Another favorite dish of mine is what my mom calls ‘no-peek stew’, famous in our family for throwing everything into a roasting pan and letting it bake for hours (without peeking at it). It’s perfect for placing the stew in the oven after lunch, going out to run errands, relax with friends, or watch a couple football games, and then return to your kitchen smelling wonderful. The aromas from this stew will surely have your mouth watering.
The recipe itself is a hand-me-down from my mom's aunt, and my mom has made it throughout my life. In fact, my brothers still request it specifically when visiting my parents, hoping for the classic childhood, home-cooked meal. Like my siblings, I also love this stew recipe, as does my better half (also my biggest fan). It’s particularly good for colder days (if you’ve been reading my last few blog entries, you might notice a trend that I’ve been cooking for the cooler weather we’ve been experiencing here in New York). And of course, you can’t forget the buttermilk biscuits and a tall glass of milk (yes, in Wisconsin, the dairy state, we love our milk, and yes, milk is commonly served with dinner).
The essence of the recipe remains the same as my family’s version, except I have added a few things. First, I always add onion. Even if you have non-onion lovers in your household, you can enjoy the rich onion flavor without the “chunks” because the five hours in the oven will essentially melt the small diced up onion. Also, I add mushrooms because I love them, and they also break down a bit. But if you or your family members don’t like them, feel free to cut the mushrooms out. Another modification is the substitution of some of the carrots for other similar root vegetables, such as turnips and parsnips. Adding a wider variety of veggies always makes a stew a little more fun, both in flavor and in texture. Again though, if you’re looking for a simpler version, just use carrots. 
Now…the biscuits. While I have been ‘cooking’ for several years now, I have recently discovered the fun of baking. It has required a bit of patience on my end, and I have learned to strictly follow recipes (which is counter-intuitive for me since good cooking is all about improvising). But the results are definitely worth it, especially with these homemade buttermilk biscuits. The other great thing about baking things from scratch is you can control the batch size (i.e. you can half or quarter a recipe if serving only two people). I’ve also noticed that there is a fairly steep learning curve, meaning that once you’ve practiced, you start to greatly speed up the process. For example, I made this biscuit recipe for the third time the other night, and it was very easy now that I know the process. In fact, it only took about 15 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to bake. 
Well, I hope you enjoy this family recipe out of the heart of Wisconsin. It’s a good one. As for the biscuits, I learned all I needed to know about buttermilk biscuits from the blog, Food Wishes – Video Recipes. John does a great job showing you how to make the biscuits through his video, which might be helpful if my recipe is unclear (like I’ve said, I’m still new to baking…so I did my best to create a simple baking recipe).
Beef Stew
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. beef stew meat (cut into ½” cubes)
1 ½ cups carrots or similar root vegetables such as turnips or parsnips, cut into bite-sized pieces
2-3 cups potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup diced onion
2 stalks celery, diced
6 oz. button mushrooms (optional)
2 T. corn starch mixed with 2 t. water
1 package Lipton Dry onion-mushroom soup mix*
1 T. Sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
12 oz. tomato juice
12 oz. water
*I have tried creating substitutes for this product because I generally believe homemade is better than processed; however, my three or four attempts have all come up considerably short of the Lipton soup mix, so my advice is to stick with it.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 275º F
2. Mix all the ingredients in a large roasting pan or a casserole dish
3. Cover and bake for 5 hours
4. Serve
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes about 5-6 biscuits
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 T. unsalted butter, cut into thin slices, chilled in freezer
3/8 cup cold buttermilk
Directions:
1a. Place butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (important for the texture of the biscuits)
1b. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
3. Using a pastry blender (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/pastry-blender), cut the butter into dry ingredients for about 3-4 minutes, until the butter and dry ingredients are well mixed and have a consistency similar to Kraft grated Parmesan cheese
4. In the bowl, make a shallow valley in the butter-flour mixture for the buttermilk
5. Pour the buttermilk (it should also be kept very cold) into the valley
6. Gently mix the buttermilk into the mixture, just until it is absorbed (careful not over-mix)
7. Dump dough onto a flat, clean surface
8. Using your hands, work the dough a little until it begins sticking together
9. Work the dough into a rectangle shape, about 1" thick, and fold it on top of itself; do this step a 2-3 times
10. Add a little flour to the surface area, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin 1/2" layer
11. Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass, cut out biscuits
12. Mix scraps together and repeats steps #10 and #11
13. Place biscuits on a thin cookie sheet
14. Using your thumb, press down gently on each biscuit
15. Take a little extra buttermilk, and brush onto the biscuits
16. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are a nice golden brown
