
Slight (OK, major) change to the Monday line-up around here. The second Monday of the month I usually publish a Blog With Friends group projects-based post in keeping with an agree upon theme. In fact, I've been doing that for 76 months. Yes, that's over 6 years!
Although some of us were willing to continue, the commitment was becoming more sporadic, so I've decided to shelve that group for now. Hmmm, that leaves a little hole in my posting schedule. What to do? What to do? I checked in with my friend Diane, she and Mimi (and some other of their friends) do a weekly poetry post that publishes on Mondays. Since I still administer and run 5 other monthly group writing challenges, and I don't have to do anything logistically for Poetry Monday, just sit back, wait to be told what the theme is and . . . well . . . write, I'm giving it a trial run in my monthly publishing rotation. I'll still do my Monthly Poetry Group post on the last Friday of the month, so if I continue to participate in Poetry Monday, I'll be gifting you all, my dear readers, with two poetry posts in a month. Yes, I can see you rolling your eyes and if I knew any better, I'd be highly insulted (but I read my own poetry so I'm not).
Now that I've made a short story long (as you know I always do) today marks the end of the Blog With Friends projects, but hopefully the beginning of my once a month collaboration (or more when I can work it in) with this new (to me) group. For me, these posts will have the addition of a recipe, which I will continue to share in all of my blog posts.
Diane tells me that today's topic is Least Favourite (forgive her for the spelling, she's Canadian) Chore.
Chores Galore
Sweep and vacuum,
wash the floor.
Surely that's my
least favorite chore.
But dusting always
makes me sneeze.
Least favorite thing if
I have to wheeze.
Wait, the bathrooms,
I've got four.
With boys . . . way worse
than washing a floor.
Liked food shopping,
Covid ruined my fun.
Now I fill out a form,
and another chore's done.
Beef Vegetable Soup (Crockpot or Not)
Cooking dinner is the
never ending chore.
you cook, they eat,
then you do it some more.
But if you're wondering,
here's the score,
if you like to do it,
it's not a chore.
Yet cooking brings
dirty dishes galore.
Definitely in the running
for my least favorite chore.
Wait!
Read more poetry,
you're not through.
Some talented writers
are in this crew:
Beef Vegetable Soup (Crockpot or Not)
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves minced garlic, divided
1 1/4# lean stew beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen pearl onions
1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 zucchini, trimmed, cut lengthwise, sliced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces
Directions:
*Cook the rice and refrigerate.
FOR SLOW COOKER:
*Spray
the slow cooker with cooking spray. Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth,
Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 1 clove of minced garlic. Stir and
turn on to low.
*Spray
a saute pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the stew
beef, onion, and remaining garlic. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, cook
and stir until the meat is completely cooked. Drain well, add to the
slow cooker, and cook for 5 hours on low (or 3 hours on high).
*Stir in the frozen peas, pearl onions, and garbanzo beans. Cook another 2 hours on low (or 1 hour on high).
*If
cooking on high, reduce heat to low at this point. Add the mushrooms,
zucchini,and green beans. Cook 1/2 hour. Stir in the rice and cook for
another 1/2 hour.
FOR STOVE TOP
*Spray
a large pot with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the stew
beef, onion, and 2 cloves of the garlic. Sprinkle with the garlic
powder, cook and stir until the meat is completely cooked. Drain well.
*Add
the diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and
remaining clove of garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat,
cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
*Stir in the frozen peas, pearl onions, and garbanzo beans, cover and simmer for another half hour.
*Stir
in the mushrooms, zucchini, and green beans. Cover an simmer another
half hour. Stir in the brow rice and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.