Lazy gardener is lazy

So, last year, I planted some garlic. .

Some is probably an understatement. It was 24 cloves in a 10 X 5 plot. I dug them up, washed them, cured them, and ate them through about October.

This year, the garden is fallow, because of a new job and new baby, I have no time.

I went to check out how bad the weeds were. Lots of grass-like stalks were popping up.

Oh great, I thought. But then I looked closer. Sniffed. Dug up one and sniffed again.

Garlic shoots! Apparently I hadn’t been very diligent at getting all the garlic out last year. So, the cloves and bits of cloves that stayed over the winter were coming to life again.

Happy lazy gardener is happy.

Baked Soup

Just as I was going to toss my soup into the Crock-Pot last night, I noticed that the plug had gotten stuck in the oven door. The plug had melted so that there was no way to plug in the Crock-Pot.

So I baked the soup instead.

When you call it “baked soup” it seems funny and strange. But really, this is the same method that’s used for beef bourguignon or coq a vin. Do a little work on the stovetop, then stick it in the oven, low and slow, and let heat and time do their magic.

In fact, this came out quite a bit better than my normal Crock-Pot fare.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups beef broth
1/3 cup black beans (no soak)
¼ pound thinly shredded beef
½ bottle beer
½ cup tomato juice
1 cup rice noodles

Preheat oven to 300. Heat olive oil and onions over medium heat in oven-safe saucepan large enough to hold everything. Cook a few minutes until onions start to get clear.

Add everything else except for the beef. Turn to high and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn off the burner. Add beef, cover, and carefully (with hot pads) move into hot oven. Cook for 2 hours. Remove carefully (with hot pads), add 1 cup rice noodles, stir.