Beef Stew and Bling!

So the other day (and by other day I mean about 3 weeks ago), I made my awesome and amazing Beef Stew because I had been craving it for WEEKS. I figured since I was making it, I might as well take pictures and make a tutorial for it! So here it is! :)

Beef Stew

(FYI: I don't usually use roux in my Beef Stew, but you are welcome to do so in yours. Also I don't usually measure, so everything is approximate.)

Ingredients

1 lb. beef tenderloin cut into chunks (or a pack of pre-cut stew meat works fine)
1/2-1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2-3/4 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small bag of carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (14oz) can of sweet peas
6 cups water (approximately)
Seasonings to Taste:
Season-all
Garlic Powder

Directions

1) Put a little oil or butter in your pan and brown your meat. :)

2) Add in your onion and bell pepper. Let them cook down some. Then add your garlic.

3) Then add your water. Bring everything to a boil. Then add your potatoes!

4) Bring to a boil again, and when the potatoes are getting a little soft, add your carrots. :)

5) Bring to a boil AGAIN, and when your carrots and potatoes are almost done, add your sweet peas.

6) Let everything simmer on very low for a while. I like it to simmer for 30 mins to an hour so the meat gets tender. During this time, I usually make some rice. :) When everything has been cooked, I usually skim the grease off of the top. :) After this, add your seasonings to make it taste niiiice. :)

7) Serve on rice and enjoy!

With every good meal, there must be something special to wear! I decided to try my hand at crafting a new piece of jewelry! It was super easy to make, and I LOVE IT!! It is a wrap bracelet that can also function as a headband or a necklace! I simply used the tutorial on this website.

 Ain't it cute? :D

My Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I decided the other day to make my husband a nice dinner. :) He has been dying for some gumbo, so I figured I should make him some since he IS the most wonderful husband in the world, AND he just got a new job. :) So here is my recipe.

I would just like to point out, though, that this is just how I make MY gumbo. There are HUNDREDS of different ways to make this. The only thing that must must MUST be in a gumbo to make it a "real gumbo," is roux. Roux is a flour and oil mixture that is cooked on the stove (or in your oven depending on your recipe) until the flour and oil mixture is a little darker than you want your gravy or juice to be. Roux is used in stew, gumbo, etoufée, fricassée, and many other cajun dishes. The recipe for roux below can be doubled or tripled or whatever depending on how much you want to make or save. :) Just keep the proportions the same.

Roux (For Gumbo)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup oil

Directions:

1) Mix oil and flour together in sauce pan.

2) Cook on medium heat until milk chocolate color. Stir constantly.

3) Use all in gumbo (or whatever) or store in ziploc or other container in freezer until needed.

FAQs (Or rather the Questions I called my mom to answer for me the first time I made this):

-Is it supposed to bubble like that?
A: While cooking it yes. When it stops bubbling as much is when it starts to brown. You are basically frying the flour until its the color you want your roux.

-Is it supposed to look kinda chunky?
A: Yes.

-My arm hurts. :(
A: Suck it up or make it in the oven. xD Gumbo is worth this bit of effort! I promise!

-What color should my roux be if I want to make an etoufée or something?
A: Lighter than this one. Dark roux are usually used for gumbo or stew. Light roux is for etoufée. :)


Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

(FYI: I NEVER usually measure. This is all approximate. If there seems to be too much or too little of something, add it or take it away. xD Sorry!)

Ingredients:

1/2 -1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2-3/4 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
2-3 links of sausage, chopped
Roux (see above)
6 cups water (approximately)
Seasonings to taste:
Season-all
Garlic powder
Cayenne

Directions:

1) Saute veggies. :)

2) Add water and roux. Let come to boil.

3) Add sausage. Let cook for a bit. Add chicken. I usually put the raw chicken and uncooked sausage in the water itself, but you can put precooked meat in this too. :) Let come to boil again and then bring to simmer. Let cook on low for a while until it's magical. While it does this, make some rice. :D

4) Add seasonings. When completed, turn off heat and let sit for a minute. Skim grease off of the top. Serve on rice with crackers, filé, or whatever you want! :D

 Before grease is removed.

 After grease is removed.

 The amount of grease removed is uncanny!

My husband was super excited about having gumbo for supper. :) And I was super happy to make it! I also made a few plates of cookies for desert!