MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - 5-INGREDIENT SLOW-COOKER CABBAGE, POTATOES AND SMOKED SAUSAGE

Happy 1st Day of June! Can't believe we are already six months into the year, can you?

Today I am starting with a comforting hot bowl of nourishment, especially as my dear other half came down with the worst cough and cold that he has had in I can’t remember when. He usually never gets sick. As I write this on Friday the 29th, he was finally able to eat something. This bowl of soup he said, felt great for what ailed him. The cold came on very fast. If we had more warning, it would have been a chicken noodle soup, but this was very welcomed. I had put it together the day before. As I look outside, the sun is shining and it feels warmer. Perhaps this is the last bowl of hot soup for a while.

Today’s recipe comes from a food blog called Cooktop Cove, contributing author Morgan Reed. You can find the original recipe at this link. It has been a while since I used the slow-cooker. It is a good thing getting started on dinner early in the day. We used the linguiça that I mentioned a few days ago. It is Gregg’s favorite Portuguese sausage, one of his nostalgia foods from childhood. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I had it in my head that it was very spicy but didn’t find it so. It was delicious and flavorful. You can use your favorite smoked sausage of course.

Slow-Cooker 5-Ingredient Sausage, Cabbage and Potato 

Serves 4

1 pound smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (we used the linguiça)

1 small head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), cored and chopped into 1 to 2-inch pieces

1-1/2 pounds yellow or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (I used Yukon Baby Gold from Wegmans, so small I didn’t need to peel them or cut them into chunks, leaving them whole)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving

Layer the potatoes in the bottom of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. This gives them direct contact with the heat so they cook through and soften into that tender, almost creamy texture  

Scatter the chopped cabbage on top of the potatoes. Don’t worry if it seems like a lot as the cabbage will reduce in volume as it cooks.

Arrange the sliced smoked sausage over the cabbage in an even layer. As the sausage heats, its fat and seasoning will drip down and flavor the vegetables underneath, much like an old-fashioned stovetop braise.

Dot the butter pieces evenly over the sausage and vegetables. Pour the chicken broth around (not directly on top of) the layers so you don’t wash off all that surface seasoning  Sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork, and the cabbage is soft and glossy. (I checked after 6 hours and everything was cooked perfectly.) The broth should be rich and lightly buttery, with a few flecks of black pepper visible throughout.

Gently stir from the bottom to the top to mix the sausage, cabbage and potatoes without breaking them up too much. Taste and adjust seasoning with a bit more salt and pepper if needed.

Ladle into warm bowls, making sure each serving gets plenty of broth, sausage, cabbage and potatoes. Finish with an extra grind of black pepper at the table if you enjoy lots of pepper. 

I am repeating the host’s variations and tips:

For a slightly smoky, old-world flavor, add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds along with the salt and pepper. 

If you prefer a lighter dish, you can reduce the butter to 2 tablespoons and add an extra 1/2 cup of broth. The texture will be a little less rich but still satisfying. 

To make this more vegetable-forward, stir in a couple of handfuls of shredded carrots or sliced onions under the cabbage layer - this keeps the ingredient list simple while adding natural sweetness.

For a tangier, more German-inspired version, replace 1/2 cup of the chicken broth with apple cider or add 1 to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar at the end of cooking.

If you are cooking for a smaller household, this recipe reheats nicely on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of broth or water to loosen the broth and keep everything moist. 

Leftovers also make a hearty next-day lunch spooned over rice or mashed potatoes, stretching those humble ingredients even further, just like your grandmother would have intended. 

We served with a nice crusty roll.

I added a spoonful of sour cream on the last day of eating this soup.

There were leftovers for the next couple of days and lasted through the weekend.

