Mom's Beef Stew

Anyone like comfort food?  Anyone having cold weather?

I've got a great solution for both.....Mom's Beef Stew!

This dish is hearty, warming, and brings such a sense of satisfaction!  It's been a family favorite for generations.  It's now a favorite of MGG's as well.  As a matter of fact, it was the first meal I ever made for him.  Such good memories!

Now, this stew takes several hours to cook.  Kinda low a slow, to really create the flavors.  So take some time on the weekend, during these cold winter days, and warm yourself up...make Mom's Beef Stew!

Here's what you need:  stew meat, onion, water, carrots, celery, a can of diced tomatoes, several potatoes, and some salt and pepper.

Cut the stew meat in to bite size pieces.

Cut an onion in to slices.

Add both onion and stew meat to a soup pot or dutch oven, adding water 3/4 of the way to the top.  Add salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down and simmer 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

This is going to make a great broth.  If you loose too much water, just add more, but remember to season the broth again.

Meanwhile, cut the celery and carrots in to small slices.

Add to the pot.  Cook 1 hour.

Add tomatoes and more salt and pepper.  Cook 30 minutes to develop the flavors.

Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut in to bite sized chunks.

Add potatoes and let them cook another hour.  Taste for seasoning.

Serve and enjoy the warmth and deliciousness!

Mom's Beef Stew

½  lb of stew meat, cut in to bit sized pieces

1 medium onion, sliced

water

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced

2-3 stalks of celery, sliced

1  14oz can diced tomatoes

3-4 medium sized russet potatoes, cut in to medium chunks

Salt and pepper

In a 5qt stock pot add meat, onion, and enough water to cover 2-3 inches above the meat.  Heat over high heat to boiling and then reduce to simmer.  Add salt and pepper. (you will need to layer your seasonings)  Cook at a simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hrs.  This is going to make your broth.  If you loose too much water, turn your temp down, and add some water.

Add carrots and celery.  Cook 1 hour.

Add tomatoes, more salt and pepper.  Cook 30 min to develop the flavors.

Add potatoes.  Cook 1 hour.  Taste and season as necessary.

Serves 6.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

So here's the last of my Valentine's Day recipes....you can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate.  Can you??

I was checking out Mom's Kraft Food & Family magazine and on the cover was an amazing bundt cake.  I was a devil's food cake with a mousse layer on top, and even had a chocolate syrup drizzle. 

What really drew me to this cake was the technique.  Don't get me wrong the chocolate is to die for...and I did, trust me, but the method was very unusual.  You see you put the cake layer in first, and then the mousse layer on the top, but by magic they switch places during the baking!!!  How can that be...I had to try it out.

Plus I just wanted a piece of heavenly chocolate cake!

OMG!!! This is all I have to say about this decadent, chocolately, yummy cake.....OMG!!!

Oh yeah, and the layers did switch during the baking!  Amazing!!!

I tweaked the recipe to make this sugar free, but you can just substitute out the Splenda and sugar free cake mix, for full sugar and regular cake mix.

Now be forewarned....this cake takes a lot of time to prep, bake, and refrigerate.  About 5 hours in total...but I had my doubts along the way...but found it was completely worth the effort.

Here's how to make it.

Take a 12-cup bundt pan and spray with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup.

 In a large bowl beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with a mixer 2 min. or until well blended.

Add in the sour cream and mix until smooth. 

Pour this over the syrup in the bundt pan.

Next, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and Splenda with mixer until well blended.  

Add eggs, and mix until incorporated.

Add evaporated milk and mix to blend.

In a small bowl melt 4 squares of baker's chocolate until melted.  About 1 1/2 min total. Start with 30 seconds, and stir.  Do another 30 seconds, and stir.  My total was 1 1/2 min.

Add melted chocolate to the mousse mixture and mix to blend completely.

Looks like chocolate milk doesn't it??

Pour the mouse mixture carefully over the cake batter.

Cover with foil and place in a 9x13 pan.  Add about 2" of water.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.  Let cool on a wire rack for about 45 min.  Place in the refrigerator, in the pan and let cool for 2 hours.

Once it has cooled.  Take out of the refrigerator, place a plate on the top and invert cake.  You may need to shake it a couple of time, but it will slide right out.

Holy cow!  Look at this baby!!

See the layers?

Want a piece?

(Oops!  I got in such a hurry I forgot the cool whip!  Oh well! you can add it if you want to)

Gotta go....I need another piece of this cake!  Make this...it's super yummy....Enjoy!!

