Beef Stew and Dumplings

This is a meal that I actually switch up between chicken and beef, depending on our mood and what we have in the freezer! I'll be posting the chicken version, as well.



Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 lb beef, cubed and trimmed of fat
• Black pepper to taste (you can add other seasonings, if desired)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion (I used dried)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (dried or fresh)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 3 beef bouillon cubes (this is optional, but I love the extra beefy flavor)
• 2 large potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped carrots (I use baby carrots cut in half)
• 1 small can of yellow corn (I prefer the no-salt-added kind), WITH juices
  
• 1 small can of cut green beans, WITH juices
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet McCormick's brown gravy mix
  
• 2 cups Bisquick (I use the Heart Smart kind)
• 2/3 cup milk
• margarine

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add beef. Season with black pepper (and other seasonings if desired). Add minced onion and garlic. Cook until browned.
2. Add beef broth, bouillon, potatoes and carrots. Let simmer on medium heat until potatoes and carrots are soft (I let mine simmer about 20 minutes).
3. Add canned veggies (with their juices) and let simmer another 15 minutes. **I keep tasting the broth to see if any other seasonings are needed**
4. In a separate sauce pan, mix gravy packet and water (according to directions on packet).
   
5. Once ready, pour gravy into stew mixture. Let simmer about 5 minutes, to thicken. **Here is when I take my last taste and add whatever I feel it needs**
6. In a small bowl, mix the Bisquick with milk (Sometimes I add some garlic powder and oregano to the dough).
7. Drop by spoonfuls into the bubbling stew. The dumplings should rise to the surface. Cover each dumpling with a small sliver of butter.
8. Place lid on the pot and let simmer on medium for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid in this time, or the dumplings might not raise properly!! If it sounds like it's boiling too hard, turn the heat down to medium-low after about 6 minutes.
9. Remove lid and serve!

I haven't found a side dish that goes well with this meal, because it already has everything in it! This is a great cold-weather, lazy Sunday meal. We like to make it early in the day and chomp on it for both lunch and dinner.

My only complaint is that the dumplings themselves don't re-heat well (they get a little "grainy"). We try to eat all of the dumplings in one day (lunch and dinner) and then just add more dumpling mix to the left over stew the next day.

Feel free to add some water or beef broth to the leftovers, depending on what you have left.