Halloween Week Day 7

Good afternoon bloggers! Today, we complete our (very long and drawn out) Halloween Week. I know, I know... I should have completed this DAYS ago, but I love Halloween so much that I wanted it to last for a while. If all goes well, I may stick with the Halloween theme and do some tasty Halloween treats in the upcoming weeks. Today, however, we are finishing with a ghoulish stew that'll brighten any child's face and warm their bellies. Stews are similar to soups, and many people cannot tell the difference. Soups contain more liquid than stews and are less thick. Stews have been around since ancient times. Scythians, during the 8th to 4th centuries BC, were known to "put flesh into an animal's paunch, mix water with it, and boil it like that over the bone fire..." Interesting, huh? Well, now that we've have a little schooling in the background of stews, let's get in the kitchen and concoct some stew of our own!

Beef Stew with Ghoulish Mashed Potatoes

You will need:

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, halved
• 2 cups fresh baby carrots
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1.5 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water

Ready?

1. In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. 
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. 
3. About 30 minutes before serving, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. 
4. Bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat, then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan, then add the sour cream, butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
6. Mash until smooth. 
7. Set aside 12 peas for garnish. 
8. Add the remaining peas to the slow cooker, and increase heat to high. 
9. In a bowl, whisk the flour, water and remaining salt until smooth and stir into stew. 
10. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. 
11. Divide the stew among six bowls. 
12. Place mashed potatoes in large resealable plastic bag and cut a 2 inch hole in one corner. 
13. Pipe ghost potatoes onto the stew and garnish with the reserved peas.
14. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a wicked afternoon. I will catch you on the lfip side and I promise to come baring Halloween treats for you and your family to enjoy! Happy blogging to all! <3