Way Back Then

When I was growing up, this was one of my favorite suppers. I always thought we were having something special when Mother cooked this. I loved it. Still do. After I was grown, she told me it was her "busy day" supper. When she was busy with housework, laundry and two little girls, she could throw everything into one pot and just let it cook itself. Think that far back and laundry involved a wringer washing machine and a clothes line. No permanent press clothes either, so ironing came next. And we think we work hard.

She called it Brunswick stew. I think most other recipes are made with chicken. Or squirrel. (You can look it up on Wikipedia. It really says 'squirrel.') And maybe have lima beans in it. But THIS was Brunswick stew in our house. 

So for your busiest day or the day you can't think of anything to cook, give this a try. You don't even have to brown the ground beef for this recipe. (Which means you cannot do it in a Crockpot.) Every time I make it, it reminds me of my mother's good cooking and my childhood. Good memories.

Brunswick Stew

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 15-oz. can whole tomatoes, broken up (use your hand and squish it up)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

1 8-oz. can whole kernel corn

salt & pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a pot and mix. Cook medium heat until it starts to simmer. Turn to low, cover and continue to simmer for about 60-90 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve over rice. 

We usually had Texas Pete on the table for Daddy to add a little zip to his serving. Kids got ketchup.

Today at the grocery store there were no whole tomatoes except in huge cans, so I used a can of diced tomatoes. I have discovered that diced tomatoes don't have as much juice as a can of whole tomatoes so I added a 6-oz. can of tomato juice to the mix. Adjust as you need to. There is nothing in this recipe that is very precise.

In the interest of full disclosure, my sister does not have such fond memories of this recipe. She didn't like it. I did. You can decide for yourself.