What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Not My Typical Beef Stew Edition

It was a dark and stormy night. The weather approaching Halloween had turned cold, dark and rainy. That means one thing and one thing only at Chez Badass Kitchen…it’s time for comfort foods! And I had developed a hankering for a good ol’ fashioned beef stew in the slow cooker. That I don’t really use a recipe for, as I generally throw things in the pot and hope for the best. I didn’t want to do that this time, so I found this recipe on Ye Olde Interwebs and gave it a whirl with some great veggies that I had picked up at a farmers’ market.

Look at these cool heritage carrots.
They look even cooler, peeled and chopped.
These are German Butter Potatoes.
They look kinda Yukon Gold-ish to me, when sliced open.

The recipe called for some unusual spices for a beef stew, in my opinion. Including smoked paprika, mustard and my nemesis a bay leaf. I tried to remember what I hated so much about bay leaves but I’ve been avoiding them for so long that I kinda forget. I got to thinking this after my last WOYP post, where I dissed this ingredient. I thought it was time to revisit my nemesis the bay leaf.

ATTENTION: A bay leaf has entered the slow cooker. I repeat: A BAY LEAF HAS ENTERED THE SLOW COOKER.
Seashell Jesus says “Gurl, you sure about this?” Bettie Page the Kitchen Aid says “No Comment”. Ditto for Alexa (far left). All are crowded around to witness this strange event.

Fast forward to 8 hours later (on low). The stew turned out quite nice, actually. Although I am not sure about the smoked paprika. I think next time I will just add regular paprika. Turns out smoky beef stew is not my jam. And as for my nemesis the bay leaf? I couldn’t pick out what it had contributed to the stew’s flavour so I guess bay leaves are back on the menu (and in the spice cabinet). Who knew?!?!

I’m ready for my closeup, Ms. Badass.”

As always: please feel free to let my co-host Donna or myself know what’s on your plate at your house, in the Comments of either Donna’s or my post (or both, if you are so inclined!). Please check out Donna’s post, here. It’s a winner!

Remember: if you decide to blog or Facebook or Instagram about it, to use the tags #whatsonyourplateblogchallenge or #woypbc so we can find you out on ye olde interwebbs!

Rock on,

The WB

64 thoughts on “What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Not My Typical Beef Stew Edition

  1. I do sooo agree with Debbie – love reading your entertaining posts. 💕
    Oh to be close to a farmers market. Those heritage carrots are perfect for Hallowe’en! What do they taste like – regular ol’ carroty taste?
    We’re in for 5 days below normal temps (translated from the southern, that means normalish December temps) and I’ve been thinking slow cooker “stew.” Now if I can find a decent cut of beef somewhere …

    1. The carrots taste the same to me no matter the colour, Del. Have you seen the price of beef in the stores lately? I was shocked that my package of stew meat cost over $20! Meatless Mondays (and Tuesdays, etc.), here I come 😁. Thank you 💕

  2. Ditto for me on any smokey flavour.

    I wondered what had caused you to have such a harsh opinion of the benign bay leaf. Glad to hear you’ve re-embraced them into the spice rack. I toss those little puppies around with wild abandon … although take it from me, remember to remove them before any blender stage!

    Your stew looks super yummy and now I have a craving …

    1. I don’t know where my hatred of bay leaves came from. It goes way back to childhood. Perhaps I accidentally ingested one??? Perhaps something else in the food bothered me and I blamed the bay leaf??? I’ll never know…Thanks, Joanne 💕

  3. Awesome post, Deb! At first I thought I was back in Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s novel. I much prefer to be having beef stew with you. Those carrots are amazing. Did you get them in Qualicum or Nanaimo? I am now definitely on the hunt for them.
    And the poor mild but aromatic bay leaf? What did it ever do to you? The florally-herby smell is much stronger than the taste. Unless you accidentally ate part of the bay leaf. As Joanne mentioned, that would be a bad thing. Downright nasty! 😀

    1. I got the carrots at the Cedar Market. The potatoes also came from there. See my response to Joanne re: the bay leaf mystery. I don’t get the novel reference – you will have to enlighten me at some point! 😁 Thank you, Donna 💕

      1. Nerd alert! The ‘Dark and Stormy Night’ line comes from Bulwer-Lytton’s (really bad) novel, Paul Clifford. But it was also frequently used as a comic device by Charles M. Schulz. I definitely should have gone with that! 😀

  4. Carol

    The stew looks yummy! Your lament regarding the bay leaf sent me back in time! My Dad made awesome spaghetti sauce in which he included a bay leaf. If by chance one of us kids got the bay leaf in our serving…we had to do the dishes :)! Maybe that may be a similar throw back for you!! Great post!!

