Beef Stew is a Comfort Favorite.

I enjoy making beef stew; a comforting collection of tender beef and vegetables, richly seasoned broth and lots of love.  When I decide to make stew, I put a lot of thought into my mood that day, and it helps me determine how to cook the stew, also what vegetables to use.  Do I want to add red wine or not; perhaps some diced chilies, or more onion than usual, or mushrooms?  Bet you didn't know that stew could be such a constructive culinary project?

One beef stew I've made for family, sometimes friends too, is my Country Beef Stew which takes two days and bakes in the oven.  I usually have to make two casserole dishes full, and there still aren't any leftovers.  When using the crock pot, I usually mix in flour with the beef cubes, and don't brown the meat; this time I changed it up.  The vegetables were the typical onions, potatoes and carrots; make sure to parboil the potatoes and carrots to make sure they come out nice and tender.  I like using the crock pot, but sometimes it still doesn't cook the vegetables properly.

Now beef stew in the summer?  Here in Monticello, the weather has been a bit strange this year; rain/snow showers until the middle of June; two weeks of excessive heat (we usually don't go over 85F, but went into the high 90s) end of June.  July 1st our monsoon season began right on time, but the temperatures have definitely cooled.  Wooly caterpillars have been seen since the end of May; I've always known that they signal an early winter, and a hard one.  My belief is that the tilting of the earth's axis, that occurred in 2012 (not the end of the planet), has a lot to do with all the climate changes around the Earth.  Give those Mayans credit, they said there would be great changes at the end of 2012, not the end of it all.  So. yeah, hot beef stew is perfect right now; especially served with homemade buttermilk biscuits.

Beef Stew for Crock Pot

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs. sirloin or eye round roast
½ cup flour
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided in half
6 medium potatoes
1 lb. package baby carrots
1 large onion
1 ½ cups beef broth
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Preparation:

Spray a 6 quart crock pot with nonstick spray.

Cut roast into 1 inch thick slices, the slices into 1 inch thick strips, the strips into 1 inch cubes. Coat the cubes in flour; heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet, medium-high heat, add half the cubes and brown on all sides; drain on paper towels. Repeat with second half of cubes; place browned and drained cubes in bottom of crock pot.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, cut into 1 inch strips, the strips into 1 inch cubes. Place into 5 quart pot with the baby carrots, cover with water; parboil for 15 minutes.

While these are parboiling, cut the onion into ¼ inch strips; place over the beef in crock pot.

 Drain potatoes and carrots; spread out over the onions.

In a medium bowl, mix together beef broth, black pepper and garlic powder; pour over ingredients in crock pot.

Set pot on low; cook for 8-10 hours until meat, potatoes and carrots are fork tender.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Homestead Steakhouse Made Changes for the Better.

Homestead Steakhouse

121 East Center
Blanding, Utah, 84511

Phone: (435) 678-3456

Summer Hours

Back in 2011, I wrote my first review on Homestead Steakhouse; a lot has changed since then. The 21st century is one of fast, fast, fast; practically everything at your fingertips due to the advances of technology. Even food has become fast; prepackaged at convenience stores; gas up and go! Many a restaurant has gone the way of “fast” by purchasing frozen food items; microwave, serve and sort of tell the truth by saying, “Yes, we make it fresh.” Homestead Steakhouse has been in business for many years; owners Gary and Sharon Guymon do not readily use the word “fast” in their vocabulary.

Dining at Homestead is a relaxing experience; those who want grab and go cannot understand this concept. Once seated in the interior dining room, or the new, glass enclosed patio room (built in 2015); the drink order is readily taken. You are given as much time as you need to go through the menu; questions about the items are answered, perhaps a suggestion or two is offered.

The best-selling feature for Homestead is the freshly made soups, salads, sides and main dishes. The soup and salad bar area is a mecca for those who highly enjoy them; two soups typically; one always is their signature homemade bean chili. I happened to be there on a night they served New England Clam Chowder; chunks of tender clams and potatoes in a lightly seasoned, thick, rich creamed stock.

