Beef in Beer with Herb Dumplings, from Betsy

Ingredients:
Stew:
2 tbsp corn oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
8 carrots, sliced
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
2.5-ish pounds stew beef, cut into cubes
1 3/4 cups stout (I use Guinness)
2 tsp brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (I used half a tbsp of dried)

Herb Dumplings:
Generous 3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp mustard powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup shortening
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish
About 4 tbsp water


1. Preheat oven to 325*. Heat the oil in a large, oven safe pot. Add the onions and carrots and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the flour in a plastic ba and season with salt and pepper. Add the stew beef to the bag, close, and shake well to coat. Do in batches if necessary. (I just use a gallon-sized Ziploc and do it all at once)

2. Remove the veggies from the pot with a spoon and set aside. Add the meat, in batches, and cook until browned all over. Return all the meat, onions, and carrots to the pot and sprinkle in any remaining flour. Pour in the beer and add the sugar, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven to bake for 1 3/4 hours.

3. To make herb dumplings, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening and parsley, and add enough of the water to make a soft dough. Shape into small balls. Add to the pot and return to the oven for 30 minutes (covered). Remove and discard the bay leaves and serve, sprinkled with parsley.

Granny's Tuna and Shells, from Betsy

It's already so bloody hot I couldn't stand the thought of cooking tonight, so I whipped up a batch of one of my summertime staples. This is my grandmother's recipe. I don't actually measure anything, so play it by ear. Also qualifies for cheap meal status:

Granny's Tuna and Shells

Ingredients:
1 pound box medium shell pasta
2 cans tuna, drained
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 small onion, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup Italian dressing
cider vinegar
salt and pepper

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water

2. In a large bowl, mix pasta with vegetables and tuna.

3. Add the mayo, starting with 1/2 cup, and go until it's as moist as you like. Stir in the Italian dressing. Add a splash of cider vinegar (a couple teaspoons). Season with s & p to taste.

4. Cover and chill for several hours. I like to make this in the morning, so I don't have to turn the stove on when it's hot out.Serve with any snack cracker like Ritz or saltines.

Suggested by Betsy - Prairie Land Pot Roast

If you don't get the mag, this is the pot roast that dh was in ecstasies over:


Prairie Land Pot Roast (Kraft Food and Family, Winter 2008, pg. 17)

Prep: 20 min. Total: 2 hours 40 min.

1 boneless beef shoulder pot roast (2 lb.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bottle (8 oz.) Catalina dressing, divided
2 large onions, sliced
2 lb. Yukon gold or all-purpose potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb. carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
Water
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Season both sides of roast with salt and pepper. Brown meat in large heavy pot or Dutch oven on high heat in 1/4 cut of the dressing, turning to brown all sides. Add onions; stir to brown.

Add remaining dressing potatoes, carrots, and enough water to come three-fourths of the way up meat (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups). Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Remove meat from pan; slice meat thinly against the grain. Serve meat and vegetables topped with pan gravy. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Cincinnati Chili, from Betsy

Cincinnati Chili

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 16-oz. can tomato sauce
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup water
2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 lb. spaghetti
shredded Cheddar cheese for topping

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until golden. Add garlic and saute a minute longer.

Stir in Tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, kidney beans, chili powder, sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside, keeping warm.

Serve chili over spaghetti; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.

(adapted from Saving Dinner, by Leanne Ely. The original recipe also calls for diced green bell pepper, which I omit.)

Standing Rib Roast, from Betsy

Seasoning blend:

2 tablespoons kosher salt
1-2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard

Mix together.

Allow the roast to stand at room temperature for about an hour before roasting.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat the seasoning blend onto all sides of the roast liberally. Place the roast in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325, and roast until the internal temperature reaches the desired level of doneness (115 for rare). Remove from the oven and allow to stand 15 minutes in a warm place. Slice thinly, and serve with the following yummy accompaniments:



Wine Sauce for Beef

2 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1/2 cup red wine
Salt to taste

Bring the stock and wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups. Add salt to taste. Serve with beef.


Horseradish Sauce

1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 mayonnaise

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Serve with beef. This can be done in advance and kept in the fridge until time to serve. It gets tastier if it has time for the horseradish to develop a bit.