Friday Fascinations 2 - Olympics Linky Party - Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew

Thank you to everyone who linked up to My First Linky Party! There was a lot of great posts linked up. You can find some of them at My First Linky Party Features.

This week I thought it would be fun to see all the projects that people did for the Olympics. Kind of an Olympics recap party.

My husband is a huge Olympics fan. I am not so much a fan. I don't like sports at all (Mr. Random doesn't usually like sports either but the Olympics is the exception for him) We like to enjoy things together as much as possible so I planned to contribute to the Olympic celebration in my way. I had planned to make meals from different countries several times throughout the Olympics times. I even made a special Olympics board on Pinterest for this project. As it turned out I didn't have time to make as much as I wanted to. There was one recipe that to me was my Olympics recipe. I knew that I had to  make it at some point during the Olympics. That recipe was Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew. I don't know why this recipe stood out to me so much, but it did so I did end up making it. I had decided that I did not want to spend a lot of money on special spices that I would never use again. This recipe called for two spices I didn't have and am pretty sure I have no need of, garam masala and yellow curry powder. So I got on google and did some research. I found a recipe substitute for garam masala and one for curry powder (couldn't find yellow curry powder) and I improvised from there.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of beef, cut in cubes (I used what I had in the freezer)
Olive Oil
1-2 c carrots chopped
The original recipe called for onions, I didn't use any because I can't stand onions
Garlic, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, ground pepper, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg (Sorry, I don't have exact measurements for any of these. I just sprinkled on a generous portion of each of , I used a double portion of cumin and coriander because they were in both spice recipes)
1 can tomato paste
Enough water to fill the crockpot
1 can chick peas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped dried apricots
1/4 c slivered almonds (toast in oven for 3-5 minutes)
Cilantro leaves if you have them (garnish)


Directions:
The night before, or the morning before saute beef over medium heat in olive oil. Cook thoroghly then remove from pan.
Add carrots and garlic (and onions if using). Saute. Add spices and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
Add beef, carrot mixture, and water to slow cooker.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Stir in chick peas, raisins, and apricots. Cook for 1 more hour.
Toast almonds in oven. Serve with rice. Sprinkle almonds and cilantro on top.


Verdict:
It was ok. Not the greatest thing ever. To be honest even with all those spices it was a little bland. Definitely needed some salt. I accidentally cooked the fruit way too long so it got really mushy, i don't know if that part would have been any better. The meat was not bad with salt, rice, and the toasted almonds (they actually did add a lot to the dish). The carrots had a slightly weird flavor and the broth was plain. It smelled better than it tasted. Bottom line, I probably won't make this again, but if I do I would add a lot of salt and make sure not to overcook the fruit. It was worth a try and we did end up eating all the meat, but probably won't happen again.

What did you make for the Olympics? Did it turn out good?



Olympics Linky Party

The rules:

•  Posts can include anything to do with the Olympics from a craft you did to thoughts on Olympic athletes to recipes. The recipes can be specifically Olympics or just recipes from other countries. If you associate it with the Olympics link it up. Once again I am fine with linking up linky parties and advertising/giveaways as long as it is Olympics related and you identify it as what it is when linking it up.
• Please follow me in some way. If you absolutely hate my blog then of course don't follow it, but if you hate it should you really be linking up? (I leave that for you to answer :) There are several ways to follow me offered on the right sidebar.
• Link up directly to the post, not your home page.
• By linking up you are giving me permission to feature your post including but not limited to pictures and quotes from your post, and also to feature your post in my various social media outlets.
• This is a family friendly, christian blog. I reserve the right to remove a link to any content that I find offensive or not compatible with this blog, with or without notice.
• Please add a backlink or my button to your blog or post somewhere. You can find my buttons on the left sidebar.
• Please check out some of the other links and leave some love in some way (comment, pin, follow, etc.)

Linked Up To:
Cornerstone Confessions, Claiming Our Space, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic,  A Pinch of Joy, Addicted to Recipes, My Favorite Finds,