Guests for Dinner

Had some friends over for dinner. We ate beef stew, salad provided by Sue, Chocolate fudge brownies with caramel sauce provided by Diana and bread

Beef stew with stout.

• 4 lbs beef roast cut to 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 tbs avocado oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 med onions ~ 1 1/2 cups chopped fine.
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups broth beef or chicken
• 1 1/4 cups stout (Chocolate stout works well)
• 1 1/2 lbs small potatoes 1 inch pieces or sweet potatoes in 1 inch pieces.
• 1 lb carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces ~ 3 to 4 large carrots
• 2 tbs fresh minced parsley

1. Set oven to 325 salt and pepper beef chunks.
2. In dutch oven add oil, onions and salt. Cook on stove top at med high until the onions are brown.  8 to 10 minutes
3. Add tomato past and garlic cook until colored and fragrant. 2 minutes
4. Add flour stir until cooked. 1 minute
5. Whisk in Broth and 3/4 cups Beer, Scrape up brown stuff from bottom and side. Bring to a boil until thickened about 3 minutes. Stir in beef chunks and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer to oven leaving lid off and cook for 90 minutes stir at 45 minutes or half way ( beef should be sticking out of the stock mixture.)
7. Add carrots and potatoes cook for an other 60 minutes until soft.
8. Add parsley and last 3/4 cups of stout beer return to a boil on stove top and serve.

Carmel Sauce

• 3 cups Sugar
• 1 cup butter 2 cubes
• 1 1/2 cups milk, smoother and richer with cream
• 1/4 cup maple
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, butter, vanilla, and maple syrup stir constantly under med high heat until brown (320 degrees Fahrenheit) in large sauce pan (the mixture foams up when you add the cream/ milk) once brown add the cream whisk until smooth. Basic recipe (without the maple salt and vanilla) from "Huntsville Heritage Cookbook" Mrs James R. McCown

We had a good time and watched the Christmas in July Mrs Fisher mystery. Not the best Mrs Fisher mystery but it was OK.