Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Cook Time:  4-5 hours high or 6-8 low in a slow cooker

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Originally posted in 2018. Updated with new pictures.

"You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here." - Buddy, from the movie Elf. Now, take away the words cup of coffee and add in "beef stew," and what do you have? World's best beef stew!  

Yes, I realize the holidays are over, but I had to chuckle recently when making my favorite beef stew recipe. I happened to google beef stew, and a dozen articles popped up claiming to be "The Best Beef Stew Recipe." It made me giggle and think of Buddy the elf. I know...I digress:)

While our beef stew may not be famous, this hearty beef stew hits all the flavor notes, and according to our family and friends, IT IS The Best Beef Stew!! It is like a big flavorful hug of comfort. Perhaps it is the Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, or maybe it is our secret ingredient, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, that seals the deal?  

So if you are "stewing" over The Best Beef Stew recipe to serve your gang, consider adding our Hearty Beef Stew Recipe to your cache. This comforting recipe, bursting with flavor, will warm your soul from the inside out, and we are confident you will find our Hearty Beef Stew to be the "Best Beef Stew Recipe" out there;)

Thank you for visiting! Please comment below if you made this recipe and come back again.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 cup flour (or gluten-free flour of choice)

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Rosemary (dried or fresh)

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Thyme (dried or fresh)

• 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Olive Oil

• 1 onion, chopped and divided in half

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minors Beef Base (or beef bouillion of your choice)

• 1 cup of water

• 1/2 cup red wine (plus a glass for yourself:)

• 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) tomato paste

• 4 carrots, washed, peeled, and diced into 1-inch pieces

• 5 stalks of celery, washed and coarsely chopped

• 4 potatoes, washed and diced into cubes

• 2 Bay leaves

• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)

Preparation

Chop all vegetables and set them aside.  In a large bowl, add the flour, the and Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, pepper, Rosemary, and Thyme, and stir.  Add the stew meat to the bowl and mix with hands to evenly coat the meat with the flour mixture.  

Turn your crockpot on low.  Add half of the onions to the slow cooker. 

This step is completely optional, but I feel it really locks in the flavor.  If you are short on time, then skip this step.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil to medium.  Add coated meat in batches to the hot skillet, and sear on all sides for a couple of minutes, stirring often.  Once the meat is lightly seared, place over onions in the slow cooker.  After about half of the meat is finished searing, add the second half of onions to the slow cooker.  Add the rest of the seared meat to the slow cooker.  Feel free to add a little more oil if it looks like you will need it.  Once the meat has been seared and placed in the slow cooker, now it is time for the rich sauce.

Turn the pan down to low.  Mix the water and beef base together until it has dissolved.  Set aside.  Add the red wine to begin deglazing the pan.  Make sure to scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen all the wonderful bits and flavor from the bottom.  Add the leftover flour, beef base and Worcestershire sauce, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and tomato paste to the pan.  Cook and stir for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  

Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker.  Add the chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, and bay leaf to the slow cooker!  Add peas (optional) towards the end of cooking time. Turn your slow cooker on low, walk away, and in a few hours you will enjoy "The Best Beef Stew!".   

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Originally posted in 2016 but with updated pictures! Our #1 requested recipe!

This salmon recipe is probably the most delicious salmon recipe I have ever made, salmon with a blackberry champagne mustard glaze. Awesome! 

I failed to mention this recipe is extremely easy. Just my speed, "easy and elegant".  The best part, my family LOVED it.  They didn't even need the "one bite rule" enforced.  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves

• 1/4 cup Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• Fresh Salmon (adjust glaze according to amount of salmon)

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) pepper

• 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter

• parchment paper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Sprinkle salmon with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper.  Divide the butter into Tablespoon (Tbsp) portions and place on salmon a few inches apart.  

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves until blended.  Slather the mixture over the salmon.  Bake the salmon in the oven for 20 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through (breaks apart easily with a fork).

Serve with your favorite salad.  Enjoy!

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Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe

Chili Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Chili Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Are you a leftover lover or hater? I love turning today's leftovers into tomorrow's masterpiece, and stuffed peppers are the perfect masquerade for leftover meat, veggies, rice, chili, and so much more.  For this recipe, we used leftover chili, seasoned with Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend and Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa (or Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa).  

Make the chili one night and use the leftover chili in these stuffed peppers for round two later in the week.  Not only is this recipe a creative way to use up leftovers, but it is also the perfect dish to hide those unsuspecting vegetables from any picky eaters, and dinner on those busy nights is ready in about 30 minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Enjoy!

Comment below and let us know if you made these delicious stuffed peppers.  As always, thank you for visiting, and please come back again!

Ingredients  

• 1 yellow (sweet) onion, diced

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) olive oil

• 1 pound (lb) ground turkey or beef

• 3 generous Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minor's Beef Base, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water (could substitute 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup water or 1/4 cup prepared beef broth)

• 1 jar of Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa or Cherchies®Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa 

• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican Cheese blend, plus another cup for topping

• Assorted large peppers (red, green, yellow, or orange), washed, sliced, and deseeded

• 4 green onions, sliced (optional for garnish)

• Chopped cilantro (optional for garnish)
  

Preparation  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil on medium-low heat until translucent.  After the onion has cooked, add ground meat, Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, and beef base or bouillon mixed in water.