Here is the full address of the recipe if you prefer to copy and paste.  

https://cooktopcove.com/2026/02/27/grandma-made-this-best-a-comforting-hearty-meal-that-turns-affordable-ingredients-into-gold

Here is a similar recipe at the same website but without the potatoes.

https://cooktopcove.com/2026/03/23/my-aunt-always-serves-this-classic-comfort-food-when-the-spring-weather-is-still-biting-toss-4-simple-ingredients-into-the-pot-for-an-insta

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day and… 

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW - 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

We had a cool-ish start to the day on August 21st, 2025. It started out at 65 degrees F. (going up to 75). Still not wanting to put the oven on, and yet fancying a hot meal, I looked at our semi-retired slow cooker/crockpot beef stew by Patty at The Kitchn. You can find the original recipe at this link. A little early for beef stew as normally I don't make one until the Fall, but it was really excellent. I also always recommend you visit the original recipe to see the tips that are given. I will look forward to going back to see the other recipes.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew – 4 to 6 servings

If you are serving 6 people, the calories work out to approximately 506 calories per person.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours on high – 8 hours on low

This recipe does not require you to sear the beef and deglaze the pan. The best meat suggested for the slow cooker is boneless chuck roast.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 medium yellow onion

4 medium carrots

2 medium stalks celery

1 pound Yukon gold or red potatoes (about 3 medium)

2-1/4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast or beef stew meat

 

2 dried bay leaves

1-1/2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving (optional)

 

Place 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine.

Dice 1 medium yellow onion (about 1-1/2 cups). 

Peel and cut 4 medium carrots crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds (about 2-1/2 cups). 

Cut 2 medium celery stalks crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about 3/4 cup). 

Cut 1 pound Yukon gold or red potatoes into 1-inch pieces.

Trim off any large pieces of surface fat from the chuck roast, then cut into 1 to 1-1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to the slow cooker and toss to coat in the flour mixture. 

Add the vegetables and 2 dried bay leaves.

Place 1-1/2 cups beef broth, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce in a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the beef and vegetables and stir to combine. Give everything a stir.

Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 6 to 8 hours on the LOW setting or 4 hours on the HIGH setting. 

Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. 

Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley leaves and more black pepper if desired.

What did we think? It was excellent! This isn't the first beef stew I have put on here, but each one we do seems to be 'the best'. Today we gave this one a 10 out of 10. When my dear other half came into the house after being outside, he said he couldn't wait to try it as the aroma was great.

I used the high setting for four hours and the meat and vegetables were cooked perfectly, meat was tender and veggies were just right (for our taste). 

The only thing we did to the broth today was add a cup of red wine (recommended on a cooking show years ago). I do this every time we make a meal that requires beef broth, and it gives it that added richness. We followed the recipe in every other way.

If a thicker broth is preferred, we talked about adding a little more flour next time. I said yes, Gregg said he would keep it as is.

He thought we should add more broth in the beginning, but I said we ought not to. Admittedly I could see his point but once the vegetables and meat had cooked down, there was plenty of liquid left.

Neither of us had any bread as we are trying to cut down on carbs, but rolls, crusty bread or cornbread would be a great addition. 

There were cobs of sweetcorn in our supplies, so we cooked one of those and ate it as a side.

I always try to add the address of the original recipe website below, for you to copy and paste, in case you don't want to use the link. I might sometimes forget but not today.

https://www.thekitchn.com/slow-cooker-beef-stew-recipe-23619698

Thanks for looking, 

have a wonderful week and... 

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ODDS AND BODS

Pretty art.

This sounds interesting, if nothing else it sounds soothing.

Or this for a good night’s sleep?

How about this? On the rare occasion we used to have an Auntie Anne’s Pretzel at our local mall. The place closed years ago.

Or this.

Another recipe of sorts but not for food. For when you might have food stains on your clothes. I haven’t tried it. I haven’t tried any of these, so you decide if you want to. 

The following is an addition as I thought to add this stain remover I buy from Wegmans. I can't remember the price, but it's very good for removing stains, even ones forgotten about. I spray it on the stain, rub it in, wait for a few minutes and put it through the wash. I don't know if I even have to wait. 9 times out of 10 the stain has been removed, even the blueberry ones forgotten about. It impresses me every time.

Apparently we are all walking miracles, so here we go again, strutting. 

Are you a…and yes I am a …

Words are fun!

I can’t say I have been that rebellious but I have been known to dig my heals in at times when I feel it is important.

But often enough I am with Keanu Reeves on this one.

