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Better than Average Beef Stew – tomato and yeast free.
My mom is the real cook of the family. She can add a little of this and a scoop of that and come up with the most flavorful, melt in your mouth meal you have ever experienced. Nearly 30 years later and it’s still a mystery to me. I keep thinking the “cooking fairy” will sneak in my kitchen and empower me with just a pinch of this gift. I’ll keep waiting…
Until then, I will do my best to post some EASY, I mean really easy, recipes that I either invented (because nothing else was in the pantry) or some old favorites I have memorized for those amazingly simple days where everything goes right and you get your house clean and bills paid while an enticing aroma seeps out of your crock pot.
The day I made this stew was one of those days. I felt so motivated and full of life that I even took pictures and planned out this blog post. Two weeks later and here I am…finally posting it! You know what that means right? A lot of not so “simple” days have happened lately, but hey, at least I’m getting this up before 2014!
Here you go ladies and gentlemen….my Better than Average Beef Stew. Yeast free, tomato free and weird vegetable free – the eating standards of our house now that my hubby’s allergies have been identified (tomatoes and yeast) and the weird veggie part is according to my own personal taste buds.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- Round steak, hamburger or a small roast….whatever beef you have in the freezer (I used 2 round steaks)
- Potatoes (I prefer the small red ones but you can easily peel 6 brown potatoes which I did here)
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- 1 stick butter
- Seasonings you like
- Beef broth
- Water
*I purposely didn’t include measurements b/c it truly is based upon your liking and your size of crock pot. The pictures should fill in the missing pieces of this recipe, if not, let me know!
1. Place 1 stick of butter in the bottom of the crock pot and turn the crock on low.
2. Place your selected cut of meat on top of the butter. (If it is too frozen to remove from the wrapping, simply nuke it for a minute or two until you can unwrap it.) Shown below are my round steaks.
3. Dice your onions, carrots and celery and chop up your potatoes into bite sized pieces. If you are using red potatoes you can leave the skin on for extra vitamins. Likewise, the same for the brown potatoes depending on your preferences. I prefer brown potatoes to be peeled so that’s what I did!
4. Add those diced veggies & onion to the crock pot (I like to make sure they are evenly dispersed). Now you can add your beef broth, water and seasonings. You want to make sure your liquid comes pretty near the top of your pot so that it doesn’t dry out during the day while it cooks. This is especially important if you are not going to be home. I used half of this container of broth and another cup of water.
Here are the seasonings and brand of broth I used and I was very pleased with the outcome but please do not feel like you need to make a special trip to the store for any of it.
The seasonings include Parsley, Nature’s Seasons (variety and MSG free), Rosemary and a few Bay Leaves.
5. After adding your butter, beef, veggies, seasonings, broth and a little water you should have something beautiful like this…
6. Place the lid on the pot and let it cook for 6-8 hours (depending on the meat – full 8 if it’s a roast. You can get by with only 5-6 if it’s a steak.) As it gets closer to dinner time, I would make a batch of corn bread or you can cheat like I did this time and use the new Pillsbury corn bread rolls in a can! They work just as well to soak up that yummy, healthy juice.
7. About this time your husband, kids or just you are drooling because the entire house is filled with this incredible aroma of goodness. It should look a little like the stew we devoured below. Your meat should hopefully be tender enough to shred or break up with a spoon. You may have to use a knife to cut it up into chunks if you used a roast, but hopefully the meat it super soft. Don’t forget to pull out the bay leaves now!
Enjoy!!! Love, Kara
Harvest 2013
Harvest 2013
I could hear the engine roaring
dust was rising in the west.
The time was late September
and I knew just what it was.
The header knives were thick and sharp
as they cut and pulled in each stalk.
The sound was getting closer
so with camera in hand I ventured for a walk.
Row by row the stalks were falling
while the hopper filled with golden kernels.
Only a small part of the machine’s technique was visible,
the real science was internal.
