I dropped the boys off at school at the front door for my first time ever. Usually I just park on the street a block away from the school and we walk up to the school, but the rain was coming down pretty hard and they were letting students right into the door. Plus, I left in plenty of time so we were there before the first bell rang. I kind of liked doing that. I will have to do it when the car drop off line isn't all the way down the street.
Anyway, I thought I would post today's recipe. The only bad thing is that I have to wait 8 hours before I can taste it. It was given to me by my sister, Heidi and she said it's really good, so I'm sure I will love it. I'll have to weigh in on the verdict later.
Heidi's Crockpot Stew
4 cups frozen veggies for stew (about 24 ounces), thawed (oops! I forgot to thaw them)
8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
4-1/2 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 TBSP dried minced onion
2 envelopes brown gravy mix.
2 TBSP onion soup mix (I just used the whole packet)
2 tsp steak seasoning
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 pounds beef stew meat
14-1/2 oz. can beef broth
1-1/4 cups apple cider or unsweetened apple juice (my sister just uses regular apple juice, and so I did the same)
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
3 TBSP cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
Put all veggies (stew veggies, water chestnuts, mushrooms and dried minced onions) in the slow cooker. Put gravy mix, steak seasonings, soup mix, and cinnamon in a bag. Toss the meat to coat. Add the meat to the Crockpot. Combine broth, juice and tomato sauce and pour over beef. Add the bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Combine cornstarch and water. Stir into stew. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes until thickened. ENJOY!
I'm also going to make a homemade bread to go with the stew.
Garden Herbed Loaf
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions:
- In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, and herbs.
- Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120-130 degrees F); stir into dry ingredients. Stir in egg and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.
- Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.
- Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece to 30 inch rope. Braid ropes; pinch ends to seal. Tie knot in center of braid; wrap ends around knot, in opposite directions, and tuck under to make round loaf. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubles in size, about 20 to 40 minutes.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 to 35 minutes or until done, covering with foil during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Melt remaining butter; brush over loaf. Sprinkle with additional herbs, if desired. Remove from sheet; let cool on wire rack.
I am not sure yet if I will do this in the breadmaker on the dough setting or if I will use my KitchenAid mixer. Either way, this bread is really yummy and my whole family likes it. I can't wait until dinner time!
