Mom's Beef Stew

The Mission:

Make beef stew. Because it's tasty and I like it. Also, beef was on sale a few weeks ago, and I have a lovely amount of stew beef all cut up and ready to go in the freezer. Mom's been using this recipe my whole life, so I find it to be extremely comforting. It can be made on the stove, or in a crockpot - which is nice! It makes a fabulous addition to my winter menus, since it's such a warm and invitingly aromatic comfort food. It's also great using venison.
The Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stew beef
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• few dashes allspice or cloves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 medium onion - roughly chopped
• 3 medium potatoes - chopped into bite sized pieces
• 5-6 carrot sticks - chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 bag of frozen green beans

The Instructions:

Stovetop directions: Brown meat in batches in hot oil. Add boiling water, seasonings, and onion (if you like your onion less mushy, add onion when you add other veggies). Simmer for 2 hours. Add sliced carrots and potatoes, then stir in the frozen green beans. Cook for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are done. Thicken stew gravy by adding flour to cold water and whisking until all lumps are gone, stir flour mixture into stew and cook at least five minutes more. Crockpot directions: brown meat and then assemble all ingredients except beans into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Microwave green beans until they're done and add to stew in crockpot. Add flour mixture and cook on high for 20 minutes.

The Result: Let's see. Next time I will add more carrots. It just wasn't quite enough for me. My husband liked the stew and ate it happily. I served it with pillsbury crescent rolls this time. Not exactly the most healthy side dish, but yummy nonetheless. I obviously assembled this one in the crock pot. I actually prefer the stew on the stove, but for week-night meals, it's just easier to put it in the crockpot so it's ready when you get home.

The Reviews: Not much to say here. Obviously I love this recipe. My whole family likes it and looks forward to eating it whenever the weather turns colder. I've made it for a few friends before and they all go back for seconds :)

Garlic and Mushroom Beef Roast with Sun-dried Tomatoes

The Mission: Use the beef tip roast that I bought on sale at the grocery store.

The Recipe: I *heart* this recipe. It's so easy, it's so tasty, it's so comforting. I found it in one of those little recipe booklets you can find at the grocery store check-out lines. This one happens to be from the Sept 2004 Betty Crocker simple slow cooker one. 2004 - yeah, that's old! I tested it out originally on my parents years ago and they both adored it. It became one of our favorite crockpot roast meals.
The Ingredients:
3 to 4 lb. beef boneless rump or tip roast
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 oz. small whole fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatioes in oil, drained and chopped
1/2 cup light Italian dressing


The Instructions: Spray a 12" nonstick skillet with cooking spray. If beef roast comes in netting or is tied, do not remove. Sprinkle beef with salt and garlic. Cook beef in skillet over medium-high heat 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides. Spray a 4-5 quart crockpot with cooking spray. Place mushrooms in pot. Place beef on mushrooms. Spread tomatoes over beef, then pour dressing over the mixture in the pot. Cover and cook on Low heat setting for 9-11 hours. Place beef on cutting board; remove netting or strings if necessary. Slice beef and serve with mushrooms and juices. Makes 6 servings.


The Results: Fabulous. End of story. Even if I take the lazy way out and skip the "browning meat" stage, it turns out wonderful. If I'm ill-prepared for this recipe and forgot to buy fresh mushrooms, I'll add a can of sliced mushrooms an hour before eating. They're not quite as good, but they still get the job done.

The Reviews: As previously stated, Mom and Dad love this recipe. My sister likes it as well, though she usually doesn't eat the mushrooms. My husband on the other hand isn't as thrilled with this roast as the rest of my family. Which is extremely disappointing, since I'd probably make it every week if he was up for it. Instead, I indulge in this yummy beefy goodness about once a month through the winter months. He can just deal with it.

Venison (or Beef) Chili

The Mission: Make delicious crockpot chili using Mom's recipe only substitute ground venison, since the husband's friend shared his poor Bambi's Daddy with us.

The Recipe: I love my Mom's chili. This is the recipe that she's been using ever since I was a small child. I'm not quite sure where she got it from, I think she said she adapted it from a couple of different recipes she found in the red-checkered Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. Oh how I love those red-checkered bibles of goodness.

The Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (substitue venison or turkey if you wish)
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
15 1/2 oz. can of dark red kidney beans, drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
16 oz can of diced tomatoes
10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
8 oz tomato juice (I use canned sauce instead)
6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 tsp. salt

The Instructions: In a large pot, brown the ground meat with onion and garlic. Drain any fat and add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for 2 hours. Enjoy.

The Result: Delicious as always. This time we shared the dinner with my parents, so I doubled the recipe. I also put it in the crockpot so it would be ready to eat. This is easily accomplished by browning the meat on the stove, and then assembling all of the ingredients in the crockpot. You'll want to cook it on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4. I usually assemble everything the night before, so the chili has time to meld all the flavors in the fridge overnight, then I leave it on Low alllll day long! It's great to have yummy food waiting for you when you get home at night :) I love to eat my chili with cottage cheese. Mom likes to add sour cream. Dad and the husband enjoy adding shredded cheddar cheese. And everyone loves it with cornbread on the side.

The Reviews: Though the husband isn't a big fan of the chopped onions, peppers, or celery, I chop them really small using my food processor. They cook down so much that he doesn't really notice. Apparently if he can't see them, he doesn't know they're there! I've never had any complaints about this recipe. The whole family loves it! I've taken it to quite a few potlucks and have never had to worry about leftovers. I've been asked for the recipe several times as well.