What's For Dinner: My Best Beef Stew

It's definitely stew season in these here parts. Temperatures today were in the low 30's, with flakes of snow and a wind chill in the teens. It was 50 degrees a couple days ago...but that's how March is. Teases of spring mixed with serious winter.

I found a stew similar to mine on the Fun with Barb blog. She serves her stew with an Oat Wheat bread, which looked like a great combo, so I printed off the recipes as inspiration in October 2011.  I finally got around to making my stew, but mostly because my husband noticed the fantastic stew meat at a great price during our last trip to Meijer's grocery store.


My Best Beef Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat (or cut your own chunks from sirloin)
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 - 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Olive oil or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped into bigger pieces (1/2 to 3/4 inch), about 2 cups
2 tablespoons beef base
4 - 5 cups water
4 - 5 medium potatoes (I used red skin), cut into large cubes
1 pound baby carrots, halved
3 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into 1-inch sections
3 ounces tomato paste (half a can)
Optional vegetables to include: green beans, green peas, etc.

Put the flour and seasoned salt in a large zipper food bag, and add about one-third of the meat at a time. Shake to cover beef with flour, and remove pieces, shaking off excess flour back in the bag. Repeat with the rest of the beef cubes.
In a large Dutch Oven, heat oil over medium, and add floured beef cubes, a small batch at a time. Brown on all sides and remove from oil as they are done and set aside to make room for the next batch.

Once beef is done, add onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring to prevent burnt pieces. Add the cooked beef, water, and beef base to the onions in the Dutch oven, and stir to dissolve the beef base. Cover and simmer 1.5 to 2 hours. Then add cubed potatoes, carrots and celery and simmer another 30-45 minutes. Add the tomato paste to thicken gravy at the end (the dish does not look or taste like tomatoes, in case you are wondering). Makes great leftovers.

Makes about 12 cups of beef stew. Nutritional information per one cup:   222 calories, 19 grams protein, 7 grams fat, 19 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 45 milligrams cholesterol, 582 milligrams sodium.

p.s. I did make the oat wheat bread from the Fun with Barb blog linked above, but had "yeast failure" (I was waiting for the yeast to bubble during the proofing stage, but it never did. I proofed a second packet of yeast --different brand--and that bubbled in 10 minutes. That put me behind and the bread was done after we were done with dinner (it should take about the same time as stew, as long as everything goes right).  It might be wise to start the bread an hour before you start the stew, if you want to serve them together.

Also, the bread baking directions say the oven temperature is 305, but I used 350F (the other number is likely a typo) and baked for 40 minutes. The bread turned out great.

Tidbits: How Much Dark Chocolate is the Dose for Health?

Well, chances are that by now, you have worked your way through your Valentine box of chocolates.  No matter if you got the chocolate as a gift or you picked them up yourself the day after Valentine’s for a bargain.

You were probably thinking, “chocolate is good for me”, when you got them, especially if you listen to the news often enough.

So here are my questions for you, to get you to think a minute:

• Did you eat the whole box within a week?
• Did you share with anyone?
• Did you make a vow to eat one piece per day until it was gone (because you always watch your weight)?
• Did you ask for or buy dark chocolate? Or are you a milk chocolate fan? 

• And last but not least, have you ever thought about how much chocolate you “need” in order to be healthy?

One thing amazes me in news stories about nutrition and food: The reporters give you the sound bite, “dark chocolate is good for (fill in the blank with either your heart, brain, blood pressure, cholesterol)”, but they neglect to mention “the rest of the story”, including the amount of chocolate that the study participants ate to get the good results.

According to the February 2013 issue of Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, yes, dark chocolate is good for you. But don’t take that as a license to eat a ton of it. Moderation may be a boring word, but that is the word of the day when it comes to chocolate.  Tufts reported that in one study, published in JAMA in 2007, it took just 6.3 grams (0.2 ounces) of dark chocolate per day to see a beneficial effect on blood pressure in people with mildly elevated blood pressure. 

So what is 6.3 grams of chocolate?  Half of a small square of foil-wrapped chocolate, or 7 Ghirardelli Double "dark" chocolate chips, or 13 Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate chips.

