My Auntie's Homemade Beef Stew

My Auntie's Homemade Beef Stew

I love you Aunt Marlene

3 pounds of Stew Meat

4 cups of Flour, 

1 Tablespoon of Salt, 

1 Tablespoon of Pepper

Sake above ingredients in a large plastic bag until the beef is well coated. 

Heat large frying pan on the stove, once heated, add enough vegetable oil to cover bottom of pan,  heat a minute or two... then add a single layer of flour coated beef in pan... Brown all sides.

Once nicely browned remove meat onto a several layers of paper towel to drain excess oil from meat.

While Meat if frying... I peal and cut up in 1" chunks 10 large carrots, 10 large Russet pealed Baking Potatoes,  1 large stalk of Celery (about 10 sticks), and 1 Large Sweet Onion.

 Spray Pam in a large Roaster pan covering all areas, even the rim of the lid... (you'll thank me later... ) 

Place all ingredients into a large Roaster. (I prefer the old-fashioned Black with white specks one. You can also use a dutch oven... The above measurements are for the large roaster.)

Add enough water to cover meat and veggies (about 12 cups). Cover with lid and put into a 

350* degree oven for about 3 to 4 hours.

When done add  2 cups of frozen peas. I hate mushy peas which is why I add them last... they will thaw while your stew is resting a minute before serving.

Stew is done when the stew begins to brown and when you stir the stew it will thicken up from the soft carrots and potato's... If too watery for your taste... you can always mix a cup of flour and water into a cup and slowly add to the stew to thicken... I rarely have to do this.  

I usually check the stew every hour until I feel it's done... It should look like the above picture ... 

Below is a picture step by step... Enjoy!

3-4 pounds of Stew Meat

Cut to bite size pieces and trimmed

Mix Flour, Salt and Pepper in a plastic bag

Flour, salt and pepper mixture before adding beef

Add enough Vegetable oil to over bottom of pan (you may need to repeat this process with every new batch of meat.)

Carefully add meat to oil.

this is about how much I make at a time, I normally have about 4 pan fulls.

Browning meat on all sides...

Use Glass Plate with several layers of paper towel to remove excess oil from meat

This is one of my favorite little kitchen secrets... I use it for everything... 

I love this little tool, I even have a larger one for the bar-b-q grill

I use my cool little Hook to flip and remove my pieces.

Place browned meat on paper towels This about how brown I like it...

Peal and Cut Potato's in 1" chunks

Peal and Cut Celery in 1" chunks

Add to roaster

Peal and Cut Carrots in 1" chunks, add to the Roaster Pan

Slice Onions 1/4"

Add to the Roaster Pan

Add Meat to the roster Pan... Salt and Pepper the entire pan. Add about 12 cups of water, just covering the top of the veggies and meat.

Some times I make too much so I add some to another roaster.

Cover and Bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours. Small pan will take less time.

Once thick enough... add Frozen peas. This is how the finished Stew should Look Easy Peasy...
~Enjoy~

 

Snoopy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie’s Bars

These are one my favorites to make all year long, 

I never get tired of making them, 

eating them, sharing them or did I say…eat them? 

I love, love, love them!

so do my boys and anyone else who gets to eat them. 

At Christmas when I need a gift or treat quickly, these are it. I’m talking 20 minutes from start to finish. You can eat them warm, but usually I make my kids wait. I’ve tried it with other chocolates, but I always go back to the milk chocolate. I’ve been making these bars for as long as I can remember. We use to get a similar bar at school, called Snoopy Bars, but the texture was slightly different. These are very similar to Rice Crispy treats, same concept but they taste so much better. If you’re a chocolate peanut butter kind of person, these are for you! 

Enjoy!

Snoopy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie’s Bars

1 Cup White Sugar

1 Cup Light Corn Syrup (I prefer Karo)

1 ½ Cup Peanut Butter (I prefer Jif Creamy Peanut Butter)

6 Cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispie’s

1 Package of 11.5 oz Milk Chocolate Chips (I prefer Ghirardelli)

Put sugar and light corn syrup in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil stirring constantly being careful not to burn. Once mixture reaches a boil remove from heat. 

Add 1 ½ C. Peanut butter stir until melted. 

Add 6 cups of Rice Krispie’s. 

Mix together until all cereal is completely coated. 

Pour into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch cake pan 

coated with Pam cooking spray. 

Press mixture down evenly in pan. 

Sprinkle Chocolate Chips on top. 

Put pan in oven at 275 degrees until chips soften, about 5-7 minutes. Quickly remove from oven, spread chocolate evenly around bar. 

 Let cool and cut in squares. 

I like to use a butter knife to loosen up the edges, 

and then I pop the completely cooled bars out onto a cutting board.

I then flip the bar and cut into small bite sized squares. You can cut into larger bars, but these little gems are very rich so a little goes a long way.

The knife shown in the picture was actually used to cut our frozen Cheese cake. You can get it at any knife store, or order it on line. It’s called a Wusthof Gourmet 12” Cheese Knife, Doubled Handle. By Wüsthof  It works perfectly for cutting bars, frozen cakes, or anything you want a nice even straight line, plus it is so much easier to cut with being able to apply pressure evenly from both handles.

I prefer small 1 inch squares; 

they are easy to eat, share, and are the perfect nibbler size.

These are one of the easiest treats to make & send 
to your loved ones, normally
they won’t break up during travel 
to your desired destination, 
I've sent these to friends serving over seas 
and to my boys for their birthdays. 

It's one of my favorites to mail.

You do have to make sure that if you’re mailing in extreme heat, that you use waxed paper or parchment in between your layers, and freeze before you mail to set the chocolate completely. The tighter you package the bars, the better they’ll travel.

I like to make several pans at Christmas, 

everyone loves them, 

they make the perfect gift, brunch compliment, or after school snack. 

My boys love these bars! 

ENJOY!