Birthday Stew
Facilitated By Michael Li
July 8, 2022
Tom is busy in the backyard shed again. He hears his children and their friends playing in the fields around him, screaming and laughing, as he stirs his giant wooden spoon slowly in the cauldron. Today is a special day as it is his daughter's birthday. She had asked Tom to make her favorite dish, beef stew. It is a time consuming task that requires a lot of preparation of the meat and spices before the final simmer can even begin. Tom carefully skinned the cow before cleaning the meat, and used his family secret recipe spice mix as he prepared the meat for a sear in a giant dutch oven. Tom knew the sear would give the beef extra flavor, and when he was satisfied with the color he set it carefully in the cauldron. He then chopped up onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic to mix in with the seared beef, before filling up the cauldron with water. He then threw in some rosemary, thyme, fresh ground pepper, and salt into the stew when it reached a boil. Tom then moved the cauldron away from the fire so only the side of the cauldron was exposed to heat so he could slow cook the stew, all the while gently stirring it so as to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the cauldron. As the stew came to a slow boil, with the sounds bubbling in the shed, Tom chopped up some home grown potatoes, which were his daughter's favorite. He took extra care of the potatoes and made sure to not over-cook them. Tom is filled with pride as he watches his gourmet masterpiece reach its final stage, and the stew becomes more viscous, as he saw how the bubbling slowed down. He gets ready to call his daughter, her friends, and family to come gather, and feels a sense of excitement and anticipation. Tom's daughter stops her game of duck duck goose after hearing the stew was ready, and quickly runs over to Tom as his eyes fills with tears of happiness.
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