Sunday Lunch Week 51: Stewed Beef with Dumplings, Instant Pot Oxtail & A Season of Good Deeds

By the time we reached Week 51, I could hardly believe this series was nearing the end. One more Sunday left. When I started this project last January, I wasn’t sure I could show up every week. Life was happening, the calendar was always full, and yet—somehow—we kept going. Week after week, meal after meal, story after story. It was a commitment that stretched me in ways I didn’t expect, one I’m not sure I will continue in 2026, at least not in this same labor-intensive format. But something will return—just in a gentler, more sustainable way.

This Sunday felt like a quiet celebration of everything we’ve managed to do.

Stewed Beef with Dumplings — A One-Pot Embrace

For this week’s lunch, I returned to a dish that feels like home: Stewed beef with dumplings.
The ultimate comfort food for these cold winter days. Everything cooks in one pot—tender beef, carrots, celery, aromatics, and plump dumplings that soak up every drop of gravy. It’s the same Trini “burning of the sugar” method we use for stewed chicken, but heartier, fuller, and perfect for December.

I browned the beef until it sang in the pot, added the vegetables, let everything melt together slowly, then tucked in dumplings to finish. Simple, warming, deeply satisfying.

Instant Pot Stewed Oxtail — For a Special Request

Alongside that one-pot stew, I finally made something I’d been putting off:
Instant Pot Stewed Oxtail.

This wasn’t just for my own meal prep—it was inspired by the pending photos I needed to take for the blog. But it also became an unexpected act of kindness. My daughter’s friend has always wanted to taste stewed oxtail with rice and beans and cabbage stir fry. In the spirit of Christmas, I decided:

Why not do one more good deed before the end of the year?

So I cooked the full combination just for her. A plate made with generosity, tradition, and the warmth of the season.

Meal Prep for the Week Ahead

With the holiday travel countdown ticking, I doubled up on prep:

• Stewed beef and dumplings (Sunday lunch)
• Instant Pot stewed oxtail (recipe coming soon)
• Rice & beans for the week
• Cabbage stir fry
• Baked Cornish hens for my husband’s weekday lunches
• Curry short ribs for myself—because I wanted to close the year with one of my favorite meals of 2025 – I thought I already posted this recipe, but somehow can’t find it, so will be posting soon.

We cooked, cleaned, organized, and packed gifts all morning. That blend of warmth and work that only December brings. Giving gifts brings joy—but the choosing, the wrapping, the budget that never behaves—those are the parts we rarely admit aloud.

Closing in on the Final Week

Somewhere between seasoning meats and labeling containers, the reality set in:
This was the second-to-last Sunday Lunch post of the year.

Fifty-one Sundays documented.
Fifty-one meals cooked.
Fifty-one stories shared.

We made it this far when it would have been easier to skip a week—or ten. And yet every Sunday, no matter what life threw our way, we cooked and showed up.

Next week is Week 52. The final chapter.

I’m proud of us.

What We Cooked This Week

• Stewed Beef with Dumplings (one-pot dish)
• Instant Pot Stewed Oxtail (preview of upcoming recipe)
• Rice and Beans (for daughter’s friend’s special request)
• Cabbage Stir Fry
• Baked Cornish Hens (meal prep for husband)
• Curry Short Ribs (my personal favorite meal of 2025)

Serving Suggestions for Stewed Beef & Dumplings

While I can eat this one-pot stew just as it is, you can also enjoy it with:

• Jasmine or basmati rice
• Rice and beans
• Yellow rice or carrot rice
• Callaloo or dhal and rice
• Stewed beans
• Fried plantains
• Chunky vegetable stir fry or cabbage & tomatoes stir fry

Best served hot—and balanced with a cold glass of mauby, sorrel, ginger beer, or homemade lemonade.

More Sunday Lunches to Explore

If you’re new to my 52 Weeks of Sunday Lunch series, welcome. Every Sunday last year(2025), I cooked a completely different meal—no repeats—and shared the story behind it. It has been equal parts discipline, creativity, and memory-keeping.

Here are some recent Sunday Lunch posts:

• Week 50: Coconut Rice, Baked Lamb & Steamed Green Beans
• Week 49: Garlic Pork & Hops
• Week 48: Thanksgiving Highlights
• Week 47: Stewed Chicken, Curry Baigan & Aloo, Paratha
• Week 46: Fried Rice, Fried Asian Ribs, Corn Casserole, Pepper Shrimp

👉 View the full 52 Weeks of Sunday Lunch series →

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💬 Questions, Concerns, or Recipe Requests — Write Me!

If you have any questions about this week’s Sunday Lunch or a dish you’d love to see next, leave a comment below or email me at [email protected]. And when you share your photos, tag me @cookingwithria on Instagram or @trinicookingwithria on Facebook—your creations always make my day.

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