The farmer invited me to join him
as company is scarce out there.
I climbed up the ladder
and sat comfortably into “my chair” .
For roughly 25 years
my seat has been the same.
The technology and paint has changed
but the farmer has remained.
Sitting beside my father as he carefully steered the beast,
I watched the monitors flash colors
across the large flat screens.
Through GPS I could see the yield and layout of the land,
I praised God for each kernel
and the food we hold in our hands.
A farmer’s daughter knows the value
of hard work and a good meal.
She knows where her food comes from
and has seen the cost is real.
Even with the two-year drought
our corn was better than expected.
Our seed has advanced to the point
it can nearly be resurrected.
My father explained which brand of seeds
they had planted where,
and the screen colors revealed
how high the yield was there.
We chatted about the field and how it always was consistent,
he called it Grandpa’s “Big Field” and
said the ground seemed so resilient.
We hit a bump and he lovingly reached out his hand.
He smiled as I talked and talked about my day and all my plans.
He asked about his grandchild due early next year,
and we laughed together as I told him
that eating is my latest career.
I took a few more snapshots that day,
and thanked God for all we had.
Through the years I will always treasure
riding in the combine with my dad.
Photos and poem by Kara Edwards
Parakeets on steroids? Hawaii, Home and Heritage
This past January Randy and I flew to Hawaii to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary! We traveled with Agri-Talk host Mike Adams and his sweet wife Patty and 45 other farmers from all over the Midwest. Our fearless guide was Dave Lien, manager at Holiday Vacations and he made sure our trip was a once-in-a lifetime experience!
Our bus driver must have had a momentary memory loss of just who he was transporting from the airport to the seaside resort hidden behind the lush gardens and palms on the island of Kauai. Or maybe he just got caught up in his stories about Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean filmed on the island. (Yep, Captain Jack LIED about that too—the movie was NOT filmed in the Caribbean. At least part of it was filmed in the Pacific and on the island of Kauai.) Anyway, somewhere along a stretch of highway that led from the canyons of Kauai to the seashore, our driver explained why we were seeing Bantam hens, chicks and roosters strutting here and there along the road. (They even strutted by our table while we dined at a lovely plantation restaurant AND right through the pool and patio area of the plush resort where we were staying. A 4:00 a.m. wake-up CROW below the balcony from our room made us feel right at home! (The fowl running free are the result of the survivors from a devastating hurricane that swept through the island in the 1990’s.) The folks watching me photograph Banty roosters would have chuckled if they had known I have a flock of Bantams, Barred Rock and Buff Orpingtons back in Missouri.
Back to my story-
Our guide, a friendly entertaining native of Hawaii made an offhand remark that caused every seed and implement cap bearing head to turn from watching for whales in the sparkling sea waters outside our tour bus windows to glare at the innocent bus driver.
“What did he just say?” every farmer leaned toward his spouse cuddled close in the narrow seats.
(Of course, every tractor-driving farmer has experienced some degree of hearing loss.)
“He said, ‘Those GMO seeds that seed companies develop in Hawaii are pumped full of steroids and now we have HUGE parakeets in Hawaii.’”
We never saw ANY parakeets in Hawaii.
There were, however, two smart-aleck parrots at our Maui resort…and a beautiful whale I named “Dolly”.
I was proud of our farmers. They used the common sense that comes from years of patiently waiting to plant, cultivate, and harvest productive crops despite adverse conditions. These farmers allowed one spokesman for the group to privately correct the misguided driver and give him the true facts about GMO seed.
GMO SEED IS NOT A NEW INNOVATION! Native Americans were genetically modifying seeds 2000 years ago when they selected the best seed from their crops of maize and held it back as seed for the next year’s crop.
