Beef Pot Pie with Beer Biscuits

Yes you heard right, Beef Pot Pie with BEER Biscuits.  You think I'm kidding????  I have never seen my 8 year old devour biscuits like these, I actually told him to stop and slow down so he wouldn't get drunk...he totally believed me and said "really?".  It was hilarious LOL

Anyway, this one comes from a cooking with Beer book, there are so many good recipes in there and I'll be trying a few others but this one just called my name, I love a good beef pot pie and I love a good beer and then you combine them and I'm one happy camper.

If you don't like beer or don't like cooking with any alcoholic drinks you can use just a simple biscuit mix.

Beef Pot Pie with Beer Biscuits

Stew:
4 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and black pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 can (about 14 oz) beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Biscuits:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch chubs
3/4 cup lager

Preheat oven to 350 F.

For stew, cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp.  Transfer to paper towels, using slotted spoon.  Reserve fat from Dutch oven.

Return 2 tablespoons of reserved fat to Dutch oven.  Season beef with salt and pepper.  Add to Dutch oven in batches;  cook and stir over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until browned.  Transfer to plate;  reserve fat in Dutch oven.

Add remaining reserved fat to Dutch oven.  Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic;  cook and stir over medium heat 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Sprinkle with flour, stir well.  Stir in beef, broth, Worcestershire sauce and thyme;  bring to a boil.  Cover and pop in oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender.  (recipe doesn't tell you to, but I added the bacon back in)

For biscuits, whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in enough lager to make soft dough.  Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface.  Roll dough into 9x6 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into six 3 inch square biscuits.   (I decided to make mine into stars and cut more than six)

Remove Dutch oven from oven, increase oven temperature to 400 F.  Place biscuits over stew, overlapping if needed.  Bake 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

Steak Pizzaiola

So one of mine and my husbands favorite shows is Everybody Loves Raymond.  We've watched it when it was on the TV, we have all the Seasons and we even watch any repeats that we catch on TV.  We like it THAT much.

One of the things that always catches my attentions in movies or shows is food, I mean I just can't ignore it, it makes me salivate and it makes me crave different dishes etc.

Such is the case with this recipe.  They kept talking about Steak Pizzaiola, eating Steak Pizzaiola and showing Steak Pizzaiola and I got a major craving but I had never made it and was thinking it was this elaborate recipe that would cook all day and would require a special cut of steak.  I was determined to make it though.

Much to my surprise I found quite a few versions online and they all looked super easy to make which then made me wonder if it would be as tasty as it sounds with such simple ingredients.

It IS and has now been added to my list of family favorites.  SO good.

Steak Pizzaiola

Adapted from different sources online

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb beef steaks, thinly sliced
3 TBS flour, for dredging
3 TBS olive oil
3 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1 14 oz. can of Italian plum tomatoes with their juices, hand crushed
2 TBS fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste


METHOD:

Trim excess fat from the steaks and notch the edges slightly with a sharp knife to keep steaks from curling while cooking. Pat the meat dry and dredge lightly in the flour. Throw away any flour that is not used.
In a large heavy skillet heat 2 TBS of oil with garlic over medium heat. As soon as the cloves are golden, raise the heat to high and push them to the side. Place the meat in the skillet and brown quickly on both sides. Remove meat from pan and reserve.

Add the tomatoes to the pan with the remaining oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 10- 15 minutes until the liquid has thickened and reduced. Discard the garlic cloves and return steask to the pan. Cover them with the sauce and then with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes more or until steaks are cooked through. Serve immediately!

Serves 4.

Note:  I didn't use frying steak, my family doesn't like those so I used Beef Tip Steaks and just cooked them a little longer.

Best Enchiladas Verdes!

Enchiladas and I have a love/hate relationship. I've tried for years to find the right recipe, the one that I really like and won't stray from and unfortunately I've had little to no luck, years or searching actually culminating in me making a tray of enchiladas and dumping them straight into the trash before serving to the family.

Then I got my new Taste of Home Cookbook and saw this recipe and thought....well....why not, it's worth a try.

Holy Moly, was it ever. These are by far the best enchiladas I've tried EVER.

Huge thumbs up from the whole family.

ENCHILADAS VERDES
Credit: Taste of Home

Ingredients

* 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 small garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
* 1 package (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
* 3/4 cup evaporated milk
* 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
* 1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained
* 12 corn tortillas (6 inches)
* 1/4 cup canola oil



In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, garlic and salt over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in cheddar cheese; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook and stir the soup, process cheese and milk over medium heat until cheese is melted. Stir in chilies and pimientos.

In a large skillet, fry tortillas, one at a time, in oil for 5 seconds on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Place a scant 1/4 cup of reserved meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top.

Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.