A piddling amount of chocolate is all you need each day. Pictured is the "dose" of Ghirardelli Dark chips with a "normal" chocolate chip in the middle to compare size.

As for the quiz questions above? If you were truly eating chocolate “for your health”, that box of chocolate should have lasted at least until now (2 weeks later). Unless, of course, you share. 

What's for Dinner: Chicken and Noodles

When I spotted this recipe on Pioneer Woman's blog (click here for recipe), I knew I had to make it.  It's perfect for a cold winter day, and I like recipes that make enough for a couple days of leftovers.

It's an easy recipe, but give yourself plenty of time as it takes a while to bring the chicken and water to a boil, and to de-meat the chicken (but using the chicken with the bones gives the best flavor, so the time is worth it.)

I did two things different from Pioneer Woman; I added the onion (she did not) and I added one tablespoon of chicken base (she had the base pictured with the other ingredients, but forgot to mention it in the printable recipe).

I also got some gorgeous flowers from my "favorite" cousin Alan (I have to be careful because I have 24 first cousins and I don't want any hurt feelings!)  In the middle of winter, these were most certainly a bright spot!

Lots of cheerful color

No color, and more white stuff to come.

Tidbit: What if you can’t gain weight?

This time of year is “all diets all the time” on the TV, in magazines and in pharmacies (take this product or join this program to lose all the weight you want!).  I have found that many people who wish to lose weight have a good idea what to do (cut portions down, stop the liquid calories, and move their bodies more), but they need someone like me to help hold them accountable, and to make sure they are not getting off track and harming themselves with extreme measures.  

But what about the people who can’t hold their weight and are too thin? You may think by looking around general society (especially in the U.S.) that everyone is overweight. But I have a number of clients who need to gain weight.  They are in just as much angst about their weight as the overweight person. 

For example, one woman I worked with was 6 feet tall and just 97 pounds (BMI 12). She was a good eater, no problems with appetite, and has had other medical problems ruled out. But apparently she was a high calorie burner.  She wants to get back to her normal weight of between 110 and 120 pounds.

Other clients lost weight due to no appetite from surgery, others have had long-standing dental issues, while others have had GI problems that don’t allow them to absorb nutrients from their food.

So what can an underweight person do to gain weight? And what can a friend or family member do to help?

• First off, no nagging. Even if I figure a calorie goal, a person can’t start the next day at that level; you have to start where you’re at, and add a little more food each day. I have witnessed family members being so judgmental about food choices (i.e. “you shouldn’t eat that pudding, it has sugar in it, it’s poison”) that I’m sure their loved one is not helped (and is likely discouraged). Sorry, but two days after surgery is not the time to introduce heavy-duty soy protein bars, organic trail mixes and other so-called “healthier” options.

While there are lots of reasons for weight loss, here are other ideas to use as a starting point to help gain weight. Remember, it’s just as difficult for an underweight person to gain weight as it is for the overweight to lose, so they have to keep working at it.

• Make every calorie count. Drink juice instead of water (you still get the water value).
• Choose the higher calorie food option, such as real mayonnaise and salad dressing (not the light version).
• Aim to increase calories by at least 500 per day. This will require keeping a food record for about a week, adding up normal daily calories, then adding 500 to that.
• Any chance you can, add calories. Put peanut butter on toast, leave a bowl of nuts or dried fruit in full view for random snacking, and always add butter or margarine to bread, rice, noodles and potatoes.
• Consider adding a liquid supplement between meals such as Ensure, Boost, Carnation Instant Breakfast (or the store brand equivalent).
• Desserts are OK right now because you need the calories and the calories add up fast (a medium piece of pie or cake can be 400-500 calories, while a medium cookie is about 100 calories).

And if you are the one who would like to gain weight, be sure to check with your physician or health provider to make sure you don’t have other medical problems (thyroid, diabetes, cancer, GI malabsorption, etc.) as the cause of the weight loss.

