Home made stew with beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery
Today I had the urge to create a satisfying dish complete with meat and veggies, but without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. I love my kitchen and I feel creative there, but today I felt like I needed a change, so I decided to spend the Spring day, with its lovely mild temperatures – entirely outside the house enjoying the sun with my family. I wanted to cook, too, though, that was my dilemma. I looked to my cookbook, “Miss Vickie’s Kitchen”, for inspiration and found it on page 46 – my recipe “Irish Canadian Beef Stew,” pictured below. It was featured in Entertaining and Lifestyle in March 2015 issue of Hello Canada!

Thank you, Hello Canada!
I turned on my slow cooker, browned the beef, chopped the veggies, placed it all in the pot and covered it with water, wine and beef stock. I set it to 6 hrs on low heat and then drove to the park to play with my granddaughter.
Vera’s just a year old and a novice toddler who loves touching and tasting sand and is curious about everything and everyone. She’s become an expert at waving her tiny, dimpled hand, greeting stranger and friend alike. Recently, she added Hi to her vocabulary. She talks! “hi!”
Watching her smile on the swing while my daughter pushed her, brought back memories of me pushing my little ones on swings many years ago in a playground miles away, in small town Ontario, Canada.
It was a sweet moment to cherish because it reminded me that life is a circle and, although we sometimes think our lives will never change, they will change and they DO change. Change can come in an instant. Sometimes change takes a slower, more subtle course. But life is about change. The more years that pass, the more we should welcome and embrace change.
When I look back I can truly treasure the moments spent playing with our children when they were small or sharing a tender moment with a loved one.
I held my giggling granddaughter’s tiny hands as she slid down the slide, I remembered that only a year ago she was a newborn infant. Change comes whether we are ready or not!
I suddenly realized it was almost suppertime, so we gathered our things and headed home, tired and hungry but mentally and emotionally reconnected, renewed and refreshed.
We had changed.
Now back in my kitchen, the slow cooker had been doing all the work while I played the afternoon away and the beef stew was ready and waiting…6 hours later.
“A change is as good as a rest”, was one of my Bill’s favourite sayings. Maybe there’s a lot of truth in that.
Preparation:
- Dredge 1 1/2 lb stewing beef in flour
- Cook beef in pan on medium in olive oil until all sides are brown
- Remove beef to a hot slow cooker
- Add:
- 1/4 c wine
- 1/2 c water
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 3 cups beef stock
- 4 medium potatoes, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- stalk of celery, chopped
- onion,chopped
- Add dash or thyme, salt & pepper
- Set slow cooker to low heat for 6 hours.
Good morning,
Would it be possible to get a signed autographed book from Miss Vickie ?
Pierre
Hello! Thanks for your comment. I’m going to meet as many people and autograph as many cook books as I can this fall!
I’ll publish a list of locations on this website of places to meet and greet …
Miss Vickie, I heard you on CJAD yesterday morning. I’m sooooo glad to meet you virtually. Believe it or not, I’m a health/fitness buff and OMG, you’re chips – Pepper & Lime – ARE THE ONLY CHIPS I absolutely go crazy for!!! And I didn’t know you were from Montreal!!! OMG! I hope to get to one of your book signings. I’m a huge foodie, love recipes and anything and everything the healthiest possible. You’re my idol! I always wanted to do something like you have achieved – starting out with such a simple/healthy concept! Congratulations! Well done! And recognition well deserved!! WOW! I’d love to work for such a company!!! Sooooooo interesting! Food!!!
Hello, we are the students doing a class project on your invention of Miss Vickie Chips, we were hoping you could answer a few questions for us. Thank you!
Love your sea salt original recipe chips! ❤️
Hi Melissa, Thanks for visiting my site!
HI Thanks for visiting and taking the time to say hello.
Hello! This may seem a bit odd but my boyfriend and I bought your house in New Lowell a year ago. We absolutely love it! Everyone in this town has a memory of you or this property, it’s awesome. I plan on picking up a copy of your book and hopefully one day I can even get your autograph :)
Thanks for building such an amazing house. We couldn’t love it more!
HI Happy to hear from you…We had to build that home after our farm house burned to the ground in 1986 -just a short time before we started making Miss Vickie’s chips on the farm.
You are such a nice and wonderful woman..and a wonderful cook..wow! Why did subway stop carrying your bbq chip? Love to meet you sometime.. I love to BBQ..well take care.. Love bennie