Snow and "Stoup"

We had our first snow in NYC about nine days ago. It was really beautiful and also the perfect weather to try a new stew recipe. This one came from Rachel Ray's "Cooking 'Round the Clock" cookbook and was absolutely delicious!

Beef and Watercress Dumpling "Stoup"

2 lbs beef sirloin, cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

4 slices hickory smoked bacon, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

2 tbsp flour

1 cup dry red wine

1 tounded tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

1 quart beef broth

1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

salt and pepper

2 1/4 cup Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

1 cup chopped watercress or mache

Pat the meat cubes dry with a paper towel.

Heat a large stock pot over high heat. Add oil, then meat in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Sear meat until caramelized, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a shallow dish and tent with aluminum foil. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add bacon to the pan and cook until edges are browned. Remove bacon and drain all but 1 tbsp of the fat from pot. Return bacon to pot along with onions, celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, stir, and cook another minutes. Whisk in wine and mustard and scrape up pan drippings. Add broth. Cover and bring to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Stir in the watercress or mache.

Add meat back to the stock pot and settle it in so that it is covered with sauce. Add liquid smoke and season with salt and pepper. Drop large spoonfuls of dumpling mix onto the surface of the stew and cover the pan. Cook until dumplings are plump and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Serve hot.

My World is a White Frosted Cupcake

Early this morning a snow storm covered New York with white, fluffy frosting.





The fire escape steps outside my window are like chocolate dipped lady fingers with sugar icing.












The Empire State Building stands like a giant popsicle in the distance.
Candy-coated cars sit in a frozen row.

And a sweet-toothed hound wants to gobble up every frosty morsel.

First Winter Snow in New York

We had our first winter snow on December 19 which was quite beautiful and really exciting for this Texan!
Here's my sweetheart just after our delicious lunch at Silver Spurs where we escaped the frosty weather.

The Time Landscape Park across from Silver Spurs.

This was the most snow Georgie had ever seen in her life. Of course she enjoyed EATING the snow, as she does most other solid substances. Today the world was her snowcone.