pegkerr | What the Hell Stew

In a spirit of perversity, I decided to make a dinner that I would like instead of worrying whether or not the other members of my family would eat it. Once I started, I just kept throwing other things in. I have mentally dubbed it "What the Hell Stew," and I am very sure it is extremely healthy and delicious.

I am 85% that no one in my family will eat more than a bite or two of it. I have given them a cop out by making corn bread for the side.

What the Hell Stew

[amounts are uncertain; I just threw stuff in without measuring]

Turkey kielbasa (Fiona no, Rob yes, Delia maybe)
onions (all three no)
chopped green peppers (girls no, Rob yes)

Browned that and then threw in:

canned tomatoes, chopped (Rob yes, girls no)
tomato paste (no strong opinions)
black beans (all three no)
butternut squash (all three no)
barley (Rob yes, girls maybe)
kale (all three no)
balsalmic vinegar (uncertain. Maybe they won't notice in the general revulsion)

I will report back later. Bwahahaha.

I am sure it will freeze well and I will be taking it for lunches.

Edited to add: The report:

Delia retired to her room in tears at the sight of the horror that filled her soup bowl. She eventually came back and ate some corn bread.

Rob, to my utter astonishment, ate a whole bowlful and went back for seconds. What was up with that? He must have been starving and desperate. He graded it only 4 out of 10, though. He, too, had extra corn bread.

Fiona carefully picked out one piece of kielbasa and ate that, along with her cornbread. The rest of the stew was left untouched.

I rated it 10 out of 10. But then, I would. I will be perfectly happy to eat the leftovers.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds pretty good to me s:) Tomatoes, it would depend on how much they cooked down, and some beans just aren't my thing, but the rest all sounds agreeable. This is also about the only thing that has reconciled me to onions in food -- it nearly liquifies the things. The pieces are fine enough that I don't notice them in most recipes.

I call myself a recovering picky eater -- learning to cook for myself, where I can try new things when I'm ready, has definitely helped. So has learning that "spices" don't always mean "spicy," some of them just mean "not bland flavoring." I've also noticed mood is a big factor; if I'm not happy, I tend to be less willing to try new stuff than if I'm in a good mood.

Hi back atcha, and welcome to my journal!

I have had a number of people remark that they were picky as kids but have gotten more adventuresome as they've gotten older (and started cooking for themselves).

Son B was very picky as a kid--he ate basically meat and starch, preferably potatoes. And the meat couldn't be pork, unless it was bacon or ham. No fish or seafood. No spicy food. Corn was his only vegetable.

Now, at 23, in his travels, he eats almost everything he encounters, including duck's blood soup, eel (which I won't), and unidentifiable stuff sold by Vietnamese street vendors.

It can happen.

I'm sure some kids learn to eat a wider variety by being forced to try everything, but we learned early on with him that "forcing" anything didn't work (we'd have had to escalate into illegal territory!). He had to develop at his own pace, in everything. And so he did.

What the Hell Stew

Hi, I'm new s:)

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Re: Hi, I'm new s:)