Turn heat to low and simmer until the meat is no longer pink. While meat is cooking, prepare the peppers. Wash, slice in half, and remove the seeds from the peppers.  Place the peppers on a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and set aside. (If peppers wobble to one side, roll up a little aluminum foil and place near peppers to stabilize while cooking. This also prevents the filling from spilling out).

As meat finishes cooking, add Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa or Cherchies® Vidalia Onion Peach Salsa, the can of black beans to the mixture, stir, and cook for a few more minutes.  Next, add 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the meat mixture and stir until melted. Turn off the heat and allow the meat to cool for ten minutes. (This will make filling the peppers easier).

After the meat has cooled slightly, carefully fill the peppers shells with the chili and return to the baking pan.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over peppers.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Garnish with chopped green onions and/or chopped cilantro (optional), and serve!

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp and Cheesy Grits Recipe

Cajun Shrimp and Cheesy Grits Recipe

Prep time: 15 MINUTES

Cook time: 20 MINUTES

Difficulty: Easy 

Yields: 4 servings

Sometimes you have to put on your big girl pants and try something new that intimidates you, including cooking. For me, that was shrimp and grits. This recipe came out of necessity from craving this dish in the middle of a pandemic, when ingredients were scarce.  

Throughout this pandemic, aside from family movie night and family game night, one night a week was dedicated to family take out night, where we patronized our local businesses and restaurants. The kiddos enjoyed ordering whatever floated their fancy, and Mom and Dad enjoyed NOT cooking for once (We have been cooking a lot with two college students and a high school student at home).  

When it was my turn to pick from the rotation, I wanted to tantalize my taste buds with my favorite comfort food, shrimp and grits, from our favorite local restaurant, except they were “out” of this smokey, cheesy, comforting dish. Imagine my dismay. WHAT?? In their defense, we were in the middle of a pandemic after all, and ingredients were limited. Regardless, it was terrible timing to have a craving, and begrudgingly I ordered something else. I NEEDED to learn how to make this classic dish asap!

Making homemade shrimp and grits had never crossed my mind because it seemed fussy. It was much easier to order from our favorite restaurant and allow the chefs to create their culinary masterpiece, but curiosity, determination, and necessity got the best of me. I put my “big girl pants on” and delved into my favorite cookbooks and online recipes to research shrimp and grits, and as it turns out, it was not as daunting as I had envisioned. I could do this. Our Louisiana inspired version features plump, succulent shrimp, savory Italian sausage, Cherchies® Cajun Seasoning, all piled on top of dreamy clouds of cheesy grits, seasoned with Cherchies Garlic Seasoning. I am proud to report that this easy cheesy recipe is divine and a close second to our favorite restaurant, and a recipe you will want to add to your cache. Not only can dinner be ready in 30 minutes, but you can have flavorful shrimp and grits whenever the craving hits.

Thank you for visiting! Come back again for more recipes, cooking tips, and easy entertaining ideas. Comment below if you have made this recipe. We love hearing from our friends!

Stay safe and well!

This recipe is adapted from https://www.bobsredmill.com/ and https://www.maebells.com/shrimp-and-creamy-cheesy-grits/.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sweet sausage, cooked and sliced

• 1/2-3/4 pound frozen deveined and shelled shrimp (Can use fresh)

• 4 cups chicken broth*

• 1/2 cup yellow corn grits (We tested with Bob’s Mill Organic Corn Grits)

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) Cherchies Garlic Seasoning

• Pepper to taste

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Olive oil, removing 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) for coating

• 4 teaspoons (tsp.) Cherchies Cajun Seasoning (add more if want spicier)

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) smoked paprika

• 1 cup water

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Corn starch

• 2 green onion stalks, chopped

• 2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

*Note- some recipes I have researched call for substituting milk for the broth. I have not tried milk, but this recipe is flexible to use whatever liquid you like.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once oven is preheated, place the sausage in a shallow baking pan and cook sausage until it reaches a temperature of 160 degrees. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and slice the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.

In a medium to large sauce pan bring the chicken broth to a boil, add grits slowly and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the grits simmer for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking and burning.

When the grits have absorbed the liquid, add the cream cheese, shredded cheese and Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture well, cover and remove from heat.

Place the shrimp and sliced sausage in a large mixing bowl, add 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Oilve oil, Cherchies Cajun Seasoning, smoked paprika and toss until shrimp is coated.

In a small bowl, combine the water and corn starch and mix until smooth (This is called a slurry).

Heat the remaining 3 Tablespoons (Tbsp) of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and sausage, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is pink and tender (about five minutes total). Add the cornstarch/water mixture (aka slurry) to the pan in the last minutes of cooking to allow the slurry to thicken. (**I did not use enough cornstarch when I first photographed the shrimp mixture, so I had to sprinkle more in. DO NOT add the cornstarch directly to the mixture, as it will clump and you will get white lumps in your dish. Take the extra time to make the slurry separately to make the dish correctly).

To assemble the shrimp and grits add a heaping serving of grits to bowls or plates, top with shrimp and sausage mixture, chopped green onions, and chopped bacon (optional).

**When I first made this recipe, I chopped up chives from my garden instead of the green onions.

Enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp and Cheesy Grits Recipe