Beef Stew

     When my daughter Vanita was recuperating after surgery this past November, she said, “When I get better, your beef stew sounds good.”  Recently, my son suffered from an illness that had him down for a week, which is unusual for him. When I asked him if I could do anything, he responded, “Kristy is taking good care of me, but I told her if I wanted anything, it would be your beef stew.”  I made a big batch for both of them last weekend paired with another comfort food, a  loaf of “Mama Bread,” my mother-in-law’s sourdough recipe.  The meal was even delivered to them, so they did not have to leave their warm homes.   The phone rang that evening, and my son exclaimed, “Best beef stew ever!” Vanita also called to thank me for the meal, saying it was as good as she remembered. I was happy, because I thought the memory might be better than the actual food.

     Taken from a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook I received as a wedding present, this “Old-Time Beef Stew” is a family favorite comfort food. It was my go-to meal for a child on the mend.   What made this batch even more special is that it was prepared with our own Angus beef, and the carrots and onions were from Blaine’s garden and stored in the refrigerator in the garage since summer.  The most important ingredient is to stir in some love and concern for the person who is recovering. 

Old-Time Beef Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut in 1 ½-inch cubes (this does not need to be exact)

2 tablespoons shortening or olive oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

1 or 2 bay leaves (optional)

1 tablespoon salt (I do not use that much)

1 teaspoon sugar

½ t. paprika

¼ teaspoon pepper

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 potatoes cut in chunks

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

In a Dutch oven, thoroughly brown meat in the shortening or oil, turning often. Add 2 cups of water (I usually add some leftover coffee as part of the liquids and a few sprinkles of brown gravy mix for extra flavor) and next nine ingredients. Cover; simmer for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Remove pay leaves. Add vegetables, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes, or until they are tender. ( As an alternate cooking method, I often use my pressure pan.)

When it is done, slowly blend 1/3 cup cold water with the 3 tablespoons of flour. Stir into the stew mixture. Cook and stir 3 minutes longer. Serve in bowls, preferably with hot rolls or bread. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

     Enjoy our family favorite! Now, tell me what comfort food would you ask your mama to make?

Adventures in Pasta Making - Chapter 1

I had been thinking about making my own pasta and mentioned it a time or two to my daughter Vanita, who is good at filing those requests away for future special occasions.

 Still, I was surprised on Mother’s Day when my three children showed up with a basket full of pasta making supplies.

There was a cookbook, ravioli maker, pasta machine, and various cutters. My son said it was a “win-win” situation, since they hoped to be sampling some of my pasta in the future.

I read the book Making Artisan Pasta by Aliza Green and bought Hodgson Mill Extra Fancy Durum and Golden Semolina Pasta Flour. I decided to try Chicken Fettuccini as my first dish with flat noodles.

Here is the basic Three-Egg Pasta Dough recipe:
3/4 pound Pasta Flour or unbleached flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
2 to 3 teaspoons tepid water

Now, I am not going to write all the specific instructions after that, because there were eight steps to mix the dough, and then six more steps for using the pasta roller.

Put the eggs in the center of the "volcano" of flour and incorporate the flour into the eggs.

This is what it looks after kneading more flour in for about five minutes.
Then the dough and I had to rest for about 30 minutes.



The first rolling of the pasta!



This is the drying rack. Is that impressive, or what?

 

Then I made my sauce using a recipe from The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network.  Yes, I used a whole stick of real butter and a cup of heavy cream!

Chicken Fettuccine

Ingredients

• 1 pound Fettuccine Noodles
• 1 stick Butter
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 2 cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream. (I added grated garlic - at least a teaspoon.) Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.

Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.
Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.

Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.



I browned chicken breast and added that to the mix.

It was rich and creamy and delicious. The process from start to clean up took about four hours.  I think I will try ravioli next.

Bread Machine Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup wheat flour

3 cups unbleached white flour

1 tsp. salt

1 packet yeast or two teaspoons of bread machine yeast

Preparation:

Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order given and set on dough cycle. When cycle finishes, punch down and let rest for a few minutes. While the dough is resting, prepare a cookie sheet by spraying it with cooking spray and lightly sprinkling it with corn meal. Pinch of a circle of dough and flatten it. Remember that your final product will be about twice as big, so do not make it too big. Place each circle on cookie sheet, spray tops with cooking spray or brush with butter or egg white wash, whichever you prefer, and let rise until double, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until browned. Slice and enjoy. 

