Get Well Soon

Well, despite my best efforts, the flu found me. I spent Thursday evening-Sunday evening pretty much in bed the whole time. In between bouts of consciousness, I would wake up to Mr. Jones taking care of things. "Honey, how are you feeling? I decided to make a large steak dinner tonight."  "Honey, how are you feeling? I decided to give Graham a short haircut." "Honey, how are you feeling? I decided I feel like cleaning out the garage today." To be honest, I'm not sure how much I agreed to...For all I know, maybe I'm the one who thought of having a fancy steak dinner. Whatever the case, there were no idle hands while I was indisposed.

One thing I do remember asking the hubby for was some stew meat when he went to the grocery store for me. I decided to make some "Get Well Stew" for myself...I don't know why I started calling it that, but it's sticking. My mother used to make stew quite a bit, but I never appreciated it as a child. I never thought a pot of vegetables was going to make me suddenly feel well.  Regardless, she'd tell us to eat up when we were sick. She would usually throw in a Braum's malt to close the deal. Well now that I'm feeling better, I set to cooking myself some stew. I have to admit I was a little taken back to find 3.39 lbs of stew meat in my refridgerator (he got a good deal was all I was able to find out). So now, I'm making enough "Get Well Stew" for the entire Navy.

Spending time when you can't go about your normal routine is always hard for me, but it was especially hard this time. I don't know why, but it made me miss my mother and my sister...two of the big "caretakers" of sickness from my younger years. Not that either one of them have nursed me back to health in the last decade...and not that I didn't have wonderful care...but I guess there is something about longing for what you can't have. However, now that I'm on the mend, I'd like to go ahead and go on record for both of my boys that I promise to make you some stew, soup, or even steak, if you prefer, for any sick days that you may encounter for the rest of your life. Not because you need it, but just because it's something I can do. One day you'll like it.

If you find yourself sick this flu season, here's the most basic stew recipe ever. If you're making it for someone fancy, go to another blog and find a pretty cornbread recipe. If it's just you and family, do what Mr. Jones does for us...take some saltine crackers and spread some I Can't Believe it's Not Butter on there. That stuff is good...you can't tell anyone you eat because they'll laugh at you, but it's good.

Get Well Stew
Take 1.5-2 lbs (or 3.39 lbs if you have some amazing deal on it) of stew meat and brown it in a stock pot. Season it with garlic power, onion powder, a little salt, and a lot of pepper. Drain your meat when done. Pour in 2 large cans of tomato juice and any veggies you like. You can do as fresh or as frozen as you want on the veggies. I do peas, okra (it's the best), corn, a little onion, and some chopped carrots (those are for the family but I'm not eating them). I also put in 3 large cubed potatoes and let it all cook for a couple of hours.You can taste it every so often and add any additional seasonings. If you're from Texas, you can sprinkle some pepper sauce on your bowl before eating. Don't forget your butter crackers...or fancy cornbread.