Last one, a beautiful owl picture. 

I hope you have enjoyed them and feel free to let me know if you like them, or not.  These are from Pinterest.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CROCKPOT SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE SAUCE new blog

 

Another old recipe. I am always looking for healthier versions of favorites, and when I found this at Gina's skinnytaste.com blog, I decided to give it a try.  It works out to approximately 146 calories per 1/2 cup serving.  If you click on the name it will take you to Gina's recipe.

The other good news for me is that this is a crockpot meal. There is a little preparation beforehand. You can use your food processor if you have one.  I do all my veggie chopping by hand but start early in the day when my energy levels are pretty good.  It is at a time when I still find the process of preparation relaxing.

Crockpot Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce

4 ounces of Pancetta, chopped (or center cut bacon)

1 teaspoon butter (or olive oil)

1 large white onion, minced

2 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup), minced

2 carrots (about 3/4 cup), minced

2 lbs. 95% lean ground beef

1/4 cup white wine (I prefer red)

2 cans (28 ounces total) crushed tomatoes

3 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup half and half cream

In a large sauté pan, sauté pancetta on low heat until the fat melts, about 4-5 minutes.

Add butter (or olive oil), onions, celery, carrots and cook on medium-low heat until soft, about five minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and add meat, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned. Drain the fat, then add the wine. Cook until liquid reduces down, about 3-4 minutes.

Add this mixture to the crockpot, along with the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Cover and set on low and go do other things for the next six hours.  After six hours, serve up your dinner.

Added note: 4-24-24

Thanks to Debbie's comment I realized I hadn't mentioned when to put the cream into the sauce. I add it a few minutes before serving up, and only long enough that it is heated. Thanks Debbie!

I don't actually add the cream as we think it's fine without, and cream and I are not friends.

Sprinkle chopped parsley over the top for a garnish.

Another good result, very yummy and a keeper.

We both prefer Angel Hair pasta instead of regular.  

Lots of leftovers and I served it with a mixed green salad.  Above is an old photo when I made this meal originally. We most often don't add bread to our pasta meals any more. 

There were leftovers which I froze for no cooking days.  

Thanks for looking, have a great week and

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BEEF AND POTATO STEW

This is our first beef stew of the season, always a favorite request.  I usually try different versions. This one added more potatoes (though you wouldn't know it by looking at those photos) and a few new twists at the end of the recipe, Balsamic Vinegar and Horseradish stirred in just before serving up (see my notes at the end of the recipe).  With the start of the colder months (even though the days are still very nice), the evenings are a little chillier and it felt like it was time to make a beef stew.

I found it at Eating Well and you can find the original recipe here.

Beef and Potato Stew – 8 servings

Serving size: 1-1/2 cups - 435 calories in each serving.

This beef and potato stew is slow-cooked (not slow-cooker as I first thought) to perfection, and you end up with a delicious gravy and the meat is very tender.  Very important for me, you can make it ahead of time.  I would have no problem doing this the day before.

3 lbs. pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

¼ cup unsalted tomato paste (we bought a 7 oz. can and used it all)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon (I used Meiomi Pinot Noir, which is a family favorite, not that we are wine connoisseurs, we just know what we like.  We usually pour ourselves a glass and serve with our meal)

4 cups unsalted beef broth

5 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 (24 ounces) package baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut diagonally (1-inch)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. 

Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 

Toss beef with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

Add oil to the pot and swirl to coat. 

In 3 batches, add beef; cook until browned on 2 sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. 

Transfer to a plate. 

Repeat with the remaining beef. 

Reduce heat to medium and add onions and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. 

Add tomato paste and rosemary; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and the tomato paste darkens, about 1 minute. 

Stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are coated, about 1 minute. 

Stir in wine and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until glossy and thickened, about 5 minutes. 

Add broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. 

Stir in the beef and any accumulated juices. 

Remove from heat and cover tightly with a lid. 

Transfer to the oven and bake until the sauce has reduced and the beef is mostly tender, about 2 hours. 

Remove from oven; stir in potatoes and carrots. 

Cover and continue baking until the beef, potatoes and carrots are tender, about 1 hour. 

