Friday, September 5, 2014

Characters Have To Eat Too!

http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/home-made-beef-stew-recipe/
Picture and recipe courtesy of Taste Of Southern

Yummy food tends to sneak into my stories. This might have something to do with my former desire to be a chef (My sister and I were Food Network addicts.)
Though I edited out a bit of the food (due to the potential risk of readers putting down my book in order to eat), I allowed the characters a hearty meal of beef stew.
I didn't know how much I loved beef stew until I tried this recipe. Sure, I'd had canned stew, but come on, homemade is always better. There is something satisfying about chopping potatoes, carrots, and onions. Searing chunks of meat in a cast iron Dutch oven. Having your family eat the entire pan, leaving you with only one measly bowl. (Okay, that was more annoying than satisfying.)
So, in honor of Katherine McGraw (my hero's Southern mama), I must devote this post to one of the most awesome meals a person can taste.
All you'll need is:
2 - lbs of Stew Beef (Coated mine in flour)
4 - Cups of warm water  (I used beef broth instead of water.)
4 - teaspoons of Beef Bouillon Granules
1 - medium Onion, sliced
3 - medium Carrots, sliced
6 - Red Potatoes, quartered and diced
2 - Tablespoons of Butter
1/3 - cup Tomato Paste (I used less. Not really a tomato-y person.)
1 - teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 - teaspoon Salt
1 - teaspoon Sugar
1/2 - teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 - teaspoon Paprika
The rest of the recipe is here, complete with pictures of the process. I fiddled around with the recipe a little, but I'm sure it'll be delicious no matter what. Because it is indeed delicious.
Got any yummy recipes for me?
Although right now, I really, really want some stew.


2 comments:

  1. Mmm! This looks yummy! Thanks for sharing!

    One of my new favorite recipes is for Nutter Butter Balls:

    1 pkg. Nutter Butter cookies (about 25), finely crushed
    1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
    1 pkg. almond bark
    1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

    Mix crushed cookies and cream cheese thoroughly. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Freeze 10 mins. Meanwhile, melt almond bark in small saucepan. Stir in peanut butter. Dip balls into coating. Return to cookie sheet to set up. Store in refrigerator.

    Dipping Tip: For "pretty" coating, dip balls using a toothpick stuck in the center. Lift from toothpick with a fork, then slide onto cookie sheet. I did these for a wedding recently, and this technique helped immensely.

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