Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Ok this is a must try from the Pioneer Woman. Like seriously if you don't have all the ingredients go to the store now and by them! You will not be sorry! I love stew. I mean its yummy so who wouldn't but man oh man this stew is amazing! like I can't even find words to describe its yumminess and definitely get a yummy fresh crusty bread to dip into it! Its like heavan....

FYI I follow all her recipes as written :)

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 pounds Stew Meat
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can
• 4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)
• 2 cups Water (additional, If Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• ½ teaspoons Paprika
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1-½ teaspoon Sugar
• 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
• 4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
• Minced Parsley (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
*UPDATE: The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.
Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.

Posted by Ree on January 8 2011

Another Mac and Cheese Recipe

I LOVE Macaroni and Cheese so I'm a total sucker when it comes to new recipes for it and I'll try any of them at least once! Well this is one of those recipes that is definitely only going to be a one timer in our household. We didn't like it all...like we threw out most of the pan, but it could just be our taste buds. The hubby was convinced the cheese was bad but I honestly think it was the dry mustard that was added, but whatever the case may be we are not making this again ever. Sadly I do have to say this did come from the Pioneer Woman, but the next recipe I'm going to post will def make up for this one!

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

(Supposedly) Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo

After Kelly made fettuccine alfredo, it inspired a craving that I just had to satisfy. I LOVE fettuccine alfredo. It is pretty much my favorite food ever. I couldn't get to the recipe Kelly used, so I ended up hunting around on food.com to find one. I didn't think it tasted much like the Olive Garden version, but it wasn't by any means a bad thing! This recipe was so good. I will definitely make it again.

As a comparison to the recipe Kelly made, I'd say this one is more creamy, versus the Pioneer Woman version which is more rich and cheesy. Regardless of whether you're a fan of a more cheesy sauce or a more creamy sauce, I have one rule of thumb I keep in mind when I make alfredo. Don't add the parmesan cheese to the cream-butter mixture until a few minutes before you serve it. I like to stir it in while it's still on the stove to ensure it melts completely, but it gets clumpy textured if you let it cook with the cheese too long. Ok I'm done talking. Now for the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese (I used 2 ounces)
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used 3 cloves of fresh garlic)
• salt
• black pepper
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably fresh)
• 1 lb fettuccine, prepared as directed

We also topped it with chicken breast seasoned with cajun seasoning,
seasoned pepper, and garlic salt grilled on the George Foreman.

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter (saute minced garlic in)
2. When butter is melted, add cream cheese.
3. When the cream cheese is softened, add heavy cream.
4. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
6. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan. (I stirred in the parmesan about 2 mins prior to turning off the heat to make sure it melted completely)
7. Serve over hot fettuccine noodles.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Another must try that is so easy from the Pioneer Woman. It is super rich and I bet oh so good if you add some grilled chicken, brocoli and carrots, which is something I plan on trying in the near future!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Fettuccine Noodles
• 1 stick Butter
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 2 cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.
Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.
Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.
Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.
Serve immediately as a main course or accompaniment to meat or salad.
Delicious!

Sloppy Joes

Another yummy one from the Pioneer Woman! This is also a bit spicy if you add everything but oh so yummy! And definitely toast the buns with real butter YUM!

Ingredients:


■2 Tablespoons Butter
■2-½ pounds Ground Beef
■½ whole Large Onion, Diced
■1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
■5 cloves Garlic, Minced
■1-½ cup Ketchup
■1 cup Water
■2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
■2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
■1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
■½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
■Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
■2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
■Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
■Salt To Taste
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
■Kaiser Rolls
■Butter

Preparation Instructions:


Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if it makes your skirt fly up. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

Rempel Family Meatloaf

Ok so I'm not the biggest fan of meatloaf or I wasn't in the past but I've been brave and started trying out new recipes. This one is super good and even my mom who isn't a fan of meatloaf had a second helping! I got this recipe off of Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons steak sauce

 Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Stir the ground beef, crushed crackers, Cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

3.Bake in preheated oven until the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) and is no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes.

Pasta alla Vodka

Oh if you know me you know my love of the Pioneer Woman and I've started making some of her recipes. Although not all of them are what I'd call amazing she does have a quite a few that are amazing!! This is one of those recipes that is oh so good and if you would like to add some chicken to it yum!

Ingredients:


■1 pound Pasta
■2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■2 Tablespoons Butter
■1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped Finely
■2 cloves (to 3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped
■¾ cups (to 1 Cup) Vodka
■1 can (About 14 Oz.) Tomato Puree
■1 cup Heavy Cream
■1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
■¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Salt
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
■1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and stir.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat. Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pour mixture into large serving bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese.

Garden Veggie Pizza Squares

I made this for Nathan's first birthday party and they were a hit. I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com and its super simple and yummy :)

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (1 ounce) package Ranch-style dressing mix
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions


1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.Roll out crescent rolls onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Stretch and flatten to form a single rectangular shape on the baking sheet. Bake 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

3.Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Mix cream cheese with 1/2 of the ranch dressing mix. Adjust the amount of dressing mix to taste. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli and green onions on top. Chill in the refrigerator approximately 1 hour. Cut into bite-size squares to serve.