Friday, July 14, 2006

Beef Stew Dumplings

Hello my friends ~~ I’m back, but a little worried !!

When I cook I usually do not measure, and I use what-ever

I have in the way of vegetables. So it is difficult to give a

set recipe. But here goes-----

<><><><> Beef Stew Dumplings. <><><><>

Any stew or casserole can be used but a basic one is…..

1 ½ pounds of Stewing steak. (Blade makes nice gravy and

topside has very little fat) Cut steak in small pieces ½” to 1”

Brown in a frying pan with a little oil, Transfer to a large

saucepan and add 1 can of tomatos, 1 diced onion, 2 diced

carrots. some diced celery and 2 or 3 potatos.( I use corn

sometimes but not the potatos, I prefer them mashed with

butter, pepper and chives in them.) Some peas are nice in it.

I often put a can of soup in to add taste –celery or mushroom

or whatever. ( I wonder how my family survived, sometimes.)

Cook for 1 ½ hours or 2 hours. Add extra water for more

gravy to soak up into the dumplings.

Dumplings --- 1 ½ cups of self raising flour, rubbed into 2 oz

of butter or margaine until crumbly, then add enough milk to make

a soft dough. Take a large spoonful and make into a patty or scone

shape, roll in some extra flour. Drop into stew , repeat until all the

dough is used. Simmer a further 15 minutes with the lid on. I hope

you enjoy this if you try it, although it is more a dish for Winter,

but it is nice any time. Good luck !!

Sorry if I have been a little vague, but I did warn you.

Jacqui, if you can post a better recipe, please do so and I will

put a link over to you.

<><><><><><>

Thanks for your comments on my last blog. The Adoption Prayer

has meant a lot to me, over the years. I have told this joke from

our lives before . I had one son and then no more, despite tests

and treatments etc without success, So myhusband and I adopted

three children, a boy then 2 girls. The joke comes in, one day when

my eldest son must have been misbehaving and my youngest piped

up with: “You ‘specially choosed us, but you just got stuck with him

didn’t you?” So apparently my little talks about adoption were no

in vain. He is the 52 year old who got my pumpkin, and she is the

44 yr old with the bad finger. It is going well, but she has another

small surgery due in a fortnight to separate the bad finger

from it’s nextdoor finger where skin was taken and stretched

over to the bad one and both plastered together. Her eldest

daughter is doing a great job helping out at home. Good on

you Kate, I am so glad you are there for Mum.

<><><><> Now for a Joke or two. <><><><>

A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying an after work cocktail

with her girlfriends when an exceptionally tall, handsome, and

extremely sexy middle aged man entered.

He was so striking that the woman could not take her eyes off

him. The young-at-heart man noticed her overly attentive stare

and walked directly toward her. (As all men will.)

Before she could offer her apologies for so rudely staring, he

leaned over and whispered to her, “I’ll do anything, absolutely

anything that you want me to do, no matter how kinky, for

$20.00…on one condition. (There’s always conditions!)

Flabbergasted, the woman asked what the condition was. The

man replied, “”You have to tell me what you want me to do in

just three words.” (Controlling, Huh?)

The woman considered his proposition for a moment, then slowly

removed a $20 bill from her purse, which she pressed into the

man’s hand along with her address. She looked deeply into his

eyes, and slowly and meaningfully said…….

“Clean my house!!”

<><><><><>

Four men were walking along a river bank when they came across

people being baptised.

The pastor looks up and asks, “Would you like to be baptised

and freed from sin?”

One guy looks at his friends and says, “Come on, it can’t hurt”.

The first one walks up to the pastor and is immersed in the

river. When he surfaces, the pastor asks, “ Have you found

the Lord?” He replied, “No,” and so was dunked again.

When he surfaced the pastor asks, “Now, have you found the

Lord?” “No,” he says again. So the pastor dunks him again and

asks the same question: “Have you found the Lord?”

Not to be deterred, the pastor makes a dozen more attempts

at baptism, asking each time; “Have you found the Lord yet?”

The drenched man replies, “No. Are you sure this is where

he fell in?”

<><><><> Couple of Sayings from my Calender <><><><>

Peace is always beautiful. - –Walt Whitman.

