Beef Stew with Beer…

Enough said right?  How can beef stew simmered for hours in a nice hearty beer be bad?  In my books it can’t so when I was searching for a stew recipe and came across this one from Ree of The Pioneer Woman I knew I’d found what I was looking for.

This soup was rich and delicious and made for a perfect weeknight meal for a busy family!
Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika (The Pioneer Woman)
Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 pounds Stew Meat (I dredged the meat in seasoned flour  (salt, pepper and garlic powder) before browning it)
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can
• 4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)
• 2 cups Water (additional, If Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
• 4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
• Minced Parsley (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown (floured and seasoned) meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half.
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
*UPDATE: The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.
Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
***We loved this recipe and the only change I made was dredging the meat in seasoned flour (salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder).  Will be making this again as soon as it’s cool enough…

My favorite quick, one pot meal…

We all need a go to meal.  Something that we have all the ingredients on hand at all times and is fast and easy to prepare right? 
This is mine.  It take me about 28 minutes from start to finish but longer if I use brown rice and guess what?  Everyone in the house will eat it!!!  That’s what truly makes this one pot dish a winner to me!
Bean and Rice Stew
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup of frozen corn
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice (brown rice will increase the cooking time)
1 tsp Better than Bouillon beef flavored
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat Olive oil in a large, deep skillet.  cook onion and garlic til apaque and softened.  Cook the ground meat over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Stir in water, rice, beans and corn.   Season with beef bouillon and salt and black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and water is absorbed.
***this recipe is super flexible.  Add to it what you want.  I have a friend who adds salsa to it to give it a different touch.  Use green peppers, add zucchini…really whatever you want to add.
****You can use brown rice with this.  It will increase your cooking time but what I have done before is to cook the rice in the morning and throw it in when everything else is cooked and just heat it through.

Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup in (get this) my Crock Pot!!!

The other day I was going through my freezer looking for what I could pull out and use up this week. I found a round steak that was in there from last year when I had ordered a 1/4 of a cow (Happy Meat). For some reason this steak was never eaten, probably because it was just one and not enough to feed all four of us…Anyway I pulled it out and thawed it to make some Beef Barley soup. Well, we know how plans change and recipes morph into other things so here is what I came up with…

Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup in the Crock Pot

Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil (more if needed)
1 1/2 lbs round steak or stewing beef, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lg onion (chopped)
2 sticks of celery (chopped-I used the tops and all)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 cup dried wild mushrooms (rehydrated with boiling water and chopped)
2/3 cup red wine
10 cups of water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup pearled barley
1 tsp savory
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tsp beef base (I use better than bouillon)

Directions:

1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well. Add more oil if needed. Remove the meat and place it in your Crock Pot (I used a 5 or 6 quart Crock Pot).
2. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the celery, onions and garlic and stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft. Increase the heat to medium add the red wine to deglaze the pan (scrape the bottom to loosen the brown bits).
3. Add your onion mixture to the Crock Pot along with the mushrooms, water, and salt. Turn your Crock Pot on low and let cook for at least 5 hrs. About 1 hr before eating add the barley, thyme, white pepper and the savory and cook until the barley is cooked. Taste before serving and add beef base as needed.

***This was an absolutely delicious soup and it was even better the next day! Serve it with a nice slice of crusty bread and you have a fantastic week night meal!

Short Ribs Cooked Low and Slow...

I have found out that I LOVE braised meat. Big confession here (I may have confessed previously), but I have never (until now) been able to cook a roast or any type of meat that was suppose to be cooked and served like a pot roast. We have had it so bad that even after hours of cooking the meat was soooo tough that we had to order pizza!

To say the least I was very hesitant to braise or slow roast anything. Especially something that we would have to smell cooking for about 3 hrs before we could find out if it was edible or not. I managed to succeed with the Braised Chuck with Vegetables in Red Wine but this was different. I had never even had short ribs before I tried this recipe!!! Thank goodness I have Kelly of Sass & Veracity to talk me through this!!! I tried this over Christmas when my Mom was here and T. wanted it again. It was a definite hit.

When he brought home short ribs on Friday I knew I had to do something. His craving was serious.

Now, I have a bit of a problem though. I liked it but there are so many more recipes out there that I want to try. Once you get over a fear of something you want to try it again and again right??? That's what this was like. I hunted and searched for some new recipes. The only one that really caught my eye was one I found on Epicurious. It was an interesting recipe and I thought about it all day but after I read the comments on the recipe (love Epicurious because there are comments from people who have tried the recipe and are willing to give feedback on it) I had to say no to it. I just had such a hard time wrapping my head around chocolate being in it. Really funny thing is though that while I was watching TV on Saturday night Megan from Megan's Cookin posted the very same recipe and said it turned out great!!! It is definitely saved and waiting for the next time.