Fortunately, today’s scientist have developed seeds that produce stronger plants, better able to withstand adverse conditions. The American farmer was able to feed America AND people all over the world despite the severe drought conditions last year across the corn belt because of genetically modified seed (GMO) and better farming practices that include no-till or minimum tillage and soil conservation and improvement and, of course, the blessings of our Creator and Sustainer, our Father in Heaven.
Researchers and doctors have searched and searched for any adverse effects in humans as a result of GMO seed. None have been found. After 2000 years of using GMO seed there are no health issues or concerns that can be linked factually to this scientific advancement. As always, we encourage you to examine what some doctors and several media outlets try to persuade you of.
If you have been living in fear of GMO’s, today is your day to break free of that fear and enjoy these yummy recipes!
Ryan Edward’s mother makes an amazing Corn Dip that you will love to take on picnics and family reunions.
- 1 (12 oz.) can Mexican corn
- 1 (12 oz. ) can Shoe peg corn
- ½ C mayonnaise
- ½ C sour cream
- 2 C shredded cheese
- 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Dash of garlic
Mix together and enjoy with crackers, chips or veggies.
(I used fresh corn and veggies because that is what I had on hand and it tasted great.)
Weightwatchers Greek-Style Cheeseburger
- 1 lb uncooked lean ground beef
- ½ tsp crushed dried oregano
- ¼ tsp table salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup minced uncooked onion
- 5 tsp crumbled feta cheese
I mixed this together, made it into patties and grilled them for our supper. Serve on light hamburger buns topped with fresh baby spinach leaves.
Yum!!
Gluten Free Pizza, Flowers and Clydesdales
What do you like to fix for dinner or eat for dinner on Friday nights? Often times in our house it’s PIZZA NIGHT on Friday’s! However, my hubby is gluten sensitive so we have to be a little more careful with the ingredients. Since I mentioned it though, if you have any GF tips please share in the comment section! We must stick together!
I’ll share the recipe at the end of today’s post. In the meantime though, I would love to share with you what Mom and Dad did for Ryan for his birthday (which is in a week!). Ryan E. loves to garden and watch plants come to life! When we lived in Louisville he redid the landscaping around our apartments and created a beautiful curb side view. In Branson he bought me rose bushes for our one year anniversary and had to dig up and haul 5 five-gallon buckets full of rocks away just to be able to plant the bushes! It was truly a labor a love!
Knowing all of this, Mom and Dad drove us down to Vintage Hill Farm near Franklin, Mo. It is BEAUTIFUL! They have more flowers than you can imagine and so many unique breeds!
The parrots actually talked to us! They said “Hi” and mimicked our laughter! The flowers were gorgeous and the weather was perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better day!
Mom and Dad had another surprise for us! They continued driving us south after leaving the nursery and turned left down a beautiful road which curved around well cared for farms, homes and land. I was slowly beginning to catch on to the destination based upon a recent description when these amazing creatures appeared…
The Budweiser Clydesdales! We had arrived at Warm Springs Ranch! They were booked that day for tours, however, we could still see many Clydesdales from the road and some young colts as well!
Yesterday we found out through Facebook that a new colt had been born Sunday night! It might have happened while we were there!
(Photo courtesy of Warm Springs Ranch)
We are hoping to book a tour someday and see these magnificent animals up close and personal!
In the meantime, it will soon be Friday night again and possibly some more GF Pizza will be on the menu! Here’s what I like to use to make it…
- Bisquick GF Baking Mix (Wal-Mart and most grocers carry this handy-dandy mix)
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder with Parsley (No MSG)
- 1 small can Tomato Sauce (no additives, including flour)
- 1 lb Britt Farms Natural Ground Beef (no added hormones, no antibiotics)
- 1 C Cheddar Cheese
- 1 C Mozzarella Cheese
- Pepperoni (not pictured above)
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 T Italian Seasoning (I like to use seasonings from the Amish/Mennonite/Dutch stores, there is really nice one over toward Brookfield, MO!)
