An old favorite

So, while it's not techinically new news, I did have to reshare this recipe from March of earlier this year (we used it for St. Patrick's Day dinner). Mainly because the weather here is finally turning fall and winter-ish and that means I'm cooking up a family favorite: Irish stew!

The great thing about this stew is that you can kinda throw in whatever you have on hand. Tonight I'm going to toss in some broccoli and green beans since I happen to have a couple frozen packs of each. And I have to add that any sort of hot bread with this makes the dish even more delish!

Thanks to I Married An Ominivore for this vegetarian version of a classic!

1 – pkg favorite brand of “crumbles,” or your favorite meat substitute, up to two pounds.
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups potatos, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
3 cups tomato juice/sauce
1 cup water
2 cups canned or frozen peas
Cut up all the veggies (except for the peas) into 2-inch chunks and add to crock pot. Open “crumbles” package and pour on top of veggies in slow cooker. Add the salt, pepper, sugar and tomato sauce. Cook on low for 6-9 hours (I let it go for the full 9 hours because I usually cook this while I’m at work). About 15-30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, add the peas into the slow cooker and let cook for those last 15-30 minutes. Although I always make this in my crock pot, it also can be cooked it in a 250 degree oven for 6 hours.

St. Patrick's Day recap

I was going to wait to do this at the end of the month like all my other 1/12 recaps, but figured it would be silly to wait so long to revisit something that happened in the middle of the month. So if you'll remember, my resolution for this month was to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in an authentic Irish way. My menu included (vegetarian) Irish stew and Irish soda bread. I didn't end up making dessert but it was okay because dinner was so filling. If you follow the recipe I linked to, I highly recommend adding an extra cup of water to the mix (otherwise I think it would have been way too dry). Also, if for some reason your crock pot fails to get plugged in--ahem!--you can also cook the stew on high for 4 hours and have all the veggies cook up just right. But enough blarney ;) let's get with the pictures!



my simple irish table set-up.



i snipped the shamrocks off the plants i found
at our commissary for only $3!



i went for a very classic and minimalist look.
everyday white dishes from bb&b, thrift store crystal
candle sticks, linen-look napkins from pier one, and
cafe glasses from ikea.



making the irish soda bread.
super easy, and suuuuuper delicious.





it was a little squishy in the middle still.


Overall, I am very pleased with how everything turned out. The stew was utterly amazing, and I will make it again (talk about comfort food). And filling! I could go on and on about it, but you'll just have to try it for yourself.

Hope you had a safe (and savory!) St. Patrick's Day too!

St. Patrick's Day: the food

Just reading the directions for these dishes is making my mouth water. The stew sounds hearty and like Irish soul food. I'm think I may add a splash of Guinness to give a bit of a stout taste and provide more broth for bread dipping.

The Main Dish
Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Irish Stew
Irish Soda Bread

Dessert
Irish Whiskey Cake
Irish tea

In other St. Patrick's Day news, the table is very slowly coming together! One of my favorite inspirational photos is this one right here. For some reason this captures the feeling I'm going for all in this one tiny shot--well, minus the green oatmeal!


The natural colored linen napkins, and table cloth, classic white dishes, the old silverware bundled with a bit of twine, and a little shamrock to finish it off. And I knew exactly where to find those napkins.


Pottery Barn's Hemstitch linen napkins. Everything about them is perfect. Except the price. A set of six was going to set me back $56 (no matter what the table is set for, I always buy things in a set of six because that's how many people our table can actually hold). I was bumming hard. Over $9 per napkin?! There was no way I could justify it even if they came out every holiday because I'd constantly be worried about people actually using them. And what's the point in that? But then I found these.




(this is a better representation of their color.
can you tell i was trying to be all pottery barn-like when i took this shot??)
Hemstitch napkins from Pier One for only $4 per napkin! Their color and texture are perfect. The biggest difference between mine and the Pottery Barn ones? Mine are made of cotton. Which I am 100% okay with because they're actually cotton and not a polyester blend. Easily washable and maintainable. And at $24 for a set of six I was doing a little (Irish) jig as I carried them up to the register.

Now I just have to decide what to do about a table cloth...

March's 1/12, St. Patrick's Day

I have one goal, and one goal only for March: celebrate St. Patrick's Day in an authentic Irish way (and I don't mean getting hammered on green beer at the local pub). For years Jason and I have wanted to do up a traditional holiday meal, and listen to music, and just enjoy this seemingly random holiday. But most years he's either just been deployed, or returns from a deployment a week later, or we've just gone vegetarian and don't know how to cook up a variation of corned beef.

But it's not just going to be about the food--ambiance is also important in Irish homes, especially when it comes to meals. And if you think I'm going to bedeck our house in glittery shamrocks and plastic leprechauns you've lost your mind Jack! Here's what (I'm hoping) our St. Patrick's Day decor will look like.


Think lots of natural elements--potted clovers, moss, maybe some wooden mushrooms for a touch of whimsy, nubby linens in warm hues, and possibly even a few paper bag lanterns. I want it all to feel very warm, inviting, and simple.

For the meal, if I can find a vegetarian version of corned beef and cabbage, I'll try to make it. If not, I'll do a fish and cabbage (supposedly, corned beef and cabbage is actually an Americanized dish) or maybe a stew. Irish soda bread will absolutely be on the menu and for dessert possibly a Barnbrack with Irish tea. And of course, there will be potatoes a-plenty.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have exactly 16 days to complete this 1/12! Stay tuned because it's going to get very busy around here!