General « Kell's Kitchen

Hintonbrew Stew

January 16th, 2012 by Kelly Serjeantson

It’s January. It’s cold. It’s aching shoulders from too much shoveling, numb fingers from scraping windows, chapped lips and drippy nose weather. Time to get down to some good old-fashioned comfort food cooking. I did the fancy “apps” and dips over the holidays. I rolled cookies and made squares and decorated shortbread. Now? I just want to hunker down and fill my family with love, warmth and GOOD food.

I love to make this stew on a Sunday afternoon and let it simmer all day. On any given Sunday, one or more of my kids has a hockey practice/playdate/study group, so I can be reasonably guaranteed an hour or two of time in the kitchen. (Thanks in large part to my dear husband – LOVE him)

This recipe is inspired from one in a now-cherished cookbook I bought 10 years ago at my kids’ elementary school. Parents and students submitted recipes which were bound and sold as a fundraising initiative. Proceeds were for one of the playgrounds at our school (we have 2!) and this cookbook was just ONE of the many fundraisers for this cause. Well, finally, BOTH playgrounds have been renovated and improved. Copies of this cookbook can now be seen at garage sales and book fairs.

Mine?
Well, it’s a little dogeared. I have greasy pages, folded corners and notes about my favourite recipes. My youngest wasn’t even born when I bought this book! His older brother has now graduated and moved on to middle school. This little book is a constant reminder to me about how one dedicated group (and then, a few years later, another dedicated group) of parents worked to make recess better for 400 kids.

Most of my go-to meals and treats are found in this book. I know them by heart. This stew is a family favourite. The richness of the beer truly makes this dish – don’t leave it out. (Don’t worry – the alcohol evaporates as it cooks!) Served it over mashed potatoes with a green salad or steamed broccoli on the side and you have dinner.

Best part? I tell my husband it takes a while to make, so he keeps the kids out of my hair. Really? It’s a snap and I usually put my feet up and enjoy the rest of the beer…

Hintonbrew Stew

2 lbs stew beef
2 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minces
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1 cup Hintonbrew Stout (or Guinness if you can’t find Hintonbrew yet)
2 bay leaves
1 fresh sprig of thyme (1 tsp dried)
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup pitted prunes, halved

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil and saute onions & garlic until soft. Add meat and brown all over. Sprinkle flour over meat and onions and stir. Add stock and blend thoroughly. Add Hintonbrew and bring to a simmer. Next add herbs and salt & pepper (I usually add lots of pepper and less salt). Stir until combined and let simmer** for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add prunes in the final 30 minutes of cooking. They add some sweetness to the dish and balance out the distinctiveness of the Hintonbrew.

** I normally cook semi-covered so stew thickens, but doesn’t reduce too much.

See? This only takes about 25 minutes to put together, and then you can rest your little self down for a bit and enjoy an nice refreshing Hintonbrew. Make the potatoes and salad when you add the prunes, and you’re done!

Special thanks to Rachel McPhedran, whose original stew I have adapted to fit my family’s taste buds. ”Tapadh leibh“

Posted in General, Meat Lover Recipes, Recipes, Uncategorized | No Responses »

Dinner is Served – Or How I the Survived Arena Shuffle

November 7th, 2011 by Kelly Serjeantson

Well, it happened. Three kids in hockey, and we spent our first weekend truly shuffling from one arena to the next, stinky gear and all.

I knew this would happen. People are often surprised when I tell them all 3 darlings are playing hockey this year. “Wow, you must be crazy!” is a familiar comment. Well, ya, I am, but not because I have 3 kids in hockey. What I have is 3 kids in SPORTS! Pick any sport and you will find yourself running from practice, to a game, to another practice all the while thinking about the myriad of other, more interesting things you could be doing.

To that, I say,”Whatever.”
I have 3 children. They are involved. They are getting regular exercise. They are learning what it means to work as a team. They are figuring out how to challenge themselves, to do their best and sometimes, (more for one than the others) to accept defeat. These are important life lessons that hopefully will contribute to their overall development into caring, sharing adults.

But enough about that. The most important thing on my mind as we began this weekend of ‘arena shuffle’ was WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GOING TO EAT WHEN WE GET HOME?

Ottawa arenas are sorely lacking in healthy, tasty foods with which to properly nourish young bodies (and this old one too). Fries, Slushies and Salt & Vinegar chips can only take you so far. So, I pack snacks. Fruit, muffins and the occasional power bar. These are fine for on the go, but we needed to eat a proper dinner at some point. Arriving home at 6pm on a Saturday with tired, hungry kids (not to mention us poor parents) is not the time to think about WFD.
So, I took a little time Saturday morning (prior to game 1 of 3!) and whipped up this yummy, fortifying dish of goodness. During a break, where I ran home to take our poor neglected pooch for a quick spin around the block, I popped it into the oven, set the timer and headed back out to watch my oldest attempt to score his 3rd goal of the season.