 

One prized item in the salad bar selections is Sharon’s own “Krab and Pasta Salad”; perfectly cooked pasta mixed with krab (imitation crab meat), diced veggies, and just the right amount of mayonnaise to hold it all together, and make it light. There is the chunky potato salad, Italian style pasta salad; even cottage cheese and fruit for those looking for even more healthy choices. Veggies galore are spread out throughout the salad bar; one trip, or all you can eat, are both a great choice.

Are you hankering for a steak? Homestead hand cuts their Angus Beef; Baby Back Ribs with a choice of smoky or hot barbecue sauces; Fried Chicken and don’t forget to order a side of homemade mashed potatoes. Mmm, ain’t nothing better than Utah Farmed Red Trout; dusted with cornmeal and pan fried; except when they used to serve catfish done the same way. Sorry Gary and Sharon, but that was my favorite meal whenever we stopped in at your restaurant; the trout is a nicely done substitute though. Looking for something truly local, the Navajo Taco is huge, and can be made with either Fry or Ash Bread.

So, let’s get back to that fast thing; since the meals are cooked up freshly, they don’t get to you in five minutes; so have patience grasshopper. While you’re eating (portions are generous), the waitress stops by often to ask if you need drink refills, and to find out if everything is to your liking. If you’re like my hubby and myself, you’ve spent so much time enjoying soup, salad, main entrée and sides to be too full for dessert. No? Then how about trying out a slab of pie or cheesecake; perhaps warm cobbler with a scoop of ice cream. After all this, you’ll surely need that wheel barrow to help you out to your vehicle.

Is there an event happening in your family (birthday, anniversary, wedding, christening, etc.) and you need a celebration place? The owners will gladly accommodate your party, whether you need the entire restaurant, or only a section. Sorry folks, Blanding is a dry town, so no alcohol products are available; but that should never deter you from having a downhome, good meal at the Homestead Steakhouse.

Mary Cokenour

Note to all the locals: no more flies!!!  Two months ago, Gary Guymon spoke with me about doing an updated review.  I told him straight out, either the flies go, or they go into my review.  I'm not the only person who has complained about it, so have many other locals I've spoken with.  Well, Mr. Guymon must have taken to heart what I said, as there are no more flies!!!  Now we can all go down to Blanding and have a good meal at Homestead Steakhouse; just remember to save some of that Utah Red Trout for me.

Elk, It's What's For Dinner.

Thanks to my husband's Wyoming cousin, Brian, we have a few packages of Elk meat in the freezer. Basically, the only things I knew about Elk were, they are quite large and majestic creatures; and they are good eating! Now folks who know me well, know that I love animals and protect them as well as I can. They also know I’m a full-fledged carnivore, so eating meat, especially meat with potatoes, is a given for me. I’ve created many meals using Elk now…Vietnamese Style with Crispy Potatoes, Burgers in a Cast Iron Skillet over Peppers and Onions, Elk Roast with Roasted Vegetables; just to name a few.   Interested in any of these recipes, just type the word Elk in the Search box, on the side bar, to the right of this post.

Elk, for those needing to keep their meats lean, is an excellent choice. A typical 3.5 ounce portion has 9 grams fat, 30 grams protein, only 73 milligrams of cholesterol and 146 calories; perfect for a low fat, high protein diet. More nutrition news, 100 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin B-12, 15 percent of iron, 20 percent of thiamine, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin B-6, 45 percent of riboflavin and 30 percent of niacin is in that mere 3.5 ounce potion.

Elk meat is dark, dense, extremely tender, cooks very quickly, and the “gamey taste” wild game typically has is slim to none. As you slice into the raw meat, seeing the rich, dark coloring, it’s difficult not to begin drooling and saying, “Mmm, meat.”  Marinating, in my experience, doesn’t truly add much flavor while simple seasonings truly enhances the Elk experience. The recipe I’ll be giving you is Elk Medallions and Mushrooms with a Wine Sauce; a full bodied red wine, such as Cabernet or Merlot, work well. Afraid of the alcohol content? When cooking, alcohol evaporates, leaving only the flavoring, so needless fear in the long run; awesome taste on the tongue.

