My Crazy, Mixed Up, What Was I Thinking, Stew...

I've been sick lately, a nasty sinus infection that may have been brought on by a change in the seasons (think allergies)… so I've been wanting nice warm spicy liquid-y sorts of things to eat… thus soups & stews…  I also haven't really wanted to go to the store since I don't feel so good…

All that said, I basically took what I had on hand and made it into a stew/soup-ish dinner (last night)…

Another nice thing about this, I could leave it on a very low flame & it could be ready whenever we were (Jeff was in a hockey tournament)…

WARNING: This is not a recipe… what? That's right… there are plenty of recipes on this blog for soups & stews (check out the Dinner tab), this was one of those un-measured throw it in the pot & wing-it kind of things… I was playing around a bit with spices as well… that said, here's what was in my crazy concoction (for those who must know):

rough chopped: Onion, Celery, Carrot, Bell, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Potatoes, leftover Lamb Roast, Chicken Sausages
minced: Garlic
powdered spices: Curry (sweet), Cumin, Cayenne, Ginger, Salt
liquid flavor: good Balsamic Vinegar (12 year old from Modena)
whole spices (in a cheesecloth pouch): Star Anise, Cinnamon Stick, Cloves, Peppercorns
also in the cheesecloth pouch: bone from the Lamb Roast

First I sautéed up the vegetables & garlic (minus mushrooms, tomatoes & potatoes), then I continued with a high heat and added the mushrooms, then tomatoes, then potatoes - stirring each in well (I was chopping as I went).

I added in the powdered spices (minus salt), stirred them in well & let them warm.

Then I added in the chopped meats, stirred them in well.

Finally I put the whole spices and bone into a cheesecloth pouch (a piece of cheesecloth tied up tight), added the pouch and some water (about 4-6 cups) to the pot…

Brought it all up to a good boil, then covered & put it on a Simmer until everything was cooked through… I tasted, added salt, then I put it on a very low flame (I have a couple of those tiny burners on my stove) to wait for hubby to get home & showered up after hockey.

Here it is, served with some of my Bread… it was so good I'm having leftovers for lunch today!!

Why blog about this?  To encourage you to take what you've learned & play!!  Experiment with your foods & find new combinations you like… who knows, you might discover a new combination nobody else has come up with… I came up with Panclouds, and I'm just an ordinary home-cook… so there!