Bluster Busting Beef Stew

Yesterday was a blustery day....
a good ol' tie down the patio furniture windy day!
and yep, mother-of-the-year...
I checked the weather on Google like every good mother does before her kids pick out their clothes for school...
it 'said' 70...
pretty yellow sun, shiny all bright, no clouds

so I told them to pick out shorts and tee's...
this is where the mother-of-the-year part comes...
I just glanced at Google...didn't really study it...
and I wasn't looking at the weather for Redding...
I was looking at the weather for Kelseyville (where the in-laws live)
Redding did have the pretty sun...
but also the note of '25 mph winds'....

yeah, so um....it didn't feel like 70...poor freezing kids
to redeem my mother-of-the-year award I decided to make a cozy dinner
made-in-the-bread-machine 'homemade' bread with soak-your-bread-in-the-broth-stew...

Beef Stew recipes are all over the web...I have 'pinned' a few on pintrest

source Brown Eyed Baker

I looked over a few recipes online and in my own cookbooks...and not wanting to run to the store for anything...this is what I came up with a combo of all the recipes I looked at and what was in my fridge and pantry...

Blustey Day Beef Stew
1-1 1/2  lbs. beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 in. cubes ( I look for it on sale already cubed)
Salt and ground pepper
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3-4 stalks of celery chopped, including leaves
1 medium garlic cloves, chopped or grated
3 tablespoons  flour
5 cups beef broth, divided (or 5 cups warm water and 5 tsp beef bullion)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 medium  potatoes, washed and cut into 1-in. cubes (don't peel...more vitamins)
6-8 carrots (about 1 lb.), peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick

Dry beef with paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat and brown beef with Worcestershire sauce, about 8 min.

Remove beef and add onions, celery, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, scraping bottom of pan for brown bits until softened (about 5 mins). Add garlic and continue to cook for 30 sec. Stir in the flour and cook until lightly colored (1-2 min.). Add 1 cup of broth and vinegar, scraping the bottom and stiring until thick and flour is dissolved.
Gradually add the remaining beef broth, stirring constantly, scraping up the remaining browned bits on bottom of pan. Add bay leaves and thyme and return to simmer. Add beef, return to simmer, reduce heat to med-low, and cover. Simmer for 25 min.
Add potatoes and carrots, leave uncovered, increase heat to medium and cook for additional 30-45 min

if you like a thicker stew this is when you would add a mixture of 1/4 cup broth and 1 tablespoon flour (stir together before adding to stew, and slow stir into stew...I like brothy stew...so I didn't do this.

Also I HATE dislike peas (the one veggie I don't like, I even like Brussels sprouts....), but you can add a bag of frozen peas at the end, just rinse them in water, drain and put in stew the last 5-10 minutes

Discard bay leaves (or not, we always said the person that ended up with the bay leaf was exempt from dishes...and then it only ever worked for my dad for some reason!), adjust seasoning and serve with warm bread.
..
We had enough left over to bag and freeze

Yea for easy dinner some day next week...or month (I guess next month is next week!)

Red Beans and Rice

about 2 months ago I was the host for my book club (we take turns hosting)...
and...
depending on the book and the host sometimes there is food served per the genre of the book...
we meet at 7, so usually there is a dessert but it can be a little late for dinner
     (well, that's a late dinner for me...)
anyways, we had read the book Five Smooth Stones a book set in the south during the 60's (great book, I highly recommend)...
and the main character in the book was know for his great cooking ability, his specialty being Red Beans and Rice...so I decided to make some for book club, along with corn bread (my recipe is NOT southern but I like it and it's what I made) and a gooey butter cake (recipe to follow soon...)

anyways, the Red Beans and Rice were a hit with the family and the book club...and it will be a staple on our winter menu...the girl child loves it but doesn't like 'sausage' aka kielbasa & the boy child loves it and he doesn't like beans...so she eats his beans and he eats her kielbasa and I figure they are both getting a protein....

Red Beans and Rice
1 (16 ounce) package turkey kielbasa, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped including leaves
1 cup sweet peppers* chopped
1 clove garlic chopped or grated
2 (15 ounce) cans canned kidney beans, drained
1+ cups broth (chicken or veggie...or water and bullion)
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
rice (I used jasmine rice both times I've made it...we are in love with jasmine rice!)
Start/cook rice (per your rice cooking directions)...
In a large skillet over low heat, cook sausage for 5 minutes. Stir in onion, celery, sweet pepper and garlic; saute until tender. Pour in beans, broth and tomatoes with juice. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve over rice.


This is a very easy recipe and all ingredients that I usually have on hand, I've added it to my throw down recipe list!

*I get a big bag of peppers and use them in everything...I like these better than the plain ol' green peppers, sweeter...and bonus the kids like to eat them as a snack after school with ranch...