Beef Stew

Sorry for the lack of updates recently folks! It's been a busy holiday season, hopefully you had a wonderful Christmas!

On the colder evenings, I like to ladle up a hot bowl of hearty Beef Stew and some crackers.

First, the meat portion. I use the Stew, or chili meat from my local grocer, but if you want to use just about any cut of steak, go ahead. Cut it into 1 inch cubes and brown on all sides. It should take about 5-7 minutes.

Once that's done, add in your Crushed Tomatoes, cubed Potatoes, Pepper, Garlic powder, two Bay Leaves, Onion powder and Mixed Veggies.

Let this stew on medium low for about 30-45 minutes covered. Stir every few minutes, otherwise the bottom will scorch, and that's not tasty at all!

Test for tenderness of the Potatoes. Once they're fork tender you're good to go! You can add some salt in if you'd like, but oddly enough it tastes perfectly fine to me as is. Bust out some crackers and enjoy this 1 pot, hearty and easy dish!

1 lb Stew Meat or cubed Steak
1 pack frozen Mixed Veggies
3 Large Russet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Bay Leaves
1 can crushed Tomato
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Onion powder
1/2 Tsp ground Black Pepper

Brown Meat on medium in a large pot (5 quarts or so for space). Add remaining ingredients, lower heat to medium low, cover and stir every few minutes for 45 minutes. Test for Potato tenderness.

Chicken Noodle Soup

With cold and flu season already here, it's time to break out that elixir of health: Chicken Noodle Soup!

With the depth of flavor, warm brothyness (yes that's a word now) and just plain goodness, it's hard to go wrong with a bowl of piping hot Chicken Soup. 

First, the ingredients: Thyme, Pepper, Bay leaf, Salt, Chicken Bullion, and Chicken stock

I made a mirepoix of half a large Onion, 3 Carrots, and 3 Celery stalks, all diced. If you don't like Onion, just double either the Celery or Carrots.

Over medium heat, I sweated the mirepoix for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the mirepoix is working it's magic in the stock pot, I cubed up 2 large Chicken Breasts. If you like smaller cubes, go for it. Tip: If you're having a hard time cutting flimsy chicken, freeze it for a few hours first. You don't want it frozen solid, just semi-frozen. It's easier to work with, just take your time when cutting.

Next comes 1Qt of Chicken stock:

Then the Spices, and Chicken:

2 Bay leafs in this pot please!

Once the Spices and Chicken are added, you can gage how much water or extra Chicken Stock you'd like to add. I personally put in 3 cups of water, as I like mine fairly soupy. Add more Chicken bullion for a stronger Chicken flavor if so desired.

Now, you may notice that after about 10 or so minutes, there's a white film on top of the bubbly soup.

Not to worry, just take your time and use a spoon to gently skim this layer off. Use a small bowl, and transfer the skimmed parts into the bowl to make more of a clear soup. It doesn't have to be perfectly skimmed, but you can see the difference between the two pictures.

After about 15-20 minutes on a slow boil, you can add in your noodles. Be careful with adding to many in! The noodles will soak up a lot of broth. If you like it noodly, knock yourself out. 

Now for the recipe:

1 Qt Chicken Broth

3 Cups Water

1 Tbsp Chicken Bullion

1 Tsp Thyme

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

2 Bay Leaves

2 Chicken Breasts, cubed

1 Cup Noodles

3 Carrots, diced

3 Celery Stalks, diced

1/2 Onion, diced

Add Celery, Carrots, Onion into 5qt stock pot on medium heat. Allow to sweat until translucent, or about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Chicken Broth, Thyme, Salt, Pepper, Bay, Chicken Breasts, and Chicken Bullion. If you have the squares of Chicken Bullion, just use one of the squares. Slow boil on medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Add Noodles and boil for another 10 minutes. 1 Cup Noodles is a fair amount, but if you like more, add in about a half a cup more.