Last night for dinner I made a beef stew. I invented the recipe. As usual I combined several recipes. For the beef part I used a short ribs recipe. I floured the meat and seared it then added aromatics (garlic, celery, carrots) sauteed those up and then added spices and herbs (paprika, chili powder, oregano and tomato paste) then deglazed the pot (one of my favorite things to do) with red wine then returned the meat to the dutch oven (my favorite pot) Then I used a soup recipe and added 2 cans of tomatoes, one crushed one not. I also added split peas, red beans and lentil that I boiled previously in broth. I also added some of the broth from the beans. I put the lid on the dutch oven and placed it in the oven and cooked it at 350 for 1 hour. I also steamed potatoes and after the hour I added those and served it to my family. Yummy!

Since I had friends coming over and the beans were still a little firm, I put it back in the oven and baked for another hour. I should have added more liquid before that extra hour but still yummy. As I heat it up tonight then I will add more liquid. I served it with gluten free tortilla chips. I would have preferred beer bread but I was running out of time and was not in the mood.

I also made my favorite dessert that is easy and fast and tastes great. Berry crisp. I put frozen berries into an oval corning ware. I added a few fresh berries and a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Then in another bowl I mixed flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. I spread that on top of the berries and cooked at 350 for an hour. Yummy! Great if served with ice cream or whipped cream.

I rarely measure anything. If I am making a recipe for the first time then I do but after I invent a recipe I never measure, I take note of what I used but rarely measure again. So follow my recipes at your own risk!

Enjoy and eat yummy food!