This is, hands-down, my husband's favorite meal - he would eat it every day if I'd make it for him. He's even said it's better than his mom's, and that is definitely saying something! This is a recipe my mom got when she first got married, I think, and I wish I'd copied it from my mother verbatim because it actually says things like "leave it alone" and "go back to bed"; I've done my best to re-create the magic. The point is, it's a very easy, slow-roast recipe that is terrific the first time or as leftovers. Perfect for cold, rainy days and weekends.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Mix, in a casserole dish with a TIGHT lid (that's important!):
2 lbs. of beef stew meat, cubed (I now buy my stew meat pre-cubed - it comes labeled "stew meat"; you can buy any cheap cut of meat and cut it into cubes)
1 c. sliced carrots (I just use baby carrots, whole)
2 chopped onions (yep, you really use two whole onions - small to medium-sized yellow)
1 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 can of cream of tomat or cream of celery soup (I use celery), thinned with 1/2 can of water
1 big raw potato, sliced (I cut it into chunks or slices about 3/4 inch thick)
piece of bay leaf (about half of a bay leaf - big enough that you can find it later to remove it!)
Once ingredients are mixed, put lid on casserole. Cook at 275 for 5 hours (yes, FIVE). Don't stir it, don't check it, don't touch it. Go back to bed, read the Sunday paper, whatever. In 5 hours, it will be PERFECT. Remove from oven and serve right from the casserole dish.
About This Blog
The idea for this blog came from my attempt to improve the variety in my family's evening meal after my second pregnancy, during which I made little or no effort to cook. Since I have two small children, I focused on my easiest recipes to minimize time in the kitchen, and aimed to go at least one whole calendar month without repeating a dinner menu. I did re-use a few side dishes, but I didn't repeat entrees, and I rarely spent more than 30-40 minutes making dinner. Ultimately, I found I could go way beyond one month!
I thought other folks might benefit from my little experiment, so I decided to go ahead and publish "a month of menus," including calendar, menus, recipes*, and notes. I've made some adjustments to my actual calendar to take out nights we ate out, spread out the chicken dishes, etc. (Once I get the first month complete, I may try to post a second month's worth.) I've posted each recipe as a separate posting for ease in searching, and the calendar appears at the bottom of the page. (My apologies that a few recipes are out of order. A blog is a difficult format for this, but it's a heckuva lot easier than a website!)
I hope someone out there will find this information useful! Bon appetit!
*Many of my recipes are from cookbooks or were published in a magazine or on a website. I have done my best to be respectful of copyrights, so in some cases I don't reprint a recipe here, but I point you to the book or link you to the website. I have attributed all other recipes as best I could, but I don't always have the original source noted in my own files. My apologies to anyone who isn't properly credited for a recipe!
I thought other folks might benefit from my little experiment, so I decided to go ahead and publish "a month of menus," including calendar, menus, recipes*, and notes. I've made some adjustments to my actual calendar to take out nights we ate out, spread out the chicken dishes, etc. (Once I get the first month complete, I may try to post a second month's worth.) I've posted each recipe as a separate posting for ease in searching, and the calendar appears at the bottom of the page. (My apologies that a few recipes are out of order. A blog is a difficult format for this, but it's a heckuva lot easier than a website!)
I hope someone out there will find this information useful! Bon appetit!
*Many of my recipes are from cookbooks or were published in a magazine or on a website. I have done my best to be respectful of copyrights, so in some cases I don't reprint a recipe here, but I point you to the book or link you to the website. I have attributed all other recipes as best I could, but I don't always have the original source noted in my own files. My apologies to anyone who isn't properly credited for a recipe!
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