Porter Pork Stew

It's been a long time since I made stew with real meat... wait make that I've never made stew with real meat! I altered the original recipe that called for lamb and Guinness, choosing instead pork and Duck-Rabbit brand Porter. The stew was delicious and totally worth the long cook time. Great for a cold dreary winter evening!

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme OR 1 TBS fresh chopped thyme
3/4 tsp dried rosemary OR 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 TBS all-purpose flour
2 lbs local, bone-in pork loin chops, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle Duck-Rabbit porter (or other dark stout/ porter of your choice)
1 TBS tomato paste
3 cups broth (I used veggie)
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed peeled, Yukon gold potato
2 cups 1-inch thick diagonally sliced carrot
2 small/ medium turnips, peeled and quartered

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirl to caot. Add onion, thyme and rosemary; saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place onion mixture in a large bowl.

2. Place four in a shallow dish. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge pork in flour, shake off excess. Return pan to med-high heat. Add 1 TBS oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of pork mixture to pan; saute 5 - 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add browned pork to onion mixture. Repeat the procedure with remaining pork and remaining olive oil.

3. Add beer to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to about 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Return onion mixture and pork to pan. Stir in tomato paste; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and bay leaf; bring to a boil. cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and stir in potato, carrot, and turnips. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars

I used to stop by a local coffee shop several mornings a week when in college on my way to class. I would usually get a hot tea (briefly off coffee due to headaches) and sometimes the delicious treat of a raspberry bar. Oh how I loved those bars of oats, sugar and raspberries. I went years without them once graduating college and moving away.

It was a few weeks ago when my hubby and I were out grocery shopping and in need of a snack that I came across raspberry bars again. These bars were made fresh in the bakery and I could not resist. That sweet treat tasted just as I remembered. I was hooked again.

Determined to make my own I found a VERY simple recipe and gave it a shot last weekend. And you know what? Fabulous! I love these bars and they are super easy to make. The only change I plan to make for batch number two is to cut back on the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. I'll post the recipe as I found it and if you like salt make them as is. If you are watching your salt or just don't tend to use it much and therefore are sensitive to salty try cutting it back a bit.

This time I plan to try blueberry preserves!

Enjoy! I know I will!

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars
3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt (or less)
1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 (10 oz) jar raspberry preserves

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat softened butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt and oats. Stir well to combine. Add the butter mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well combined.

Grease a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Press half the oat mixture into the bottom of the baking pan. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly over the oat mixture. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over the top of the preserves. Bake 18 - 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Run knife around edge to loosen. Cool on a rack before cutting into squares.