Monthly Archives: March 2010

The beef stew to end all beef stews…and the rest of the day!

Posted by thatrunnerchick in cooking!

So this morning, I woke up, and had my usual cup o’ joe.

I then IMMEDIATELY set to work on the stew, because I knew it would take around 8-10 hours to cook (the longer, the better!!).
I lined up my key players:

and started with a pound of stew meat in the slow cooker:

tossed into some flour, salt, and pepper and coated the meat:

threw in the vegetables (ended up only using 2.5 potatoes, 3 carrots, and 1/2 the onion and that was plenty!!) as well as 1 can beef broth and 1.5 cups water. added spices to taste…bay leaves, oregano, garlic powder etc. had to add some more flour later on to get it thicker.

Ended up having a small bowl around 2:30, before my in-laws came up with more stuff to unpack. It was unreal!! The house smelled fantastic, I couldnt wait until dinner time to try it! It was perfectly thick and stew like. And the meat was SO tender. I am in love with this crockpot!! Will make awesome leftover lunches this week, too! Beef stew gets better with time!

Which ended up being good because then my mother in law took me to Panera!! Finished off the day with a Bacon Turkey Bravo. I know, I know. Yesterday I was sick of bacon, today I had it in dinner! Bacon and I took a break (about 36 hours) and now we’re back on good terms!!

Now…back to my episode of Real Housewives of New York. And maybe grading some MCAS review problems. FUN!

Bathroom Help!!

Posted by thatrunnerchick in Uncategorized

Our “new” house was built in 1918…and Im pretty sure no redecorating has been done since that. The good side to this is that we can make EVERYTHING to our liking…the bad side is well, its going to take some serious effort.

Our first and foremost edit is the bathroom. Recently, prior to us buying it, it was used ONLY for a sit down shower. We are having an issue figuring out how to hang a shower curtain, and for this reason have only been showering in the basement. (Yes, we have a random shower in the basement. Dont ask questions! Its been a lifesaver!!)

Heres the shower/tub:

See that slanted roof? It makes things very difficult! Trying to figure out a way to hang a shower curtain so that we dont have a 12inch gap on that side. Father-in-law is researching partial custom glass to put there.

If anyone else has any ideas…please, enlighten me!!

The rest of the bathroom isnt so bad, I even accept the color as is (I really just like the floor tiles…the pink tub might be a little much for the husband).

However, the bathroom for some reason, was built for someone who is 5’2″ (hence why I like it!). Short vanity mirror…that PW cant see into at all when hes standing up straight. A short sink thats bordering on too small even for me! And, a lack of well…places to put anything.

First on the agenda here? The sink. Its got to go. I’d really like a pedestal sink (like the one below), but then there is REALLY no where to store anything!!

2 hours until the crock pot beef stew is ready…the house smells DELICIOUS!! the in-laws are on their way up with two, (TWO!), truckloads of PWs stuff. A long afternoon of unpacking is in store for me!

Post tonight with more details about todays eats!

Today’s meals…sort of

Posted by thatrunnerchick in Uncategorized

Im kinda surviving on leftovers at the moment.  I made baked potato soup on Thursday and figured it would last me until today…which it did.  But, believe it or not, I am kind of bacon-ed out (I cant believe I just admitted that).  It could have been the fact Ive had a BLT for lunch at school for the last consecutive 4 days.

Or the ridiculous amount of bacon I put in the soup.

Or the bacon I ate while making the soup.

Anyways, heres my lunch today, the last serving of it.  Should probably call it a stew because its THICK! (that darn sharp cheddar!)

Also, my favorite spoon is in the picture!!

It was COLD today in MA! I refuse to turn the heat above 62 out of principle (its almost APRIL for goodness sakes!) so the dogs snuggled in the sun on the dining room floor to stay warm:

post Ironman.com stalking of the entire triathlon team, I decided to whip myself up a “warm weather drink”, so it would sort of be like I was in CA with them. And not in 30 degrees!! I used our new (ie old fashioned) “juicer” and made some fantastic lemonade!!! (in a Waikiki Lulu’s glass!!)
Just lemon juice, water, and sugar, its my favorite!

Tomorrow Im taking a stab at my first crockpot meal. Normally I make beef stew in a pan, in 2 hours. Tomorrow I try the 12 hour all day affair!!! Pretty excited about it…and documenting it.