Now that I am more comfortable with this method I am able to change the recipes around a bit and be a little more flexible than I was before. This was probably the very best that these turned out! My youngest one loved them and ended up eating 4 large ribs!

Play around with this recipe it is very flexible...I used parsnip and no shallots. Cooked more ribs in the same liquid and reduced the amount of wine and it turned out incredible!!!

Beef Short Ribs in Wine (I got from Sass & Veracity who adapted it from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook...)

Ingredients:

3 T extra virgin olive oil
8 good-sized short ribs (3" square)
salt & pepper
1 bay leaf
1 T fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh thyme
2 sprigs parsley
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 shallots, diced
1 T flour
1 T tomato paste
1/2 c. ruby port
2 c. red wine
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
3-1/2 c. veal or beef stock
3 c. mushrooms
flat egg noodles (we served it with potatoes this time and the sauce was great on them!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Sprinkle all surfaces of the beef with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or large lidded, oven proof pot, heat 2 T of the olive oil and brown the short ribs, turning each to make sure a nice, rich color is achieved on each side. Remove the ribs to a bowl as they finish browning before adding the remainder.

After all the ribs have been browned, add the remaining 1 T of olive oil with the carrots, celery, onions, and shallots to the pot. Over medium heat, cook, stirring frequently until veggies have begun to soften, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the flour and tomato paste, mixing well for about 1 minute. Add the port and stir, scraping the brown coating from the bottom of the pan. Add the red wine and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced, 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic cloves, veal stock, herbs, and short ribs with juices to the pot and return to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, stirring into the mixture, place a lid on the pot and put into the oven for approximately 3 hours until meat is extremely tender.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Beef Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine (Slow and Low)

Yesterday was a beautiful day! We got up and the house was nice and cool and seeing it was Sunday we had no commitments until later in the day (I had a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese-please shoot me now!!!), we decided to take advantage of the weather and head to the beach for a nice walk. T. had too much to do to spend the day but a walk was great!

For dinner I had decided that I needed something that I could get in the oven and have ready for me while I was gone with minimal babysitting! Kelly over at Sass & Veracity had just the thing. This isn't the first time I made this either. Yes, it's that good!!! I made it when my Mom was here over Christmas and it was a huge hit then as well.

Beef Short Ribs in Wine (I got from Sass & Veracity who adapted it from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook...)

Ingredients:

3 T extra virgin olive oil
8 good-sized short ribs (3" square)
salt & pepper
1 bay leaf
1 T fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh thyme
2 sprigs parsley
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 shallots, diced
1 T flour
1 T tomato paste
1/2 c. ruby port
2 c. red wine
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
3-1/2 c. veal or beef stock
3 c. mushrooms
flat egg noodles (T. made some homemade noodles to go with)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Sprinkle all surfaces of the beef with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or large lidded, oven proof pot, heat 2 T of the olive oil and brown the short ribs, turning each to make sure a nice, rich color is achieved on each side. Remove the ribs to a bowl as they finish browning before adding the remainder.

After all the ribs have been browned, add the remaining 1 T of olive oil with the carrots, celery, onions, and shallots to the pot. Over medium heat, cook, stirring frequently until veggies have begun to soften, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the flour and tomato paste, mixing well for about 1 minute. Add the port and stir, scraping the brown coating from the bottom of the pan. Add the red wine and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced, 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic cloves, veal stock, herbs, and short ribs with juices to the pot and return to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, stirring into the mixture, place a lid on the pot and put into the oven for approximately 3 hours until meat is extremely tender.

***This was a delicious meal and I think it is one that will be made again and again. I had never had short ribs before and this made me a true fan...twice!!!

I have also found that I love to braise meat. The flavor is incredible and the secret is in getting that meat nice and browned and using up all those brown bits of heaven that are left on the bottom of the pot and deglazing to get every bit of flavor!!!

Check Kelly's site for some better pictures and step by step ones as well!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Happy Burgers

This is T.'s burger. Sauteed onions, blue cheese, tomato and mayo.
How summery does that look!!!

Yeah, I know I keep going on about it but it's been so long since we have really had any beef that I was willing to feed my family. So once we picked up our all natural, grass fed beef order we tried several different things. We have a lot of ground beef so we made hamburgers the other night. Really nice and easy.

Form the meat into patties by first making a ball in your hand and then pressing flat. We never use any bread, egg or crackers to help them bind. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Usually we grill them but it was raining kind of heavy so I just cooked them up on the griddle!

Everyone here has their own preferences. The oldest daughter likes it with just cheese and mayo. The youngest one likes cheese, mayo and tomato. T. likes it as it is in the pic, and I like mine all different ways-sometimes mustard, relish, pickles and tomatoes, other times just with cheese and tomatoes. However we have them these were delicious!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Hamburgers?

