Mmmmm.

That’s beef stew with our special Flax Seed Bread there.

Through the years, I’ve experimented with beef stew, and I think I have finally found the perfect recipe. That is, anything goes, HAHA! No, actually, I do adhere to a few sticklers from which I never stray. You can read my post The Art of of Making Perfect Beef Stew for some interesting things I’ve discovered over the decades.

My basic stew recipe is this:

Wow Chow Basic Stew
Serves 6

3 pounds beef or pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 potatoes, washed and unpeeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 turnips, washed and peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
2-3 carrots, washed and peeled, bite-sized pieces
1 can beef broth
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, chopped coarsely
1 Red or White onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon basil and oregano each
salt to taste

Some folks dredge their meat– I do or don’t depending on if I have enough time or feel too lazy.

Dump everything into the crockpot. Set on LOW for 8-9 hours or HIGH for 6 hours.

My kids like tomato soup in the stew sometimes, so you can dump a can of tomato soup in there if you like.

I have recently taken to skipping the potatoes entirely and using rutagas in the fall and winter and turnips in the spring and summer. I love potatoes, but in a stew they are rather bland. Rutabagas and turnips give the stew a little tangy kick, and they are better for you, too. The stew is, of course, best served with homemade bread on a brightly colored rustic dining table.

I think this is my last stew of the season, though. I dislike cooking during the summer heat, and the smell of hot stew in the house all day when it’s 90 degrees is NOT comforting at all.

Beef and Barley Stew
2 lbs beef cubes
2 Tablespoons flour
Ground pepper
1 cup dried barley
2 cans beef broth or stock OR 1 can beef gravy with 1 can water added
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (optional)
1 cup chopped or shredded carrots
1 white onion, diced
1 teaspoon paprika

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and ground pepper. Toss in the beef cubes and coat the cubes thoroughly. Place them in the crockpot.

Toss the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot. Stir everything. You can add other vegetables in there if you wish, such as leftover green beans, etc (just make sure the pieces are small). Turn on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Stir the stew from time to time. Add a little bit of warm water if the stew needs it.

Tip: remember to sift through the barley before you toss it in the crockpot. You should also do this with dried beans. I commonly find stones in the bags, as big as stepping stones! Well, OK, they are not THAT big, but they sure feel like it when your teeth hits them!

I also make this in a Dutch oven on the stovetop, too. I usually cook that all day on low. You’ll know it’s done when the barley is very tender and the beef melts in your mouth.

This week I was sifting through more recipes, trying to decide on what to make. As I looked at ingredients and read cooking directions, I noticed a terrible flaw with the app– the directions do not match the ingredients.

Look at this recipe, the Thai Chicken I was thinking about making:

8 chicken thighs
1 cup hot salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Coat bottom of skillet with oil and place on stovetop set to medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, and jalape-o, and saute until soft.
2. Move onions, garlic, and jalapeno to one side of the pan and brown chicken breasts on other side…
3. Place stoneware in slow cooker heating base, add onion mixture, chicken, potatoes, chicken broth, coconut milk, salt and pepper, and curry powder…

WHOA WHOA WHOA.

Now I thought I was supposed to have chicken thighs? And what’s this with coconut powder and potatoes and curry?

The thing is messed up. It wasn’t just for this recipe, I saw this for a few others.

I don’t think I can use this app anymore. It’s unreliable. The whole reason I liked it was so that all I had to do was literally “click here“, and it would automatically create a shopping list for me …. but if it’s going to add different ingredients than what the recipe calls for, what good is it?
I’m sad. I was hoping that I had finally found the perfect app. Please leave a suggestion if you have any apps you want to share. I’m obviously in the market for one! LOL

P.S. By the way, am I the only one who hates cooking things twice? When I want to make a crockpot meal, I just want to throw everything in the pot and forget about it. All this chopping and sauteing and transferring is a royal pain!

Well, I spotted another easy recipe, Penne with Three Cheeses that rates a whopping 4 out of 5 stars. The recipe was awful! I had to force myself to down it. It was pasty and sticky and WAY too cheesy. I thought about giving the leftovers to the dogs, but I didn’t think they’d even eat it, despite all the dog training we’re giving them to eat the scraps. This stuff was awful.

