Dinner tonight. Sat.2/2/19

[caseydog]

Beth, recipe (again) please. My Beef anything soup STINKS!!!

Oh, I make a beef and vegetable soup that is amazing. I don't have a recipe. I never wrote down what I did. It is always good, but probably never the same. It is one of those things my family and friends ask for a recipe, and all I can do is say, "well, it has this, and that in it."

CD

 

[Kayelle]

What's going on at your place tonight?


I'm doing some creamy thighs Marsala with crimini over gigli pasta. I'm winging the recipe because it makes me happy.

I found this cute "new to me" pasta at TJ's.
Here's the pasta..
https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/organic-italian-artisan-pastas

Well, that was sure a hit, not that I'll ever be able to do the exact same thing again. It's memorable.

 

[Linda0818]

Well, that was sure a hit, not that I'll ever be able to do the exact same thing again. It's memorable.

Oh my goodness, that looks amazing

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Beth, recipe (again) please. My Beef anything soup STINKS!!!

Let me rephrase that... my Beef anything SOUP stinks
My Local-Style Beef Stew is A~MAZ~ING!!!

Oh, I make a beef and vegetable soup that is amazing. I don't have a recipe. I never wrote down what I did. It is always good, but probably never the same. It is one of those things my family and friends ask for a recipe, and all I can do is say, "well, it has this, and that in it."

CD

So, Casey, dish! Gimme the short list, I'm terrible at Beef Soups

Well, that was sure a hit, not that I'll ever be able to do the exact same thing again. It's memorable.

Kayelle, that looks ONO girl!!! What kind of salad did SC make this evening? That looks really good too

 

[Kayelle]

Thank you Linda and Kgirl.

That was a spinach salad on the side with more crimini shrooms with red onion, and the required Girard's spinach salad dressing we can't do without. Nothing else will ever do.

 

[caseydog]

So, Casey, dish! Gimme the short list, I'm terrible at Beef Soups.

Well, I will try.

I was most certainly drunk the first time I made my beef and veggie soup. I know I spent way too much on the ingredients.

I know that I use beef stew meat from Kroger, which is basically scraps of whatever beef they cut up that day. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt that none of the scraps ever fell on the floor.

I cut the meat up into small pieces -- big pieces of cheap meat don't make good soup, from my experience.

I brown it first. Do not skip this step. That is where a lot of flavor comes from. I use a cast iron Dutch Oven.

My first veggies are generally the "trinity," or cajun Mirepoix, which I sauté in the beef browning fat and some added oil, as needed. Once I get the trinity where I want it, I use one or two of those little bottles of Gallo cabernet sauvignon (or equivalent cheap but drinkable wines). I use a little at first to de glaze the bottom of the DO, and then add the rest.

Then I dump in the browned meat, I also add some stock to cover everything. Beef or chicken stock seems to work equally as well, believe it or not. I then toss in my diced potatoes. I like reds, because they are waxier. Russets work, too, and give a thicker broth. Again, this is "seat of the pants" cooking. Waxier potatoes seem to take a long cook better. You can also throw in carrots, if you like them -- I don't.

I let it simmer for a few hours to break down the meat in the cast-iron DO.

Tender veggies like corn and peas, I save until the end of the cook. Maybe fifteen minutes from serving.

As for seasonings. Salt pepper and garlic are key. I also tie up a bundle of rosemary and thyme and remove it at the end of the cook. Why? Because I have it growing in my yard, and I think it tastes good. You can go your own way with spices and herbs.

Good luck! This "recipe" comes "as-is, no guaranty."

I really think that the most important thing is to brown the beef, and make good use of the fond left behind.

CD

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I made a vat of my creamy chicken and wild rice soup. Instead of using a store bought rotisserie chicken, I roasted up four skin on-bone in chicken breasts (99 cents a pound? Oh, yeah) generously rubbed with the BBQ Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning I bought when we were at the Amish bulk store. Himself thought the chicken tasted more flavorful my way. Anyway, I pulled out a quart of the soup for a neighbor, then added a whole lot of sauteed mushrooms (with a splash of dry Sherry) to the rest of the pot. Took a quart of that out for the neighbor, too. (He snow-blowed our drive the last snowstorm) Even after we filled our bellies, I have two quarts left for later.