Don't forget to take the thyme sprigs out and the bay leaf before serving.

Stir in vinegar and horseradish. 

Garnish with parsley, if desired.

To make ahead

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

If you are following such things, the nutritional values can be found at the original recipe, the link I have provided in the beginning of the recipe.  

We thoroughly enjoyed this beef and potato stew.  It was delicious!  

I ended up using a slow cooker, even though the above version was made for the oven.  This was because we didn't have a Dutch Oven big enough to fit all the ingredients, and the container for the slow cooker fit perfectly.  I looked at another recipe cooked that way, and they said put it on low for 7-8 hours.  We found that ours cooked faster, and after checking at 6-1/2 hours, everything was cooked perfectly.  So, if you end up using a slow cooker, I would check to see if it is done after 6-hours.  It worked for us and everything was very tender.

We cooked all the ingredients in a large frying pan up to the point of adding the already seared beef.  Instead, we put the meat into the slow cooker, and carefully poured all the other cooked ingredients over the top, and then turned on the slow cooker.

I added a container of mushrooms along with everything else.  On reflection I would have added two containers.  Also, my co-chef in the kitchen suggested we add more potatoes, more carrots and even more onions.  

This version doesn't have a lot of salt in it, which is a good thing if you are watching how much you use for health reasons.  We are trying to watch our salt intake and if you need more, you can always add it at the table.  Depends on your own taste.  

Don’t forget to remove the sprig of thyme and bay leaf. 

Neither of us felt like adding the Balsamic vinegar or the horseradish when suggested.  I added a dash of vinegar in my bowl at the table.  Both of us preferred it without as the broth was incredible.

I forgot to add chopped parsley at the end of the meal, which would have made it look prettier.  A little green goes a long way.  I wasn't really satisfied how it looked in my photos, but at least it tasted great.

One more thought, adding a little extra flour to make a thicker broth/gravy.

We added a nice crusty roll for dipping.

A big thumb's up from both of us and we are enjoying the leftovers, which only seemed to get better.

That's about all I can think of.  If you have any suggestions of your own, I would be happy to hear them.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your week 

and Bon Appétit!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - SLOW COOKER BUTTER CHICKEN

A lot of the time when we sit down for a meal,  I don't follow a recipe and fix our old favorite standbys.  However, when I do have the extra time, and more to the point, the inclination, I enjoy browsing through food blogs on line, for those times when we want something a little bit different.  Gregg loves trying ethnic foods, he actually started me on that path, but it took a while as I grew up in a very plain cooking household.  

My Mother was an exceptional cook and her meals were always ones to look forward to (her Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding will never be surpassed in my eyes).  However, after my marriage and with all Gregg's traveling from his navy days, he developed a taste for more exotic cuisine, and introduced me to it.  His Mother also was a great cook and used more seasonings and I had never been used to anything other than salt and pepper, but she taught me about such things and I took note.

I always remember a conversation with my Mum after I had lived in the States for a few years, and at the risk of repeating myself here because I have been writing this blog for a long time now, Mum and Dad were visiting and had been with us for about a week. Mum and I were in the kitchen, chatting over a cup of tea after she had watched me prepare another meal.  I remember going all out with the menu plan, trying to make my Mum proud of my developing cooking skills.  

After looking at all the ingredients I had on my counter, Mum said, with this kind of quizzical, very thoughtful look on her face, "You don't cook English any more do you Neesie?"  (My family nickname since I learned to talk and walk.)

It kind of took me aback because I hadn't thought about it up until that point.  I actually think I was making a spaghetti sauce and now it makes me smile because spaghetti and meatballs was an exotic dish to my Mum and Dad, and they remembered all the pasta they ate when on a vacation to Italy.  We didn’t get pasta in our growing up years, never even crossed our minds.  

If they could have bought all their English groceries with them they would have but obviously would never have gotten it through the customs, not that they would have tried in the first place.  They were allowed to bring tea -  I think - and as we couldn't get English tea here back in those days, they always came with a suitcase full to the gills with PG Tips.  This was all gone by the time they went back and their empty suitcase was filled with all kinds of souvenirs to take home to family and friends.  

