Beer. Beer. Beer. Beer. Guinness Stew and Beer Bread

My man-love has a party house. You know the type, the house with a fully stocked bar, a kegorator and a foosball table in lieu of a dining table. It makes for some really fun get-togethers and a ton of leftover beer in the refrigerator. So when I saw a recipe for beer bread I figured it was probably something I needed to try. Couple that with Guinness Stew and there you have our perfect Sunday fall dinner.

I don’t like fall. I don’t like cold weather. However, I do really enjoy slow cooked meals. They are generally easy and feel "homey." My friend Christine shared this Beef and Guinness Stew with me a few years ago, but this was my first time making it. My take away from the recipe is to add seasoning. My recommendation would be to salt and pepper the meat prior to coating with the flour and then to liberally salt and pepper the crock pot goodies at the beginning.

The beer bread turned out really good and I was nervous about this one. I’ve heard rumors these type of breads could be dry. Not the case with this recipe. There was a nice sweet taste underneath the flavor of the Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale.

Beef and Guinness Stew

Ingredients:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 ½ pounds very lean stewing beef, cut into 1 ½ inch-cubes

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 to 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized-pieces

2 large yellow onions, quartered

1 to 2 sprigs thyme

2 cups Guinness stout or other very dark, hearty beer

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Salt and pepper beef. Place flour in the resealable bag. Add the beef to the bag, several pieces at a time, and shake to coat completely. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add oil. In batches if necessary, add the beef and cook, turning 8 to 10 minutes, until browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain. Place the beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and thyme in the slow cooker and pour the beer over the top.  Cover and cook on low for eight hours or until the meat is tender. Remove and discard thyme.

“Easy” Beer Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups self-rising flour

½ cup sugar

12 ounces beer

1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl. Stir in beer and butter. The batter will be thick. Pour into lightly greased 5x9 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

(Goof up note: I must have read the recipe five times trying to figure out where the butter goes and I JUST now see that the original recipe calls for the butter to be poured over the top of the baked loaf. Maybe that is why mine was so moist, but do what you want.)