Boxcar Children Stew

Our most recent read-aloud was The Boxcar Children, and we all look forward to continuing with this series. The boys have continued to incorporate the children and their adventures into their daily play. After finishing the book, we decided to make a stew for dinner, just as the children had made while living in the woods.

Although we used potatoes in place of turnips and added some rosemary and pepper to ours (and cooked it on the stove rather than over a fire pit in the middle of the forest!), it was otherwise just as the book described. It was a great opportunity to practice some kitchen skills (peeling, dicing, stirring). We also baked some biscuits to go along with our meal.

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"The girls were delighted with the meat and the little vegetables. With Henry's knife they cut the meat into little pieces. Then they filled the kettle with water from the fountain and put the meat into it, with a tin plate for a cover.

Jessie cut the tops off the vegetables and washed them in the brook.

'I'll put them in after the meat has cooked awhile," she said."

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Boxcar Children Stew

Ingredients:

Olive oil
2 lbs beef chunks
1 onion, diced
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
rosemary
pepper
salt
1/4 cup flour
4 potatoes, diced
5 carrots, chunked

Directions:

Warm some olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large stockpot. Cook the beef chunks and diced onion until browned. Add the beef broth, water, flour, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for one hour.

Add the potatoes and carrots. Simmer for another hour.

Serve and enjoy!

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Language Arts: Reading and Viewing, Speaking and Listening
Fine Arts: Dramatization
Health: Nutrition