My New Favorite Slow Cooker Recipe

New and Improved Irish Stew for the Slow Cooker

¼ c flour
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme, divided
2 lbs boneless lamb cubes for stew (I used beef cubes for stew)
3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 medium onions (I used ½ pkg of frozen chopped onions)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 celery rib, cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 turnip, peeled and cut into ¾ inch dice
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 lb red skin or golden potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
1 ½ c beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or steak sauce such as A-1
* I also added green beans to the mix

Mix the flour, salt, pepper and ½ tsp thyme in medium-large mixing bowl. Add the meat and toss until meat is evenly coated. Pat off excess four and reserve the seasoned flour mixture.

Heat half the oil in a large deep skillet over med-high heat and brown the meat, about 3 minutes per side, in batches if necessary; do not crowd the pan. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Add the onions, carrots, celery, turnip, parsnips potatoes and green beans and sauté until browned and barely tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Put the lamb on top.

Add the reserved seasoned flour and remaining thyme to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the flour is slightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the broth, heat to a boil, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Pour into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3 – 4 hrs on high, or 6 -8 hrs on low, until vegetables and lamb are tender.

Add the Worcestershire or steak sauce, stir to blend, and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Days of Awe

Sitting in temple last night (and trying to stay awake for the late Kol Nidre service), I started thinking of my dad. When I was a kid, my dad insisted my brother and I go to services for Yom Kippur with him. I would sit next to my dad and he listen to the Hebrew, most of which I did not understand, and ocassionally he would lean over and point something out in the prayer book, or explain something to me in a whisper, trying to make it more interesting and meaningful. Over time, the prayers and songs became familiar chants to me that I almost looked forward to...

Now as an adult and parent, I understand what my dad was doing and how he succeeded in doing it. In requiring us to attend the services with him every year, he made it clear just how important it was to be there. I cannot think of not going to temple on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.

This morning we are fighting with my 6 year old, who wants to stay home and play with Legos instead of going to temple. I am trying to explain to him that my mom and dad made me go when I was his age (am I really saying this?) and that I never wanted to go, but that now I appreciate why... It doesn't makes sense to him now, it just makes him angry and frustrated, but someday I am hoping it will.

Last night at Kol Nidre I was missing my dad and longing for those days when I was a kid, wishing he could sit next to me and whisper explanations of the service, parts of which I still don't understand - or just be there next to me as a warm and loving presence.

To Be Queen

Sometimes it's hard being the mom of 3 boys. Some days it dawns on me that I am surrounded by boys - - I live with FOUR boys, hubby included... I mean, how much potty humor can one woman take? What are the teen years going to be like?? Are we going to have enough fridge space? Will I be surrounded by stinky smells and dirty clothes (I'm hoping, if we raise them right, no)? Hoo boy... sometimes I'd rather not think that far ahead.



Someone told me recently (I think she must have been a mom of boys) that the great thing about being the mom of 3 boys is that "you get to be Queen." At the time that she said it, I wasn't quite sure what she meant. But now I am starting to see... Getting ready for a "Mom's night out," I am in my bathroom putting on mascara and Lukey sneaks in quietly, looks at me in the mirror, and says, "Mommy, you look pretty." He melts my heart. I can always count on boundless affection from all four of my boys... sometimes it's more than I want or need, but I know I should try to appreciate... and just enjoy being "Queen."

Babygate

We have never had one of these Superyards before, but now that Nico is on the move and considering the fact that there are teeny tiny Legos scattered about the house, we decided installing one of these would be the best and safest thing. Fortunately, everyone likes this "baby jail" so far - Joshua and Lucas especially - as evidenced by the above pics...

Done?

Why is it so hard to be done? Having babies, that is. We have three beautiful, healthy boys and feel incredibly blessed and ready to be done... and yet?? I can't say it. I loooved being pregnant and giving birth. It was hands-down the best thing I have ever done (times 3). Yet I feel that three is a great number, and Nico is a great baby to be "done" with - he is so joyful and easy-going... So.... ??

I think no matter what, no matter how many children you have, maybe it's just hard as a mama to say you're done. Parenting babies is such a crazy, delirious, amazing time that goes by in a whirlwind of sleepless nights and long drawn-out days - and suddenly you've got big kids and you can barely remember the baby stage- you see infants and look at the pictures but it's hard to bring back the warm, soft feeling...

So am I done? Let me get back to you on that one...

Sibling Rivalry

I feel like I struggle on a near-daily basis to give everyone in my family the attention he craves and deserves - myself included.... and it often feels like a losing battle. I don't call my dad or visit him as often as I should.... When Nico, my third, was first born this past December, my middle boy, Lucas, had an incredibly hard time adjusting. He acted out (by continually sharing his germs with the baby during the terrible cold & flu season) for several months in high hopes of gaining my attention and feeling like my baby again. My oldest, Joshua, seemed to have the easiest time adjusting to life with another little brother.

Until recently, that is. Just this past weekend Joshua was sick with a fever and stomach bug, and suddenly craved my attention - a lot of it. I was home with him and the baby on Saturday and he unexpectedly started to cry: "Mommy, I feel like you are always taking care of Nicolas and never taking care of me." I was stunned. Until this point, Josh had seemed totally unphased by the addition of a new sibling and the need to share my attention yet again - having been doing this like a pro since he was 18 months old and Lucas was born. It reminded me that even my strong and independent oldest boy has needs and sensitivities - and they all came spilling out this weekend. He later announced that "Lucas loves his stuffed animals more than he loves me" which sadly may or may not be true... Lucas really does love his stuffed animals - all 8 that he sleeps with every night and brings downstairs in the morning...

Still struggling with how to balance everyone's needs, including my own. For now, enjoying a little time to myself at the beginning and end of every day... And hoping one of these days, everything will come together.

Honeypot Hill

We went apple picking with the boys last weekend at Honeypot Hill in Stowe, MA - one of my favorite places - not overly commercial, lots of open space and apple trees, animals, hayrides, cider donuts. We have been going for the past couple of years and really love it there.

This year, apple picking made me think of my dad. I think it is because I remember a time, years before Ramon and I had children, when he came for a weekend visit from California. It was fall -crisp, cool beautiful weather - so we decided to go apple picking together. My dad moved out to Los Angeles from Connecticut for a position at Kaiser Permanente in 1998 - when I was in law school in Boston, but he made it a point and a promise to return east to visit me and my brother every 2 months. This was one of his many visits to Boston - before he became too sick to travel.

This happens all the time. I am doing something with the kids, and I think of my dad, and wish he could share it with us, knowing full well how much he would enjoy and appreciate it. He is still with us, but we have lost so much of him and it is those parts that I miss almost every day.

in the beginning

This blog is about being a mother of 3 boys, and daughter to a father with terminal brain cancer. It's about the daily joys and struggles of taking care of boys...