...I found this cute "new to me" pasta at TJ's.
Here's the pasta..
https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/organic-italian-artisan-pastas

I often use campanelle for mac and cheese. All of the ruffles and the "trumpet" hold the cheesy goodness in really good.

..separate rooms make for better sleep..learned that years ago...

The first time Himself broke a bone from a motorcycle fall, we slept separate. Once healed, we went back to sharing. The next time he broke a bone, the same routine. By the time his back went out the second time, we realized that we got much better sleep when we had different rooms. Now the joke in our house is "do you wan to go to sleep, or do you want to go to bed? "

 

[Just Cooking]

Had plans to prep and line up things for SB eats.. Was baking a pie crust for chocolate pie when D called.. She and SIL wanted to hunt down something at our local flea markets so, will finish making the pie and prepping SB food early Sunday..

We had a successful hunting trip and I took them to a classic local burger and chili bean diner.. Love this place and D&SIL had never been..

https://www.caspersdiner.com/

Ross

 

[bethzaring]

Beth, recipe (again) please. My Beef anything soup STINKS!!!

I started with a
3 pound grass fed chuck roast that I cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Browned them in batches in bacon fat and olive oil and removed them from the pot. Next I sauteed
2 large onions in the pot, then added
5 chopped celery stalks,
carrots (my own super sweet carrots, lots of them)
lots of potatoes
4 cups beef broth
a quart of my V-8 juice which is heavy on the garlic
and added the beef cubes back in
Brought to a boil and simmered 4 hours on low
At some point during the simmer I added
2 store bought cans of green beans
2 cans peas
2 cans corn
and my secret weapon...one pint of HOT green chile sauce

This is recipe I looked at..

https://therecipecritic.com/vegetable-beef-soup/

Any questions?!

 

[medtran49]

med, are those homemade pickles as well?
That plate looks scrumptious !!!

Thanks. No, klausen or clausen, the ones always kept refrigerated.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Well, I will try.

I was most certainly drunk the first time I made my beef and veggie soup. I know I spent way too much on the ingredients.

I know that I use beef stew meat from Kroger, which is basically scraps of whatever beef they cut up that day. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt that none of the scraps ever fell on the floor.

I cut the meat up into small pieces -- big pieces of cheap meat don't make good soup, from my experience.

I brown it first. Do not skip this step. That is where a lot of flavor comes from. I use a cast iron Dutch Oven.

My first veggies are generally the "trinity," or cajun Mirepoix, which I sauté in the beef browning fat and some added oil, as needed. Once I get the trinity where I want it, I use one or two of those little bottles of Gallo cabernet sauvignon (or equivalent cheap but drinkable wines). I use a little at first to de glaze the bottom of the DO, and then add the rest.

Then I dump in the browned meat, I also add some stock to cover everything. Beef or chicken stock seems to work equally as well, believe it or not. I then toss in my diced potatoes. I like reds, because they are waxier. Russets work, too, and give a thicker broth. Again, this is "seat of the pants" cooking. Waxier potatoes seem to take a long cook better. You can also throw in carrots, if you like them -- I don't.

I let it simmer for a few hours to break down the meat in the cast-iron DO.

Tender veggies like corn and peas, I save until the end of the cook. Maybe fifteen minutes from serving.

As for seasonings. Salt pepper and garlic are key. I also tie up a bundle of rosemary and thyme and remove it at the end of the cook. Why? Because I have it growing in my yard, and I think it tastes good. You can go your own way with spices and herbs.

Good luck! This "recipe" comes "as-is, no guaranty."

I really think that the most important thing is to brown the beef, and make good use of the fond left behind.

CD

Casey, mahalo, thanks!

I started with a
3 pound grass fed chuck roast that I cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Browned them in batches in bacon fat and olive oil and removed them from the pot. Next I sauteed
2 large onions in the pot, then added
5 chopped celery stalks,
carrots (my own super sweet carrots, lots of them)
lots of potatoes
4 cups beef broth
a quart of my V-8 juice which is heavy on the garlic
and added the beef cubes back in
Brought to a boil and simmered 4 hours on low
At some point during the simmer I added
2 store bought cans of green beans
2 cans peas
2 cans corn
and my secret weapon...one pint of HOT green chile sauce

This is recipe I looked at..

https://therecipecritic.com/vegetable-beef-soup/

Any questions?!

Beth, nope, got it! Did a copy&paste