Elk Medallions and Mushrooms in Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb. Elk roast or tenderloin
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:

Slice Elk meat into medallions (approximately 3” x 2” x 1/4” thick); season both sides lightly with black pepper and salt. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat; brown medallions for 2 minutes on each side, meat will be rare. Remove meat from skillet and let drain on dish covered with paper towels.

Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter
½ tsp. salt
1 lb. portabella mushrooms, sliced

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; add the mushrooms, toss to coat, reduce heat to low, cover and let mushrooms cook down till softened; remove from skillet.

Wine Sauce

 

 

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup beef stock (not broth)
1 and ½ cup red wine (Cabernet or Merlot)

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt the butter; add flour and black pepper; continue to whisk until all flour is incorporated and turns to a golden color. Whisk in beef stock plus one and wine. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes; whisk occasionally to make sure it is not becoming too thick.

 

Notes: If you cannot have butter and oil in your diet, substitute whatever products you would use in place of them. Yes, Elk is lean and healthy, I never said my recipe was; I’m going for the decadent here. When I made the wine sauce, I actually used the remaining liquid from the browning of the Elk meat as my fat, instead of adding more butter. I also omitted the ground black pepper, since it was already in there. The sauce was extremely rich and lip smacking delicious!

The baby asparagus spears I served with this recipe were simply sautéed in olive oil, and seasoned with an Italian herb mixture; add salt to taste.

Mary Cokenour

Molasses, Brigham Young’s Sweet Tooth, and Pioneers.

Since moving to San Juan County in 2009, one important lesson I have learned is, descendants of the pioneers are close knit, and close mouthed, especially when it comes to family secrets. I have, on occasion, put a call out for recipes dating back to the pioneers; the call seemed to only attract crickets. San Juan County descendants of the "Hole in the Rock" pioneers are quite different in attitude and manner than the rest of Utah descendants.  Oh, they remember where their families came from; just not from before 1880.  Not one to be deterred, online shopping offered to me exactly what I was craving for; recipes of the Utah Pioneers. Into my hands, thanks to the U.S. Postal Service, was delivered a first edition book, “The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook” by the “Daughters of Utah Pioneers”.

This lovely little gem gives the reader, not only recipes, but historical information and a bit of old time gossip. For instance, did you know that Brigham Young had a bit of a sweet tooth? It is no wonder really, considering he was born and raised in Vermont (an East coaster just like me!); he enjoyed molasses, maple syrup, honey, as well as cake and candy made with these sweeteners. (“Life Story of Brigham Young”, page 249 by Susa Young Gates, daughter)

Another tidbit is the origin of the Mormon Pioneer Woman, as quoted from the “Forward”; “She was German, Swedish, Finnish, English, Welsh, Scot, Irish, Dutch, French or Danish.” These women of diverse ethnic backgrounds traveled over rough, and dangerous, terrain to Utah; in other words, and dare I say it, they were “Outsiders”. (Outsider, just like me, except my ethnic background happens to be Croatian.)  That is one of the "attitudes" of the area locals; if you are not born and raised locally (only San Juan County); AND descended from the pioneers, then you're an "outsider".  No matter how long you live here, or what you say or do for the community; you'll never be truly accepted.  Like I said, they tend to forget their own ancestors were "outsiders".   Bubbles can be busted, just takes a bit longer in Southeastern Utah.

So why was molasses a common sweetener used by the pioneers? Sugar needed to be shipped in from the East coast, making it rare and very expensive. Cornstalks, sorghum (a type of sweet grass), fruits, sugar beets and other vegetables were used in the making of molasses. Not only was it used for baking and cooking, but as a common table sweetener. Another common item was the apple; seems they were abundant in the Utah valleys; applesauce was stocked in a good pioneer woman’s pantry.

