Beef Stew during a Midwest Winter

Nothing says winter in the Midwest like a pot of bubbling beef stew and wool socks.  The snow had piled up over night and I was freezing, so as I was pulling on my wool socks, I thought...a good book and blanket with a cup of coffee would be great.  Then the hubby asked what was for lunch.......BEEF STEW!

I usually use roast when making stew as it is my husbands least favorite cut of beef.  I take what ever roast I have in the freezer and cut it up into bit size pieces and season with a little salt and pepper and dredge through some flour.  I brown the beef in a dutch oven with a little bit of oil.  It took me two separate batches to brown all the meat.

Once I have browned all the meat, I take out and lay it on some paper towel.  Then, in the same pot, I throw all of my veggies in with a little salt and pepper.  For this stew, I used celery, onion, carrots, and potatoes.  You want to make sure that all the veggies are roughly the same size.

I sauteed the veggies for about five minutes before I add my secret ingredient........

You can use any dark beer or amber beer you have on hand.  I drink Guinness so that's what I used and perhaps enjoyed while cooking the stew...guess the coffee idea went out the window.  Once I added the beer I stirred and scrapped the good dark brown stuff off the bottom of the pot.  I threw the meat back in and added two cubs beef stock and one cup water.  I then threw in a bay leaf or two and some thyme and let it simmer with the lid on for about two hours.  The result......a fabulous lunch on a cold Michigan day.

2-3 pound beef roast

3/4 cup of flour

3 tbls veggie oil

2 sticks of celery

2 carrots

1/2 a large onion

3 potatoes

1 dark beer

2 cups beef stock

2 bay leaves

1 tbls thyme

salt 

pepper

Pie Anyone?

A mother's hands hold you when your upset, fix the scrap on your knee, and pick you up when you are down.  They also scold with the force of knife and can put you in your place.  But most importantly, a mother's hands can make a memory and pass on stories to the next generation.  Take my mother's hands for example.  They look like my Grandma Muriel's hands and as I look at my own I can see the comparison; short fingers, large knuckles, and hard working.

As I photographed my mom making her famous banana cream pie she explained to me how she could never make her mom's crust, as I can't seem to make my mom's either.  She pulled out her old McCall recipe books tattered with age.  She still uses the 70's golden rod colored plastic measuring cups even though she has a set of stainless steel.  The memories came flooding back to me as she talked through the process of making the pie.

Now, I could go on to regurgitate all those memories, but let's face it you are not my psych and the reason you looked at the post was for the pie recipe, so here you go!

Mom's Famous Banana Cream Pie

Crust:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. veggie oil

2 tbls. cold water

Sift the flour and salt together, then add the oil and water.  My mom mixed all the ingredients together with a fork (picture above).  She said if it doesn't come together you can add a little more oil.  This makes one pie crust and do not have refrigerate it before rolling it out.  When rolling the dough out, place it between two sheets of wax paper, but a little water on the counter so it doesn't slide around.

Once it is rolled out enough to fit your pie dish, lay it down and then trim off the extra dough around the edges.  If any area tears, just fix it with the extra dough you trimmed off.  Pinch the edges and fork the bottom.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes on 450 degrees.

Creamy Filling

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. milk

3 egg yolks beaten

1 tbls. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a microwavable safe bowl.  Whisk milk in gradually.  Microwave mixture on medium high heat for about 8 minutes, checking periodically and whisking.  Microwave at five minute intervals until bubbly and thick.  Keeping checking and whisking!  If it gets lumpy you can strain it, but mom says to just "whisk the hell out of it."

Temper the egg yolks and add to the mixture.  Microwave again for about two minutes.  Then add butter and vanilla.  Let cool in the refrigerator.

To Assemble:

Take your now cool pie crust and place half of the pudding mixture in the crust.  Slice up a two bananas on top of the pudding mixture.  Top with the remaining pudding, do not allow bananas to show through or they will turn brown.  Top with whip cream and enjoy.

