What's For Supper - Yami Stew

When I was growing up, we would go camping every summer. My parents often took our neighbor's kids along (they happened to be our best friends), and my older sisters would sometimes join us with their spouses. Needless to say, my mom enjoyed easy-to-make meals. One of her favorites was Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Yes, that canned stuff that some people say looks like dog food. As a kid, I loved it. It was comfort food.

I still find myself yearning for beef stew when the weather turns cold, even though, as an adult and a non-meat eater, there's no way I would open up a can of Dinty Moore. So a few days ago, I set out to make a vegetarian version of basic beef stew. I made sure I used plenty of "umami" ingredients to make my stew as meaty as possible without adding meat. My omnivore husband said I succeeded! He said it was one of the best "beef" stews he ever tasted. This is a definite do-over.

I'd like to preface this recipe by reminding you that cooking is an art, and I often cook intuitively. I usually don't measure ingredients and I add things as I go along, depending on the aromas and textures that are being created in the dish. I will attempt to give you approximate measurements but I encourage you to play with any of my recipes and make them your own!

First, pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Clean and quarter about one and a quarter pounds of crimini mushrooms. Place them on a non-greased sheet pan that's large enough for the mushrooms to be in a single layer.

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil and about a tablespoon of tamari over the mushrooms. Add some salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix everything together.








Spread the mushrooms back out into a single layer on the pan and roast for about 10 minutes.

While the mushrooms are roasting, cut four medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes and three medium sized carrots into bite-sized pieces. Keep the potatoes in a bowl covered with cold water so they don't discolor.

Remove the mushrooms from the oven. They will have shrunk and become dark and delicious. Try one!

Let them cool slightly, then scoop them into a bowl using a slotted spoon. Try to keep as much juice and mushroom bits in the pan as you can.








Pour and scrape the mushroom drippings into a large soup pot.

If needed, add enough additional olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Over medium heat, add the carrots, along with some salt, pepper and dried thyme, and stir carrots to coat. Cook for about three minutes.

Add just enough vegetable broth to cover the carrots and simmer until you can just pierce the carrots with a fork, about ten minutes. Do not cover the pot!








Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot. Add just enough additional vegetable broth to cover the potatoes. Add two bay leaves, about 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and about 1/2 cup of red wine (the more full-bodied, the better).

Bring back to a boil and then lower heat. Simmer until the potatoes are just fork-tender, about ten more minutes. Still no cover! Mmm, it's starting to smell good in here.








Time to add the mushrooms, along with a big handful of frozen pearl onions. Taste the liquid and adjust the seasonings accordingly. At this point, it looks more like a soup. Simmer on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally. You want the liquid to thicken and reduce, so no cover!

I left the stew on the stove and went to watch the last half hour of a Star Trek TNG episode. When I went back into the kitchen, the soup had become a stew! The liquid had become a nice, thick gravy. Delicious.









Here it is: Yami Stew! I served it with a Caeser Salad and flaky biscuits. P.S. It's even better the next day. You may have to add a little more broth if it's too thick. Enjoy!

Shadow and Sera

Back in July, we had a feral momma cat show up with four little kittens. After teaching them all to hunt and fend for themselves, she disappeared with two of the kittens and left two for us. Thanks!

They decided to make the log deck their home. Bruce, of course, added them as customers of Bruce's Backyard Beastro.

He and Cody walked down to the log deck every morning to deliver fresh food and water.

The cats became pretty comfortable with their new life. They liked playing in the driveway,  climbing trees and chasing squirrels. We named them Shadow and Sera (short for seraphim). Bruce was confident that Shadow was a boy and Sera was a girl.









Getting the cats fixed as soon as possible was a priority, as we definitely didn't want any new kittens. We decided we couldn't have any more cats in the house, so these two would be our "barn cats". We bought a live trap and Bruce set it out one evening with a can of warm cat food. Yum. It didn't take long for Shadow to find it.

As Shadow turned to leave...down came the door.  Doh!

