Beef and Mushroom Braised Stew

Beef and Mushroom Braised Stew

I don't drive. To many the idea of not driving would be shocking. I know how to drive, but I have always had horrible motion sickness. Behind the wheel I last about 5 minutes before I feel the need to be sick. As you can imagine this doesn't work well when on the road. I have seen doctors who have attempted to fix my inner ear, treated the anxiety part of my motion sickness (I also get very nervous behind the wheel) and none of it has worked. Honestly, when I was 23 I stopped driving and haven't been behind the wheel since. We live in a one car household, I walk everywhere or my husband drives. I lasted all through undergrad, working and grad school without a car. It was never a big hassle and honestly I'm a big proponent of trying to limit your carbon footprint and would love it if everyone drove less. I know many people reading are thinking but my husband and I work different hours, locations etc. and that it's different for us since I stay home. I didn't always stay home. My husband and I both worked 3 jobs during grad school and for two years after. We managed fine with one car, we stayed thin walking, we carpooled and we saved money on gas. If I go back to work I will still not drive. We are used to being a one car household (and one driver) and it works for us. We are just a little different than most households and that's part of what makes everyone in the world great; each of us have our own unique circumstances and things that set us apart. On to the food! This week the males in my house have been on a meat and potatoes kick. So I combined the two and made a recipe for Beef and Mushroom Braised Stew from the September/October 2013 issue of Taste of Home magazine.

Buskirk Field (Looking NE) Marshall University

This recipe has 19 ingredients. It takes 2 hours and 5 minutes, 35 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I made a number of changes to the original recipe. I used homemade dried rosemary and thyme from my garden. Drying herbs is really easy, just wash them, tie them with kitchen twine, place in a brown paper bag with a few holes for air circulation and hang upside down for a week or two. Much cheaper than store bought. For the mashed potatoes I made buttermilk mashed potatoes. Buttermilk mashed potatoes have a great flavor and worked very well with the stew. The final change I made to the original recipe was to caramelize the onions before adding the garlic. The taste of caramelized onions is delicious in beef dishes.

Kentucky Wildflowers

The males in my house were huge fans of this stew. There is something about beef and mushrooms that a lot of men love. My husband ate two huge bowls for dinner and my oldest son went around stealing the beef off the plate of his brother. The finished stew had a great melding of flavor and was nice over the mashed potatoes. It would also be delicious plain with crusty bread.

For the recipe go to Beef and Mushroom Braised Stew.

Beef and Mushroom Braised Stew

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

A perfect combination of mushrooms and beef roast made into a Beef and Mushroom Braised Stew. Served over mashed potatoes it's delicious!

Preparation Time: 0h, 35m

Cooking Time: 1h, 30m

Total Time: 2h, 5m

Yield: Serves 6