Beef Stew: Cow, Wine, And Veggies!

Beef Stew

With Wild Mushrooms and Red Wine

    I love Beef stew. This recipe is for fast stew, you get fall apart meat in only 2 hours. Also, this recipe is embellished with red wine i had leftover, and wild mushrooms that were handy. These are nice to have, but are not necessary. Also, this stew is seasoned very simply with two herbs. I like to shop organic, but little jars of dried herbs cost so much money! What i do is buy a bunch of fresh herbs, and dry it myself. Shown in this recipe is a few sprigs from a bunch i've been using since thanksgiving. The red wine is one of my favorites, not too pricey, but tasty, that had been open a few days. i hate throwing things out, so i cooked it!

To Dry Herbs:

Spread fresh bunch onto parchment. Place in oven (turned off) for a few days, or till completely dry. You can also dry them any where that has dry air (not humid). This works well for thyme and bay leaf, some herbs are not as good to use dry, see what works for you.

Beef Stew

Serves 4-6

1 Lb. beef ( NY Steak or Top sirloin), diced into 1" pieces

1 large yellow onion, diced, 1/2" pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups red wine

1 quart of beef broth (or water plus 2 tsp salt)

1 Thyme bouquet garni

2 bay leaves

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 lb. carrots, sliced, 1" pieces

1 lb. celery, sliced, 1" pieces

2 lbs. potatoes, diced. 1-2" pieces

1 1/2 lbs. Mushrooms, trimmed, sliced if very large

In a heavy pot, heat on high till very hot. Add meat in a single layer, to sear. cook till browned, do not stir. Once browned on one side, toss, add onion, and brown till onions are soft. add garlic, heat till aromatic (about 1 minute). Add wine, stirring to remove browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Add Thyme, Bay, and Pepper. Lower heat and simmer till reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add broth, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add potatoes, celery, and carrots, stir, cover, simmer for thirty minutes. Next add cornstarch, stir. Add mushrooms, stir. cover and simmer about 15 more minutes, till mushrooms are soft. Enjoy!

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Cashew Brittle: Nuts About Candy!

Cashew Brittle

FUN To Make, Sweet To Eat!

This is one of the easiest sweet treats you can make! All you need to live a life of candy making is a fancy (and inexpensive) thermometer, and a steady hand. Hard crack syrup is incredibly hot and sticky. Getting hot syrup on your skin is no fun, so please be careful. You will be so proud of yourself once you do it! This also makes a great gift, i often give out lots at christmas time. This was my grandma's absolute favorite. She loved to eat peanut brittle. i use cashews, but you can experiment and use any sort of nuts that you like. Well, try it and enjoy!

Brittle.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 cup nuts of your choice

2 Tbs. Butter

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Butter a large cookie sheet. Pour Sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large heavy pan. (use a medium or LARGE pan or sugar can boil over and spill. NO FUN) Clip your candy thermometer on. Place over High till till boiling. add nuts. boil to 304* Do not stir. remove from heat. add vanilla, baking soda, and butter. Whisk well. Working quickly, spread to and even and thin layer on prepared pan. allow to cool, break into pieces.

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