the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon 2-18 web | Page 20
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By
Melanie
Alexander
Welcome to By a new year with
all that it brings-
promises
Maxine
of change- with
anticipation
Klump
of events such as marriages,
graduations, Community
travel and all
Correspondent
the other experiences that life
embraces. For our family, it
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means the arrival of a new
THE BEACON
baby with the birth of a first
grandchild for daughter
Maria and son-in-law Chris.
Their daughter, Jennifer
(along with husband Nick)
will welcome a daughter to
their home during January.
Of course, all the family
members are buzzing with
excitement. True to tradition,
Maria is already talking
about the foods she’ll prepare
ahead of time and freeze.
This beef stew will be one
of my contributions for the
family. I love the aroma
of something in the slow
cooker bubbling away all
day. It brings back memories
of childhood. (No, slow
cookers were not part of
the appliances in kitchens
of the day. Mom placed a
large heavy pot on the back
burner of the stove and had
to remember to check every
so often to make sure enough
liquid was still maintained
to have the good gravy
available.)
This recipe is adapted from
The Joy of Cooking, one of
my favorite basic cookbooks
and one of the places I
consult when someone asks
about a recipe. I always
chuckle when I’m using old
fashioned print words to text
a recipe to someone!
Beef Stew
2 pounds stew beef (such as
chuck or short ribs)
1 teaspoon dried Italian
seasoning mix
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup flour
If you are starting with a
whole chuck roast, cut meat
into 1-inch cubes). Combine
remaining ingredients and
dredge cubed meat into the
mixture. Heat a heavy skillet
or Dutch oven (large heavy
saucepan) over medium
high heat. Add about 2
tablespoons vegetable oil and
slowly brown meat on all
sides. Be careful not to crowd
the pieces- work in batches if
needed.
Remove the meat and
set aside. Pour off all but 2
tablespoons of the oil. Add
the following:
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 small rib celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Cover and cook, stirring
often, over medium high heat
about 5 minutes. Add:
2 bay leaves
½ tablespoon dried Italian herbs
½ teaspoon each salt & pepper
Transfer to crockpot
being careful to include any
browned bits from the pan.
You may stop at this point
and refrigerate overnight
and then place the mixture
into the crockpot the next
morning.
Add 2-3 cups beef or
chicken broth
2-3 carrots cut into chunks
3-4 potatoes peeled and cut
into chunks
Cover and cook until
February 2018
vegetables are tender (several
hours in the crockpot). When
you’re ready to eat, remove
the meat and vegetables to a
large bowl. Thicken the broth
(if needed) using the stove
top. Just before removing
gravy to bowl, add about 1
tablespoon butter. Adjust
seasonings as needed.
My family loves this with
O
biscuits or a warmed Italian
type bread.
Alternate directions for
using stove top for entire
preparation. Cook the beef
in the broth on low heat
until fork tender about 1½
to 2 hours. Add vegetables
and continue cooking until
they are tender, about 30-40
minutes.
ur Communities
LAWRENCEBURG
By
Debbie
Acasio
Community
Correspondent
[email protected]
Looking back over the
holiday season, I must say that
I am truly thankful for all that
Lawrenceburg and surrounding
communities had to offer. My
friend Rhonda Sharp always
tells me she has to come to
Indiana for fun and good food.
We watched the Lawrenceburg
pet parade and browsed and
shopped, enjoying the cute,
creative wooden snowmen dis-
played at each business along
the way. I hope you all got a
chance to see them! I heard that
a lot of laughs have been shared
this past season at the Ice Rink.
I would be remiss if I did
not mention a few other places
I had the joy of visiting during
the holidays. I ran into Rob-
bie King at a beautiful holiday
display in Rising Sun. While
visiting Aurora, I did not miss
my chance to pet the reindeer
and see the great Dickens
Village Display. I got a chance
to say hello to some of the
folks who work so hard to
make Miracle on Main Street
a success: Judy Hizer, Nancy
Turner, and Roger and
Debbie Fehling. My trip to
Oldenburg was like something
out of a Christmas movie.
Yes, I rode the horse-drawn
wagon, did the craft show, and
sat with Santa. However, the
highlight of my day was the
Holy Cross Catholic Church
presentation of the Boars
Head Festival. While there, I
ran into Ruth Bernhard, Jen-
ny Fritch, and Joe and Paula
Smith. Last, but not least, I
have to mention my favorite
area light display. My friends
Sherri and Chuck Heck’s
home on the corner of Collier
Ridge and State Route 48 is
always a show stopper. They
put in endless hours putting up
(and don’t forget taking down)
thousands of lights and is well
worth the short drive from
Lawrenceburg to see.
Enjoy the winter! Spring is
right around the corner!
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