  Poor Shadow.










Bruce collected him (we were still assuming it was a him) and put him in the garage for the night. Off to the vet the next morning!

Bruce's "I trapped a cat" victory dance.

The vet called us the next day to let us know...it's a boy! Bruce was right. One down, one to go.

We set the trap out again a few days later and got...Shadow! Again! What a dope. Poor guy. We thought for sure that Sera was watching and thinking "there's no way I'm going to get trapped in that thing!" But Bruce persevered and we finally got her.

She is much more tame than Shadow. Bruce was even able to open the cage and pick her up and pet her.

Here she is, off to the vet!












About fifteen minutes after Bruce got back from dropping her off, the vet called to let us know...it's a BOY! I thought Bruce was going to cry. He really wanted Sera to be a girl.

We thought about changing the name to Raj, after the self-proclaimed "metrosexual" on Big Bang Theory, but Bruce keeps calling him Sera. And, really, seraphim are angels of both sexes, right? So Sera it remains.

When Sera got home, Bruce picked him up one more time for a quick cuddle.

And then it was time to say goodbye. He set Sera down and...where did he go?

There! Flying over the end of the deck! So long, Sera! See you at dinner time!

Return to Paradise

I flew down to California a few weeks ago to help my Dad through his first-ever surgery and hospital stay. Mind you, he's going to be 88 years old this month, and this was his first surgery! 

Here he is taking a stroll in the hospital about a week after the surgery. He's now home recovering nicely after kicking cancer's butt.  Last I heard, he was having second helpings at dinner and doing a jig with his walker. He's baaaaaack!

Meanwhile, I flew home to Idaho once my oldest sister, Karen, flew in from Wisconsin to take over nursing duties. I loved being able to help my Dad and spend time with him, but I sure missed my husband and home and animals.

First order of business: seasonal decorations! Autumn is still my favorite season, and I finally have a porch to decorate. I got my scarecrows and other decorations out, and bought straw bales, cornstalks and pumpkins. We had plenty of squash to round out the display.

I've had this witch for years, and we used to hang her outside in California for Halloween. She has, consequently, unraveled and degraded, much to my chagrin. I took her in to our small town hardware store to find some matching twine to fix her hat, but the owner's wife, Peggy, took one look at her and informed me that she loves crafts and would happily mend her for me. I love living in a small town! She even named her for me - Wanda the Witch.

Thanks, Peggy! She looks even better than when I bought her.

Bruce was busy while I was gone, cutting up the truckload of birch we had delivered last spring. We now have a great plenty to keep us warm this winter. And Big Tex got in on the action, too.

The log deck is still huge, even though Bruce and his chainsaw have been working for days!

Big Tex was a great investment. Beats lugging all of this wood up to the woodshed in the wheelbarrow!

So we now have floor-to-ceiling rows three deep on the right and are now starting on the back. And still half a log deck to go. I think we'll be toasty warm this winter!

We also decided to send the YamiSue to hibernation for the winter. Our last trip out was perfect, so we decided to end the season on a high note. We look forward to exploring Hayden Lake and Priest Lake next spring and summer!

I missed my kitchen so much while I was gone. I got back into baking by whipping up a batch of gluten-free shortbread cookies, with a little help from Bob's Red Mill. I kicked them up a notch by dipping them in chocolate ganache! 

Bruce, these are for you. But can I have just a couple?










Lastly, it appears Big Bucky has, thus far, been stealthy enough to avoid being someone's trophy this hunting season. Bruce has a plan to keep him safe. So far, so good. And no, it does not involve a leash or any kind of enclosure :-)

So, while it was difficult for me to leave my Papa after seeing him through his surgery, I was anxious to get home to my husband, dogs, cats, deer, squirrels, birds and other assorted critters in the woods. I loved driving through my little town on the way home from the airport. Hearing the wind in the trees, looking up at the Milky Way right before bedtime, and smelling the smoke from the woodstove all prove to me that this is where I belong. I have returned to my paradise. Home!