Dear Martha and Julia

Dear Julia, can you please tell me your secret to following an 18 step recipe for stew? I always start, and end up with some delicious yet definitely not Beef bourguignon, especially when the stupid liquor store closes before 11:00 on a Saturday, and when in Minnesota they don't sell wine in grocery stores. Maybe you lacked these problems? Or maybe you had more time to shop? In any case, I hope you don't mind my crockpot stew, it's kind of the same thing. But really not.

I like my stew with broth, you can add less liquid for a thicker stew

Recipe is easy:
1 package mushrooms brown mushrooms.
1 package baby carrots
5 parsnips
5 yukon gold potatoes
1 package celery
1 medium yellow onion.
1 pound stew meat
Enough stock to cover (personally I use chicken stock)
sprigs of fresh thyme
garlic
dash of worchestershire sauce

1. Pat stew meat dry and toss stew meat in flour using a plastic bag, (preferably one without holes, unless you want to a
2. Drizzle olive oil and add some butter to a pan and heat. gently saute mushrooms and dump into crockpot.
3. ctually look like you were cooking. 
4. Coarsely chop an onion and saute both the onion and meat in the pan.
5. While that's browning, dice the celery and parsnips into the same size (approximately) as the baby carrots. Slice potatoes in half and then into 1/2" pieces. 
6. Add all veggies to the crock pot. 
7. Add the meat and onions, mix gently, add garlic (a good tablespoon - I love garlic!) and thyme to the mix.
8. Add enough broth to cover. 
9. Cook for 5 hours on high, or 9-10 on low. It's done once the potatoes are cooked, and can be speared with a fork. Enjoy with bread.

Dang, that's still 9 steps. If you want it to taste better, or more authentic, add red wine to the browning meat. I use a good burgundy. But it's good this way too.
 
Now, ahem, Martha, I know you do crafts, how do you clean your house at the same time? And how do you keep your cats from destroying everything? Furthermore, I have a large glass jar of sand. What should I do with this? I am thinking of having the kids decorate it with shells, but maybe that's too blase' Any suggestions?

You would be proud though, that I managed to finish 4 yarns today, 2, start to finish, the others plied.

Left to right:

120 yards of Navajo plied Taste The Rainbow (from the Painted Tiger)

380 yards of super soft 2 ply Haught Pink (knittyandcolor)

125 yards Navajo ply Hydrangea (The Painted Tiger)

200 yards Navajo ply Vineyard (Louet Northern Lights roving)

I totally, completely screwed up Hydrangea, I had the tension set too high and it just wacked out the finished yarn. So N-plying wasn't the best idea, in retrospect, I should have just plied it. But it's done, and it's pretty, just not perfect. It'll still make a nice something someday. I still have a lot of that to spin, and the same with the rainbow. That was originally supposed to be spun back on itself but someone (Neptune) shredded the roving and I ended up N-plying instead. Maybe the Painted Tiger puts catnip in the color. Or else he was inspired by the name.

And I love the pink, and the rainbow. Anyone else? I have no idea what I'll do with them but I LOVE THEM!

Rainbow Bright!