Apple Cider Beef Stew

Fall means lots yummy flavors, and a particular fall favorite in our household is apple cider. While this recipe is not exactly one of the kids' preferences, it is growing on them, and I think the cider is the reason. It makes this stew both savory and sweet. This simple meal is easily thrown together in the morning when I know that we're in for a busy night (which, for us this school year is Wednesday evening, when Mia has her dance classes).

Ingredients:

• 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil (I like EVOO.)
• 4 carrots, chopped (The original recipe also suggests parsnips as an alternative -- haven't tried it.)
• 2 medium red potatoes, chopped (I have also used 4 small potatoes)
• 2 small apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Firm apples like Granny Smith or Gala work best, in my opinion. Also, my apples are usually a bit larger.)
• 1/2 white onion (The original recipe says 2 WHOLE onions -- That is a LOT of onion, which I cannot get away with in this house! Also, I am not sure why you would want that much onion, anyway.)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 cup apple cider (or apple juice will work in a pinch!)
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules (I have also made it with bouillon cubes.)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (I don't usually measure this -- just a dash.)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet and then brown the stew meat, half at a time. Drain off fat. (I also like to caramelize the onion while I brown the beef because this makes it sweeter.)
2. In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, place carrots, potatoes, apples, and celery. Sprinkle tapioca on top. Then add meat (and onions, if you like them caramelized, too). 
3. In a small bowl, combine the apple cider, water, bouillon granules, dried thyme, and pepper. Pour over the contents of the crock pot.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for about 8-10 hours or on high heat for around 4-5 hours. I can usually get away with a little bit shorter cooking time, if needed, too.

Homestyle Chicken and Stuffing

I tried this one for the first time last night, and I will definitely be making it again. It was easy, and everyone ate plenty, even Brett who says he isn't that big of a stuffing fan. I cooked some chicken to make it, but the recipe suggests using leftover chicken or cut up roast chicken from the deli as a time saver.

Ingredients:        Makes 4-6 Servings

• 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of chicken with herb.)
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 16-ounce package frozen broccoli, corn, and red peppers (We don't eat red peppers so I added approximately 12 ounces of broccoli and 4 ounces of corn.)
• 2 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken
• 1 8-ounce package cornbread stuffing mix (My package was 6 ounces because that's all I saw at the store. Do they even make 8 ounce packages?)
  

Directions:

1. In a very large bowl stir together soup, melted margarine, and 1/4 cup water. Add vegetables, chicken, and stuffing mix; stir until combined. Transfer mixture to a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker*. 
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on a high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
   

My Notes: 
*I have spent months trying to figure out why our slow cooker cooks everything so much faster than recipes suggest. My best guess is that ours is smaller than recommended. This dish cooked in 2 1/2 to 3 hours on low.  
*I wonder if doubling the ingredients would help since the Crock Pot was only about half full.

Beef Barley Stew

This hearty and delicious stew is what I made for dinner last night. It's quickly becoming a family favorite, so it is fortunate that we can get at least two meals from this recipe.

Ingredients:   Yield: 6-8 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• medium onion, chopped (I use 1/2 onion instead.)
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 quart water (I have been substituting 3 cups beef broth + 1 cup water.)
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 5 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. salt (I use 1/4 tsp. since I substituted broth for water.)
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. paprika (I omit this.)
• 1/4 tsp. pepper (I usually use less.)
• 2 cups frozen corn (Recipe says you can also use fresh.)
• 2 cups frozen green beans (Recipe says you can also use fresh.)
• 3/4 cup medium pearl barley

Directions:

1. In a skillet, brown beef and onion in oil; drain. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker.
2. Add water (or water/beef broth), tomato sauce, carrots, celery, salt, oregano, paprika (if you wish), and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. (Our slow cooker is weird, so it takes less time.)
4. Add beans, corn, and barley; cover and cook on low 2 hours longer or until barley, beef, and vegetables are tender. (Again, for us, this takes less time than the recipe states. It has taken some trial and error to figure it out.)

Herbed French Dip Sandwiches

Last night was Mia's first tap class, so I decided it was a good day to do a Crock Pot dinner. Since roasts were BOGO at Kroger, these delicious and easy to make French Dip sandwiches were a natural choice. Once again, I am putting a favorite recipe here since I still haven't gotten my act together and organized all my recipes!

• 1 lean beef roast (3 to 4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 to 4 whole peppercorns
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried thyme 
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• hard rolls or French bread

1. Remove and discard all visible fat from roast. Place in a slow cooker.
2. Combine soy sauce, bouillon, and spices, and pour over roast. Add water to almost cover roast. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-12 hours or until meat is very tender. (Note: Our actual cook time is 6 hours on low, so cooking times may vary!)
3. Remove meat and discard bay leaf; reserve cooking juices. Shred meat with two forks. Serve cooking juices as a dipping sauce.

Makes 12 Servings (This is what the recipe tells me, however, it's so popular at our house we apparently eat more than we are supposed to!)

Easy Vegetable-Beef Soup

I have a terrible time keeping my favorite recipes organized. It's on my never-ending to-do list, but obviously not a priority, so I have decided to just post this one that I made for tonight's supper since it is ideal. (This way, the next time I can't find the recipe, it will be right here on my faithful blog.) I love this recipe because it's tasty, super-simple to make, and most importantly, everyone in the family gobbles it up.

Prep: 20 minutes     Cook: Low 7 hours, High 3 1/2 hours     Makes: 4-6 servings 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 14-ounce can beef broth (1 2/3 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 10-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables (I used a 12-ounce bag.)
• 14 1/2-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
• 10 3/4-ounce can condensed tomato soup
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
•  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 

1. In a large skillet cook beef until brown. Drain off fat.
2. Transfer meat to a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the cooker.
3. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Note: If you want a lighter version, you can substitute ground turkey for ground beef and use chicken broth in place of the beef broth. Both are yummy, but I think the original recipe is more flavorful.