Well the weather is getting chilly and I'm hungry for a good thick stew (with fresh crusty bread OF COURSE!) I'd like to hear your favorite soup or stew recipes, especially any that can go in the crockpot and cook slowly all day, making the house smell wonderful...(sniff, sniff) So...what's cookin'??

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2001

Answers

I don't HAVE specific recipes. I do like to put barley in various stews (add more liquid as it absorbs some), and often use a can of beer for some of the liquid. The alcohol cooks off, and it gives a very nice flavor. Yummy. Makes you start thinking about chili and pot roast too, doesn't it?

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2001

Well, I had roadkill for dinner tonight. An unfortunate ruffed grouse that toyed with death in low flight across the highway and lost. So we recycled him. My mom said that it was an old bird and tough, I thought it was a typical wild bird as far as toughness went, not especially so, however, it was plenty tasty.

It won't be long now until it's soup and crockpot time for sure. The popcorn is starting to get a work out around here, so that is next. I like to slow cook either a beef roast or lamb in the oven for about twelve hours with half a cup of red wine over and garlic cloves -- no reason that you could not put that into a crock pot just as well. Hack it up into stew chunks, and add in vegetables if you like later on.

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001

I use one of those blue "spatter-ware" covered Dutch ovens and put in a lb. or so of whatever kind of meat you want. Add celery, carrots and onions (all chopped or sliced). Put in two cans of crm. of mushroom soup and some chopped mushrooms, if available. Mine cooks all day in my wood cookstove oven. About 20 min. or so before serving, add one 1 pt. jar (liquid and all) canned potatoes and add a couple tablespoons of the unflavored Tapioca. Stir til thickened. Add whatever seasonings you like.

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001

It has been chilly enough here to need a fire so the soup pot will be on the woodburner before too long. My soup is not very scientific. Like whatever leftover meat I have. Ham or hambone makes bean soup, we raise a lot of different kind of beans and put a handful of each in with lots of onion and some garlic. Also can use split peas, lentils or barley or all of the above. We particularly love beef and barley soup. To use a crock pot, I would brown my beef first and take a little bit of water and "cook off" the brown and add it to the crockpot.

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001

YUm. Let's all move from house to house every night and eat each other's stews/soups/yummies! Would that we could!

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001

Joy....If I wasn't such a "chicken" 'bout flying, I might try it!! I LOVE FOOD!

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001