Beef Stew

January, February and March are such uninspired months for me. Usually I get a cold, am super busy at work, the weather if it isn't snowing is minues15 and I can't garden! So I turn to cooking, I made a good hearty beef stew the other night and it was quite good. It is the time of year to fill ourselves with filling meals, and the stew has the nutrition to boot. I also have a terrible cold and meals like stew always make me feel homey which makes me feel better.

Beef Stew

1lb. Stewing Beef
2 tablespoons flour
1 med. onion chopped
Olive oil
1 cups Beef Stock
2 cups V8 or other vegetable juice
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. oregano (dried) if using fresh you may want to add more
1 tsp. thyme (same as above)
1 tablespoon worschester sauce
2 cups Veggies

Toss Beef in flour and add it with onion to a large pot and fry in olive oil, about 10 minutes. Add liquids and herbs and bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 1 hour, to give beef time to soften and gain flavour. Add veggies and cook for another 30 minutes.
Serve with a good crusty bread.

Delicious!

Sausage and Rapini Pasta

I've had a lazy cooking week or so. Work has been busy and Xander has been sick so I haven't felt very inspired to cook. Lazy meals consisted of raw veggies with dip, an omelette with tomatoes, goat cheese and basil, nachos with fixings. And the worst was when I was so tired that I made popcorn and served it with cheese and apples, not really a meal per se, but it hit the spot. On those nights Ken usually fends for himself and he is pretty good at it.

However, I did manage at least one good meal last week, and it lasted for another night too. Sausage and Rapini is a brilliant combination, and with a little parmesan on top it becomes perfection.

Pasta w/ Sausage and Rapini


Sweet or Spicy Italian Sausage
1 lg. bunch Rapini
1 clove garlic
White wine
Olive oil
Pasta of choice


Cook pasta al dente, drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in large pan add sausage (I remove sausage from casing because I prefer a more crumbled texture, but you can also just chop sausage into chunks) and garlic and cook until cooked through. Add trimmed Rapini, and about 1/2 cup white wine, cover and let simmer until Rapini is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add pasta and toss together. Serve with parmesan.

Enjoy!