I love thinking back to that conversation Mum and I had in the kitchen all those years ago.  She would have been proud of the fact that Yorkshire Pudding was still on our menu, and I make many traditional British dishes.   

At heart I am still a plain cook but I always find several recipes to browse through, and I asked Gregg to choose tonight.   His choice was Slow Cooker Butter Chicken by Chung-Ah at DamnDelicious.   You can visit the original recipe here.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
6 Servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 hours 5 minutes
total time: 5 hours 15 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, diced
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high high.  Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in coconut milk, tomato paste, flour, garam masala, curry powder, chili powder and ginger powder until well combined and slightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place chicken into a slow cooker.  Add sauce mixture and gently toss to combine.  Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours.

Serve immediately.

What did we think of this meal?  It was another hit.  I won't share anything that we haven't enjoyed.  The main reason I put recipes on here is that it is another way to save those that we enjoy, and can easily look up when we are in the mood to try again.

I love getting the slow-cooker out.  Fixing things early in the day is a big plus, and by the time you sit down you can relax enough to enjoy the meal. Everything is in the pot before noon, and this leaves the afternoon for other things.  We also avoid turning the oven on in such hot weather.  

Gregg asked if I could cook chicken thighs instead of breast and that was the only thing I altered. It cooked in the same amount of time.

This is the first Indian dish I have prepared.  It wasn't hot at all and if you do enjoy a little more heat, you can add extra chili to taste.  I offered to add more chili the next time but Gregg said no, he wouldn't change a thing.  

Thank you Chung-Ah for sharing this delicious Slow Cooker Butter Chicken.   Please check out DamnDelicious.  Her meals are varied and they look excellent.  I will definitely be going back to find more yummy meals.  You can find her blog here.

Thanks for looking, and have a great week.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - SLOW-COOKER SQUASH STEW

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

It is a very dreary day down here today, rainy and 61 degrees Fahrenheit.  I am not moaning as I like the occasional rainy day.  I don't mind walking in the rain, so long as it isn't a deluge and blowing my umbrella inside out.  I must have duck genes.  Those deluge days can be tricky for everyone.  Too much rain, not a good thing as I think of other friends who are in those hurricane and flooding areas.  

Today's recipe came from Food Network and you can find the original recipe here.  I am finding more meatless dishes to add to our week.

Slow-Cooker Squash Stew - 4 servings

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Slow-cooker time: 8 hours

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water and then rinsed - use 2 cans of chickpeas if dried not available (which is what I used as I couldn't find the dried in my supermarket)

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (or buy pre-cubed butternut squash from the supermarket if available)

1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems separated and roughly chopped

1 piece Parmesan Cheese rind, plus grated Parmesan for garnish (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Your favorite crusty bread and/or lemon wedges, for serving

 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.

Stir in 1/2 cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the chickpeas, squash, chard stems (not the leaves), the Parmesan rind, if using, 2 teaspoons salt and 7 cups water to the slow cooker.

Stir and cover; cook on low for 8 hours.

Just before serving, lift the lid and stir in the chard leaves; cover and continue cooking 10 more minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, and stir to slightly break up the squash.

Discard the Parmesan rind, if used.

Ladle the stew into bowls; top with the grated Parmesan if using, and serve with bread and/or lemon wedges.

If you have been following my Monday recipe posts, you'll see that I always add my own notes below each recipe.  This is for our own benefit to read what we might change or add the next time that recipe is made, because we forget truth be told. I guess what I am trying to say is, I don’t expect you to read through all my ramblings.  If you do end up making this, you will probably add your own thoughts, but then again I hope my notes may be of some help.  

Our son was over on the day I cooked this.  We all enjoyed it and the guys are totally honest about their food. They let me know if it isn’t their cup of tea - I prefer it that way - and this was without a doubt a thumb's up with them, and they had seconds.  I always try to make food I know they will enjoy, but sometimes I will slip something new into a dish - new to us - as in this case butternut squash, swiss chard and chickpeas. Our daughter-in-law has introduced many new healthy foods to our son, and I will often take note and put something different on our shopping list.

