In a Stew

The arrival of cooler weather means a menu change and one of the things that appeared on my radar was beef stew. I realize that I hated this particular dinner as a child, but I've grown to appreciate the merits of a steamy bowl of beefy veggie goodness. Unfortunately, I don't have my mom's recipe. so I went searching in my handy dandy Betty Crocker cookbook and found a *fabulous* recipe. It's easy to make, tasty, and doesn't make so much that you'll be eating stew for a week.

It's not the Beef Stew recipe; it's the one titled Barley Beef Stew. It's really just a slightly classy version of the traditional beef stew. When I told W what I was making for dinner last night, the look on his face was...less than thrilled. It was, actually, one step up from, "Have you lost your mind, woman?" He changed his tune once it's rich smell perfumed the air with meaty goodness (wasn't that poetic? or something). We all enjoyed it for dinner along with some "take and bake" french bread and I felt all adventurous for trying a new dish.

So next time the weather's all cold and dreary, there's something new you can try.