Along with the rest of the country it seems, we Floridians were having a November heat wave. All last week the temps were in the upper-80s. To compensate with the too-hot outdoors, I filled my air-conditioned house with the smell of a hearty winter stew, and I was happy.

My fall garden isn’t what it should be due to the heat, but my mushrooms surprisingly started to sprout! Just had one shittake, but I’ll take it.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef stew meat
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into sticks
1 onion
1 shittake
1 can dark porter or stout
1 c water or broth
Bay leaf
Dash of crushed red pepper
S&P
Parsley, for garnish

Instructions:

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Make sure the liquid covers all the ingredients; if you don’t have enough, add more water or beer. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley.