Winter Cooking {Beef Stew}

I love cooking during the winter months! There is just something comforting about a soup or stew simmering on the back burner while we're finishing up school in the afternoon. I like using hearty ingredients like root vegetables or winter squash. And isn't the yeasty aroma of rising bread intoxicating? 

Recent meals at our house have included 

• a potato, onion, and bacon frittata 
• homemade meat sauce and spaghetti (with enough sauce to put in the freezer for another meal)
• cream of potato soup
• Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Pulled Pork

This week, we revisited this yummy recipe for Beef Stew with Noodles. Beef stew is a favorite with Ron, so I was happy to surprise him with this as he came home from work. 

Here is the recipe with my tweaks...

BEEF STEW with NOODLES

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

2 pounds boneless beef cubes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
coarse salt, ground pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 32-oz.box reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1/2 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used what I had left of a bag; it may not have been 1/2 pound.)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups extra-wide egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar


Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat shortening over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until seared and brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add flour and stir to coat onions and beef cubes. Cook about a minute.

Stir in broth and water, loosing brown bits in bottom of pan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Add carrots and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 minutes.

Stir in noodles and continue cooking for about 6 minutes.

Add peas and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until noodles are soft.
(That night, I had a bag of Steamers in the freezer, so I cooked them in the microwave and added 1 cup of the peas to the stew with the parsley and vinegar.)

Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley and vinegar.

What kinds of winter foods are you cooking up these days? Do you cook differently in the wintertime?