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Made it back in time for Pops' birthday! yay! made three different soups, Erin made a cake, and dinner was festive!

soups:

classic beef stew ala Eli. which means 8 gallons. your basic stew, in case anyone is suddenly struck with the desire to warm up to a hot bowl on a brisk fall day, consists of the following:
(feel free to pare down to meet your smaller needs)

2 huge yellow onions (diced)
6 pounds of beef (1" cubes) ... a london broil or top round is great
8-10 cloves garlic (minced)
6 leaves bay (whole)
2 Tblsp dried rosemary (assuming that no one has it fresh right now)
2 Tblsp dried thyme (see above) ... fresh is so much better though
2 tsp basil
1 Tblsp parsley
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 Tblsp salt (kosher or large grain preferred)
1 Tblsp black pepper (ground medium)
2 liters red wine (merlot is fine)
1/2 gallon beef broth (mode from bouillon if necessary)
2 pounds carrots (chopped)
4 pounds potatoes (1.5" cubes) ... red tend to break down less in the mix, if that's a concern
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
1 pound button mushrooms (sliced) ... portobello/crimini are nice if you want to spring for them
also!!... on a side note, something that I have always suspected !!! :
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/portobellosportabellas.htm
4 oz shitake mushrooms (sliced) ... you can find them dried for less than fresh mushrooms)
additional water
additional salt and pepper to taste
1 enormous lobster pot
1 saute pan
1 heat stone
1 ladle
1 wooden spoon
1 chef knife
1 spice ball, or cheese cloth
6 hard dinner rolls
1 dose flexibility ... this is just a start. you might add savory, or some sage (I did), or cut back on the potatoes a bit ... because, hey, I have enough starch in my diet ... a few more cloves of garlic so that your friends won't speak to you, or toss out an onion and sub in some shallots! you crazy bugger!

-prep everything.
-put the bay leaves and any fresh spices into the pot.
-put the bouillon into the pot.
-turn the pot on medium/low heat ... it's got plenty of time. (... or maybe thyme as well!)
-place all of the dry spices into the spice ball. toss it in too.
-1/3 stick butter goes in the pan, high heat, saute up half of the onions! toss 'em in the pot when lightly golden.
-1/3 stick butter in the pan - do up the other half! if you do them all at once, they tend to go translucent, rather than nice golden. halfway through sauteeing, add the garlic, and half of the salt and pepper. pot.
-1/3 stick butter, high heat, brown those mushrooms ... unless they're already brown ... then browner them? pot 'em.
-1/4 stick butter, high heat, we're searing half the beef. add in half of the remaining seasonings now. and to the pot.
-do it again. 1/4 stick, half beef, rest of the seasonings, sear it up! pot.
-deglase the pan with a cup of red wine - add that to the pot.
-add the rest of the liter to the pot, just for fun!
-add the potatoes and carrots. cover with extra water, if you can't stir the mix, or if potatoes are popping up over the liquid.
-leave it for an hour.
-stir.
-if it needs more liquid, add the water still (I know, I know, you have an extra liter of wine still left ... have a glass, chill out)
-leave for an hour.
-stir.
-add whatever is left of the liter of wine that you had an hour ago. ... you can also add beer to beef stew for liquid, and as long as you give it time to cook off, it's just as good! (but use wine)
-keep it on low heat, simmering, for another few hours, stirring intermittently. you're looking for the point where the beef starts to break down ... is still solid, but if you squish it between your fingers, it falls apart. also - the critical potato mass. when the potatoes are perfectly cooked, it's not ready ... you want them to be just on the verge of self-mashing. where you still have chunks, but a few rogue potatoes have broken down and started to thicken up the broth into real stew consistency. Some people avoid this more patience testing stage, by making a small batch of mashed potatoes, and adding it near the end ... it's stew people. no one makes stew in a hurry. it'd be like making chili in a hurry. what, you're going to throw the beans and meat and seasonings in a pot, and that'll be it? no freaking way. if you eat that chili on the same day it was made, shame on you.

I'd give you the recipe for the Butternut Squash Pear Autumn Spice soup that I made next ... but then you wouldn't be able to scroll down to my other posts ...

happy October!