Molasses plus applesauce and a cake recipe was born; supposedly one of Brigham Young’s favorites too. This cake is very moist, surprisingly not overly sweet, crystallized molasses gives a slight crunch around the edges and top; this is definitely a good snacking cake. Any picnic, get-together, or family meal would be an excellent time for Molasses Applesauce Cake. Want to be exalted as an excellent baker? Add a nice cream cheese frosting and watch the green eyed monster descend over the other bakers in your group. Don't take my word for it; I had nine people taste test this cake; and it was a joint consensus!

Now excuse me while I continue on reading about pioneer cooking; of course snacking on a bit of cake.

Molasses Applesauce Cake

(page 35, “The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook”)

 

Ingredients:

 

½ cup shortening (I used Crisco)

½ cup sugar

2 eggs (I used large)

1 cup molasses

1 cup applesauce

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon (ground)

1 tsp. nutmeg (ground)

 

Preparation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in eggs. Add molasses and applesauce; mix well.

 

 

 

 

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices; stir into molasses mixture.

 

Turn into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350F oven 30 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool; cut into squares.

 

Yield: About 24 servings.

 

 

 

 

Notes: Definitely sift the flour well or you’ll get a lump here or there in the cake…I know.

 

Instead of “greasing and flouring” the baking dish; a baking spray, for example: Baker’s Joy, works just as well.

 

At 30 minutes, begin testing the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center and seeing if it comes out clean…my cake took only 30 minutes to bake fully.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

Twins Rocks Cafe is Still Buff in Bluff.

Twin Rocks Cafe and Gift Shop

913 East, Navajo Twins Drive
Bluff, Utah, 84512

Phone: (435) 672-2341

Website: http://www.twinrockscafe.com/

Navajo Twins and the Sunbonnet

Down in Bluff, one of the most popular places for any visitor to stop in at is the Twin Rocks Café and Gift Shop. The lure of the Navajo Twins in the background, and the Sunbonnet taking up residence on the front porch, is difficult to resist. More difficult to resist is the scent wafting out of the kitchen, and the sound of laughter from happy diners. Residents of San Juan County, however, already know this is the place to get a delicious, home cooked meal, and local favorites such as Navajo Taco, Navajo Pizza, Beef Stew, Sheepherder Sandwiches, Fry Bread and Ash Bread.

So, after doing some hoodoo hunting, it was no wonder we ended up at the Café for a much deserved lunch, and a friend joined us.  The menu is still not huge, but the variety listed has something pleasing for any palette.  Absolutely begin with the Buffalo Chicken Wings appetizer; baked, then deep fried to keep the chicken tender, but give that crispy coating that’s craved. The wings don’t sit in a puddle of sauce, but are perfectly coated (medium heat), served with celery and carrot sticks plus ranch dressing for dipping. These Buffalo Wings were so good, we got another order to munch on later.



The main entrees chosen were the BLT, Navajo Taco, and the special of the day, Prime Rib Sandwich.  The BLT was packed with veggies, plus slices of thick cut bacon; no mayonnaise though, so make sure to order some if you want it.  A side of fries is a must, as the ones at Twin Rocks are so good, you almost forget to eat your sandwich; of course they come with that Utah condiment, fry sauce.



How about a puffy round of fry bread topped with homemade chili, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, onions and shredded cheese…oh yes, it’s a Navajo Taco.  The fry bread is house made, and you cannot truly have a Southwestern experience without trying it; plain, as a taco, or even a pizza.








The special the day we were there was the Prime Rib Sandwich; meat so tender it melts in the mouth with sautéed onions and mushrooms.






Dessert was a three way split for us, Peaches de Chelly, a special treat of spiced peaches atop Fry Bread with ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce.  Afterwards it was a consensus, "Stick a fork in me, I'm done!!!"









A leisurely walk through the Gift Shop which offers up clothing (hats, t-shirts), books (cooking, local history, natural wonders), local foods (beans, sauces, Real Salt products), and all manner of souvenirs is a shopper's delight. 

The Trading Post next door features paintings, sculptures and more crafts from local artisans.  Twin Rocks Café and Gift shop is not just a place to eat and run, but an experience in itself. Take the time to enjoy!

Mary Cokenour