She's Not Really a Cook

My fantasy author, Sandy Lender, has been on a business trip for the better part of a week, and now that she's returned, she wants me to post a recipe from Arcana's kitchen. I think this is silly. There are so many other things to write about. But I bow to her wishes.

Keep in mind that Loetha, who runs the household at Arcana, is not from your society, so the recipe will be a bit "odd" for your kitchens. Sandy has given me tips to modify the recipe for your modern convenience. It will make the stew much faster to produce. Sandy tells me it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare (because you have to brown the beef) and another 10 to 15 minutes to cook. Thus your meal is ready in half an hour, which, in her mind, is excellent. I also applaud this because I prefer her to spend very little time in the kitchen. This gives her more time for writing, you see.

Loetha's Beef Stew

3 cups hot mushroom soup (or cheat using 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup to make life easier)
3 cups hot tomato soup (or cheat using 2 cans of condensed tomato soup)
1 cup dry Bellan wine (that would be red wine in this society)
4 cups chopped cooked roast beef
4 heaping handfulls of chopped, steamed vegetables (or cheat and use two 16-ounce bags of frozen cut broccoli, carrots, etc.)
1 teaspoon crushed, dried thyme
If using Sandy's cheating version, add 4 cups of water (Sandy actually prefers her stew a little less "brothy" and only adds about 1 cup of water)

You put everything in a huge Dutch oven and cook on medium heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Then lower the heat a bit (not a lot), uncover it and stir it once in a while for another four or five minutes until the vegetables are the firmness that you prefer.

This recipe accommodates 10 people. Loetha would double it when cooking for my family and staff at Arcana. You may wish to cut it in half. So you'd only use 1 can each of the condensed soups, 1 bag of frozen vegetables, etc., thus feeding a family of five on a cold winter's eve, which you still have a few of this season...

Rest assured, I'll be posting news from Sandy's trip (this is the blog about the writer's life, after all), updates on her upcoming events, an announcement of today's winner from the Author Island chat contest, and information about the fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods, as well as any other pertinent tidbits as they arise. I think the recipe is just something to tide you over until she figures out what marketing tack to take next.

Very strange.

Have a lovely evening.

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, fantasy author, Sandy Lender, fantasy novel, beef stew, recipe