A Day of Cooking

Happy St. Patrick's Day, all!! I have spent most of my Sunday in the kitchen, preparing a delicious Irish meal for my friends. I wanted to make something traditional and warm, so I decided on an Irish beef stew. I found the recipe on EatingWell.com and made some adjustments based on what I had on-hand.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used chunks of beef)
• 1 3/4 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 large leeks, white part only, halved, washed (see Tip) and thinly sliced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
•  (I used reduced sodium beef broth)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped 
• ( I omitted this)

PREPARATION

1. Combine lamb, potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, broth, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 8 hours. Stir in parsley before serving.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. | Equipment: 6-quart slow cooker

• Tip: To clean leeks, trim and discard green tops and white roots. Split leeks lengthwise and place in plenty of water. Swish the leeks in the water to release any sand or soil. Drain. Repeat until no grit remains.

Cooking Away...

As you can see, this recipe is easy as pie. Just literally throw everything in the slow cooker and go about your day! And it smells heavenly- I am sniffing as I write this post :)

Along with the stew, I am serving fresh ,multigrain bread and a bundt cake for dessert! I dyed the cake batter green with some food coloring to make it  a bit more festive. 

Shamrock green!

I will take pictures of the finished project and do a recap post tomorrow! Now I am off to play with these two little buggers: 

Enjoy your Saint Patrick's Day!!