Beef Casserole

This recipe idea comes from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ch. 16.) Hermoine, Ron, and Harry are sitting around Hagrids Hut in a rain storm excitedly talking about the Triwizard Tournament. They declined Hagrids Beef Casserole after they found a talon in one of their portions...I am scared of big birds and even more scared of their talons so I did not throw any of them in my casserole, but I did throw in some baby carrots and they actually kind of do look like talons...okay maybe not but I tried:) The recipe did not call for carrots, but I like cooked carrots and threw some in. First off I know it doesn't look so great in the picture, but my Mom and I gave this meal a 5!!! Yes, I would take this recipe and add to to my own personal recipe book. Delicious! Mr. B said he gives it a 4...there is always someone who is hard to please. I could best describe it as being a comfort food. I of course had to change up the recipe a bit. In the book you are supposed to put it in the oven to cook for 2 hours and you have to stir it every 1/2 hour in order to make sure it doesn't burn. Lets be honest it would burn in my oven! I also was leaving for church for 3 hours and wanted it ready to eat when I got home. I bought steak that was already cubed to save time. I browned the meat and then threw it into my crock pot. The recipe only calls for salt and pepper and I like seasoning in my food. So I added some garlic salt, parsley flakes and some chili powder. We served it over mashed potatoes and if my new years resolution of not having seconds wouldn't have gotten in my way I would have had more:) Seriously try this one!
English History: "Old-time Brits used to cook a huge roast for Sunday. Then they used the rest of the meat in other dishes with gravy or the like for the rest of the week." "THe unofficial Harry potter Cookbook," By Dinah Bucholz, pg. 67. I did make this recipe yesterday in honor of the Brits. I kept my Roast cooking to Sunday:)
Grieving Help: I started a group last week called "Angels Among Us" with some friends. We had our Opening Social this morning. At the meeting this morning we brought pictures of our lost children and as part of our introduction everyone shared a memory or experience they had with their child. My memory of Ruby is of one of the first times I held her. She had just been born and the nurses and doctors had checked her out and said she was stable enough for me to hold for just a few minutes. Brian carried her to me and when he handed her to me she had her eye's closed. I started to talk to her and the second she heard my voice her eye's popped open and she stared up at me. I instantly felt a bond a great love for her, and felt that she loved me back. I am so grateful for that moment because I have heard stories of NICU Mom's having a hard time bonding with their babies. I guess I was very blessed to have that experience with her. One of the many lessons I learned from Ruby's short life was how to love more fully and deeply! The thing is before Ruby I didn't realize that I was not loving to my full potential and that I had so much more room for growth. It reminds me of the Grinch and how his heart grew "Three sizes" in one day. Perhaps that happened to me, except for my heart has been ripped open, re-stuffed, and will never fully heal. The goal is though that someday I can wake up and just smile because Ruby was here, and then go on with my day, loving everyone that I come in contact with, especially my family:)