Spring Fever - Michigan Definition

The snow is gone!  That is the first thought that would run through your head as you look out and the sun is shining bright.  There is a slight breeze, the kind that makes you take a deep breathe in and say "spring is here."  You put on your garden gloves and work boots and head out into the day filled with hope of the yard work you will complete.  Only to be sorely disappointed.

It is roughly 30 degrees and that slight breeze bits through you like a thousand needles, dropping the temperature to a hardy 25 degrees.  You fight through the wind to pick up those branches and rake the yard.  You trim your bushes with the heart of a champion has your nose begins to run.  You head in after an hour of work and make yourself a hot cup of cocoa.

The next day, you head to the store to find that flower bulbs and all the seed packets are on sale.  You know you shouldn't, deep down  you know there is a ways to go before you can plant a single thing in the ground.  Because after all, it still may be frozen.  You buy them anyways with the hope that 60 degree weather is right around the corner.

The following morning as you wake up to head to work, you find three inches of freshly fallen snow.  You feel like crying, kicking, and cursing at the snow.  As you head out to your car to scrape it clean, you walk by your flower garden, only to find your tulips have popped up over night...there is hope for spring yet.

This is spring fever in Michigan.  A time when hope comes alive as do our mind and bodies.  As I head out into that chilly weather, I am bound and determined to get my apple trees trimmed and my yard cleaned up, even if it is only 30 degrees.  It is the second week of March, and I just know that while there may still be a snow storm in my future, I have spring fever and my hope is alive.

Am I getting old, or is the world simply acting younger

I love gadgets.  iPods, iPads, labtops, mimios, cell phones, you name it I try to find a way to use it.  But recently I have had a change of heart.  Apple recently came out with eTextbooks.  While I became very excited about this announcement, my husband stopped me in my tracks.  He began to ask questions that I had difficulty answering.  As I jabbered on about immediate vocabulary tools, digital flashcards, and beautiful graphics, he asked what if something happened and we no longer could access the Internet or as the world faces WWIII we lose the ability to charge our batteries, knowledge would be lost.  Now, while I am usually the optimistic one in the marriage, my husband had me thinking.  When is the last time you wrote a letter?  Do you blog or keep a diary?  Do you had write your recipe cards or file them away in a computer file.  When is the last time you have seen Jane Doe from high school?  Because she is on your Facebook.

When my Grandmother passed away right before Christmas the entire family was able to fly home.  Not only my parents and sisters, but uncles, aunts, cousins, and even second cousins.  People that I physically have not seen in years, but felt connected to just the same...thanks to Facebook or Skype.  After the funeral the aunties and uncles laid out the last of my grandmother's belongs.  To some they may had view it as nothing more than a few items and pictures.  Put for that short moment in time, my grandmother came back to life in her bibles, bells, uno cards and recipes.  The recipes were nothing special; Hamburger Gravy and Mash Potatoes, Tator Tot Casserole, and of course Orange Fluff.  But what was so meaningful was the beautiful handwriting that was gracefully written on each card.  Where did the are to handwriting disappear to?  I know kids today that can't even sign their names because they don't know cursive.  Should I worry about this or am I just old while the world is getting younger?

Another example of how the world is acting younger than I...  Estate sales, love them.  However, this past weekend I found something a little disturbing.  The estate sale was located a large three story home in Burton.  The previous owner had been a school teacher.  It was apparent by the number of books available for sale and the handwriting lessons and supplies.  As I was going through a box of old frames, I came across the woman's bachelor's degree, master's degree, and her permanent teaching certificate from the State of Michigan.  I took them to the individuals running the estate sale, and stated that I felt these must have been missed by the family.  They responded with the fact that the family saw them and placed them in the box themselves.  I was devastated.  If this woman worked has hard as I did to get her degrees, they were priceless documents.  But in this day in age, people have lost their sense of history, work ethic, and sentimental value in items.  Everything has to be new, fast, and bright.  Know wonder we have kids suffering from ADHD.  When you want something it has to happen at that minute.  You have to be informed within the second, and god forbid if you actually have to work for something.  My mentality makes me feel that I am getting old, while the world is simply acting younger.