Bring to a boil and simmer covered until meat is almost tender (about 45 – 60 minutes). Add all vegetables, bring to a boil, simmer until meat is tender and veggies reached desired doneness, adjust seasoning. Tasted so good!
Needed the above mentioned thyme for to the stew. Got my coat and boots on and clippers in hand ready to harvest. Opened the back door but could not open the screen door, no matter how hard I tried, the deep snow was right up to the screen door, too bad. There was,
No thyme for the stew.
It is snowing again this morning, heavy at times, as I am writing and will be for most of the day. My backyard is beautiful, should go out and take some photos.
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That stew looks delicious! I think I will make a nice big pot this week. Hopefully the snow stops and you will be able to get at that thyme sprig in time for your next stew session!
Hello Margaret,
We are expecting another snow storm on Thursday may be even bigger than today’s.
That stew looks so good. I haven’t made a lot of stews or soups this year. I really ought to as I love them.
Hello Daphne,
With all the snow we got and are getting plus the below normal temperature, there is nothing more warming than a huge bowl of stew or soup. I believe you are getting even more snow than I.
I cannot imagine what snow must be like Norma. Even thought we are enjoying wonderful weather at the moment (long may it last) I could still enjoy a bowl of your beautiful hearty stew.
Have a wonderful week ahead and stay warm.
🙂 Mandy xo
Hello Mandy,
You never seen snow? It really is beautiful but driving can be treacherous especially if combined with freezing rain.
Great looking stew!! I feel like an outsider this year. Normally we would be buried just as deep as you in snow but this year we are having extremely warm temperatures. We haven’t seen any snow since Christmas!
Hello Rick,
Are you missing the snow? I will be more than happy to send you some.
Soups, stews, and braises are my comfort foods also and we’ve been enjoying a lot of them lately. Sometimes I think the best meals are the ones you rustle up from what’s on hand and I think it’s the mark of a good cook to be able to pull them off without a recipe. It sounds like that little sprig of thyme is thoroughly buried in snow now, I hope it’s still there when you want it.
Hello Michelle,
Yes, that little sprig of thyme is completely buried under snow but it will survive, grow and increase in size come spring.
Yum, stew, that is what we are having for dinner. I have some frozen whole tomatoes from my garden and some elephant garlic from my brother-in-law’s garden that will go into it. Yours looks delicious! And yes, please, post snow photos. I wish we had some snow (or at least the water from it) in Southern California. It is dry, dry, dry here.
Hello Lou,
Hope you get some rain soon. Got 8″ or more additional snow today waiting for my driveway to get plowed, hope it’s cleared by 8 a.m. tomorrow, got doctor’s appointment.
The stew looks hearty and so delicious!
Hello Angie,
It hit the right spot.
Stew is comfort food for me too. I hope you don’t get snowed in!
Hello Dave,
I am snowed in. Hoping my driveway gets plowed by 8 a.m. tomorrow.
Yummy stew! Soups, stews, and jook are my comfort food also. Whenever I come home from a trip the first thing I want is chicken dried scallop jook.
Hello Mac,
I have not made jook in a long time, thanks for the reminder, going to make some soon.
Thanks for sharing your “stew recipe”. Your stew looks like the perfect meal for a wintery day like today. I’ve been chopping up veggies for a hearty vegetable soup with butternut squash, carrots, onions, etc. With broth, garlic, chick peas, diced tomatoes, spices, etc. added, it should taste good for dinner, after the snowplowing and shoveling is done for the day!
Hope to see you at the MG meeting this week – Judy will present an interesting program on dividing perennials (She asked me to proofread her PowerPoint and it looks great!); it will get us all to thinking spring!
Hello Ginny,
I plan to be at the MG meeting, weather and road conditions permitting. Waiting for my driveway to be plowed.
Your stew looks so good, Norma! Too bad you couldn’t get to your thyme. I clipped mine last week to add to my gnocchi soup. It added so much flavor! Would have been great if there was some chives, too. It’s been so terribly cold here, too. Not much snow at the moment, though, which I’m thankful for. I hope you won’t get any more snow!
Hello Angie,
Would you believe more snow storms are in the forecast for Thursday and Saturday!
This stew looks like the ultimate comfort food, hope it kept you warm in the stew!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hello Uru,
Stews are comfort food that brings me warmth.
Beautiful stew Norma…very hearty and great to warm you up…so interesting the little thyme plant trying to come out of the snow…
Enjoy your week 🙂
Hello Juliana,
Thanks. The thyme plant has actually spread quite a bit under the snow, will try to remember to take a photo when all the snow has melted away.
I simply love me some beef stew Ms. Norma :). And yours look amazing
Hello Kay,
Beef stew on the way, enjoy!
I love stews of all kinds and this is a lovely recipe. Norma, I ma not a regular commenter but I do visit you sometime to check on your gardening notes.I love to sprout beans for salad , and here’s a picture of mung and adzuki bean salad http://goo.gl/ej99mm
Hello Balvinder,
Happy to have you stop by and visit whenever you can, we all have busy lives and not possible to do all that we would like. Visited the linked post, a very healthy and colorful salad.
My sister has sent me photos of the snow up there. Last night she sent me a photo of my nephew plowing the driveway BEFORE the snow to remove the snowbanks so there would be room for more snow. As I look outside at the summer weather it’s hard to think of New York snow.
I would love this stew, summer or winter!
Hello Maureen,
Expecting more snow tomorrow and Saturday but spring is around the corner. Enjoy your summer weather ours will arrive in a few months.
Sorry to hear about the disaster with your beans. I do love the look of your beef stew – plenty of flavour there xx
Hello Charlie,
It could be the beans were too old. Yes, the stew was very flavorful.
I love how hearty thyme is! You stew is just what I need to cook this weekend!
Hello Sandra,
Thyme is very hardy and very easy to grow, it is a perennial.
I love the picture of your thyme, Norma. And what a wonderful stew. I will have to try watercress in mine next time =)
Hello Angela,
I thought it was a cute shot. Can’t wait for the snow to melt so I can to use the plant.
It’s been snowing pretty much every day. I could use that stew!
Hello atasteofmadess,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. We are expecting more snow this week end, good thing February is a short month, spring is coming.
Where there is a will there is a way and nature prevails. So glad to see your thyme peeking though the snow. You stew looks so rich and delicious and some mushrooms is always my favorite in the stew. Wishing you much good luck and happiness. Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!
Hello Bam,
Xin Nian Kuai Le to you and your family as well.
Hope the stew warmed you right up, Norma. Like you, stew is one of my go to comfort foods too, often they end up with an Asian/Euro fusion feel to them. Your thyme sure has got some go in it, although, last winter, every single one of my veggies, fruit plants didn’t survive, except for my mint, it just kept on growing, kept on growing (said in the Dory from Finding Nemo voice). LOL! Stay warm and thanks for sharing your delicious stew, I shall add to my winter warmy dinner menus. Cheers, Anna
Hello Anna,
Now that you mention it my stews also have an Asian/Euro fusion taste to them. I find it next to impossible to get rid of mint once it takes hold in the garden.
You made a tasty looking and beautiful stew, even with no thyme! 😉
Hello Betsy,
The stew was just what I needed, so comforting.
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