It’s easy, it pleases everyone, and, best of all, it was hot and ready when we arrived home. While various children showered and put away their gear for the night, I threw a salad together. We sat down and reviewed the day’s events – 2 winning games & “Hardest Worker” award for one boy, a hard-fought but losing battle for the oldest, a fun practice for the girl and cold feet and bad coffee for Mom & Dad. Not a bad day really. Best of all, we shared some laughs, cheered each other on, and did it all as a family. In fact, I can’t think of how I would rather spend a weekend – can you?

Here’s the recipe. It was eaten too quickly to grab a picture, but I have to think that it did contribute to my daughter’s FIRST GOAL EVER IN A GAME the next day, so here’s a picture of the puck

Saturday Night Special

***Special Thanks to my good friend, Karen, for the recipe!!

You’ll need:

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 green or red pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 – 5 mushrooms, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Worcestershire sauce

1 big handful of spaghetti noodles, broken.

1 can condensed tomato soup (**I use 2 cans low sodium soup for creamier dish)

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Grated cheddar cheese, about 2 cups.

Cook the spaghetti, careful not to overcook it.

In a Dutch oven, brown the meat and drain the fat.

Add the veggies, a splash or two of the Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper to taste.

When onions are soft, add the kidney beans and tomato soup. Mix well, then add the cooked spaghetti.

Put all of this in a 9 x 13 casserole dish, sprinkle cheese on top. Cover loosely with foil and you are READY TO GO!

Pop in a 350F oven for 35-40 minutes and ENJOY!

Posted in General, Health, Kids, Meat Lover Recipes, Recipes, Tested & Tasted, Uncategorized | No Responses »

Pie in the Sky – Father and Daughter Bond Over Pastry

May 29th, 2011 by Kelly Serjeantson

The sun had returned and the rain clouds were gone. Television was turned off and the kids shooed outside. A trip to the market was in order and after a little cajoling and prodding – husband and daughter were off.

I had hopes of some yummy strawberries and maybe some garlic, but what I received upon their return was an unexpected surprise. Apparently, somewhere between here and the market, a plan was hatched to bake a pie. My daughter has experimented in the kitchen; she’s made muffins and cookies, does a mean grilled cheese and a fine scrambled egg too. Husband? Well, he’s not too shabby either. (Minus the mess he leaves in his wake!) A pie though? Really? He doesn’t even EAT pie. But I soon realized that this was about more than a pie – it was a connection being made, some fun and light in the house, a project they would do together that didn’t involve Lego.

I refrained from helping too much – save for some advice on buying a piecrust and how she should dice the rhubarb and slice the strawberries. This is the recipe they followed, adding a secret ingredient they wouldn’t tell me about.

I could hear giggles and patient instructions coming from the kitchen. Sometimes from her, mostly from him. I did dash out to grab some vanilla ice cream because who DOESN’T have ice cream with their pie??

The end result? Absolutely delicious. Perfectly tart and sweet together (kind of like them), and the store-bought crust? Even my mom would be proud!

Posted in Comedy, General, Kids, Recipes | One Response »

Whoops, there it is!

May 4th, 2011 by Kelly Serjeantson

I was too tired to cook in my own kitchen the other night, so off we went to one of our favourite neighbourhood haunts. My husband and I enjoyed a nice cold beer, and chatted about our day as the kids were occupied colouring and playing tic-tac-toe on the paper placemat provided by the restaurant.

We were eagerly awaiting our meal when my 11 year old word search fiend happened upon a naughty word on his placemat…Can you find it too??

We all had a good chuckle and the server, who overheard, apologized profusely. We let her know that it was no big deal and that it kept them busy looking for more words until their mouth-watering chicken and ribs arrived

P.S. I have NO idea where he learned that word!

Posted in Comedy, General, Kids | No Responses »

Why I Do What I Do…

February 9th, 2011 by Kelly Serjeantson

I was scanning Twitter today and I came across a post by @SimplyFood( http://tinyurl.com/6fekqsr )asking to submit a picture of someone who inspires you to cook.

I thought of some chefs I have read about or seen on tv. Then I thought about the only reason I cook – my family. If I wasn’t married I would eat out every night. I would be out there tasting and exploring and enjoying all that my little town of Ottawa has to offer. If I didn’t have children, I wouldn’t care if I ate Ramen Noodles 3 nights in a row or if Rice Krispies was on the menu – AGAIN.

But, alas, I do have a family. A pretty terrific one at that. We are a varied lot – some pseudo-vegetarian, all who enjoy a perfectly cooked steak, some texture intolerant, another who won’t “do” salads, one who eats peanut butter every day. We watch our sugar and salt intake, keep an eye on the colour of our plate (1/2 red, green, yellow or orange, 1/4 meat/protein, 1/4 carb-stuff), we don’t do meat 5 nights out of seven and we all love ice cream!!