I mention it here because it goes to show you that the ratings mean next to nothing (to me, anyway). In case you are curious, here’s the Penne with Three Cheeses recipe:

10 ounces refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 cup milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
4 cups shredded Italian 3-cheese blend
1 pound uncooked penne pasta
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I couldn’t even bear to snap a photo. The stuff was like glue, and the milks and cheeses melted before the pasta was done, so on top of the glue-y cheese, the pasta was chewy.

I guzzled about 5 cups of cold water after having some.

Manhattan Clam & Fish Chowder
Serves 8– leftover soup tastes even better
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 8 ounce can tomato paste
3 cans (undrained) minced clams
1 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained of fat
1 white onion
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 potatoes, diced
1/2 cup carrots, cut into very small circle or matchsticks
4-5 fillets of fish (cooked) (Optional)
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano

Add all the ingredients into a very large crockpot or Dutch oven. Stir well.

If using the crockpot, set on LOW for 8-10 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
If using the Dutch oven, turn on medium. Get the chowder simmering, then, cover the pot and turn down to medium-low. Stir frequently and adjust burner as needed so that the chowder does not burn.

Like many chowders and stews, this one gets better the longer it is allowed to sit. You can always make this ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator for a day or two while you go about your merry way buying cheap eyeglasses or whatever…. then reheat and serve. It’s very good. I suppose you could add kielbasa or shrimp to make it into a “gumbo” type of stew, too.

Enjoi!
Allow to cool SLIGHTLY, then serve with hot bread.

Well, this time I tried the Cranberry Brisket Crockpot recipe. The rating for this recipe is only 2 out of 5 stars. The ingredients looked a little weird, and when I put them all in the crockpot, it smelled even weirder. I did wonder if this was really going to turn out OK. I felt a little queasy when I mixed the sauce with tomato sauce… hmmm….

Cranberry Brisket
2.5 pounds brisket (I used a regular pot roast)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can cranberry sauce
8 ounces tomato sauce (I had only paste, so I used that and added a little water)
1 cup chopped onion (I used white)
1 tablespoon mustard (I didn’t know if they meant dried or prepared, so I used prepared.)

Place the beef in the crockpot. Sprinkle the salt and pepper and rub it into the meat a little.

Mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour on top of the beef.

Cover, and cook on Low for 8-10 hours, or High for 4-5 hours.

Well, here’s what I did a little differently, besides altering the ingredients a little as I already said:

I didn’t exactly chop the onion. I sliced it, and placed it on top of the roast.

I also accidentally used whole-cranberry cranberry sauce. I didn’t read the can well enough. I tell ya, I was sweating buckets when I just stirred the can in to the tomato paste. It didn’t smell so good, not to me. I wondered how acidy this sauce was going to be! Then I had to stir in mustard!

I covered the pot, flipped on the switch (I set it at High and it cooked for about 6 hours). Hours later, the roast smelled REALLY good.

I had no idea what to serve with it… what do you serve with tomato and cranberry?? I threw in some sliced red potatoes and served a side dish of broccoli and cauliflower.

My Hubs said this roast was outstanding. It turned out great!!! And it’s SO easy. The sauce was not acidy, it was savory; and the side vegetables were a perfect match. So this is our new roast recipe.

I give the recipe a 5 out of 5. I do recommend setting the crockpot on Low for 8-10 hours. The higher setting worked well, but it would have been nicer if I had cooked it longer. I am such a lousy crockpot cooker, I never get to the recipe 8-10 hours before dinner time!

Well, I tried the Beef Stroganoff recipe last night. It was “OK.” I’m not a big fan of cream sauces, but the kids like stroganoff. Stroganoff is, I believe, a Russian dish. I find it bland…. I wonder if the Russians really made it as bland, it’s like eating the leather from ugg boots, to me. It always needs more salt and LOTS more spices.

The recipe is a basic Beef Stroganoff (you use beef strips and not ground beef). It has onions, mushrooms, beef broth, Worcestershir sauce, etc. The recipe called for white wine, but I had none so I skipped that. I also usually add some of my own ideas when cooking– I was tempted to add paprika to this recipe to give it some kick, but I decided not to. I wanted to see how this would taste if I made it straight by the recipe. Again, just “OK.”

The recipe also calls for sour cream (another bland ingredient, I think). I added it very carefully, but it still curdled from the heat a little. (I haven’t been able to stop sour cream from doing that for any of my crockpot recipes! I’m going to avoid sour cream altogether next time).

