2.22.2011

Beef Vegetable Soup

Hear it is ? weeks since I said I would do Meat-full Mondays...Sorry! I don't have an excuse...really!
SO tonight we are having Beef Vegetable Soup.
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups beef broth
3 medium onions, quartered
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup pearl barley
1 1/2 pounds lean beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried or 1 tbsp. fresh basil
1 14 ounce can whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon thyme
chop and reserve liquids
2 bay leaves
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 medium carrots, sliced thin



In a food processor, put herbs (except bay leaves) with the liquid from the can of tomatoes. Process for 20 seconds; add whole tomatoes from can and pulse about 4 times, just until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Set aside.
Cut meat into 1 inch cubes and then coarsely chop in food processor with the onions, garlic (no need to wash after processing tomatoes).
Cook onion, meat and garlic over medium heat in large soup bowl for 7-10 minutes or until browned.
Coarsely chop celery and carrots; add to soup.
Add tomato mixture, beef broth and salt and pepper.
Simmer over very low heat and cook uncovered until vegetables and barley are tender. Discard bay leaf.
If desired, stir in a pinch of fresh herbs during the last five minutes for an extra layer of flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
This soup may be prepared ahead of time and frozen.
Makes about 12 servings.


Kind of time consuming...not sure why I picked other then I wanted to try something new.
Emjoy

2.07.2011

Beef....Bourguignon, that's what's for Dinner

My friend/blogmate, Tori Smith, challenged her followers to do "meat-full" Mondays as a flip to Opra's Meat LESS Monday's. In a house of  an I-WILL-DIE-WITHOUT-BEEF hubby, this was rather an easy challenge! So tonight I made Beef Bourguignon, Julia Child style!

I didn't take pictures of the set up, the "characters" of my play but the after math of my cooking! I am NOT a neat cook, just ask the hubby! I have things scattered from here and yon.

Some of the characters after the chopping & adding 

Sauteing mushrooms and onions 

My recipe! 

Simmering

This beef...will be dinner!



Ingredients


  • One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon




  • 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil




  • 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes




  • 1 carrot, sliced




  • 1 onion, sliced




  • Salt and pepper




  • 2 tablespoons flour




  • 3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)




  • 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock




  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste




  • 2 cloves mashed garlic




  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme




  • A crumbled bay leaf




  • 18 to 24 white onions, small




  • 3 1/2 tablespoons butter




  • Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)




  • 1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered







  • Cooking Directions

    Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.
    Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
    Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
    Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.
    In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.
    Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
    Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.
    Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust).
    Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
    Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.
    Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
    Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
    While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
    Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.
    Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.
    Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet.
    Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.
    Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms.
    Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.
    When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
    Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.
    Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
    If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.
    Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.
    Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

    2.02.2011

    Winter!






    Driving home on slush/ice/sand makes for one pretty cool hub cap!

    Daddy started something...

    She loved this idea!

    Finally did Christmas with our family!(Mom and dad's living room!)

    OH! you make a nice couple!

    This is next years christmas card...(I took 2 more...HO HO HO)

    Ashton Sledding at our house! 
    Emma loved it!

    Marlaina & Ty

    My cute puppy! She is a post all in herself! SMART dog!

    Ty & Daddy Sledding!


    BRR!!


    The trees looked like saggy green monsters!


    Ms. Poser!

    out our window!

    Bird potluck...

    I made Jennifer this for Christmas! (its a lamp if you can't tell)

    Yes we are dorks

    ...

    ...

    It pays to be brave! You get all the food!

    Saggy Trees

    Feeding cows!!

    Here they come

    I am thankful I am not a cow! no Need to air dry...the poop just freezes!

    Tiny Baby!

    The house that built me!

    Came in to a hot pot of chicken soup! YUM!

    1.14.2011

    CURTAINS!

    My first attempt at a curtain.....with no pattern! It was fun, but burlap is hard to work with!
    This one was an experiment, now to finish the other 2 and a sliding glass door! 
    I love being creative! I made something for my sister for my Christmas (that I can not post yet
    as we haven't given presents yet!) I am VERY excited about it! 


     
    Close up...burlap and flannel-the flannel is for the backside to keep the cold out
    I need to find something weighty for the bottom that will help straiten it out!
    Any ideas?

    1.11.2011

    oops

    This was supposed to be in the last post!

    A cute blog...

    ...Thats all I want...Blogger won't let me center my title & its bothering me! I only have a few choices of text to choose from and they are boring, BUT its free so I shouldn't complain!

    On a different note here are some recent pictures


    This morning it was blowing snow, kind of pretty!


    Last night we let Emma in to sit by the front door.
    Ty telling her to sit
     It took FOREVER to get both of them to look
    Emma would sort of look, while Ty was looking @ her
     Then Emma would look, Ty wouldn't
     Then they would look @ each other
     FINALLY, but Emma is like"I am done with this!"
    My sleepy head! I love warm nap cheeks! Those
    are the best to kiss!


     Riding her horse @ Mima & Pepaw's

    My redecorated piano (please excuse the broom, Ty was sweeping)
     Not really sure what this face was...just my precious girl :)
     Snow in the sunshine! 

    1.06.2011

    This Christmas it was 4 years that we have had Christmas with either Tyleigh in my belly or Tyleigh here. I can't believe that she will be 3 this June! It's crazy that this much time has already gone by! 2 more years and she will be in Kindergarten! GULP!
    This is the Christmas Ty was in my belly



    The first Christmas


    The Second Christmas

    ALMOST the third Christmas!

    Ty has proven she is full of spunk. Her vocabulary amazes me as does her wit! She can come up with the most hilarious words along with some crazy facial expressions. Ones that I don't think I will ever catch on camera unless they are staged! I love this little girl more a coach potato loves his couch! I am thankful for each and every day with her!!