Beef Stew

For ever long ago I promised my fabulous sister-in-law, Jennifer, that I'd post my Beef Stew recipe. Today I was reading old e-mails and responding to them and realized I had not yet done this. By coincidence (or not?), I was making beef stew again tonight so here's the recipe:

1-1 1/2 lb. of beef for stew

Boil in 8-10 cups of water for about an hour to make it really tender

Season the water with Adobo (Chispo should know what that is) :-) Salt and pepper will work but I can't guarantee the same yummy taste

Cut/dice 1 medium yellow onion and put it in

Cut/dice 4 potatoes and a few stalks of celery but do not put them in yet

Add them after the hour has passed along with some baby carrots. I buy them in a little bag, ready to throw in. Put however many you'd like. You can also put peas.

Some water should have evaporated by now. If the pot is still full, take out a cup or two of water.

Put in 1 small can of tomato sauce (8 oz)

Put in 1 small can of tomato paste

Boil for another 30 minutes or so until nice and thick-soupy-like.

Tod, Ian, and Dylan all love it ... it's something they often request I make ... so it must be good. Make it and enjoy!

"Our God Is An Awesome God"

That much is true.

I read 2 things today which made me think this. #1, a daily Kabbalah e-mail from earlier this week which made me be grateful just to be alive - funny seeing as I was just saying this to Ian this morning, how cool it was that we woke up and had another day to be with our friends and family having fun. The e-mail said "Today, appreciate the fact you are sitting there reading these words. Appreciate the fact that you have another day to live and to burn the fat from your soul. Appreciate the people who come in your life – good and bad. Appreciate. Appreciate. Appreciate."

The other thing was an e-mail from a friend about a tiny 21-week old baby who was operated on in utero (this is an old one I've seen before) that shows the little baby grasping the surgeon's hand. I always think it amazing.

Anyway, at the bottom it says "Don't tell me our God isn't an awesome God." Trust me, I won't. I think that statement is more than fair to say.