    1. My dad made awesome spaghetti sauce too, when it was his turn to cook. I don’t remember any bay leaf/dish chore thing happening though. My sisters and I were on a weekly rotation on that one – one week drying, one week washing….and I forget what the 3rd chore was (there were 3 of us). Thanks, Carol 💕

  5. Bay leaves are very subtle to maybe you got one to chew on (not good that way) or blamed it for something it didn’t do. I’m going to name my appliances. I’ll share if they are all PG.

  6. It looks delicious Deb. I think the bay leaf just rounds out the flavour. Just remember to take it out before you eat it. I usually use dried onion soup mix and red wine to add to my beef stew. It’s a staple.
    Leslie xoxo

  7. Well well never see them carrots afore. Thanks for introduction.
    And, I had beef stew in my plate earlier today! Normal carrots, fresh thyme, sweet potatoes, regular spuds, garlic, usual seasonings like curry (haha), blackeyed peas and a handful of split peas to boot, onions, basil…i.e everything that looked edible and stewable, all done in the slow cooker on high then low. Made a flat pitta bread type thingy to go with it. It was not too bad either Ms. Badass. X

    1. Your stew sounds tasty and hearty! I love putting a hint of curry in my vegetables sometimes. A trick I learned from a Caribbean chef 😁 (not sure what island). Thank you 💕

  8. I giggled at the bay leaf comments. I grow them and add to pretty much anything I slow cook. Just how gorgeous are those heirloom carrots? I think I’d want to eat a whole plate of them on their own. As an aside, your stew looks so yum.

  9. You are so funny. We would have fun in the kitchen together, I mean, if there were any room after Alexa, Bettie and Seashell Jesus.
    Laughing at your bay leaf breakup/reunion.

  10. debscarey

    Oooooo beef stew 🙂 We had chicken stew the other night with cheese stuffed dumplings. I didn’t even sous chef, I just ate and appreciated, for Himself is a whizz in the kitchen. But I do agree with you most wholeheartedly about smoked paprika. In a goulash maybe, but otherwise…. not stew-ish at all.

    I am taking inspiration from you (and Ally Bean) and thinking of naming the many coffee implements. I wonder how Himself will feel about my anthropomorphizing his beloved coffee kit:D

    1. That chicken stew sounds delish! I love me some dumplings but have never stuffed them with anything – clearly an oversight! Hmmm…perhaps I need to name my Nespresso machine. I had a funeral for my previous one (named Nessie, natch) but this current one needs a name whilst still alive. Thanks for the comment and the reminder, Debs 💕

  11. hilarymb

    Hi Deb -the stew looks so tasty … and you’re right we’re in the time of slow cooking, good hearty stews/casseroles … all good. I’m doing a ham thing now – not very happy about it – so altered the recipe … the ham I bought on a whim a couple of weeks ago – with use by date: today! But must get some decent potatoes, so can have good old mash with it.I don’t think it’s going to be brilliant – it’s got beer, a lot of onion, apples – all a bit of a mash up … still it’ll be fine – put me off ham for a while though!!

    Love the decorations – skull stray tray, Suzi the Skull … et al! Cheers Hilary

    1. Thank you, Hilary 💕 The trays were a purchased on a whim at the local Save-On foods, the skull (Betsey Johnson) a gift from a friend…I am not the biggest ham lover…I can enjoy it once but then don’t need to eat it again for months, which makes it hard to not waste even the tiniest ham when you live alone 😁. I suppose I should buy the odd “ham steak” that I see sometimes in the stores but it hardly seems worth the bother.

  12. That looks so wonderful! I can’t imagine what turned you off bay leaves but good for you for giving them another go (and, obviously, Seashell Jesus gave you his blessing). Those carrots are so pretty. Did they keep their color when cooked? I had some red spotted heritage beans once that I was anxious to use in a dish. Alas, when they were cooked, they looked just like your standard-issue beans.

    1. The carrots did kinda lose their colour, Janis. Everything gets coated in the delicious sauce and the colours become very muted through that and the cooking process. Thanks 💕

  13. retirementconfidential

    Those carrots look amazing! I’ve never seen anything like that. Do you ever see Shepody potatoes? They’re mostly grown in Canada and hard to find in the U.S. My sister-in-law sometimes mails them to us from Maine. If you ever see them, they make the best french fries and potato pancakes.

    1. I have never seen or heard of Shepody potatoes…they sound very east-coastish, to me. Like from New Brunswick or something. I will keep a look out though. You never know what you will find at a farmers’ market. Thanks, Donna 💕

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  15. AJ Blythe

    Haha, I’m the other way around – I happily use bay leaves but never the smoked paprika (just the regular paprika). I love a good stew and yours looks yummy.

  16. I laughed and laughed, Deb! your account is so humorous, particularly in the presence of Bay Leaf, which I do remember you avoiding for a long time.

    I have to concur with the smoked paprika – not my favourite spice, smoked or otherwise. I have both sitting on my spice rack and it does occasionally come out for a hummus.

    Have been thinking about the idea of Comfort Foods – this morning, it’s my cinnamon roll with my cup of breakfast tea.

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