Hmm... what's in my fridge?

I have just not done any cooking this week. It's weird, but true! Monday was Valentine's day so the boy and I went out for Mexican food (we're so classy), and I can barely even remember Tuesday.

Last night, I was just too lazy to go to the store, so I knew it was going to be one of those nights that I create something out of the contents of my fridge and pantry. The result, in this case anyway, was not half bad!

I'm not sure what to call it. Chunky beef noodle soup? Something like that.

Here's how I did it:

• 1 lb "stir fry" beef (tenderized stew meat from what I can tell, but it was on sale). I coated the pieces in flour, and dropped them into the bottom of a hot dutch oven (with a swirl of olive oil). Once browned, I removed them with a slotted spoon and then added
• 1/2 chopped onion (mine was yellow)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• approximately 4 stalks of celery finely diced
• Once everything was translucent, I poured in a Guiness to deglaze the pan and I let it boil down about half. 
• Then, I threw the beef back in, along with 6 chopped carrots, a cup of frozen peas, a can of diced tomatoes, a few tablespoons of tomato paste, and a big carton of beef stock. 
• I added a bunch of spices at this point:
• dried parsley (b/c I had no fresh)
• a palmful of paprika
• a dash of cayenne
• fennel seeds
• Once the carrots were soft I added about half a box of spiral noodles and boiled them for a good 11 minutes.

The result was something like beef stew, something like soup, and something like goulash. There was just enough liquid that it was appropriate to use a spoon. I added a dollop of sour cream on top for good measure and devoured it. Tim liked it too and even requested some leftovers go home with him.

Not bad for an impromptu meal!