Happy 2021! Now let me ask…are y’all as tired as I am of cooking? Or maybe not cooking itself, but the planning of meals? And the shopping? After being at home, restrictions so takeout is our only option for restaurants, and then the holidays, I have had it! My family pitches in with the cooking, but they don’t seem to get how exhausting all the planning is…and I love planning, organizing, and making lists. Anyway, today I’m sharing a fabulous recipe from one of my friend’s parents (she said I could!), and our weekly menu. Granted, that may or may not shake out to be what we have, but it’s a start!

First, our menu:

• Monday: Brunswick Stew with Harvest Grains and a veggie platter
• Tuesday: Pasta with Peas and Bacon along with cheesy garlic bread (pesto and mozzarella on a purchased cauliflower crust and baked). Maybe a salad. Maybe not.
• Wednesday: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Vegetable Fried Rice(Trader Joe’s) and Soy-Sesame Cucumbers (thinly sliced cucumbers with a little soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds)
• Thursday: Broccoli Cheese Soup with Baked Potato Bar (everyone tops their own with whatever they find in the frig)
• Friday: Dripped Beef Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries and Chopped Veggie Salad (romaine and whatever veggies I have…carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, green onions)

So there you go…hopefully some of those will tickle your fancy! They’re all very kid-approved meals, and don’t take long to get on the table (minus the slow cooker time, that is!).

I think I mentioned that one of the changes we’ve made during Covid is that every family member cooks one night each week. So I post the week’s menu on the frig, and everyone signs up on Sunday for the week. My kids are teens, but only the middle one has ever really been interested in cooking (mostly because he eats pretty much nonstop and got tired of waiting on me, I think). I try to come up with menus that I know everyone can make with little or no input from me, because the whole point is to free up some of my time!

Now, on to the recipe for Patty’s Easy Brunswick Stew. I’m sure this is not totally authentic (I’m pretty sure it originally had squirrel or possum or such in it), but Patty’s dad made this when she was a child, so it’s vintage!

As I said, it’s easy…the recipe she gave me was just a “put it in the crockpot and forget it,” and the Instant Pot version I came up with isn’t much harder. I had to do the Instant Pot version because I never remember to thaw my chicken the day before. The ingredients are all pantry, except the chicken (and BBQ pork, if you’re using that). This first pic is the stew ingredients…the Harvest Grains blend is cooked separately and a base when serving.

Click for printable recipe

Instant Pot Brunswick Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped in ½” pieces
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, to coat bottom of instant pot
• 6 boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs), or a mix of chicken and cooked bbq pork
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cream-style corn
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup butter, cut up
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce (or more, to taste)

1. Pour oil into Instant Pot, and turn on Saute.  When hot, saute the onions until translucent, about 4 minutes. Turn off pot, and lay chicken (and pork, if using) on top of onions.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl, then pour over chicken and onions.. DO NOT STIR or the tomatoes may burn and cause a malfunction. And no one needs that during dinner prep. Yes, I do know this from experience.
3. Set pot to High Pressure for 18 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes, then quick release.  Remove chicken breasts and shred.
4. Our family eats this over couscous or Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend. It’s also good over grits, but I can’t convince my foolish children of that.

Crock Pot directions:  Add onions to slow cooker, then layer chicken (and pork, if using).  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and pour over. Stir it if you want…it won’t burn!  Cook 3-4 hours on low, or 5-6 hours on high.

Tips: 

This makes a lot, but freezes well. I let it cool, then double bag it in ziptop freezer bags and freeze it flat. Thaw in frig overnight, then reheat on stovetop.

Sometimes I make this with just chicken, but if I have some leftover BBQ pork or beef, I add that as part of the meat. Do whatever is easiest for you (and cleans out your frig!).