Garden Bounty



Image from Company's Coming



Today was cooking day.  It's hard to be cooking continuously everyday, especially when playdates and whole mornings outside take a huge time chunk out of the day.  So, some days are cooking days, and some days are leftover days.  Nothing terribly glamorous I'm afraid.  (Unlike my french counterparts, I do not have the luxury of preparing every daily meal from scratch.) 

I tried out a recipe from Company's Coming Slow Cooker cookbook.  I will say here that crockpots are amazing; surely a Godsend to any busy woman!  They have this recipe for a beef stew, which is out of this world fantastic!  I had to modify the recipe, which originally called for ground beef, but I was more than happy with the results.  (This is one of those times when  leftovers are really appealing.)

GARDEN BOUNTY BEEF

1/2 kg of beef (eye of round), cut into small chunks

2 zucchini, washed and chopped

2 medium tomatoes, washed and chopped

1 large onion, chopping

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup of frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 can of condensed tomato soup

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

olive oil

1 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet and fry beef until brown on outside.  Add all vegetables except peas, soup and beef to crockpot, or a large pot.  Add spices and salt and pepper.  Simmer on high for 3 hours, on low for 5 hours, or on the stove at low/medium heat for about 30-40 minutes.  (Beef will be very tender.)  Add peas, stir and cook for an additional 20 minutes in the crockpot on high, or 10 minutes on stove at medium heat.  Enjoy with noodles, rice or with a fresh baguette.