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Are you getting stressed out yet? You know… about the holidays? I’m not. I’m refusing. Just like I’m refusing to turn 40 this year. That’s right. I’m refusing. I’ll be sticking at 39, thank you very much. Do I have my Christmas shopping done? Nope. Have I filled the freezer with wonderful treats? Nope, not a one. Have I started decorating the Cat Farm? No. Not a single glittery object has been retrieved from the holiday boxes. Am I worried? No, because I’m refusing to worry.

I’ve been visiting with Pussycat this week. By the time you read this, I’ll be winging my way back to Halifax. I didn’t tell you exactly when I’d be visiting with Pussycat because I was worried you’d rob my house. I mean, I like you ‘n stuff, but I really didn’t want to find out you’d been sleeping in my bed or wearing my underwear or anything. I get that you’d like to be exactly like me, but I’ve gotta draw the line somewhere. I guess that line is underwear.

I’ve had a perfectly lovely few days in the Toronto area. And as Pussycat and I trolled bakeries and yogafied ourselves, I was thinking about you. The image of you in my underwear kind of haunted me, but then I was all, who wouldn’t want to be living’ the movita lifestyle? You know, because I’m so cool and stuff. And then thought I might suggest that if you really want to be like movita, you could just get your slow cooker out this weekend. You could make yourself a nice, restorative stew. You could make yourself a stew that will help you to forget that there’s no way you can possibly get even a fraction of the stuff on your to-do list crossed off in the coming weeks. (Not that you’d be worried about that.)

This is a lovely stew. I threw some nice veggies in there to make you smart and stuff, chicken to make you jump high (trust me), and tasty broth to make your throat feel good. It warms the belly and and soothes the soul.

Here’s another suggestion: maybe you should get in touch with an old friend this weekend. Trust me, it’ll make you forget all of your problems for a little while…

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Slow Cooker Chicken Stew  - print, make and soothe your soul

Yields 6-8 servings.

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs (or breasts), trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped into large pieces
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 1/2 cups sodium-reduced chicken broth, divided
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Place the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and potatoes in the well of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the thyme over the vegetables and then add the chicken. Pour 3 cups of the chicken broth over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, stir in the peas and corn (no need to defrost first) and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth, until no lumps remain. Stir the flour mixture into the stew. Replace the slow cooker cover and cook until thickened (about 15-20 minutes).

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Storm’s a comin’ to these here parts. Rain, and lots of it. Wind gusts of 80 kilometres per hour. (That’s like a million miles per hour for you Americans.) I’m betting Rosie Beaucoup will be on high alert. Some people rely on Environment Canada or the Canadian Hurricane Centre for weather updates. Not 2.0 and I – we’ve got Rosie Beaucoup. Since Hurricane Juan hit us in 2003, Rosie has become a storm tracker. A woman obsessed. She issues her own warnings, storm watches and weather related news. “Have you got water boiled and in thermoses? Have you got flashlights and an emergency radio?” Oh yes, Rosie Beaucoup, you bet we do.

For a while, I was worried that Rosie would trade in one or all of her children for Chris St. Clair. He works for The Weather Network here in Canada. Apparently, Rosie thinks he’s more dependable than her own kids, and generally more agreeable. She’ll often refer to him just as Chris, like he’s already joined our family or something, and we’re all on a first-name basis. “Chris says that the asteroid probably won’t hit us.” Pfffft. Like Chris knows anything about asteroids.

Anyhoo, you know what tastes good on a stormy day? Stew. Stew will warm your bones on a cold fall day. Stew will melt some of your stress away, and make you think things are going to be just fine – no matter what Rosie has told you the weather is going to do to you. I made this particular bone-warmer on the weekend – you know, on Slow Cooker Sunday. And then we ate the leftovers until Wednesday. It is a delightfully hearty and tasty stew, and it makes one huge honkin’ pot of awesomeness. (I wonder if Chris knows how to make stew?)

So this storm that’s a comin’? It will hit tomorrow, on Remembrance Day. Appropriate for the mood of the day, I suppose, but still, I hate to think of the Veterans being pelted with wind and rain. They’ve done enough. If I could bring each of those Veterans a big bowl of stew I would. Instead, I will stand with them in the wind and the rain. It’s the least we can do, wouldn’t you say?

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Note: I have a BIG slow cooker (it holds 6 or 7 quarts), if you have a wee one, you may need to adjust the quantities. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew – inspired by many - print, make and warm your body from the inside out

• 2 lbs of stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped into large pieces
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• about 20 mini-potatoes, cut large ones in half, leave smallest ones as is (I like to use a mix of yellow, red and blue, no need to peel)
• 1  28 oz. can whole tomatoes (I use plum tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 3 cups sodium reduced beef broth, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then lightly brown the meat in batches. Transfer browned beef to a plate and set aside.

Dump the tomatoes into the slow cooker (juice and all). Crush them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the vegetables and then add the beef and any accumulated drippings. Pour 2 1/2 cups of the beef broth over the beef and vegetables. Give the mixture a quick stir. Add the bay leaves.

Cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, add the peas (no need to defrost first), salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth, creating a smooth paste. Stir into the stew. Replace the slow cooker cover and cook until thickened (about 15-20 minutes).

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

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Yah, I know it’s not Sunday, but 2.0 and I have started a new tradition. Slow Cooker Sundays! I’m betting a billion other people have started the same tradition, since google had over 4 million results for the phrase “Slow Cooker Sunday,” but whatever. It’s new to us. Though, now that I think about it, we often make a big pot of something on Sundays… but… well, now we’ve given the event an official name. And sure, that name might not be new to the 4.3 million of you who are already fully engaged in Slow Cooker Sundays, but I’m hoping you’ll just let me have this.

Anyhoo, because I work all day Saturday, and most of the day Sunday, I don’t have much time on the weekend for cooking. Or fun. Or posting recipes. Or anything, really. Enter the slow cooker. (And a post on Tuesday.) Jam that slow cooker with tasty ingredients on Sunday before heading to rehearsals, and return to a house filled with the smells of slow-cooked awesomeness. Oh, and then take the leftovers in your lunch kit through the following week. Brilliant!

So, on Sunday morning, I prepped the ingredients for Jimmy Fallon’s Crock Pot Chili. I stumbled upon it whilst visiting Martha Stewart’s website. I figured Martha probably hates comedians, so if she is willing to put her stamp of approval on Jimmy’s chili? Well, I’m on it!

Here’s the thing, this is the first non-Rosie-Beaucoup chili I’ve ever made. I’m nothing if not loyal. Now, you really should make that chili. It’s very important that you do. But, also, you should try Jimmy Fallon’s chili. It’s got cilantro in it, and some habanero chile, cayenne pepper and beer. That’s right, sista, there’s some yummy beer in there. And when I returned home from work on Sunday evening, worn down and bedraggled, I could hardly wait to try it. It was good. Really good. And since the weekend had pretty much kicked me to the curb, this chili gave me the kick in the arse I needed to go on living.

I didn’t tweak this recipe at all. Not a bit. So I’m just going to give you the link. You’ll be okay. Just click on the link below. And I’ll be back with more recipes later. I promise. (Are you crying?)

Find the recipe here..