So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Friday, February 6, 2009

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Making Stew

By KC Kudra

Stews are very popular, especially when the weather is cool, and you want something warming and tasty. A stew is a combination of solid foods, usually meat, or fish with vegetables that have been simmered or cooked slowly in a liquid sauce to allow the flavors to combine well. The sauce is served as well as its contents.

Chicken, meat, seafood, potatoes, fish, beans, fruit, and carrots are all popular stew ingredients and you can use water, wine, bouillon, or beer in the stew liquid to give flavor, as well as seasonings.

Is Stew the Same as Soup?

First of all, stewing is the only cooking method, which will tenderize cheap, tough cuts of meat, which is how it developed. A stew contains large pieces of meat, fish, and vegetables and there are more of these ingredients in the finished dish than liquid.

Soup is usually served as an appetizer and stew is served as a main course. Stew always contains chunky ingredients and more solids than liquid. Soup is mostly liquid and is served in a bowl or deep dish. Chunky stews can be served on a plate.

How to Make Stew More Interesting

There is a limit to how flavorful a combination of meat, vegetables and water can be, which is why it is useful to know how to make your stew recipes flavorful.

Stew is a very versatile dish and can work well with many different combinations of meat, vegetables, liquids, herbs, and spices. It is a good idea to season your stew meat with plenty of salt and pepper before searing them in a hot pan.

You can also roll the meat in flour to thicken up the dish. Check the meat is browned all over before adding it to the liquid, to stop it from drying out. This applies to other meats such as pork, lamb, and chicken.

The next step in making an exciting stew is to saut some vegetables in the pan, then add water, wine, juice, broth or whichever liquid you are using and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any stuck on bits into the liquid. Put the meat back into the pan and cook slowly.

You should check the pan periodically to see if you need to add more liquid or seasoning or give it a stir. When the stew is done, you might want to throw in some cider, lemon juice, crispy crumbled bacon or parsley to brighten up the overall flavor. You can serve it in big bowls accompanied by warm bread to mop up the juices.

It is fun to make stew and extremely simple too. Whether you want to make a traditional Irish stew or a Moroccan chicken stew, as long as you follow the above tips your stew should be very nice.

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