My Mom’s Weekend and A Half Bone Broth Stew

“And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, 

‘This is important!  And this is important!  And this is important!

Harry – December 2016  (He loves, loves, loves playing with toys)

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You need to worry about this! And this! And this!’ 

And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, ‘No, this is what’s important'”     ~ Iain Thomas

— — —

A few months ago I sat in my son’s living room, holding baby Sam.  He offered me a cup of tea along with a stick of honey (it’s local and organic, Mom), and a bite of a new snack he’d made with goji berries

“Oh, Sweetie, I couldn’t,” I say, still digesting the big salad I’d eaten for lunch. “I’m so full.”

“You make room for things you love,”  He said as he handed me the tea

— — —

Admittedly, toward the end of 2016, I was full and ready for a break.

From the time we’re little, we’re taught that life is a buffet, the world is our oyster, and we can wear as many hats as we’d like.  And most certainly we can, in a land filled with so many opportunities and cool things to occupy our time.  But every now-and-again we wake up and realize that we’re tired, our jeans no longer fit, the lettuce is wilty, and we’re very

tired of our hair

As we start 2017, I’m still full, but with a far better perspective.

There are still puppies to train, a marriage to nurture, classes to finish, a full-time career, grandchildren to visit, workouts to do, and friendships to forge.  There still are a million questions to field within our own four walls.  What’s for dinner?  Did you write the check?  Why are we all awake at 4 am?  Will you pick up dog bones while you’re out?  When are you traveling again?  Will you pass the salt?  How ‘ya ‘doing Grandma?

I’m full, in a good way, of course.  You make room for the things you love

“OK Loves,” I say as I reach for the square of goji berry goodness.  “I’ll take just a bite.”

It tasted incredible

The hot tea was perfect, just what I needed on the cold and blustery November afternoon

— — —

“Most people overestimate what they can get done in a day or even a year, and vastly underestimate what they can achieve in a lifetime”     ~ Tony Robbins

I’m remembering this

I’m remembering that efforts I’ve committed to are still worth pursuing.  That everything is a series of small steps and tiny bites. That a little bit goes an awfully long way.  That space is a perception (that life is as well)

I’m learning that, when everything is overwhelming, when the days feel full when even the thought of cooking dinner seems nearly impossible, there is still room to be made; there is space

For a pinch of salt, a cup of tea, a bite of a favorite snack

For something that truly matters

Or more precisely, for the someone(s) I love

As I mentioned in Part I – a month or so ago we went to my parents for dinner

My mom served a rich, brothy vegetable beef soup ladled from a cast-iron pot on the stovetop.  Big hunks of stew meat simmered in bone broth and stewed tomatoes, veggies, and side of piping hot buttery garlic bread for dipping.  I could have drunk the broth straight from the bowl, as though it were hot tea.  I thought at the time it was the best thing I’d ever eaten, in fact ..

I still do

My parents live only ten minutes from us.  It’s always fun for me to see what they’ve been up to in the kitchen (and out).  Every year their garden is beautiful, my dad brews homemade beer and wine, they make fermented foods like sauerkraut, and are always sending us home with treasures they’ve canned

The thing I’ve learned about someone who doesn’t cook with recipes is, it’s best to ask how they made something fairly soon afterward.  Which I did thinking, “I’ll remember”  And of course, by the time I got serious about making it, we were both scratching our heads

“How’d that go again?”

Bone Broth

One day last week, when I wanted to make room for something slow and quiet, sans sautéing and other jumpy methods,  something that would make the kitchen warm and sweet-smelling for a few days, I started a batch.

A riff on my mom’s sounded like just the thing.  A simple, hearty, and straightforward stew made from the season’s last tomatoes, homemade beef and turkey bone broths, fresh herbs and veggies

Besides using the most wholesome of ingredients, what’s her secret to making this incredible stew?  Cooking it for three days(!), I kid you not.  Every night she takes the pot off of the burner and puts it outside on the porch  (it’s winter here in Iowa)

“For the longest time when I made soup, we were always commenting about much better is was the next day.  So I started incorporating that into my cooking.  It’s kind of like when you make cookies.  There’s something magical that happens if you’ve let the dough rest for 72 hours in the fridge”     ~ My Mom

Aside from a minimal bit of labor, this stew is pretty straightforward.  With a stir every now and then, it mainly cooks itself.  It makes for easy eating on a cold winters night.  With a hunk of bread and some cheese alongside, it’s one of the best meals you’ll ever have

Photo Credit – Pinterest – Witch Hazel

A few additional notes about the recipe:

My mom browns her meat along with the onion, celery, and spices.  I’ve always used Ina Garten’s method of starting a beef stew and included it here.  You can’t go wrong either way.

There aren’t any hard and fast rules when it comes to spices, and those listed in the recipe are simply jumping-off points.  Any combination would be great: oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley.  Simply taste as you go and adjust as necessary

She doesn’t add Worcestershire, but it’s a flavor I’ve always loved in beef stews

I found that I needed to add more broth each day, especially if I’d forgotten to cover the pot completely and some of the liquid had evaporated.  No worries, it’s hard to go wrong

Enjoy!

xoxo

ps:  You can read more about bone broth in Part I  |  Part III  |  Part IV  of the series