I'm 38 weeks pregnant today. In normal people and guy talk, that's two weeks left of this baby business. Lately I feel like I'm a damn bottomless pit. I eat and eat and I'm still hungry. Then, it all catches up with me and I hate myself for the next 4 hours. Food baby plus real baby in the tummy equals nap time.
My husband always invites our friends over for the UFC fights and boxing matches. Every time we have people over, everyone brings a case of beer, drinks a few and we are left with the rest at the end of the night. This sounds like an amazing deal for people who actually drink... for us, it just means we have to find a place for it. We aren't really drinkers. That being said, I have to get creative and figure out what the heck to do with all of this beer.
Mexican beer is perfect for boiling chicken in for tacos. A can of Bud Light up a chicken's ass makes for some delicious Beer Can Chicken. Guinness.... well, now... there is something to be pondered. The first thing that comes to mind for me, when imagining what the hell to do with a case of Guinness is stew. Beef, veggies, seasonings and a couple bottles of Guinness.
The day after we were left with a couple cases of beer, my husband said to me, "Guinness? YUCK! What the hell are we going to do with all this Guinness?!"
My response: "Cook with it, of course!"
So, here we go. Weeeeee!!!!
Guinness Beef Stew
3 lbs Beef chuck roast for stew cut into 1" cubes
5-6 carrots cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 ribs of celery cut into 1" pieces
12 mini red rose potatoes cut in half (or quarters depending on their size)
8 oz baby Portabella mushrooms, halved
1 cup frozen peas
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3 Bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 envelope Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
1 10 3/4 oz can beef broth (or roughly 1 1/2 cups from a carton)
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce (or 2 cups from a carton)
Olive oil for browning meat
2 bottles of Guinness (draught or stout)
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add about 2 tbsp of olive oil and one bay leaf.
Add pieces of meat and brown on all sides. You will have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Make sure not to overload the pan. This is not the time to rush. Give your meat room in the pan to brown. With each batch, you will need to add more oil as the flour soaks up a lot of it. Transfer each batch to the crock pot when your are done. You are NOT cooking the meat at this point, only browning the outsides.
When all of your meat is done, add the onions and garlic to the same pan. DO NOT WIPE OUT THE PAN FIRST! You want the drippings from the meat. This is where the flavor is. Next, you will pour in half of your beef broth and "deglaze" your pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any delicious bits your meat left behind. Sautee for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the onions, garlic and broth from the pan to the crock pot.
Top with the mushrooms. In bowl, combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Lipton's onion soup mix, remainder of beef broth, and all seasonings and pour into crock pot.
Pour as much of the two bottles of beer as you can over the top. My crock pot was able to hold both bottles.
Cover and continue to cook on LOW for 8 hours. Add the frozen peas, stir to combine, and replace cover, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread.
My husband always invites our friends over for the UFC fights and boxing matches. Every time we have people over, everyone brings a case of beer, drinks a few and we are left with the rest at the end of the night. This sounds like an amazing deal for people who actually drink... for us, it just means we have to find a place for it. We aren't really drinkers. That being said, I have to get creative and figure out what the heck to do with all of this beer.
Mexican beer is perfect for boiling chicken in for tacos. A can of Bud Light up a chicken's ass makes for some delicious Beer Can Chicken. Guinness.... well, now... there is something to be pondered. The first thing that comes to mind for me, when imagining what the hell to do with a case of Guinness is stew. Beef, veggies, seasonings and a couple bottles of Guinness.
The day after we were left with a couple cases of beer, my husband said to me, "Guinness? YUCK! What the hell are we going to do with all this Guinness?!"
My response: "Cook with it, of course!"
So, here we go. Weeeeee!!!!
Guinness Beef Stew
3 lbs Beef chuck roast for stew cut into 1" cubes
5-6 carrots cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 ribs of celery cut into 1" pieces
12 mini red rose potatoes cut in half (or quarters depending on their size)
8 oz baby Portabella mushrooms, halved
1 cup frozen peas
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3 Bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 envelope Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
1 10 3/4 oz can beef broth (or roughly 1 1/2 cups from a carton)
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce (or 2 cups from a carton)
Olive oil for browning meat
2 bottles of Guinness (draught or stout)
Add carrots, celery, potatoes and two of the three bay leaves to the bottom of your crock pot, cover and turn to LOW while you are preparing your meat.
You can purchase stew meat already cut up, or you can purchase a chuck roast and cut it up yourself, like I did.
In a large gallon size Zip-Lock bag, put in flour, salt, 1 tsp of pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and use a whisk to combine. Add pieces of meat to bag and shake to coat the meat evenly.
Add pieces of meat and brown on all sides. You will have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Make sure not to overload the pan. This is not the time to rush. Give your meat room in the pan to brown. With each batch, you will need to add more oil as the flour soaks up a lot of it. Transfer each batch to the crock pot when your are done. You are NOT cooking the meat at this point, only browning the outsides.
When all of your meat is done, add the onions and garlic to the same pan. DO NOT WIPE OUT THE PAN FIRST! You want the drippings from the meat. This is where the flavor is. Next, you will pour in half of your beef broth and "deglaze" your pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any delicious bits your meat left behind. Sautee for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the onions, garlic and broth from the pan to the crock pot.
Top with the mushrooms. In bowl, combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Lipton's onion soup mix, remainder of beef broth, and all seasonings and pour into crock pot.
Pour as much of the two bottles of beer as you can over the top. My crock pot was able to hold both bottles.
OMG!! I'm starving now! I HAVE to make this!
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