Note: You can make smaller party size shapes, or elongate the dough for hot dog buns. This recipe makes 8-10 large buns.  You can make it totally with white flour, or add more wheat flour if you want. Wheat makes a heavier bun that might take more time to raise.

Ma Judy’s Famous Pancakes

I never measure the ingredients for these pancakes. I just beat an egg; add equal amounts of milk and flour and a good amount of baking powder, usually about a tablespoon for cup of flour. Today, Megan and Jaron came to visit me, and for the first time I measured my ingredients so I can share the recipe. I do not use sugar, salt, or oil in the pancakes.
These are best eaten hot, so I always have the kids eating them while I am cooking more. Then I eat last, after everyone is full. I am not sure if it is the taste or the shape of my pancakes that are the most appealing. I make the grandsons tractor-shaped pancakes, and for the granddaughters, flowers and butterflies. (I tried to make a horse once for Madison, but it did not turn out right at all.) My children’s friends remember when I made their initials out of pancakes. I am no artist, but I give it a good effort. Recently, I saw the idea to use a ketchup bottle to squeeze the batter into shapes. I am going to try that sometime, and who knows what I might create!

Ma Judy’s Famous Pancakes

1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 T. baking powder

Beat egg, add milk and stir. Combine flour and baking powder and stir into wet ingredients just until mixed. Beating them together too much makes them tougher, not lighter. To fry them, use a good non-stick skillet or griddle and just a small amount of cooking oil. I use olive oil. Spoon them into the pan and wait for bubbles to rise in the pancake. Turn them and cook on the other side.

Beth's Soft Sugar Cookies

“Your mother is a saint.” I have made this statement often to Beth's children over the years. She would shake her head and say, “Oh, no I’m not!” if she heard me, but I believe it is true. A mother of six children, grandmother of two, and friend of many, it is difficult to find a nicer person. I have been blessed to have her as my friend for more years than I want to count, but I would estimate somewhere around 40 years. Our children grew up together, and Beth and I cheered them on from the stands at baseball and basketball games. Our sons still golf together, and our daughters are friends as well. Sometimes when we were at her house, she stirred up a batch of these easy, soft, cake-like sugar cookies. I also baked them often when the kids were growing up. They are not overly sweet – just enough to satisfy the urge for dessert. These cookies are never better than when they are still warm from the oven.

Beth’s Soft Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
¾ cup shortening or butter
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in milk
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 ½ cups flour
Mix in the order given. Drop by teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with sugar when you take them out of the oven.

Sweet Potato Rolls

I made Sweet Potato Pull-Apart Rolls today from my Better Homes and Gardens: The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking cookbook. They are so good and easy! Adding to the flavor is the knowledge that Blaine grew the sweet potato in our garden last summer from plants purchased from a barefoot woman in a long, dark blue dress who runs the Amish store by LaPlata.  I also remember helping him dig up the orange beauties and marveling at the huge orange treasures hidden under the dried vines last fall.  We are going to eat these rolls with a bowl of beef stew.  Here is the recipe:

Sweet Potato Pull-Apart Rolls

¾ cup sweet potato, mashed

½ cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, cut up

2 ½ cups bread flour

½ cup wheat flour

1 tablespoon brown sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

Put the ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Select the dough cycle. When the cycle is complete, remove dough and shape into rolls. Let rise another 30 minutes or until nearly double in size. If you like, beat egg white and a tablespoon of water together to brush over the rolls before baking. This makes them shiny. Bake at 375 for about 18 minutes or until lightly browned.  

Enjoy!

Janie's Crock Pot Apple Butter

When I think of my big sister (she is not actually bigger than me, just a few years older), I remember the highlights of my childhood starring Janie. After she went on a date to the movies, she would retell me the entire plot before I went to sleep. I served as candle lighter at her wedding and thought she was going to faint! When I was about 12 years old and recovering from having my appendix removed, Janie read to me to help pass the long hours in the hospital. In the past few years we began to take short trips together and share some fun sister times.  Since we both like to be active, we went to Rocheport and rode a portion of the Katy Trail on a tandem bike.  We do not have time to spend hours in the kitchen, because we want to be outdoors whenever possible.  Who wants to spend hours watching and stirring apple butter?  This is my sister's easy and delicious recipe.

Janie’s Crock Pot Apple Butter

Peel apples, quarter, and fill to top of slow cooker.

Add:

4 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup Red Hots candy

4 cups sugar

Cook on low heat 24 hours, and then blend with mixer.