Take your pick for today

It’s a Wednesday smorgasbord. There is a completely delish Irish stew recipe that I just had to share with everyone. Also I will be doing the HDQ and another session of Ask Nic. You can do one or all.

First the HDQ:

If today were your last day on earth and you KNEW that it was, what would you do?

Me, I’d stay with Emily all day, wake her as early as possible. Spend time making good memories for her. I would be taping footage of us doing stuff like me reading to her and singing to her and playing and painting. I wouldn’t waste one minute with her. I would make sure that she knew just how much I love her and how precious she is to me. I would eat a perfectly cooked (medium) 10-12oz buffalo filet and my really great mashed potatoes and have rhubarb pie for dessert. I would have an Italian margarita to drink and lay out in the back yard with Emily watching for shapes in the clouds. The only other people really I would even want to share in that day would be my mom, for a small part of it my friends MC and Amy and even Matt for a little while. But mostly just Emily and my mom. They are the two most important people to me on this earth and I can’t imagine spending my last day on earth with anyone else. A simple but memorable day.

Next up – round two of Ask Nic:

This is the place where you can ask me anything. Think of something you have wanted to know about me or were just curious about in general about myself, my experiences in life and love and parenting, my beliefs, etc... Again, be creative, be fun, be introspective, but please be clean! You can post the questions in the comments section or email me your question directly to asknic@gmail.com.

I will be posting the questions and their responses soon so check back within the next week for them. They probably will be up over the weekend if I get enough questions.

And lastly, the really fabulous Irish Stew

I ran across this recipe and it sounded too good to pass up! (Especially with the cold weather across the Midwest/Northeast right now) This is an authentic Irish Stew complete with Guinness and red wine (Great White Bear this is right up your alley!). I hope you enjoy it and if you try it out, please let me know what you think!

¼ cup olive oil
1 ¼ pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of fine red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½ -inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups ½-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meet and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.

3 Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.) Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.