JuJu’s Beef Stew and JuJu’s Easy Apple Crumble

Makes a huge pot

I wanted something “stick to my rib-ish” tonight, so I made beef stew.  It was so good that the boys ate multiple bowls of it.  For dessert, apple crumble.  I was inspired by the fabulous Mango-Strawberry crumble that C brought over last weekend.  (And to think, that girl used to not know how to cook!)  My measurements for the crumble are guesswork, since I cook by the “pinch” and “smidge” method.  The boys said that the stew smelled good while it was cooking, but the wine and onions made Zazu’s eyes burn.

1 1/2 pounds of stew beef, cut into cubes

1 cup red wine

1 onion, chopped up

5 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper, 1 TBSP each

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine)

big pinch of oregano

2 carrots, sliced

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed

¼ pound mushrooms, sliced

1 yam, peeled and cubed

Heat the oil in a big soup pot until hot.  Dredge the beef in the flour, salt and pepper.  Brown the meat in the oil and remove to a bowl.  Cook the garlic and onion in the oil over low heat until soft.  Add the wine, the tomatoes, the oregano, the meat and enough water to cover all.  Top with the lid and let the meat simmer for 1 hour.  Meanwhile, peel and dice the rest of the vegetables.  Add them to the stew after one hour, put the lid back on and let simmer until the meat and vegetables are tender (about another hour and a half)  Yum.

JuJu’s Easy Apple Crumble

8 Gala apples, peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamon

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups of granola, crushed in a bag with a rolling pin

1/4 to 1 cup oil

Cook the apples, with the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamon and water over medium low heat until they are tender.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Put the apples in a baking pan or skillet.  Mix the crushed granola with the oil, and sprinkle over the apples.  Bake for 25 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.

"Goulash ~ Savory beef stew with mushrooms and carrots" by Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0