1. Follow the directions for the Pizza Crust on the side of the Bisquick Box.
2. Brown hamburger while dough is baking.
3. Once dough has baked, spread sauce evenly and sprinkle with brown sugar.
4. Sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly on top of sauce.
5. Add browned hamburger.
6. Top with pepperoni slices (as many as you prefer).
7. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
8. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
9. Bake for the extra 15 minutes.
10. Slice and devour! (Within moderation)
* We enjoy our pizza dipped in applesauce! My nephew enjoys his dipped in ranch!
Difference between a Heifer and a Cow…and other fun facts!
Where has time gone!?! Rest assured we are still here and we have been working hard! Just not on the computer…. (oops!)
We have moved little sister (me) and her husband in as they are now farming with Britt Farms! Of course that meant lots of unpacking, painting, cleaning and training her husband on the daily operations of the farm. He is doing great and loving every minute of it! We were a little nervous that the harsh conditions of winter while feeding cattle would scare him off, but he has adapted well and is really getting a feel for the well being of the livestock. This winter we calved 60 new heifers! Randy took the 11 PM shift, Ryan B had the dreaded 2 AM and Ryan E woke up before the rooster at 5 AM. If a heifer was having any trouble calving then they would call for backup so often times that meant little to no sleep and then a full days work as soon as the sun came up! Needless to say we ALL celebrated when that last heifer calved! Praise God though we were blessed with a 95% birthing success with these new mommas! (Reminder: A heifer has not calved before. A cow has at least calved once.)
Here’s a picture of a new, proud momma with her baby!
Even with spring still at bay here in North Central MO, we are thankful for all of the new signs of life! Calving can be a hard, stressful, exhausting season. However, the rewards of seeing that new life take it’s first breath, discover it’s mother and watch a new mom work and work at cleaning off her baby, warming it up with each lick and protecting it from the wind by gently nudging it to the best position and standing between it and the bitter gusts is simply amazing. Those are precious moments to witness in creation.
Here’s another favorite pic from our farm this week….you can almost hear the calf thinking, “Geesh, Mom! My friends are watching!”…
As we mentioned earlier, the youngest of the tribe with her husband moved back from Louisville, KY in December. Here’s her (my) handsome husband! He has learned how to help care for the cattle daily by feeding hay, filling mineral tubs, checking (and sometimes fixing) the watering systems and fences, tagging new calves, banding steer calves and evaluating the overall condition of the animals.
Ryan uses the spikes to pick up the bales in one location, drive them out to the pasture and unroll them for the cattle. The spikes are motorized and Ryan can control them from inside the truck.
He cuts off the plastic wrap which had kept the bale rolled tight since last summer and prepares the bale to be unrolled! Sometimes he has to gently push the cattle away as he does! They literally breath down his neck trying to get to the yummy hay!
So handsome….
After the hay is fed he periodically checks the mineral feeders and refills them as needed. Mineral provides extra nutrients and vitamins to the cattle to keep them healthy in the pasture. As a reminder, we do not use hormones or steroids on our cattle. We are happy to provide healthy, corn/grass-fed, natural beef.
Here’s Ryan filling a mineral tub.
These specific tubs were created and designed by Ryan Britt (my brother). The cattle can lift the rubber flap with their noses (as pictured below) and lick out the mineral. Since we do rotational-grazing, we needed to be able to move the tubs easily from one paddock to another. Ryan B included a place to hook on a chain so the tub could easily be drug across the pasture by a four-wheeler or ranger. With the bottom piece being a strong rubber tire, we don’t have to worry about the mineral tub falling apart or busting open as it is pulled over any rough terrain.
#113 says, “YUM!”….or she’s just making a goofy face for the camera….
Once again, we hope you found this post to be informational and helpful in understanding the daily activities of modern farming! Keep an eye out for a new, beefy recipe this weekend! We have had some fun in the kitchen this winter!
Thanks for supporting agriculture and Happy Ag Day!
Blessings, from Britt Farms
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