Birthday Dinner

Birthday Dinner

Today is my birthday. It is also my niece’s birthday.    Neither of us feeling like celebrating this year. My brother passed away three days ago. It was my niece’s father. It’s a tragic loss for her and while I was estranged from him it still hurts. He was my baby brother.  He and his family were all I have  left and this was so unexpected.

I was unable to attend the funeral or even go out for the last two days. I have a bad hip and I have been unable to walk more than a few feet with out my leg going out from under me. I am beginning to lose my ability to walk little by little and always though I would go first. When my brother passed suddenly I was not prepared for it. Not prepared at all. I tell myself it will not be much longer for me and soon I will be up there and mom will be playing referee between my brother and I in heaven. Thats what I see anyway.

But this feeling of loss is not about me. I don’t like to see my family suffer like this and I don’t like the idea that from this day on my niece will think of the day she lost her dad instead of celebrating the happiest day of my life when she was born on my birthday. She deserves better but I understand. My mom died a week after my birthday and my grandmother the week before. So I understand the pain.

I decided to celebrate alone and stay to myself today.

I bought vegetables and some stew beef and made a beef stew for dinner. I have been craving beef stew for a while now but beef has been way too expensive to buy. It was my birthday so I decided to splurge but when I got to the store I didn't have to do it. I found two packages of stew beef marked down at Hannaford’s.

Then I went over to the frozen case. I had a nice size coupon for a Pepperidge Farm cake. I love the coconut cake and decided yup that was my birthday cake this year.

Today I set up the crock pot and made the stew this morning and this is what I did:

Beef Stew

A package of stew Vegetables

1 pound of stew beef

2 potatoes

1 package of onion soup mix

Water

Directions I just piled all the ingredientes into the crock pot. I had already browned the beef a couple of days ago when I made a small steak for dinner so the beef was ready to add to the stew saving me time.

Then I added two potatoes I sliced up  along with the package of stew vegetables and then flavored with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

I put the dinner on in the morning so I was able to cook on low in the crock pot all day.

A couple hours before the stew was done I put some  flour in some water and mixed it together and added it to the crock pot this was to thicken the gravy.

Dinner was ready by dinner time and I served it with crusty French bread.

It was delicious and I had lots left over that I will freeze tomorrow for another dinner. The bonus was that I had a cup of gravy left over as well that was not needed for the stew.

That I will freeze separately to use for another meal.

Desert of course was a piece of my coconut cake.

The only thing I am doing extra is I am sitting here drinking a screwdriver. I will only have one drink but it will help me get though the rest of the night. I know that’s not much for most people but I seldom drink so it is enough to put me asleep.

That’s it for today. Tomorrow may be better.

Happy birthday Ashley. Happy birthday to me.