While I was raised on canned vegetables and standard fare of meat & potatoes, my repertoire has expanded and been influenced by people I have met and places I have been. I enjoy all forms of cuisine now. I am trying to impart that sense of adventure, pleasure and taste to my children. My husband introduced me to many new things, mussels (ick) and oysters (LOVE!), butter (this girl was a margarine-baby all the way), and whole grain bread. We have passed these on to our children who mostly eat them up!

So when I think of who inspires me – I don’t have to look too far. My family, who depend on me to feed them everyday, pushes me to think about what I eat, what I buy and how it all goes together. Who or what inspires you?

My job is to feed them, their job is to clean up!

Posted in General, Kids, Opinion, Uncategorized | 2 Responses »

Look Ma – no meat! Or How My Daughter Got Me To Eat Better

November 8th, 2010 by Kelly Serjeantson

Well, what do you know? My carnivorous, steak-loving, bacon eating 9yr old has decided that she will become a vegetarian! Now what do I do???

I think that this may be a phase and I love my kid, so I am indulging this request for now. I have spoken to her doctor who gave us the okay and have set out to find delicious, nutritious meat-free recipes and meal ideas. I have a pretty good repertoire of quick, easy meals that I can make that most of the family will eat – but, guess what? They all contain some form of animal protein. I have three kids who are growing and constantly hungry. I worried that a non-animal protein diet would not be satisfying enough and that they would be eating ALOT of peanut butter and eggs to make up for it. Fortunately, fish was still on the menu – apparently not a ‘meat’ according to my girl. And, since everyone liked virtually any kind of seafood, I was in luck. Don’t get me started on the fears and concerns about sustainable seafood and mercury…I try not to think about it!

When her father went off meat and dairy for dietary and health reasons, I largely ignored him when considering WFD. I made sure to buy him things that he could eat; veggie cheese, veggie dogs and veggie anything else they make. I would make our dinner, then he would come home and fend for himself. I have three kids, a dog and I AM BUSY DAMN IT! It’s hard enough to consider the various food preferences and “I don’t like’s” of the kids, let alone whip up healthy vegetarian meals for a 40 yr old man who can now eat NOTHING!

So now that one of my darlings has jumped on the bandwagon, I figure we may as well all hop on. I make a concerted effort (my husband may disagree somewhat) to put at least one meal on the table each night that satisfies everyone. I have reached out to vegetarian friends and family, spoken to chefs (okay, well just the one that I know) and been all over the internet in search of yummy meals that fit our current non-meat-eating status.

I have adapted some favourite meals such as Shepherd’s Pie, tacos, and have tried new ones…some worked, some failed miserably. We have all come to appreciate quinoa, the super grain. We eat more vegetables than ever before. And (don’t tell anyone) I actually feel pretty good without a daily dose or two of meat. Don’t get me wrong – I have eaten meat – sorry but Thanksgiving without turkey? No way! Even the little miss had a nibble of dark meat…

I will continue to support my girl and my husband (finally) in their choices to not eat meat. My other two? They don’t seem to miss it one bit. Instead of “Oh, not meatloaf again“, now I hear “Didn’t we just have quinoa 2 days ago?” Some things never change…

Posted in General, Health, Kids, Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes | No Responses »

Copyright and Recipes

November 8th, 2009 by Kelly Serjeantson

Before I posted my first recipe on Kell’s Kitchen, I decide to research copyright, so I wouldn’t get myself into legal trouble.

I googled both the US and Canadian government web sites looking for information specifically regarding to copyright and recipes and I could only find something on the US copyright web site. However, the information there is very good and straight to the point.

Also, before you read an further, I might add that I’m not a lawyer, but a foodie, so please consult a lawyer in your jurisdiction.

In Canada, I recommend checking out Michael Geist’s blog. Michael Geist is probably the most prominent authority on copyright in North America, especially when it applies to digital information. Maybe, Michael can even do a blog posting on copyright and recipes.

Highlights from the U.S. Copyright Office on recipes:

Listing ingredients as in recipes do not constitute copyright protection. However, recipes accompanied by explanations and/or directions do.
Recipes to have copyright protection must be the original work of the author. The recipe must be from the authors own intellectual efforts.
Photos and illustration may also qualify for copyright protection.
Even if a recipe has not been formally been registered, it still may be protected by copyright.
Copyright protection does not cover names, titles, or ideas.

Posted in Copyright, General, Recipes | No Responses »

Welcome to Kell’s Kitchen

November 4th, 2009 by Kelly Serjeantson

In the coming weeks, I’ll be testing and posting recipes that I find Twitter.

I’ll also be posting recipes I feel people will appreciate.

Please stay tuned…

Posted in General | No Responses »

Kell's Kitchen