Beef Stew, Homemade Sandwich Bread, Chocolate House Cookies

Beef Stew

We don't have this often, but it's a hit when we do!

Dredge 1 lb stew meat (fat removed, cut in bite sized-chunks) in 1/2 cup whole wheat flour with salt and pepper.

Melt 1/4 cup shortening in large soup pan over medium high heat.  Add meat, and brown.

Add 6 cups water, 3 beef bullion cubes, and 1 TBSP dried onion flakes (or a whole onion, quartered.)

Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours, until meat is tender. 

Add vegetables: 2 potatoes, peeled and diced, 2 carrots sliced, 1 celery rib sliced, 1 clove garlic minced.  Cook until vegetables are tender.  Thicken with flour mixed with water to desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade Sandwich Bread 

This is our favorite for French Toast; also great for toast or sandwiches.  

4 1/2 cups water
6 TBSP sugar (a heaping 1/3 cup)
2 TBSP salt
1/4 cup shortening
4 packages instant yeast (4 scant TBSP)
2 cups quick oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
about 10 cups bread flour (I don't really measure. . .just add it until the dough is right!)

Combine in Bosch: water, sugar, salt, shortening, quick oats, wheat flour, and 2 cups bread flour.  Mix until smooth.  Stop mixing to add 3 cups bread flour and yeast.  Mix until smooth.  Add flour by half-cupfuls until dough cleans sides and bottom of your mixer bowl.  Dough should not feel too sticky.  Knead 6 minutes in Bosch.

Put the lid on loosely, and let it rise about 1 1/2 hours (it will overflow your mixer.)

Mix down, and shape dough into four loaves.  Place in greased 9x5 loafpans.  Raise until an inch above the pan (about another hour.)

Set oven rack low in the oven so tops of bread will be in the middle of the oven.  Preheat oven to 425 (I do 400 because I have dark pans).  Bake 25 minutes, until golden all over.  Remove from pans to rack to cool. 

Chocolate House Cookies

Every year, Andy's office receives a house made out of chocolate (like a gingerbread house, but all chocolate) at Christmas time.  It is from "Baum's House of Chocolates".  This is the best chocolate!  After the kids all pick at it as much as I'll let them, I chop it up and use the chocolate pieces for these cookies--a favorite! 

1 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/14 cups brown sugar
1 TBSP vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup quick oats
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups of chocolate house (or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup dark chocolate chopped small, 1 cup milk chocolate)

Heat oven to 350.  Beat butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Beat.  Stir in oats.  Sift flour, soda and salt together and add.  Mix.  Stir in chocolate.  Dough will be stiff.  Can add chopped pecans if desired.

Using cookie scoop, place 12 balls on parchment covered cookie sheet.  Bake 11 minutes, or until lightly browning on edges (centers are still soft.)  Cool 3 minutes on pan, then remove to wire rack.

*If the cookies come out thinner than your liking, add flour to the dough 2 TBSP at a time.

Served with green salad.

Beef Broccoli, Creamy Berry Yogurt Trifle

Beef Broccoli

1 lb sirloin tip steak
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces


2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of juice (pineapple or orange)
dash of rice vinegar
1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp peanut oil

peanut oil

Slice steak into bite sized thin slices, against the grain.Combine soy sauce, juice, vinegar and cornstarch.  Pour over beef.  Marinate 10-15 minutes.

Combine the garlic, ginger and 1/2 tsp peanut oil and set aside.

Heat peanut oil in large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat.  Add beef in a single layer and cook until almost cooked through.  Stir fry until cooked.  Remove from heat.  Heat a little more oil in the pan and stir fry the broccoli for a minute.  Add a little water (1/4 cup.)  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Steam about two minutes.  Broccoli should be crisp-tender and still bright green.  Move the broccoli to the sides of the pan.  Add the garlic/ginger/oil mixture to the middle of the pan and stir fry 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add the beef and stir it all together with the broccoli until hot.  If you like a little spice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Serve over rice.

Served with Chinese Pot Stickers (not ready to post that one yet. . . needs some touch ups), sliced fruit, rice, and Creamy Berry Yogurt Trifle.

