What's cookin'?- Beef stew

Autumn is here!

The mornings and nights are a little chillier nowadays. This gives me an excuse to switch my cooking to warmer, "stick to your belly" meals... A little comfort food doesn't hurt every now and again , does it?

I also have a son who spends a lot of time in a cold ice rink on many nights. For sure I have to prepare meals that will warm him when he comes home!

Last week this particular son requested that I make beef stew.

When I was in the hospital a couple of years ago, my mother came to stay for 2 months. 

She was an awesome support system to everyone of us. 

She kept my household running smoothly in my absence. 

She cleaned.

She cooked.

She made beef stew. 

Everyone fell in love with it.

Fast forward to the recent beef stew request... I have made it many times before, but all of a sudden, doubted my method - afraid that it would be too  soupy instead of a thick base. 

What do I do in a time of cooking distress?

 What any girl would do of course... CALL MOM! 

So, here I am on the phone calling my mother (AKA Paula's cooking hotline)...

Mom: "hello?"

Me: "mom. stew."

Mom: "what?"

Me: "stew!"

Mom: "oh, hi honey! Stew? Are you making it the way I always make it?"

Me: "yes, and I will be darned if I can find the recipe! I have a feeling I know how to make it, but I'm unsure and I don't want it to turn out wrong..."

(Turns out I was right all along, but I'm sure it gave her a thrill to help me out. Plus I'm so blessed to be able to still call my mother for recipes, so I do it as much as possible!)

** Aside** 

Have any of you ever seen the movie Wedding Crashers? There is a scene where crazy Will Ferrell (Chaz), who still lives with his mother, asks for meatloaf... "Mah... The meatloaf!"

Cracks me up every time!

My conversation on the phone with her was a little like that, barking orders like "stew!" without even saying "hello" first!

I tried to find a video clip to post here to share, but couldn't find a single one without the "F" word in it. So, if you have never seen the movie and don't know what I'm talking about, just go on YouTube and search "Wedding Crashers meatloaf"...

Anyway... 

If you've never made stew, here's how to make a great one!

•Dredge beef stew cubes in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper.

• Roughly chop up one onion.

• Add beef and onion to a sauce pot with about 2 tablespoons oil. Cook until meat begins to brown and onions begin to soften.

• Add 1/4 cup red wine to deglaze pan, scraping off all brown bits. Cook until reduced by about half.

• Nex,t you're going to add one box (or 32 ounces) of beef broth. I didn't have any homemade but I have found that I like this better! (Better than Boullion) I just boiled water and followed the directions on the jar as to how much to add, before adding it to the beef/onion mixture.

• Roughly chop up some celery and carrots, add to pot. (I used three of each.)

(As you can see by this picture I like to have bigger chunks of veggies in my stew!)

• Cook over medium heat for about one half hour, or until vegetables begin to soften.

• Broth should thicken due to the flour used on the beef. If it's too "brothy", you might want to add 2 teaspoons of Minute Tapioca:

• In a separate pot, while stew is cooking, cut two large potatoes into cubes. I cooked mine separately in a boiling pot of water until just soft. Drain.

• I also cook my pasta separately (we like bow ties). You can either put on another separate pot for that or just throw them in the boiling water from the potatoes once the potatoes are done. I cook the potatoes and pasta separately so my stew isn't really starchy.

• When they are done I throw the potatoes, the pasta and a drained can of peas into the stew.

• Cook for a few minutes longer just enough to warm the peas.

Mmmmm...

I can feel it stick to my ribs now... and I'm warm!

What's cookin'? - A Tropical(?) Meal!

Our dinner last night had a Mexican/ Caribbean/ tropical feel to it. Why not? The sun was shining and I wished that I was on a tropical island in the Caribbean! But really, I had the recipe for the meat and since I always try to serve things that go well together, the side dish and dessert complimented my main course.

I had a pork roast in the freezer. My favorite way to cook a pork roast is to bake it in the oven with cloves of garlic hidden in multiple slits that I make in the meat. Then, I lay two slices of bacon on top and slow roast it. The bacon provides a juiciness and slight flavor. 

The picture below shows this. The last time I made it I cooked it in my crockpot. I balled up aluminum foil so it was raised up and didn't lay in all the drippings (I didn't have a small rack).

But recently I wanted something different so of course, where did I look? Pinterest!

On my board "What's for Dinner" I had pinned a Chipotle-Honey-Lime Pork Tenderloin. 

Pork marinated in the tangy juice and zest of lime, the sweetness of honey, and the spice of a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Doesn't that just sound like summer? I'm there!

 It called for the tenderloin to be grilled. I had a pork roast. I knew that it was too thick of a cut to be grilled. So, I improvised...

Here is the link to the original recipe:

http://tideandthyme.com/chipotle-honey-lime-pork-tenderloin/

I followed the recipe exactly with one substitution - I used agave syrup instead of honey. It's a recent sweetener switch for us!

I marinated it as directed, and as I said before, I knew it was too big for grilling so I seared it on both sides in a pan, then transferred it to the oven. I basted it occasionally with the leftover marinade. All in all, it took about 1 1/2 hours in a 425° oven.

All four of us loved it! We had leftovers and I had already planned ahead to make traditional Cuban sandwiches for tonight's dinner. I'll let you know how those turn out!

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For a side dish I served this Black Bean and Corn Pasta Salad:

This salad is definitely going to be a hit at summer cookouts, especially when we do anything with a Mexican flair! It's such a nice change from the traditional pasta salad that I usually make.

Or, I could see adding grilled chicken to it for a main dish salad!

For this salad you mix together and then chill:

• cooked and drained tri-color rotini

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 small bag frozen corn, thawed

• 1 can Rotel

• 4 green onions, sliced

• 1/2c white onion, chopped

• 1/2c red pepper, chopped

• 3T fresh cilantro, chopped

• 8oz. bottle Zesty Italian dressing

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And for dessert?

I got creative.

We had leftover rice from Chinese takeout over the weekend. I cooked it on the stovetop over low heat in one can of coconut milk for about 20 minutes, so that it got soft and fluffy.

I cubed some fresh mangoes and threw them on the rice. A sprinkle of flaked coconut, and it was ready to go!

Mmmm.... All that's missing is my fruity drink!