Finally Cooler Weather

I was shocked to see that it has been a year since I wrote a blog.  Guess I've been busy!  After a long hot Texas summer it has finally cooled off.  One of my favorite things to do in the fall is make a giant pot of beef stew.  Today is the day!  I have made this recipe for as long as I can remember.  When we were first married (42 years ago!) we did a lot of tent camping with friends every fall.  We lived in New Jersey at the time so we were used to much cooler weather.  I would always make a big pot of stew to take.  Once the tent was set up we would heat up the stew over a fire.  Every time I make stew these memories come back to me.

Beef Stew

2 lbs stew meat
2 bags frozen stew vegetables
Minced garlic
2 pkgs mushroom gravy mix
Red wine
1 cup beef broth
2 cups water
Worcestershire Sauce
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Brown beef cubes in oil.  Add about 2 tbs red wine to deglaze the pan.  Add salt, pepper and paprika to taste.  Add about 1 tsp of minced refrigerated garlic and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.  Add 1 cup of beef broth, 2 cups of water.  Sprinkle 1 package of mushroom gravy mix over the top and stir to blend.  Add two bags of frozen vegetables.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 2-3 hours.   About a half hour before serving add and strir in the second package of mushroom gravy mix.  Simmer uncovered until thickened.

Note:  I am making this in my dutch oven but before I had one I mixed everything in a crock pot and cooked all day.

We will be enjoying this tonight with heated dinner rolls and for many other nights since I will have enough to freeze for additional meals.

Camping trips in the 1970's

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