The kids liked it, enough to eat it all! The beef was nice, but a little strong (always is in crockpot). The gravy consistency was good, but bland. I would make this recipe again, but I would spice it up a bit.

I’ll have more from this app (and any future app) to come. I’m looking forward to making some of the chicken recipes, especially a lemon-herb chicken dish that looks great! Stay tuned…

Lately, however, a big favorite for meals is some kind of bean stew, with rice or grilled bread. Beans is such an easy meal, and with rice, it’s a “complete” protein that is extremely healthful. My Basic Bean Recipe is very versatile: we may try different beans or different variations of meat, but the technique is always the same. The kids love the bean dishes. And if the beans are soaked overnight and allowed to cook very VERY thoroughly, the beans don’t give your digestive system that unpleasant side effect. Also, the more frequently you eat beans, the less gastric issues you have with them. And who knows, maybe eating beans is even a best acne treatment or something…. So eating beans with rice is a win-win no matter how you look at it.

Basic Bean Recipe

1 bag of beans, any kind
1 pound of meat (ham, cooked sausage, leftover roast beef)
1 can chicken broth or your own stock
2 cups water
1 medium white onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
seasonings (I use Salamida’s Hickory Pinch seasoning– wow, it’s good)

Read the direction on the bag of beans to add water to the beans; soak overnight. (Remember to sift through them first! I have found gravel in the bag from time to time).

Next morning, drain the water. Place the beans in a large stock pot or crock pot. Add the meat (pre-cook it and drain it if necessary) and all the other ingredients. Allow to slowly simmer all day long, at least 5 hours. The smell will fill the house and drive your neighbors batty.

Serve with fresh rice or grilled garlic bread.

This meal is SO easy to make, costs very little, and is basically no-maintenance. Couple all that with the fact that it’s highly nutritious, and it’s a GREAT meal.

Notes:
You can experiment with the bean dish by adding other interesting ingredients: diced red peppers; minced garlic; pork chops; horseradish; etc.

If your kids are unhappy with bean dishes, add extra meat and fewer beans. Offer it regularly, and each time, add less meat and more beans. The kids will slowly become accustomed to the beans, and may even eventually cook the soup FOR you! (Mine do, anyway! Thanks, Alice!)

YUM! I probably used too little. I didn’t want to overdo it, so I was sparse. I needn’t have worried. This stuff is goooooood!

Tonight I’m going to roast a small chicken, and I plan on doing a little experiment with some Salamida marinade. I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

Buuuut…. I couldn’t let my kids grow up without once trying Chicken Dumplings, now could I? What kind of mother would I be?! So I found a recipe that made it easy. I can’t say it’s very tasty… they liked it OK, but I didn’t care for it. It is certainly palatable, but I don’t like cream sauces… and this had more sauce then chicken. The original recipe is at Disney Family Food (a new recipe website I’ve discovered). I altered it a little. Here’s what I did.

Like Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 soup cans water
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients, except biscuits, in 4 1/2-quart CROCK-POT® slow cooker.
2. Cut biscuits into quarters and gently stir into mixture. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours.

Tip
Don’t add water to the CROCK-POT® slow cooker, unless the recipe specifically says to do so. Foods don’t lose as much moisture during slow cooking as they can during conventional cooking, so follow the recipe guidelines for best results.

OK, I doubled the recipe. The “2 cans” soup water made for a LOT of water. I did it anyway….

Looks… interesting….

It was just too watery. So I added potatoes. And carrots. All the Chicken and Dumpling recipes I ever saw had potatoes and carrots. This was turning more into a Chicken Stew…. but I wasn’t going to eat canned cream of chicken soup and chicken cubes! It just didn’t seem enough. Adding the potatoes probably diluted a little of the saltiness from the “bouillon” granules (I used Ramen packets). So more salt is necessary.

End result?

Not TOO bad. I skipped the refrigerated biscuits and served fresh rolls instead. The kids liked dipping the rolls into the soup. And the chicken was marvelously tender and moist. But the overall taste….. eh. OK. It’s always the creamy sauce stuff that I don’t care for.

So this was an OK recipe. I don’t intend to make it again, unless the kids beg me. And they probably won’t. The WILL beg me for Tortellini with Edamame and Kielbasa, which I am going to make again.