Beef and Tomato Stew

Move to Georgia, they said.  It will be warmer down south.
Y'all.
This winter has been nuts.
I can't believe that here, in north Georgia, there were temperatures in the single digits last week.  That didn't even include the wind chill!
You better believe that I was using our crock pot last week, and have been leaning heavily on it throughout this season.  My favorite these past few months has been Martha Stewart's beef and tomato stew.  Easy to throw together, incredibly flavorful, and great served on its own or with rice, it's just a powerhouse recipe.
Also, it is guaranteed to make your house smell amazing.   What do you have to lose?

Beef and Tomato Stew (from Martha Stewart)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 lbs. beef chuck or stew beef
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 c. chicken broth (veggie also works!)
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium.  Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often, until softened.
2. Throw veggies and remaining ingredients into slow cooker, salt and pepper to taste, cover, and cook on high for 6 hours.  Can be served over carb of your choice (brown rice and quinoa are super tasty).

Italian Drip Beef

Let's all take a moment here and give thanks to Dave Shelton, who got me a beautiful cast iron dutch oven for my birthday.  Without the dutch oven, this recipe would not have been possible, so thanks, you wonderful man!

I have been eyeing this recipe from the Pioneer Woman for quite awhile, mostly because she starts the whole thing with a list of ways that you can change or substitute ingredients in this recipe.  And you know how I love to not follow recipes!  This was phenomenally easy to make, and turned out a really flavorful and slightly spicy kind of beef stew.  I think next time, I'll add a bit of tomato paste to thicken it up, but she also suggests serving the beef on toasted rolls with melted cheese on top, so you can use just the meat, too, and save the sauce for something else!

Now, get ready for how easy this recipe is.  You will need:

1 beef roast (mine was about 2 pounds, but I made the sauce for 4 pounds worth of meat--it just sounded so good!)

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 32 oz container of beef stock

A couple jars of assorted peppers (I used banana peppers, pepper and onion salad, and sliced red and yellow peppers, but you can use whatever kind you'd like)

First of all, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Then, sear your roast in some olive oil at high heat.  Make sure you get each side nice and browned, about 2 minutes each side.  Remove the roast to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-high, and add in the beef stock, whisking to scrape up all the fond  at the bottom of the oven.  Then all of the other ingredients, including the juice from the peppers, and whisk to combine.  At this point, I brought the whole mixture to a slow boil, but you don't really need to.

Add the roast back to the oven, making sure you also add any of the juice from its plate!  That's the best stuff!

Pop the lid on, and put it in the oven for 3 or 4 hours.  

By the time this is done cooking, the beef will be falling apart and you can just separate it with a pair of tongs and a fork.  Mix the beef back up with the juice it cooked in, then serve it over brown rice.  Or, as the Pioneer Woman did, pull the beef and peppers out, pile it on a bun, cover it with cheese, and broil.  Either way, you really can't go wrong!!

Easy Beef Wellington

Oh my good gracious.  My man must love me to make steak wrapped in pate wrapped in prosciutto wrapped in puff pastry.  I certainly know that he does, but I'll also confess this: none of this is as difficult as it looks.  We had some friends over for dinner a couple months ago, and JP got it into his head that he would make beef wellington (he's an overachiever) the way Gordon Ramsay makes it.  He's got a couple of shortcuts in this video, and it really did come out wonderfully.
This time around we used mushroom pate instead of flat-out mushrooms (it's surprisingly cheap at Trader Joe's) and rib-eye instead of fillets.
Here's what you'll need:
2 nice pieces of steak (use ribeye or fillet, nothing with a bone)
6 pieces of prosciutto
Spreadable pate
Yellow mustard
Thawed puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten

First step is to sear the steaks.  Get the cast iron skillet super, super hot, then rub the steaks with coarse sea salt and cracked pepper.  Throw some olive oil into the skillet and heat until a crust forms on all sides of the meat.  Remove from the cast iron and let the steak rest.  In the meantime...

...unwrap a long piece of plastic wrap and lay three pieces of prosciutto on top.  Spread pate on top.

Cover steak in yellow mustard (just regular, no dijon or anything fancy), then place on top of pate.

Starting at the top, wrap everything up in the plastic wrap and seal thoroughly.  Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.  While waiting for the steak, preheat the oven to 385 degrees and place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
When the steaks are cool, unwrap and place meat on top of puff pastry.  Wrap like an envelope, and brush with egg yolks.  Cook in oven until puff pastry is browned.
Serve with roasted asparagus.  You'll be glad you did.
Thanks for the tasty meal, John Paul!  It was just what the doctor ordered on Saturday night.

Thai Beef Noodle Bowl

 As much as I enjoy eating Asian food, the majority of the time, the recipes involve wayyy too many sauces and spices that are used for that one meal.  It's frustrating to search high and low for something to use very seldom;y, so I was thrilled when Summer passed this meal on to me. 
I would feel bad about having two pictures for this post, but this recipe is SO easy that it doesn't require a lot of work.  There's a very minimal amount of prep involved, and only six ingredients.  They're easy to find in a grocery store, and relatively inexpensive.  Perfect for a mid-week dinner!

Thai Beef Noodle Bowl

1 lb. boneless sirloin

1 Tbsp cooking oil

3 14oz cans beef broth (

1/3 cup peanut sauce

1 1/2 cup medium egg noodles

2 cups broccoli florets

 

Brown meat.  Add broth and peanut sauce and bring to a boil.  Add noodles; simmer 4 minutes.  Add broccoli florets, bring back to boil and then simmer 4 minutes.

Chili

I love eating and cooking with John Paul, but we don't always have the same taste at the same time. He really likes meat; I'm okay eating it once or twice a week. I love stews; he's more into creamy, blended soups. Compromise abounds in the kitchen when we plan our weekly menu together.
Lucky, this chili satisfies both of us! Yes, there is ground beef, but not an obscene amount, and a wide variety of vegetables makes the nutritious side of me happy. I baked this cornbread to go with it, and the whole meal felt like a Southwestern feast! Feel free to top with sour cream, guacamole or sliced avocado, cheddar cheese, or just some tortilla strips. You could even cut down on the water added in step two and use it as a chili dip. Go wild! There's no judgment in the kitchen!
Oh, and I omitted the scallions only because we didn't have any in the fridge. If you're a fan, use two or three.

Compromise Chili (from Real Simple)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed
1 Tbsp. chili powder OR 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot, hot. Add carrots, onion and pepper, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up with spoon, until no longer pink.
2. Add tomato paste and cook, while stirring, until slightly darkened. Stir in beans, chili powder or flakes, and 3 c. water. Simmer over medium until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in corn and, once heated through, turn off burner.
3. Divide among bowls and top with cheese. This reheats well, so don't toss any leftovers!John Paul loves me so much he chops onions for me! What a guy...This is Mia's favorite place to be while cooking. Especially if there's meat involved.