Beef Stew

We woke up this morning to about an inch of snow - not much really for the area we live in (although we are forecast for more in the next couple of days) but enough that one of my first thoughts was......it's a slow cooker day.  Can you think of anything better than hunkering down at the end of a snowy day, with the fire blazing and a big bowl of beef stew on the table.....mmmm mmmm.

Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)
6-8 servings

1 kg stewing steak
2 cans condensed mushroom soup
1 can onion soup
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce

• peel and slice the onion and chop the garlic cloves; set aside.
• into a 5-6 quart slow cooker pot empty the three cans of soup.
• add the onion, garlic and worcestershire sauce and mix well.
• add the stewing steak and mix to combine everything thoroughly (if you want you can brown the meat in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker, but I never bother and it always comes out beautifully tender and moist)
• cook on LOW setting for 6-8 hours.

 Beef Stew ingredients.

slice and chop the onion and garlic.

put the soups, onion, garlic and worcestershire sauce in the slow cooker and mix well.

add the stewing steak and mix - I admit that at this stage the colour especially doesn't look very appetising, but by the end of the cooking time it will be a deep brown, bubbling bowl of bodaciousness ;o)

what did I tell you about the bodaciousness.....yummy!!

(I got our second slow cooker going with cheesy potato bake to go alongside...mmmmm)

Butternut Squash Soup

When you start with something as wonderful as a butternut squash it doesn't take many more ingredients to make it into a tasty, heartwarming soup.  This soup comes out quiet peppery (we like it that way), so today I had a watermelon and tomato salad along side to cool things down a bit - a very nice combination.

Butternut Squash Soup
serves 4-6 depending on bowl size :o)

2 Tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and flesh cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cups water
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper (or less if you don't like it so peppery)

• melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook the onions until slightly transparent, about 2 minutes.
• add the ginger, garlic and squash; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 6-8 minutes.
• pour in the water and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• puree the soup in a blender in batches (when pureeing hot liquids you should only fill your blender to half way).
• stir in the orange juice, salt and pepper and serve hot.

 unfortunately I didn't grow butternut squash this year, but next year I will and it will taste even better!!!

don't throw those seeds away. Toss them with a little salt, chili and cayenne pepper and roast in the oven at 350 F, for about 10-15 minutes. Delicious.

little golden nuggets

onion, ginger and garlic - three intense flavours that compliment the squash perfectly.

I LOVE the smell of onions as they cook.

doesn't look much like soup yet, but it will.

as the water boils and then simmers, stir occasionally.

if you don't have a stand blender, an immersion blender will work just as well.

we had ours with a cooling watermelon and tomato salad on the side.