I don’t think you have to be local to be experiencing this crazy cold front. From what I hear even people in Miami are freezing their thong bikinis off. I swear it went from sunny (albeit cold) to this within 5 minutes…
Having this kind of weather makes me do two things…insists my kids wear socks even though one who shall remain nameless has perpetually sweaty feet. Two, make a tummy warming stew for dinner. This Beer Beef Stew from Pioneer Woman hits the spot. (and it gave me an excuse to open a beer at 3p…teehee)
I used a Dogfish Head Raisin Ale that was delish…both in the soup & the bottle. (;
I did run into a bit of a hitch however near the last 30 minutes when my stew didn’t thicken up like it was supposed to. I’m pretty sure this was most likely user error since all of my cooking time included a large, grumpy, teething, growth on my hip…
(I know you love my Ariel mermaid necklace/fleece sweatshirt combo, it’ll soon be all the rage, you just wait)
But after a little help from google I found some quick thick fixes.
One, make a rue. I added about 1 tbs of flour to some minced garlic & butter in a skillet over low heat. Whisk, whisk, whisk for about one minute. Add a bit of beer & keep whisking until you have really thick gravy paste. Add to stew & stir well. 
Method #2: Potato mash. The rue certainly helped but I wanted it a little thicker (and really just wanted to see if smooshed potatoes could actually do anything) so I fished 3 or 4 potatoes out of the stew, smashed them with a fork & worked them back into the stew. And you know what? It actually worked. 
I served this over some instant rice because I still was a little heavy on the broth to stew ratio but if I had planned better I would’ve made mashed potatoes with it…mmmmm. I did however also serve cheddar biscuits because really, if you’re gonna have 2 carbs already what’s a 3rd. (I just worked some shredded cheddar into biscuit dough)
Please share a link to your favorite dishes because I definitely need some more good belly warming recipes!!
I have made this stew from Pioneer Woman and it turned out very runny for me as well. In reading some of the comments on her blog it seems as if her measurements were off. I wish I would have thought to google some quick fixes like you did! Looks very tasty!
It has been so cold outside – perfect day for a thick, hearty soup! I’m vegetarian, so I made a version of this corn chowder http://itsnoteasyeatinggreen.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/corn-chowder-and-the-bad-gardener/, except I used canned corn, lazy ): I know, but it worked, used cumin instead of sage, and only used about 1/4 cup of heavy cream (1.5 cups, sounds yummy but not completely necessary in my opinion). Super duper yummy! 🙂
I love your blog! I’m fairly new at reading it but listen to your husbands show every morning. I love Pioneer Woman’s website. I haven’t tried this stew but it looks so good. Have you made her Evil Apple Dumplings? Oh my gosh, they are so good!
First off let me just say that Dogfish’s Raison D’Etre is one of my favorite beers (it doesn’t help the waistline that their alehouse is only 2 miles from my house). As far as a great belly warming recipe try this http://paleohmygoodness.blogspot.com/2011/11/smoky-bacon-chili.html. I actually call it Christmas chili because I made it back in December and when you see the red and green bell peppers with the onion in the pot it looked very festive. Enjoy! Oh and that Raison would go great with this meal as well. 😉
YUM! That chili sounds amazing. I can’t believe you live by their Alehouse. I’m head over heels in love with that beer. I’m assuming it is not “lite” however. Sadness.
Allrecipes.com (or the iphone app) is my favorite, but I also love this blog, A Year of Slow Cooking…..
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/?m=1
Also the Crock-pot app on the iphone is pretty good.
My other MUST do when it snows is to make homemade hot chocolate!
Hope this helps! 😉
Mmmmm! This is going on our monthly menu…so is the stew 😉
Here is a link to our favorite belly warming crock pot recipes, MmmBop Pork Chops and BBQ Chicken.
Check out my cooking blog for some cool new recipes: http://savvykitchen.blogspot.com/
PS Love the necklace!!! 🙂
I made an almost identical stew (http://seesarahbake.blogspot.com/2011/12/beef-sweet-potato-stew.html) a couple weeks ago- totally hit the spot. It’s one of my favorite “cold winter night” dishes!
It’s even cold here in Guatemala (well, relatively speaking), so we’re doing lots of warming foods, too. Here’s one of my favorites, a chowder! http://thegourmetmama.com/chicken-corn-chowder/
oooooooo this sounds so good! must add to my soup/stew aresenal.
p.s. my favorite to make and serve this time of year is a version of veggie chili with lots of onions, peppers, squash, chayote, mushrooms, corn, beans and tomatoes. Roast off all the veggies and add corn, beans (I use dark kidney, great northern, and black) and tomatoes. Stir in some water or veggie stock and your fav chili seasoning and though none of my friends/family are vegetarians we love this!
I live in Laurel and I’m a little sad I wasnt able to see the 2 hours of snow MD encountered. I was hoping to see some sprinkle during christmas and/or new years? But then I heard Southern Moco didnt see any either? The weather is funny. It could be sunny 10 minutes away from where it would be snowing 🙂
As for stew, I have yet to make any sort of stew/soup. Any tips? I am definitely into the ale!!
Just go for it! Most stews are pretty fool proof because the beauty is you let the meat cook for several hours which is what makes it so amazing. I especially love crock pot stew recipes!
Here’s one of my favs: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/hungarian-hot-sausage-and-lentil-stoup-recipe/index.html I only use half hot sausage though b/c my little ones don’t like it too spicy. And I use spinach instead of kale since I always have spinach on hand. This is actually so thick that I have to add water or broth to leftovers to thin it out a bit! Perfect for those chilly days (and nights).
Dogfish Head. Nuff said.
Looks super yummy! I’m going to have to try it, I’ve never made a stew!