Golfer's Stew and the Sport Itself

October 15th There are many things you can say about the game of golf. For those who play frequently, they say it's a chance to be outside, work on the ole swing and just be alive. The favorite motto of those who play often is . . . "it beats working." Of course, this group of people are actually decent at the sport, and don't spend most of their time rummaging around in an urban-designed jungle looking for a little white ball. For those who play sparingly, it is a chance to be outside, it does beat work, but you can add a couple of cuss words and club tosses. I have thrown my golf club further than most of my drives. Don't get me wrong, I do like to play golf. In fact, every once in awhile, I actually play pretty good, not par good, but good for someone who picks up a driver every six months. The thing about golf is, most novice players expect so much more out of themselves every time they hit the links. Golf is a sport that requires constant practice in order to be any good. Constant practice involves frequent time, and that is something most people generally don't have. However, when I first started playing, I still thought that all I had to do was rely on my athletic ability, and just swing away. I will "pound the ball" I thought, and bring this game to its knees. Drive for show, putt for doe, was not a motto in my mental golfer vocabulary. So, I would swing away and pound the ball as far away from the hole as possible. Most of each round would be spent wandering around in the woods, muttering to myself, wondering why I wasn't at work. If by chance I actually did hit one near the hole (IE in the same zip code), I would spend the next 15 minutes putting it by the hole on one side, then zipping it past on the next. Each putt saw me get further away than the last, and my normally civil, rational self went into a Homer Simpson like frenzy. I would throw my putter, throw my golf cart, throw the people that brought me out here in the first place. After many lawsuits, I needed to come to a realization, I was not very good at golf. Now when I venture out to the course, I go with a different attitude. I think that sinking a par is the equivalent of heaven on earth, and if I get a birdie, I pass out. So bogeys for me are a real treat, and that's how I should approach this game, aim low, and if you go high, beautiful. One thing I also need to remember, golf is a sport where you can spend the entire day in someone else's yard, but hit one 300 yard drive pure, and you are hooked for the next round. You could hit a chip shot of a chipmunks head, killing it dead, yet if it lands two feet from the hole you proclaim "Screw the damn chipmunk, that was skill baby!" OK, now for what started this rant, a recipe called Golfer's Stew. It is a slow cooker recipe that is pretty much beef stew, but I added some Ferg flair (assortment of fingerling potatoes), that made it pretty good - it will feed you for a week. Here are your ingredients . . . 1 lb of stew beef, fat trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces 12 oz jar of beef gravy (hmmmm, gravy) 1 lb of an assortment of fingerling potatoes (purple, golden, etc) cut into quarters. 6 carrots, skinned, cut into rounds 3 ribs celery, chopped 2-3 onions, diced Throw all of this in a slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low. Fingerling potatoes work really well with this recipe, because they don't mush up and make the stew too starchy. They keep their shape, and have a nice bite to them. Once the stew is done, pick a veggie side or a salad. It is very hearty, and delicious.