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Prep: 40 min.
Baking 1 1/2 hrs.
Refrigerating : 2 hrs

1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate syrup

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) sugar-free chocolate devil's food cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup  oil

7 eggs, divided

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel cheese, softened

1 cup Splenda

1 can (12 oz.) 2% evaporated milk

4 squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

SPRAY 12-cup fluted tube pan with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup.

          

BEAT cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with mixer 2 min. or until well blended; blend in sour cream. Pour over syrup in pan.

          

BEAT cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Add remaining eggs; mix well. Blend in evaporated milk and melted chocolate; gently spoon over cake batter in pan. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray, sprayed-side down.

          

PLACE tube pan in shallow pan. Add enough water to larger pan to come at least 2 inches up side of tube pan. Bake 1 hour 30 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate 2 hours. Invert cake onto plate; remove pan. Serve cake topped with COOL WHIP.

Stir Frying 101 - Sweet and Sour Chicken

I had the opportunity to attend a Stir-Frying Technique Class at the Williams-Sonoma store recently.  This class was very informative as all their classes are, and the chef, Monique, is very skilled, and a great teacher.  

Here we are all watching her cook!

She made several different dishes; Pork with Snap Peas and Soba Noodles, Chicken with Ginger Garlic sauce (one of their bottled stir fry sauces, which was yummy!) and Skirt Steak with Oranges in a Sichuan Sauce. 

All were delicious!

About stir-frying:
A sizzling stir-fry is a simple yet satisfying entree for relaxed dinner parties and quick weeknight suppers. Stir frying is an Asian cooking technique of rapidly frying small pieces of food in oil over high heat.  This is done usually in a wok but a deep cast-iron fry pan or heavy saute pan is a good substitute.  Almost any vegetable or meat can be stir fried as long as it is cut into small pieces.

This was such great fun I couldn't wait to whip up some stir fry for dinner.  You know, this would be a great Valentine's Dinner!

Here's my take on Sweet and Sour Chicken.

You will need light soy sauce, white vinegar, cornstarch, Splenda, chicken breasts, canola oil, mixed vegetables, garlic, ginger, peanuts, and cooked brown rice.

If using fresh vegetables, cut in to small bit size pieces or thing julienne strips.  I used frozen cause I already had a bag, but fresh is just wonderful.

To make the stir fry sauce mix the soy sauce, vinegar, splenda and 1 T. cornstarch in a small bowl.  Set this aside for later. 



Cut your chicken in to 1 - 1 1/2" pieces.

Put cornstarch in a dish and add chicken.  Stir to coat.  This gives the chicken a nice coating when cooked. (My Aunt Charlotte taught me this technique years ago and I've prepared my chicken this way ever since!)



Add oil to a wok and heat over high heat.  Add chicken and cook stirring constantly until golden brown.  About 4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken from the pan.  Add remaining 1T. of oil, and heat up.  Add cut vegetables.

Add ginger and garlic.  Heat until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add chicken to wok.  Add your stir fry sauce.  Stir until coated and heated through.

Looks pretty good huh?

Stir in peanuts, and your done!  Serve over a bed of nice fluffy brown rice.

This was sooo delicious!  Happy Eating!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

¼ c. light soy sauce

¼ c. White vinegar

¼ c. Spenda

1 T. cornstarch

½ 1b boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ c. cornstarch

2 T. canola oil

1 pound of mixed vegetables fresh or frozen (mushrooms, yellow squash, onion, bell pepper, asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, snap peas, carrots)

1 T. garlic, minced

1 T. Ginger, minced

1/4 c. peanuts

Brown Rice, cooked

Directions:

For your stir fry sauce mix the soy sauce, vinegar, splenda and 1 T. cornstarch in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

Cut chicken breasts in to 1 – 1 ½ “ pieces.  Put ¼ c. cornstarch in to a dish and add chicken, turning to coat.

If using fresh vegetables, cut in to bite size pieces or julienne strips to assist with quick cooking.

Heat  1 T. of canola oil in a wok on high heat.  Add chicken stirring constantly until brown on all sides.  About  4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken to a bowl.  Add 1 T. canola oil to the wok and heat up.  Add all the mixed vegetables to the wok.  Stir fry until crisp tender.  About 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger to the vegetables.  Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add chicken back and add the stir fry sauce.  Stir to coat and heat through.

Add peanuts, stir once more, and serve over brown rice.