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Something hot

eloisel

eloisel

Forever Empress E
With this little nip in the air, I'm ready for something hot for dinner.

I'm starving for vegetable/beef stew and cornbread with lots of butter.

stewandcornbread.jpg
 
Its only nippy here but I'm ready for a change of taste. A girl can live on salads and tuna sandwiches only so long before something has to come out of the oven or spend some time on top of the stove. I like the way food smells when it is cooking too.

Garlic cheese toast sounds yummy too.
gcbread.jpg
 
The kids are bringing dinner home. I hope they hurry. I'm starving. I hope it is something really tasty. Maybe they'll bring home desert too. That would be awesome. Was that a car door opening? Is that them? Should I run stand in front of the door? Will they scratch me behind the ear and pat me on the head before they give me something good to eat? Oh, I hope so. I hope they hurry. Maybe if I run around in circles they will get here faster. Maybe if I sit really still and stare at the door it will open and they will appear with bags of food. Okay. Maybe if I ignore the door they will sneak up on me and surprise me with good stuff. Uh oh - the dogs are barking and running for the door. I better get in their first and push my way in front or they'll get it all and I'll be left here with a rumbling stomach. I'm starving!
 
A good beef stew is quite possibly the perfect meal.

My mom made a great beef stew. It's the little things like this that you miss at the oddest times...I can come close to the flavor of hers but I have to cheat with other ingredients to get it there.
 
Eggs Mayonnaise said:
A good beef stew is quite possibly the perfect meal.

My mom made a great beef stew. It's the little things like this that you miss at the oddest times...I can come close to the flavor of hers but I have to cheat with other ingredients to get it there.
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I agree. Beef stew is one of the best things on the planet. What is great about stew is it doesn't have to be the same all the time. I make mine with the basic ingredients: beef, carrots, green beans, tomato, potato - sometimes little red and sometimes russet - and corn. Depending on the mood and what is in the kitchen, I might add black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, or lima beans; pasta instead of potato. To season: Kitchen Bouquet, soy sauce, or Worchestershire Sauce and a packet of Beef Stew Seasoning, Brown Gravy or Taco seasoning mix and a can of tomato paste. Some people put little green peas in theirs but I don't like peas so I don't put them in mine - ever.

I used to make chili-mac all the time when there were a ton of teenagers and young people running around my house. Easiest, quickest, and cheapest way to feed a horde. Start with a big pot, cook a ton of elbo macaroni, drain off the water, pour in many cans of chili with beans, throw in as much cubed/shredded/sliced cheese as possible, then stir until the cheese is melted.

About the only thing I like better than beef stew, though, is a dinner of pork chops, blackeyed peas and hot buttered cornbread.

Ahh, comfort food.

Today it is wet and a little chilly. Definitely a hot, comfort food kind of day.
 
I am starting to worry about you...

eloisel said:
The kids are bringing dinner home. I hope they hurry. I'm starving. I hope it is something really tasty. Maybe they'll bring home desert too. That would be awesome. Was that a car door opening? Is that them? Should I run stand in front of the door? Will they scratch me behind the ear and pat me on the head before they give me something good to eat? Oh, I hope so. I hope they hurry. Maybe if I run around in circles they will get here faster. Maybe if I sit really still and stare at the door it will open and they will appear with bags of food. Okay. Maybe if I ignore the door they will sneak up on me and surprise me with good stuff. Uh oh - the dogs are barking and running for the door. I better get in their first and push my way in front or they'll get it all and I'll be left here with a rumbling stomach. I'm starving!
Click to expand...
 
You should, kid. While dinner was grand, you forgot the desert! Now, here it is almost 24 hours later and I'm starving again.
 
Ah, rib sticking beef stew! I just made some. I used miniature red potatoes cut in half, cubed beef, dredged in herbed and spiced flour, and browned in oil, whole tiny baby carrots, fresh sliced string beans, fresh sliced mushrooms and a little onion for taste, all simmered in rich beef broth for hours. Added at the last half hour a little fresh corn from the cob and voila! dinner so good it made you want to slap yourself.
 
I love baby carrots. Add a little butter and cranberry sauce for a glaze alongside a slice of roasted turkey and that's holiday food.

It isn't even Halloween yet and I'm thinking of Thanksgiving feasting.
 
I may even be working up a little enthusiasm myself for Turkey Day. Usually, by the time I'm finished with the entire meal preparation, I can't stand the sight of it and don't eat. The next day, however, yum on the sandwiches made with turkey meat, mayo and bib lettuce. Then there is the turkey cassarole and then I'm done for the year with turkey and looking forward to a Honey Baked Ham for Christmas and a standing rib roast for New Year's Day. Hmmmm, I think I'll make chili for New Year's this time out. Much easier, but you still have to simmer it for hours and you have to cook the beans (yes, I like beans with my chili) from scratch.
 
eloisel said:
I agree. Beef stew is one of the best things on the planet. What is great about stew is it doesn't have to be the same all the time. I make mine with the basic ingredients: beef, carrots, green beans, tomato, potato - sometimes little red and sometimes russet - and corn. Depending on the mood and what is in the kitchen, I might add black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, or lima beans; pasta instead of potato. To season: Kitchen Bouquet, soy sauce, or Worchestershire Sauce and a packet of Beef Stew Seasoning, Brown Gravy or Taco seasoning mix and a can of tomato paste. Some people put little green peas in theirs but I don't like peas so I don't put them in mine - ever.
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:shock: Different stews for different folks...I also don't like the little baby peas which are too bitter, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the big sweet peas, they are a must in my stew. Green peas, sliced carrots, potatos, maybe a few pearl onions although I'm not an onion fan at all, but they were in Mom's so I put them in but don't eat them. ;)

I also flavor with brown gravy, which is cheating for me because that woman started with a pot of water and created magic. At least I think she did, maybe I just never saw her put the gravy in. But it tasted rich.
 
You can get that rich, gravy texture by mixing a little flour or cornstarch with enough cold water to make a paste, then stirring the paste into the stew at the last when you add your peas. (Both the flour and cornstarch are a thickening agent.) Sometimes I use a dry Onion Soup Mix, too, because I like onions but don't always have any on hand.
 
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