Counting time is not so important as making time count.

Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.

--Henry Ward Beecher.

Remember the day’s blessings, forget the day’s troubles.

Early American proverb.

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on

a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.

Irish Toast.

<><><><><> Bye for now folks, I’ll be back !! <><><><><>

<><><><><><><><>

17 comments:

Emmy Ellis said...

Thanks for the recipe, Merle!

:o)

HORIZON said...

Hi Merle.
I've been out of blogland for a few days- spent time with my family and a drive to Rothesay with my husband- very nice.
Just read the Adoption prayer- love it.
Take care for now- will be back in again tomorrow.
loved the baptism joke-lol

Wystful1 said...

First Merle, cute ninja!! And the beef recipe --well, I followed it. Got the whole idea....ya know?--I cook the same way. I've never measured and everything turns out great. I will use your dumpling recipe for sure. Thanks a bunch for sharing it.

Then, love the part where your son stated that "you were stuck with him". Too cute.

Okay, now gonna go read your jokes!! (on my Friday Feast I hinted that I visit with you each day)

Happy Friday.

Susie said...

I often cook without recipes, so I'm waiting for a cooler day to recreate my hot potato salad. (so I don't have to say "some of this and a bit of that" :-) Loved the baptism joke!
Thanks for sharing the dumpling recipe. I'll try it when it's cooler here...

Jacqui said...

Hi Merle,
Every time I hear about dumplings, I think of my mum, and a very funny incident that happened with her, I'll have to post it one day, now that the travels are over with.
I'll find the recipie and send it to you.
hugs jacqui

kansasrose said...

Hi Merle! Oh this recipe sounds just delicous! Thanks so much for posting it! My mouth is watering for some beef dumplings! It is so hot here in Kansas today...It was 105 degrees yesterday. Your blog is just a delight to visit! Have a great day!:) KansasRose Jenny

TJ said...

In the South we do a "Chicken & Dumplin's"...stew a chicken with carrots and onion for an hour...debone and make the dumplins simular to what you said and add the broth...some southern women roll them out flat and cut them into strips but I like them like fluffy pillows myself!! Just dropped by spoon into the broth and simmered.
Man...now I'm hungry!!
:-D

Aunt Jenny said...

Loved visiting your blog Merle!!
The dumplings recipe sounds wonderful...like Tammy above I have had chicken and dumplings my whole life, but will have to try the beef..your recipe sounds mouthwatering!!
I loved the adoption prayer (5 of my 7 kids are adopted) and the jokes were so funny..especially the "clean my house" one!!

Carole Burant said...

I bought a notebook the other day and titled it Blogging Friends' Recipes...so many are sharing their recipes, I thought I'd copy them all in one book and I also write who posted it:-) This recipe sounds really delicious and hearty and I will certainly make some when the cooler weather arrives. Loved all the jokes too:-)

Joy Des Jardins said...

Those Beef Stew Dumplings sound pretty good to me Merle. I love stews of any kind. Thanks for the recipe dear lady. I bet you've made some great dishes over the years. Take care...

rhapsody said...

Thanks Merle- the recipe sounds delicious, the jokes are riotous, & I am glad your family is doing well:)

Have to go read what I missed from yesterday...

Peter said...

Hi Merle, I still haven't got your email.

Ava said...

Your beef stew dumplings sound delicious!!!!!

Val said...

Merle, where DO you get those jokes? "Clean my house" - priceless and shrewd!

Hope you're getting some rain up there in Shepparton today. In Melbourne it's been raining throughout the night and this morning, and still going!

mreddie said...

The recipe sounds yummy. Laughed out loud at the one about being stuck with your son. :) ec

Granny said...

Nice post Merle.

That recipe sounds about right to me. I don't measure much either.

I've done it both ways. With or without the taters and I occasionally toss in a turnip or two. Depends on what I have on hand.

Janice Seagraves said...

Hi Merle,

Oh, I didn't know you adopted, that's great!

I mentioned last comment that I have a young friend that was adopted. I also have a friend who's two older siblings were as well. And then after her parents adopted the two children her mom got pregnate with her, at age 36.

Funny jokes.

I hope your daughter fingers are better soon.

Janice~

Janice~