Creamy Berry Yogurt Trifle

fresh or frozen berries (I used frozen Nature's Berries, from Costco--raspberries, blueberries, and marionberries)
fresh strawberries, quartered
12 oz whipped topping
3 containers of strawberry yogurt
1 angel food cake loaf

Cut up the angel food cake into squares.  Mix the yogurt with 8 oz of the whipped topping.  Layer cake, yogurt mixture, berries, repeating 3 times total.  Top with remaining whipped topping and garnish with fresh berries.  I think this is better after it sits overnight and the cake absorbs the yogurt a bit.

Roast Beef Sandwiches and Broiled Asparagus

Roast Beef Sandwiches
These are a favorite leftover after Crock Pot Roast Beef.  There are several variations:

1-Layer heated left over roast beef on sandwich buns.  That's all the kids want!  Andy and I like ours au jus--dipped in the drippings or in a concentrated beef broth--dissolve one beef bullion cube in 1/2 cup water.

2-Layer heated left over roast beef on bottom of sandwich buns. Top with hot mashed potatoes and gravy and then the top of the bun.  Andy likes mayonnaise with his.

3-Broil open buns--mayo on one side, a slice of muenster cheese on the other--until cheese is bubbly and buns are browned to your liking.  Heat meat separately and place in between bun halves.  Yum!


Broiled Asparagus
This is my favorite way to eat asparagus, and all my kids love it!

Trim*, wash, and dry asparagus.  Pour a little olive oil in a large rimmed cookie sheet.  Place asparagus spears on cookie sheet and roll them around until coated in oil.  Sprinkle generously with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Broil about 5 minutes, shaking pan once for even cooking.  When asparagus is tender, it's ready.

*To trim asparagus, bend a single stem.  It will naturally break where the stem starts to get woody--discard the bottom (or reserve for later use--see soup in following post) and cut all your spears to that length.

Crock Pot Beef Roast, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Seven Grain Bread

Crock Pot Beef Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
3-5 pounds Beef Roast (chuck is the most fall-aparty, but we have used others as well)
1 package Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup water

Combine in Crockpot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Remove meat and reserve.  (I usually go through it at this point to remove bones, large chunks of fat, etc.)

Pour the drippings through a strainer.  I have one of those gravy measuring cups that pours from the bottom, so you can pour off all the juice into another pot without pouring all the fat that settles on top.  Love it!

Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, chop 3 large, peeled, potatoes into cubes.  Cover with salted water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until soft enough to mash.  When ready, pour off water into the saucepan with the meat juices.

Melt 1/2 cup butter (or 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup cream) and pour into potatoes.  Using blender, combine potatoes and butter.  Add milk to desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Back to the gravy--combine about 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with enough cold water to dissolve it.  Add gradually to the boiling meat juice/potato water combination, whisking to combine.  Add enough to thicken it to your liking.  Add salt and pepper to taste.


Seven Grain Bread

1 1/3 c warm water

1 T instant yeast

3 T dry milk powder

2 T vegetable oil

2 T honey

2 t salt

1 egg

1 c whole wheat flour

2 1/2  c bread flour

3/4 c 7grain cereal

Bread Machine:  Combine ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer in bread machine.  Select dough cycle.  When complete, shape dough into 2 round loaves.  Rise.  Bake at 375 25-30 minutes.   (Note:  I like to use hot water and let cereal soak in it first to soften.)

Bosch:  Double recipe.  Use HOT water.  Combine hot water with cereal in bosch for 10 minutes (to soften cereal).  Add milk powder, oil, honey, salt, eggs, and wheat flour.  Mix.  Add 2 c bread flour and yeast.  Mix continuously adding more flour as needed until dough pulls from edges of bowl and is not too sticky (total of about 5 cups bread flour.)  Knead 8 minutes.  Rise covered, in bowl.  Mix down and shape into round loaves (4 large).  Rise.  Bake at 375 25-30 minutes or until browned and crisp. 

Alternatively, bake about 20 minutes until lightly golden.  Cool.  Freeze for later use.  Thaw on countertop and bake at 375 an additional 15-20 minutes until browned and crisp.  Serve warm. 

Served with : green beans.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 green pepper, cut in strips

1 T butter

4 French rolls

1 lb rare roast beef slices (ask for this at the deli—whatever is rarest of their roast beef options—we had a London broil last time)

mozzarella or havarti cheese

Cook onions and peppers in butter until golden and tender.  Chop meat.  Split rolls and top with meat, then onion mixture, then cheese.  Place on baking sheet covered with foil, and broil 5 inches from heat for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.  Serve hot.

Serve with: chips and fruit.