One potato, two potato…

September 11th, 2012 by Kelly Serjeantson

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It was a chilly 5 degrees this morning in Ottawa and my first thought (after at least 2 cups of coffee) was that dinner would be something warm to compensate for the fact that my furnace does NOT come on until at least sometime after Halloween.

So off to the butcher I went and came home with some fantastically lean and freshly trimmed stew beef, potatoes and some carrots pulled from some farmer’s field this morning. Stew was on the menu!

I love stew, I really do. It’s an easy, one pot meal that my whole family will devour, especially on a day like today. Browning the beef? No problem. Chopping onions? A snap. Peeling potatoes and carrots? Another story altogether. I hate to whine, but I strongly dislike peeling potatoes, possibly because it was sometimes my job growing up to do them for large family dinners…Oh, the mountain of potatoes I’ve peeled!

I have tried fancy-shmancy peelers, cheapo ones and even an apple-peeler contraption that required securing it to my countertop. With potatoes, I found that I was forever going back to spots that were missed and finally resorted to using a good old paring knife. It does the job fairly efficiently but after peeling potatoes, my wrist would be killing me.  No big deal, I’d mutter. What’s a little pain for the look of adoration I would receive when I set the steaming bowl of goodness on the table? Sigh, the things a mother puts herself through….

Yet even after a summer of virtually NO potato peeling, my wrist was not up to it today. Maybe it was the weather, maybe I’m just getting old….whatever. Then I spied a little miracle on top of my fridge.

 

I found this at the Real Canadian Superstore for $3. I picked it up for my brother as a joke after he used one at my mom’s this summer. She suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and finds traditional peelers sometimes difficult to use. Promising to go back and get a replacement to send to my brother, I ripped open the package and slipped the soft flexible handle on to my middle finger.

No gripping required!

WELL. This little beauty was worth it’s weight in GOLD! I peeled a bunch of potatoes and carrots in half the time it normally takes me. Seriously. No cramping, no sore wrist, just nicely peeled potatoes. Ah bliss!

I have to stress that I believe in the knife over gadgets. I use a knife more than any other tool in my kitchen. I picked this up as a joke for my little brother – but the joke was on me! It’s useful, doesn’t take up much space and comes with a handy scrubber with the same handle for your finger.

So there you have it people – a cheap inexpensive little doodad that made my day a little  sweeter. You’re welcome.

Oh yes, and if you want the recipe for the stew,click here. Trust me – it’s yummy!!! Variation here is that I added the potatoes to the stew rather than make mashed….

Hintonbrew Stew

January 16th, 2012 by Kelly Serjeantson

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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

Dinner is Served – Or How I the Survived Arena Shuffle

November 7th, 2011 by Kelly Serjeantson

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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!