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Beef & Barley Stew

 Perfect cold weather comfort food.  There is something very satisfying about soups and stews in the colder months.  That rich, deep flavour and chewy barley is quite the tasty stick to your ribs kind of  combination!

 

Here's to curling up with a nice big bowl of hearty stew.

 

 Enjoy!

Beef & Barley Stew

Created by Shannon Fraser

Serves 6

Preparation Time – 30 Minutes
Cooking Time – 2 to 3 Hours

  

Ingredients

• 1pkg stewing beef cubes
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose Flour
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Large Vidalia onion – Sliced ¼ inches
• I Small Red onion – sliced ¼ inches
• 3 Garlic Cloves – roughly chopped
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. fresh Thyme – stems removed and roughly chopped
• 2 Celery Stalks – long stems
• ¼ cup red wine
• 2 to 3 large Carrots – long stems
• 1 litre beef stock
• ½ cup Barley
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley – Minced
• Salt & Pepper

Preparation

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.       Heat a large Creuset set over medium high heat.

3.       In a medium shallow dish, combine the flour salt and pepper.   Dry the beef cubes and add to the flour mixture.  Toss to coat and shake off excess flour.

4.       Add olive oil to Creuset and heat.   Add the beef and sear until browned.  Continue browning all sides.  Remove from pan. 

5.       While the beef is browning, prepare the onions, garlic, celery and carrots.

6.       Add the onions and scrape the bottom brown bits with a wooden spoon.  Continue cooking until onions begin to soften.  Add celery, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes.   Continue cooking for another minute or two.  Deglaze with the red wine and cook over medium heat until reduced by ¼ inch.  Add the beef stock, beef and juices, carrots and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, cover and bake at 375 for 2 hours. 

7.       Rinse barley under cold water and drain. Add barley and continue cooking at 325 for another 30 minutes to an hour.

8.       Check seasonings and serve.

Travel Dress List - London

Jetted to London!

Headed to the rainy city for a few days of solo travel.  Landed at 7:30 am after a red eye and, despite an initial setback at customs (took over an hour to get out of the airport) I was on the tube heading to my B&B.  It was my first time visiting, so I was on a mission to explore as much of the city as possible.  I pounded that pavement about 12 hours a day and definitely got a good feel of the various neighborhoods – Belgravia, Holland Park, Notting Hill, Knightsbridge, and Soho to name a few.

Amazing architecture with fantastic shopping!

The weather is a little unpredictable in London, so I was happy that my packing strategy was layer, layer, and layer!    

 

 

Sources

1.        Gucci 2890/S $292 USD @ www.framesdirect.com;  

2.        JCrew Perfect-fit tank $18 USD @ www.jcrew.com;  

3.        Boots Unisex Umbrella £16 www.boots.com;

4.        JCrew Jackie Cardigan $62 USD @ www.jcrew.com;

5.        7 for all Mankind mid-rise bootcut jeans $160 USD @ www.net-a-porter.com;

6.        Roots cap $36 CAD @ www.roots.com;

7.        Rudsak striped scarf $32 CAD @ www.rudsak.com;

8.        Blue Nile Platinum round-cut diamond earrings @ www.bluenile.ca;

9.        Rudsak handbag @ www.rudsak.com; 

10.     Clarks Privo Bingle $100 CAD @ www.walkingonacloud.ca.

 P.S. I also had my Banada Republic Ruffle Military Coat, but it is no longer available.

Travel - London

This summer I finally had the chance to head to London.  London, UK that is!   A city that has been on my list of places to visit for quite some time.  So I was thrilled, even with my cold/ massive congestion and fear of flying, when I jetted off on a solo 3 night adventure! 

Not the most welcoming sky at 7:30 a.m., but I suppose fitting with London’s notoriously bad weather.  Reputation seems to be holding up.  Even had a dual with my umbrella – which I lost – got hurt – and had to buy a new one!

I absolutely adore the little markets and flower stands in the city.  Why are they not more common in Canada?

Westminster Abbey – breathtaking.  Forbidden to take pictures inside, so here’s a shot I took while completing the tour.

Had to include a shot of Big Ben.   

 I couldn't go to London without trying the good ol’ fish & chips and in a proper pub to boot!

  I stumbled upon Basil Street and should have know it would lead to something great…

…Harrods! I had finally arrived…

…and entered food heaven…

Some of the abundant fawns at St-James Park.

Had just filled up on a yummy cinnamon roll and was sad to pass on a GOOP opportunity.

  Oh Canada! The Canada Gate in Green Park.

Despite walking for hours on end, there is still so much I want to explore in this city.   A return is definitely a must! 

Be sure to share any places you recommend visiting in London in the comment box.

*All photos taken by SLF with an iPhone 4. 

A New Adventure

Oishii was one of the first words I learned when I lived in Japan and it is one of the few that I actually remember and use more than 10 years later.

Oishii is Japanese for delicious, yummy and tasty and although this initially usually conjures images of food for me, in this instance, it also applies to all things in life that I find delicious, yummy and tasty - travel, fashion & food to name a few :)

So here begins my online adventure of sharing what I find to be irresistibly oishii in life!