Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Its no secret that Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite chefs around these days. Her recipes are simple and usually delicious.  I've yet to find one that isn't.

I know the day after Thanksgiving most folks are making left overs with the turkey and all the trimmings. Not this girl.  I wanted stew. It was a wet, rainy, and all around gross day here in the Northwest. Perfect day for stew. 

I popped open the recipe list and fell on to this recipe almost immediately.  It had the two components I was looking for warmth and comfort. 

Super easy, and very delicious. I actually followed the recipe too, shocking I know.  I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Photo by Pioneer Woman

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman
Serves 6

3 T olive 0il
1 T butter
2 pounds stew meat
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can beer, 12 oz can
4 c beef stock
2 c water (additional, If Needed)
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 T tomato Paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp sugar
4 whole carrots, washed, unpeeled, and roughly sliced
4 whole new potatoes, quartered
Minced parsley (optional)

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.

Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

*UPDATE: The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired

Quiche Lorraine

I am not a fan of eggs. I like them well enough, but rarely will I eat one or order anything that is eggy - like an omelet. Blech! 

However, I had some girlfriends over for brunch this weekend and couldn't figure out what to make for brunch. So I decided to make Quiche Lorraine.
Quiche, it turns out, is really easy to make. And if you put enough yummy stuff in it to forget about the eggs, then it's even better.

I started with this recipe. And adjusted and added as I went.  And, I did not make my own crust. I mean let's get real here. Me and anything remotely like making bread or pie crust really does not go hand in hand.

Side note: I added asparagus to this as well. It was on sale and it just felt like it needed something green that wasn't spinach. It also took a lot longer than 30 minutes to bake. After 30 minutes it was still pretty far from being done. I up'd my temperature to 400F and cooked it for another 15 minutes. It was perfect.

Quiche Lorraine

Short Crust Pastry:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg
• 2 to 3 ounces water
• Dash salt

Filling:

• Butter
• 1-ounce diced ham
• 2 ounces Swiss cheese
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 For the pastry:
Combine the flour and the salt on your work table. Add the butter and work it into the flour until the consistency is coarse. Stir and work in the egg and the water until the dough becomes a ball. Coat the work surface with a little flour and let the dough rest for at least 5 minutes.

For the quiche:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish. Spread the pastry out to cover the bottom and sides with your fingers (use flour to help, push dough from middle to sides of dish). Let the pastry stand a bit higher than the dish edge. Bake the pastry for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven before the pastry shrinks, (adjust sides if needed). Place the ham and cheese in the pan. In the meantime, beat the eggs and half-and-half with a fork in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the center is firm. Serve warm with a salad, if desired

Meatball and Spaghetti Soup

Soup appears to be what's on the menu these days. With the fall air getting crisp, it's the perfect meal I think.

Skinnytaste.com is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite websites.  I tried yet another soup from that site. It was delicious. I made no changes to this recipe, which as you know is odd for me. 

Meatball and Spaghetti Soup
Recipe from Skinnytaste.com

For the soup:
5 c low sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 c water
2 chopped cloves garlic, divided
4 T chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 onion, chopped, divided
3-4 T tomato sauce
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
kosher salt and fresh pepper
6 oz dry cut up spaghetti, I used Ronzoni Smart Taste

For the meatballs:
16 oz 99% lean ground turkey
1 small egg
1/4 c seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese1 tbsp fresh chopped basil

In a soup pot over medium heat, bring chicken broth, water, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 1/4 of the chopped onion, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh black pepper to a boil; simmer about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs by combining ground turkey, parmesan cheese, egg, remaining garlic, remaining onion, remaining parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Form into little 1 inch meatballs (about 36).

Drop meatballs into the broth, cook about 3 minutes; add pasta and cook according to package directions. Add fresh basil, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan cheese.