While talking to my parents on the phone the other night, I told them about a stew I had made and promised my dad that I’d post it here so he could jot down the recipe - you’re all, of course, welcome to do the same! I got it from Company’s Coming “Most Loved Slow Cooker Creations:

Dijon Beef Stew

1 lb baby carrots
1 lb baby potatoes, larger ones cut in half
1 1/4 cups chopped green pepper
1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1/4 cup All-Purpose flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 lbs stewing beef

2 tsp cooking oil

1 1/2 cups prepared beef broth
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano

3/4 cup chopped red pepper

Put first 4 ingredients into 4 to 5 quart (4 to 5 L) slow cooker (I used my 6 quart)

Combine flour and paprika in large resealable freezer bag. Add beef. Seal bag and toss until coated.*

Heat cooking oil in large frying pan on medium. Add beef. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add to slow cooker.

Combine next 4 ingredients and remaining flour mixture in same frying pan. Heat and stir on medium until slightly thickened. Add to slow cooker. Stir. Cook, covered, on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours.

Add red pepper. Stir. Cook, covered, on High for about 10 minutes until red pepper is tender-crisp.

Makes about 8 cups.

* I’m not sure what the point is of tossing the beef with the flour - the paprika I can understand, but you can just sprinkle that on. I found it a big pain in the ass to toss the meat with the flour, especially since I only had medium freezer bags and therefore had to toss a bit at a time. I ended up using up all of the flour-paprika mixture and had to add more to the broth, mustard etc in the pan (I just eyeballed it). This part, putting it in with the broth mixture, I can understand as the flour helps to thicken it. I’m not sure if I’ll toss the meat next time or if I’ll just add some to the broth.

It was quite yummy! But the book advises NOT to substituted prepared yellow mustard for the Dijon!

***

I didn’t end up going back to the party. For some reason, possibly to provide me with a distraction, I suddenly had to dust in the living room - we had kicked up quite a bit of dust when sanding the spots in the foyer where we used the plaster, and that shit gets EVERYWHERE. So that’s what I was doing when Neal walked in, not long after I posted that last entry.

We chatted for a bit, and then threw on “Butterfly Effect”, which I bought several years ago. Neal had never seen the Director’s Cut version, which has a different ending from the theatrical version, and one that I actually prefer. We chatted for awhile after that, and then headed to bed.

I had some very minor “issues” very early this morning, but I managed to get back to sleep fairly quickly. Since getting up, I have been on a cleaning spree, and honestly, I have no idea where this energy came from. I have put on three loads of laundry (one load is drying and the last is in the washing machine), I dusted, vacuumed (including the couch cushions, which were probably also harbouring loads of plaster dust), washed the dishes, swept and washed all of the floors, tidied the bedroom. We’re getting new siding and windows this year (so not part of the original plan, but the recession means very low interest rates, which means NOW is the time to refinance - which we were planning to do in a couple of years anyway - and the Conservative government has started a program where you can get up to $1,350 back for home renovations - one of very few good things the Conservatives have done) and the GC we’re using came by to do the final measurements of all the windows.

Anyway. It might very well be the placebo effect, but when I look at my changed attitude yesterday and today, I have to wonder. Yes, the side effects still suck. Yes, I am a bit nervous wondering how I’ll feel tomorrow morning when I have to go to work. But this newfound energy and positive attitude sure are nice. Neal’s theory is that if it is, indeed, too early for the drugs to be working (and really, who knows?), then maybe it’s just the fact that now I’m finally doing something to rid myself of anxiety - going to therapy, taking antidepressants. I could see that.

I just hope that I’ll start seeing a marked decrease in the side effects now. That would definitely be awesome!