Brunswick Stew

Lately I've been staying up way too late. Midnight or later every night. Why, you ask? I have no idea. Every night I'm doing something, but the next morning I can never think of "what, exactly, inspired me to deprive myself of a full night's sleep again?! I'm such an idiot!" Clearly, I'm doing a great job rectifying that issue as I blog at 11:19 and still have to shower, do my devotions, and more.

I'm thinking seriously about starting school again and working towards my degree. The program I'm looking at is really intense. It's going to require a lot of commitment and probably a lot better time-management. It's great because it's online, but also challenging because it will make it easier to save things up or put them off until late at night. I love quality time. I am one to immediately agree to something if it means I get to spend quality time with someone I care about. I'll put off whatever I have to do to spend that time with someone, and I always plan to just "stay up later" to get it done. I can't imagine how much stronger that urge is going to be when I am staying home with my son and faced with the choice of homework or playtime. Maybe by then he'll have figured out how to take better naps and it won't be an issue!

Tonight I spent some good time with my sister. We have girls night every week and I always look forward to it. We did crafts together tonight, which is something I'm not sure we've done since high school. I also made Brunswick stew, a family favorite. Hope you enjoy it!

Brunswick Stew

Adapted from Never Enough Thyme

~6 cups water

~3 tsp. chicken bullion

~2 bay leaves

~1 tsp. thyme

~1 tsp. parsley

~1 tsp. red pepper flakes

~dash hot sauce (or more to taste)

~2 ribs of celery, chopped

~12 oz. bag of frozen Lima beans

~12 oz. bag of frozen corn

~1 can cut green beans

~1 can diced tomatoes

~3 potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

~1 onion, diced

~1 cup ketchup

~2 cups BBQ sauce
~1 tablespoon cider vinegar (optional)

~3 large chicken breasts

Bring water to a boil and add the bullion and spices. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add all vegetables, ketchup, barbecue sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Cook chicken in pan, then shred with a fork. Add to the pot, and simmer the stew for 1-2 hours. You may want to add some more water about a half hour before you serve it to get enough broth.

This picture makes this stew look pretty unappealing, Hey, look! A much yummier picture! but I promise it was good!