Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 6: Homemade Beef Stew

We love comfort food in the winter.  I found a recipe from Paula Deen online a while ago, and adapted that recipe for our tastes.  This recipe works for venison, too, which is a rare but welcome treat in our house. So, without further ado, I give you...
Day 6: Homemade Beef Stew
Ingredients:

We used venison in this pot

2 pounds cubed trimmed sirloin (or venison)

2 TBSP olive oil

2 C water

3 TBSP beef base (bouillon cubes can be subbed)

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Garlic powder

Crushed dried bay leaves

Onion powder

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Dash of ground allspice or ground cloves

3 large carrots, sliced

3 ribs chopped celery

3 medium red potatoes, cubed

2 TBSP cornstarch

Directions:

Heat olive oil in stock pot.  Add meat, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (all to taste) and mix together.  Brown meat.  While meat is cooking, mix water and bouillon powder together well.  Add water mix to browned beef, and add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, onion powder, paprika, and allspice to mix (again, to taste).  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.  Add more water as necessary.  Add veggies, simmer another 45 minutes or until veggies are tender and potatoes can be pierced with a fork.  In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of cold water with 2 TBSP cornstarch until dissolved.  Scoop a small amount of hot liquid from the pot and stir it into the cornstarch, then add mixture to the stew.  Allow to simmer until desired thickness. 

Luke 2:10-11: But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Cabin Fever

Top o'the mornin' to ya!

Aaah, do I have the spring fever.  I'm looking outside at the beautiful white landscape, ready for it to be gone and warmer weather to set it.  There is so much snow everywhere, but with temps forecasted to be around 50 by mid-week, that should take care of a lot of snow.  It seems like it's been an exceptionally hard winter this year, and I will be glad when the trees have leaves and I can once again go outside in sandals and a tee-shirt instead of heavy winter socks and a bulky winter coat.  Aahh, I can almost smell the spring air, and feel the warm breeze.  I enjoyed the weather briefly yesterday, when I made a trip to the store to get hubby some items to make him feel better--he seems to be having some sort of sinus problem and had a very sore throat for the past few days.  He seems to be doing much better today, though, which is a good thing!  It was very nice out, and I got away with just wearing a lightweight jacket.  I'm ready for that to be the norm!  Maybe I just need a warm-weather-destination trip. 

Valentine's Weekend

Well, today is Valentine's Day.  We celebrated the holiday on Friday though, which was good since my husband came down with the sickness Saturday.  We had a nice dinner out, exchanged gifts, and had an overall very relaxing weekend at home.  My hubby is sending me to a local day spa again this year as my gift.  I really like the spa, and it's such a nice experience.  He sent me there last year for the first time, which was a wonderful surprise and a great pampering experience.  If you've never had the opportunity to spend a few hours at a day spa, I would highly recommend it!  You won't be disappointed.  

Recipes

Yesterday, to end the weekend, I made a pot of beef stew.  Can I just say YUM?  I tweeked a recipe that I found online for beef stew (from Paula Deen's beef stew recipe) and have my version posted on the recipe blog.  I'm not bragging, but it was delicious and really hit the spot last night!  I also made a half-sized Hershey chocolate cake on Saturday, and that was a wonderful dessert.  If you want to see the recipes and haven't visited the site, click here.  Thanks to everyone who has checked it out.  I hope that you find recipes on there that you try and like, and I would love to post some of your recipes on there as well!

Today we celebrate love.  You don't have to be in a romantic relationship with someone to enjoy the Valentine's holiday, although that is generally the main target audience of this day.  Chances are, you have family and friends that love you just as you are!  God certainly does.  He created you, and you are His children.  He loves you no matter what.  Ephesians 5:1-2 reinstates how much He loves us: "1Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us...".  God loves us so much, and wants to be with us always, that He allowed His Son to die for our salvation!  Now that's love.