A few days ago, I was thinking about the long, cold, snowy winter we've had here in southeastern lower Michigan and recalling all the "comfort" foods that I cooked. I made almost all of my usual winter dishes - some more than once - but realized that I hadn't made beef stew, meatloaf, pot roast, or beef Stroganoff. The common factor here, of course, is beef because we've both cut down on red meat consumption. I told DH that I would be happy to make two of the four winter dishes and asked which he preferred. He chose beef stew over pot roast, so I'm cooking that today. I plan to roast whole beef tenderloin for Easter and can use leftover meat for upscale Beef Stroganoff.
The beef stew is simmering on the stove. I'm sure everyone has their own beef stew recipe, but mine generally includes lean beef stew meat, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, onion, potatoes, red wine, and beef stock. I top the stew with Bisquick dumplings with fresh chopped parsley added to the batter. I sometimes add a cup of frozen peas for a bit of color. There will be enough beef stew and dumplings for three or four meals. Besides making beef stew, I did a load of laundry, so it's been a productive domestic day.