Not My Mother's Beef Stew

This time of the year, when the days start to turn cooler, and the leaves start to turn their many colors, often reminds me of the time of year when my mother would make her special recipe of "Beef Stew." The one where she would actually stew the boneless chuck roasts of beef until it was fork tender, then add the vegtables and her many" chosen" ingredients. She still does this once in a while and freezes containers of soup to give as gifts. I have never been able to duplicate her "recipe"...probably because she does not use a recipe. You all know her type...that adds a little of this and a little of that...so you can never really figure out how to do it yourself. She is a very good cook though, so as long as I can figure out ways to be a recipient of her containers of soup, I am happy. But, as for me, my time is so limited right now, that I am content with some of my own concoctions, that taste good and do not take much time to cook. Since I do know a few of her secret ingredients to the beef stew, my version does taste somewhat similar to hers. So...if you are pressed for time, or if you just don't feel like taking the time to make beef stew the "wonderful" way, you can try this way. My husband and my daughter both asked me to share this version, because they like it.

You take a pot, add all the above ingredients, plus 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, pinch of salt, and pepper. Stir it all together, cook until starts to bubble, and then turn to low and simmer so the flavors blend, for 15 to 20 minutes. Now it is ready to serve. The V-8 juice and brown sugar are two of the ingredients she uses for her soup.

To compliment this soup, here is another one of our favorites..."mini cheese biscuits." These ingredients can be put together early in the day, scooped into greased muffin tins, topped with extra shredded cheese, covered and put into the refrigerator until time to bake right before serving. These biscuits are best served warm from the oven.


Recipe is from the "Fast Fixes With Mixes, Taste of Home Cookbook." The recipe was shared by Chris Rentmeister.
Recipe
2 cups of biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesean(I add this)
2 cloves of minced garlic(I use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder)
2/3 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter

In a bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheese and garlic. With a fork, stir in milk just until moistened. Use a sprayed ice cream scoop to put in muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Enjoy!!!



Using this recipe will give you some extra time to spend outdoors in this beautiful time of the year.