New Year!

A new year...

Now that the holidays are over, I am actually happy to get back to my routine! Everything has been so crazy. I have been super sick with mastitis all week. If you know what that is... then you feel my pain. It knocked me on my **S for a bit. But after the antibiotic shot, things started to look up.

It is a cold day here in Utah... so I am going to make some stew. I usually FBTSOMP with stew, but today... I will follow a recipe! Thank you Paula Dean. I also usually cook stew in a crock pot but, I didn't think that far ahead.

Pork Stew

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.