Hearty Beef Stew

This week the temperatures dropped considerably and we needed something to warm us up.  We were on vacation all last week and this was the perfect recipe to ease back into the cooking routine.  I was spoiled eating at Disney World- NO cooking, but best of all NO CLEANING!  Personally the mushrooms were my favorite part of this stew (but I love mushrooms!!) I am glad that I finally paid attention and wrote down how I made this stew because I always forget what I put in it.

Ingredients:

• Drizzle of Olive Oil
• 1 lb of Cubed Stew Beef
• 4 Carrots- cut into pieces
• 2 Potatoes- cut in to pieces
• 2 Stalks Celery- cut into pieces
• Small Onion- I leave my fairly in fairly large pieces
• 6-8 Whole Mushrooms- cut into thick slices
• 6 Cups of Beef Stock (I use Better than Bouillion- it comes in a jar.  I usually add a little more than the directions say on the jar to give it a little richer flavor.  I added 3 tablespoons for 6 cups of water)
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• About three strips of Bacon- cooked and chopped
• 2-3 Tablespoons Red Wine (I used Shiraz because that is what I had open this time)
• A pinch of Steak Seasoning
• A pinch of Dried Rosemary
• 1 1/2 Cloves of Minced Garlic
• 1 Bay Leaf

Serves 4-5

Drizzle Olive Oil in a large skillet.  Add beef.  Sprinkle beef with steak seasoning.  Cook for about two minutes and then add in celery, onion, and carrots.  Cook for additional 3-4 minutes.  Pour meat and veggies into large slow cooker.  Add in potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, bacon, and stir together.  

Pour in the wine and beef stock.  I know it looks like a lot of mushrooms in the picture.  Everything else is heavy and sinks to the bottom while the mushrooms float to the top.  Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 1 tablespoon of softened butter to make a paste.  

Remove one cup of broth from the slow cooker and whisk in the flour butter mixture.  Pour back in the slow cooker and mix well.  If this isn't enough to slightly thicken it, remove another cup of hot broth and mix in another another tablespoon of flour.  I didn't want my stew super thick so this was perfect for me.  I then turn slow cooker to high for about 20 mins and served with garlic cheddar biscuits.

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Mom's Meatloaf

I have been trying various meatloaf recipes for the last few years.  This one is by far the front runner!  My oldest son even said "huh, I didn't even know I liked meatloaf."  I will take that as a compliment and mark it down as a keeper.  I know that most people say they just throw whatever in to make a meatloaf, but that doesn't work for me here. Most of the time I can throw things together and it turns our great, meatloaf is a whole different ball game...until now!
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs of Ground Beef
• 1/2 tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup stove top
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Glaze

• 1/2 Cup Ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Serves 6

In a small food processor place about a 1/2 bag of Stove Top stuffing mix and pulse a few times to make it so the crumbs are a little smaller.  In a large bowl combine parsley, egg, milk, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce.  When those are mixed together, stir in the Stove Top crumbs.  Last, add in the ground beef and gently mix it all together with our hands.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients.  Divide glaze in half and reserve one half for dipping after it has been cooked.

Place ground beef mixture into loaf pan and lightly brush on glaze.  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees.

I served with Mashed Potatoes and Peas of course!

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