Weekend report

So we hit the Party Source hard and well over the weekend. We had to have two people boxing our purchases. That's how much we rocked that place.

Hit up Maggiano's after the Party Source. We also rocked that place hard. I had the lasagna and Randy had the veal parm. Both were great. We got a tiramisu for the road. I heart me some tiramisu. It means "pick me up" after all. I may also have eaten about 12 slices of bread from the bread basket. But none of those carbs count because we were traveling.

Tonight (and probably at least one night subsequent) will be beef stew w/ dumplings night - lovely lovely comfort food. My recipe is pretty basic.

Place a cup of flour in a zip-top bag. Add generous shakes of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add 1 pound of stew meat, and shake thoroughly to coat the beef. Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large pot. When heated, add the flour-coated beef in batches to brown. Once all the meat is browned, add 2 roughly chopped onions and let them get coated with the oil, meaty goodness. I generally toss in another tablespoon or so of flour at this point. Then add a cup or so of baby carrots. Then I add about a pound or so of large-dice red-skinned potatoes.* Then, give it a few squirts of the ol' W-shire sauce, a sprinkle of bouillion, some more salt/pepper, and any other seasonings that capture my imagination. Then I add about half a beer, whatever we have around (no High Life or Genny Ice, but we never have that around anyway) give it a good stir, and finally, 2-3 cans of beef stock or broth, to cover all the potatoes, etc. Let it simmer as long as possible for the flavors to meld. Delish.

Then, as if such stewy goodness weren't enough, I make the classic Bisquick dumplings - 2 c milk to 2/3 c Bisquick - spoon onto the top of the stew, cook 10 minutes uncovered, 10 minutes covered, and serve!

* Note - only use the sturdier varieties of potato in recipes such as this: red skins, Yukon golds, or regular white boiling potatoes. Avoid Idaho, russet, etc. because they will quite literally disintegrate into the soup/stew because of their flaky texture. They are best in dishes like vichyssoise, where you want that starchy texture to dissolve into the soup base.