I wasn’t able to get the dried chickpeas, so used 2 cans instead (along with their liquid).  I needn’t have worried about them being too soft at the end of the 8-hour cooking time.  I could have added them later for just enough time to heat through, at the same time as adding the Swiss Chard leaves, but didn’t want any extra steps that day.  If it didn't work out there would always be a next time.  Happily the chickpeas kept their firmness.  

The broth was thinner than the other soups or stews I have made.  Maybe if I used the dried peas they would have thickened it, maybe.  That being said, it was delicious and tasted even better the next day.

I added the Parmesan rind - yummy because I used four small bite-size pieces of rind and accidentally ate a piece thinking it was a vegetable as it turned the color of the butternut squash and although very nice was a little chewy, so be careful - yes I'm rambling.  I also grated up extra for serving on top of our first meal, but the next day added sour cream and it was also yummy.  

Though I normally like to buy produce whole, I found it hard to cut up the butternut squash.  My hands don't work as well as they used to (my guys were in the middle of a project and I didn't want to bother them).  Next time I might try getting the pre-cut chunks available at the supermarket.  Those convenience packets do make the task a whole lot easier.

This is the first time I have prepared and eaten swiss chard.  I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again as we all enjoyed it in this stew.  Substitutions could be kale or spinach or cabbage. 

I also put the tomato paste and crushed pepper together in a small dish, and placed them in the fridge the night before. What was left in the can I measured out 1 tablespoon amounts onto a piece of parchment paper, flash froze them and once frozen wrapped them up a freezer bag. They will be ready for another recipe requiring tomato paste.  When I was a school girl my Domestic Science teacher nicknamed me the Flour Queen.  If she needed a new nickname for me today she would call me the Freeze Queen.

The night before I meal-prepped and measured out most of the ingredients, put in small bowls, covered them and placed what I needed in the fridge.  It made for an easy start to the morning, putting everything into the slow-cooker when I got up.  The finished meal was on the table for an early dinner at four in the afternoon.

When we had enjoyed two more meals, most of the vegetables had been eaten but I had 2 cups of broth left.  This I put it in the freezer, for when we need vegetable broth for another recipe.  I think this was a very tasty broth and would add a lot to the next soup we make.

If you don’t have a slow cooker it could be adapted for cooking on the stove top.  Just check on how long it would take to cook the dried chickpeas if using.

We looked at these photos and both said they turned out darker than the actual stew.  I took them in the evening when the lighting was quite dim.  Lesson learned and ramble over with!

Thanks for visiting and have a great week.

MONDAY RECIPE POST --- STEEL-CUT OATMEAL WITH APPLES AND CRANBERRIES

I have made an almost identical recipe to this one using Old-Fashioned Oats, but this calls for Steel-Cut.  I generally buy a large bag of dried cranberries, to be used in a lot of recipes, including salads, but my favorite way at this point in time at least, is in a bowl of oatmeal.  

Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Apples and Cranberries

Total time: 6 hours and 15 minutes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time on low: 6 hours

Servings: 6

1 cup steel-cut oats
3-1/2 cups of water
1-1/2 cups of peeled and chopped apples
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Place the steel cut oats, water, apple, cranberries, brown sugar and vanilla extract into a slow cooker.  Stir to combine to dissolve the sugar.  

Put the cover on the crockpot,  set to "low" and cook for 6 hours.  

This was excellent.  The original recipe suggested cooking on low for 6 to 7 hours for firm oats, or 8 hours for a softer texture.  6 hours is how long it took for mine and it was fine.  If I go over the six, my oatmeal tends to start turning too brown around the edge and gets clumpy.  My suggestion is to read the instructions on the original recipe here.  Everyone’s crockpot is different, so you'll have to judge by how yours operates.

I usually double the ingredients.  I like to freeze in 1-cup portions, and then if we are in a hurry, I take it out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave for roughly 3 minute.  That is just a guideline as I know microwaves can vary in cooking times. 

This is one of my favorite breakfasts, and seems especially good when it is cold outside. It reminds me of when my mother sent us off to school, well fortified after eating a bowl of hot ‘porridge‘, on a rather chilly and foggy morning in the middle of winter.