Guinness Beef Stew

Tags

beef, carrot, mushroom, potato, slow cooker, stew

This winter has had some very weird weather… it’s been getting up to 70 degrees during the day. That’s just wrong! A few weeks ago, the mornings were consistently in the low 20’s, but it would still warm up a bit during the day. At least then it still felt like winter. Now it just feels like spring, but it’s January! It’s definitely making it tough to make the soups and stews I want. They sound so good, and there are all these different recipes I want to try, but I don’t want to eat hot soup when it’s hot out! Guess I just need to suck it up, like I did when I made this stew, and pretend it feels like winter.

As soon as I saw the recipe on Blissfully Delicious, I knew I had to try it. And I even had some Guinness sitting in my frig, waiting to be used in a recipe. Personally, it’s too heavy of a beer to just drink so I only use it in baking or cooking. It’s perfect in this stew, though! I’ve only used wine in stew before, so beer was a nice change. It made a delicious broth, full of flavor. As with any stew, you can add vegetables of your choice, so I changed up the vegetables in the recipe to add my personal touch. 🙂 And of course, slow cooker recipes are always awesome and great to have in your repertoire!Guinness Beef Stew

4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped (about 2 small onions)
4 cups beef or chicken broth
1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness Draught (1½ cups)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound mushrooms, quartered
2 pounds gold or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook half of the beef until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and repeat with an additional 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining half of beef, adding to the slow cooker once browned.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet. Add the onions and ¼ teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, beer, sugar, thyme, chocolate, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, using a spoon to scrape up any browned bits; make sure chocolate is fully melted. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add the carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, or cook on high for 6 to 7 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve while still hot.

Source: Adapted from Blissfully Delicious

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Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes

Tags

cream, Parmesan, potato, thyme

I believe I’ve mentioned before that I used to not be a big fan of potatoes. This made my boyfriend in college very sad since potatoes were one of his favorite foods, and most of the meals he ate were what I made. If only he could see me now! I now love potatoes, and this is one of my favorite recipes. I’ve been tweaking it since I first tried it, trying to make it easier and better. I really do love easy recipes… And creamy cheesy goodness? Who can say no! Perfect for a holiday dinner or a simple steak and potato dinner.Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes

2½ pounds potatoes, peeled
2 cups whipping cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs of thyme
Dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine cream, garlic, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; heat thoroughly. Remove the sprig of thyme.

Meanwhile, thinly slice potatoes to about ?-inch thickness. Spread a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish, slightly overlapping the slices. Pour a little of the warmed cream over the potatoes, then sprinkle ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese on top. Place another layer of potatoes, topping with cream and ¼ cup cheese. Layer the last of the potatoes; pour the remaining cream over the potatoes and top with ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, golden brown, and bubbly.

Source: Adapted from Southern Living

Tourtière

Tags

carrot, celery, onion, pie, pork, potato

So as of my last post, I wasn’t in the Christmas spirit, and I hadn’t started shopping. I went on a shopping spree yesterday, both online and in the stores, and got most of it done! And I am now feeling much more in the spirit. The decorations in the store, the music on the radio. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas now! 🙂If you’re looking for a new holiday tradition, consider tourtière. It’s a French-Canadian meat pie served traditionally on Christmas Eve, Christmas, or New Years. It originated in Quebec but has since spread in popularity throughout Canada and bordering states in the United States. The recipe I found uses ground pork along with potatoes, carrots, celery and onion to make it a well rounded dish. The cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg provide a unique and delicious flavor that is both warming and comforting. Traditionally, tourtière is served in a full sized pie dish with both a top and bottom crust. This Cooking Light version makes individual portions with only a top crust, which cuts calories and makes for adorable presentation! Bon appetit!Tourtière

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
⅓ cup finely chopped celery
1 (1-pound) russet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
Pastry for 1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil until shimmering, then add pork. Sprinkle pork with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, red pepper, and cloves; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, carrot, celery, potato, and garlic; toss to combine and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick.

Place 1 cup pork mixture into each of 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Roll pie dough to an 11-inch circle. Cut dough into 6 (5-inch) circles, re-rolling dough as needed. Place 1 dough circle on each ramekin, tucking edges inside. Cut 4 slits in the top of each circle. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Zuppa Toscana

Tags

kale, potato, sausage, soup

Olive Garden used to be one of my favorite Italian recipes. I loved their minestrone and salad, and most of all, their bread sticks. Somehow, I never really payed attention to their Zuppa Toscana, a creamy sausage and potato soup. Maybe because back then, I wasn’t a big fan of potatoes. But now that I am, I knew this was a soup I had to try. I searched online and found a lot of copycat recipes, most of which included bacon. While that might make for a better duplicate, I’m not a big fan of using bacon for flavoring in soup. I do love bacon, but I only want to use it if it will be a dominant flavor, not just a hidden component.

I settled upon these two recipes, and tweaked from there. I’ve made multiple batches of this soup over the last few months, making small changes here and there to make it exactly how I want it to taste. My biggest change was adding more potato… you can’t go wrong with more potato!

On a side note, I realize this isn’t an ideal summer recipe. But it’s a great comfort food. And despite the weather, sometimes I just crave soup! Besides, I read somewhere that when it’s hot out, you’re supposed to eat hot food to make you sweat, thus helping to cool you. So I’m helping you, and me! 🙂Zuppa Toscana

1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
3 cups water
3½ cups chicken broth
2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cups fresh kale (about ½ a bunch) chopped
1 cup heavy or whipping cream

In a large pot over medium heat, cook the ground sausage until browned, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks. Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, water, potatoes, and kale to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats and Tuscan Recipes

Spinach-Potato Hash

Tags

egg, potato, sausage, spinach

I never used to be a fan of potatoes. I had nothing against them, I just preferred pasta, or even rice, over potatoes if given the choice. Needless to say, this disappointed some of the people who would enjoy the meals I cooked in college, but they learned to deal with it. If they could only see me now… or eat with me!

I actually have cravings for potatoes now. A lot of times, it’s for potatoes and cheese, but lately I’ve been all about potatoes and eggs. I was craving potato hash so badly that I made do with what I had on hand…. tater tots, cheese, salsa, and eggs. Yeah, it was kind of a desperate attempt to use whatever I had on hand to achieve my ultimate goal.Granted, it didn’t satisfy my craving so I went online then went to the store after I found this recipe. It combines normal hash ingredients with spinach, for an extra yum-factor that makes it unique.

Spinach-Potato Hash
Note: Can also be served on a tortilla with salsa and scrambled eggs as a breakfast burrito.

1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces ground sausage
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 to 4 eggs, fried to desired doneness

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Place diced potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss to coat then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and tender when poked with a fork.

While potatoes are baking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ground sausage and cook until browned, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Add onions to the pan and cook until softened and browned. Add the Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepper as it cooks. Add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute more.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked sausage back to the pan. When potatoes are done roasting, remove from the oven. Add the potatoes to the pan with the sausage and onions; fold to incorporate. Add the spinach and toss to combine and to slightly wilt the leaves.

Transfer the hash to a serving dish.  Season with salt and pepper as necessary.  Fry as many eggs as you’d like and serve over hash.

Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker