Stew for the Storm

For those of you who live nearby, you know exactly what storm I'm talking about: Snowtober, but for those of you who don't, we had a little bit of a surprise snowstorm the weekend before Halloween which threw most of us for a loop because of experiencing major power outages for the second time in less than two months.

Of course the storm did create for some interesting food stories whether it was having strange combinations of food with the neighbors as your freeze defrosted or cooking by candlelight, it at least helped ease the frustration....sort of.

Anyways, during the most recent power loss my fiance & I packed up some clothes & essentials to head over to my parents because even though they didn't have power, they at least had a gas stove & a gas fireplace. While the sun was still shining my mom browned up some stew meat & I peeled potatoes for one of my childhood favorites: mom's beef stew. Even though I had made the stew less than a week before the storm, I was definitely up for it on this stormy night.



It did get a bit complicated when mom had to thicken the stew & mash the potatoes while I held the flashlight; however, as we spooned it into bowls & poured glasses of red wine in front of the fire, we knew it was warm & well worth it.

Beef Stew
1-1 1/2 lbs of chuck meat (cut into small cubes)
Olive Oil
6 Cups of Water
2 Large Knorr Beef Bouillon Cubes
2-3 Tbs of Flour
1 Tbs. of Butter
Carrots (cut into 1 inch pieces)
Celery (cut into 1 inch pieces)

Cut meat & trim the fat. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven & brown meat. Add water & bouillon & then bring to a boil. Simmer 1 1/2-2 hours. Once broth a reduced, make a paste out of the flour & butter. Turn stew up high, add in paste a little at a time, and whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. When liquid is a good consistency, add vegetables and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on how crunchy or soft you want your veggies.

Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles & warm up while the snow falls outside :)