Look at that great burger all dressed up!

Last night was another one of my crazy rushed night. The girls had an hour long skating lesson and then my oldest had Karate. Just when we had to leave the skating rink we ended up caught in the worst thunderstorm I had seen in a while...welcome to summer in Florida. Rains everyday, usually pretty heavy but not everywhere. I got caught in it at the rink but at my house we barely had a drop???!!!

When we finally did get home T. had dinner ready for us. We were just having hamburgers (made from organic, all natural, no hormones or antibiotic) but we had some leftover pico de gallo and guacamole from our tacos the night before so he piled ours high! T. had some grilled cubanelle peppers to go along with his.This was one of the best burgers I have had in a while!!!

I also received an award from Nikki at Canarygirl.com. Nikki has an incredible blog which she writes from the Canary Islands, Spain. How cool is that? Check out her blog! And thanks Nikki!

To pass this on I am going to just give it to 5 of my favorite bloggers. I don't have time to check and see if they already have it as I am trying to get out the door to take the girls to the movies!

Jenn at The Leftover Queen
Danni at On the Way to Critter Farm
Robin at Caviar and Codfish
Heather at Gild the Voodoolily
and last but not least Brittany at Musings of a Barefoot Foodie

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy

www.nofearentertaining.com

Yes...it's more soup

Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

It has been a very busy couple of days in the Chiappini household. I have decided to move my youngest daughter from private school to public school (a thousand different reason that I will not bore you with). With this comes a whole slew of problems especially doing it in the middle of the school year and without telling her that it was going to be happening! We had to tell her on Wednesday night that her last day would be Friday and that she was starting at a new school on Monday! Nothing though could have prepared me for her reaction to the news. It took her about 2 seconds to process this information and then instantly started with the arm pumping and loud screaming "Yes, Yes, Yes...now I will get to make new friends and boyfriends!!!" She is in kindergarten????!!! Still it was so cool to not have her frightened or apprehensive at all about doing this.

I decided to so a small going away party for her at her school. She has been there since she was a baby so this has hit all of us pretty hard. But I wanted to bake a cake for her so I came home yesterday afternoon after doing all the transfer stuff and baked her a nice white cake that I was going to let her decorate. Well it ended up about the thickness of a pancake! So back to the drawing board. By this time I only had just enough time to get it in the oven beofre I had to pick them up from school. I grabbed a bod cake that I have had in the pantry for an emergency. I followed to directions: Add water, oil, eggs. Mix and pour into pan and bake. Pretty simple huh? This freaking thing was as flat as a pancake too???? For some reason I was not to have cake!!!

T. took her to Publix later that evening and got her an Island Princess cake that she insisted on having personalized with "We'll miss you"! Too funny!

Anyway seeing as I was totally brain dead and couldn't even bake a cake from a box (I am a Daring Baker for crying out loud???!!!) I did not want to tackle too much in the kitchen but I did have some stewing beef that I bought so I checked out what else I had and found some barley. I had also gotten some shitakes at the farmer's market on Wednesday so I made Beef Barley Soup with Mushrooms. Turned out really good and we ate it with left over garlic bread from Tuesday night. Big Yum!

Check out this beautiful celery I got from the market!

Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms (adapted from Food & Wine Soups and Stews)

2 Tbs olive oil (more if needed)
1 1/2 lbs stewing beef
1 lg onion (chopped)
2 sticks of celery (chopped-I used the tops and all)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 lb of shitake mushrooms (stemms removed and the cap diced)
1/2 lb dried wild mushrooms (rehydrated and chopped)
2/3 cup red wine
10 cups of water
2 tsp salt
1/2 quick cook barley
1 tsp savory
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp beef base (I use better than bouillon)

1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well. Add more oil if needed. Remove the meat.

2. reduce the heat to medium low and add the celery, onions and garlic and stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft. Increase the heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan (scrape the bottom to loosen the brown bits).

3. Return the beef to the pot. Add the water, salt and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and cook barely simmering for about 30 minutes. Add the barley and the savory and cook until the barley is cooked.

This was a really nice and fast soup. We served to girls over some left over penne pasta that we had in the fridge and it was a great meal. I drank the leftover wine to help me get over not being able to bake a simple cake!!! I guess some things are just not meant to be!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Beef Offer?

Have you signed up for my Free monthly newsletter yet? I am in the final stages of working on the offer that I am going to release. I am just waiting for an email form the confirming everything. It should be releasing it tomorrow or Friday. Unfortunately, if you have not signed up for my newsletter I will have no way to send it to you. I am only going to be sending it to people who are signed up for my monthly newsletter. If you want to sign up I have made it real easy. You can either sign up here in the form to the right or on my website at www.nofearentertaining.com . Sign up now...you don't want to miss this special offer!

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com