What's for Dinner: Lasagna bites for Potluck

This past Thursday was our quilt bee's annual potluck. We had a very light turnout this year, not due to the weather, but due to some unplanned quilty conflicts (a new quilt shop in the area hosted their first sleep-away retreat, and we suspect at least three of our members joined them).  So our potluck ended up with 3 salads, tortilla soup, chicken with biscuits casserole and these lasagna "cupcakes" that I brought. The hostess (Vicky R, the "other" Vicky) scrounged up a frozen pumpkin roll leftover from the holidays, as we were in danger of not having dessert (that usually never happens).

I learned about these fun cupcake-sized lasagna bites from Tommy Cooks blog, and I modified the recipe slightly. Very yummy! Plan to have 2 per person or more; this depends on number of dishes at your potluck, and the size of appetite of the guests.

Recipe: Lasagna "Cupcakes"

2-1/2 to 3 cups good spaghetti sauce
3/4 to 1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
2 packages wonton wrappers
8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
4 ounces Ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tin generously with cooking spray (even better would be non-stick muffin tins, cuz these buggers really stick).

Brown ground beef; season with salt and pepper, and drain.
Mix mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheeses together with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Cut wonton wrappers into circles the diameter of your muffin openings, using a sharp biscuit cutter. (I didn't have quite enough wrappers the first time through, so used the scraps as the middle noodle layer where they wouldn't be seen).

Reserve 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 6 tablespoons mozzarella for the top of cupcakes.

Start layering the cupcakes. Begin with a wonton circle, add 1-2 teaspoons cheese mixture, and top with 1-2 teaspoons meat and marinara sauce. Repeat layers, and end with marinara sauce. Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the lasagna cupcakes and pop each lasagna out.

Note: I made the cupcakes the night before, refrigerated them, then baked them the next afternoon prior to the potluck. Add 5 minutes more baking time if you do this.

Nutrition information per cupcake: 114 calories, 5 grams fat, 8 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 192 milligrams sodium.

Tidbits: What to do with Pomegranates?

As you may have noticed, pomegranates are in season! The grocery store has piles of red pomegranates next to oranges.  Decorator-type people use fresh pomegranates on wreaths and swags, while foodies use them in green salads, in fresh fruit salads, sprinkled on cereal and as an ingredient in combination fruit juices.

But have you ever tried to open up a pomegranate to remove those beautiful red gems of seeds (technically called arils)? Getting the seeds out (without making a big mess) is not the easiest thing to accomplish, I have found.

According to Martha (yes, THE Martha), when she was a recent guest on the Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me radio show, there is a fairly quick and easy way to remove the seeds from a pomegranate.  First, carefully cut through just the pomegranate skin, slicing it as if you are quartering it. Pull the quarters apart to reveal the red seeds.

Next, get a big bowl.  Take each quarter, seed side facing your palm, and with your other hand, tap the tough pomegranate skin with the back of a wooden spoon. The seeds should pop into the bowl without much effort.  Oh, and wear an apron or clothing that you don’t mind a few stains on, because pomegranates stain fabric like crazy.

Martha has a video clip of this procedure if you’d like to see it before trying.

As far a nutrition, one-half cup of arils or seeds contain 72 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 1 gram fat and 1 gram protein, plus 15 percent of your daily value of vitamin C.  A pretty and nutritious addition to your seasonal fruit choices!

New Food Safety App

"Is My Food Safe" is a newer free app to help you with those nagging questions, such as:

• Is that leftover item from last weekend still good?
• How long can I keep that opened container of sour cream?
• How long does it take to roast this whole chicken?

There's even a quiz "Is my Kitchen Safe?"  I took the quiz and got one wrong! Even though I am the Queen of Food Safety (and no one wants to hear about that, by the way), I missed the question about the safe way to thaw food. I picked the answer "in the refrigerator", but the right answer was "in the refrigerator and in the microwave".

Ok, I know you can thaw stuff in the microwave. But I also know that microwaves cook and thaw unevenly, and I was thinking about a friend who thaws meat in her microwave in the morning, and there it sits until she's ready to cook dinner (Yikes!)

To read more about the app, check out the Home Food Safety web site.