Something good was hiding in the freezer

Milwaukee Pork Stew
Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Casseroles and More Copyright 2002

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or sirloin, cut into ½-inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large onions, sliced ½-inch thick
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (14 ½ ounces) chicken broth
1 can (12 ounces) beer
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 bay leaf

Coat pork with combined flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven; brown meat over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Pour off drippings. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover; cook over medium-low heat 1 to 1 ¼ hours or until meat is very tender. Stir occasionally.

Makes 8 servings.

I'm really making an effort to be more frugal since my grocery bills are getting out of hand. I haven't been to Costco in ages because I'm spending too much in the regular grocery stores. I miss Costco! So I'm trying to cut back a bit, which is difficult because I don't feel as if I'm buying excessively. So this week I pulled out this stew (and I have enough for another meal) even though I wasn't feeling excited about it but I was pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed it.

I made this a couple of weeks ago but I ended up freezing it after we had a crazy day and we ended up eating McD's that night. Freezing didn't seem to hurt this at all. While I didn't like it as much as the similar beef stew I made recently, it was still pretty good. I love the taste of caraway seeds. My two year old really enjoyed this too which shocked me because he hasn't show much interest in beef or pork that isn't filled with nitrates. (Why or why do they love the bad stuff?)

I had to put this cookbook aside at one point because I love it and I didn't want to rely on it too heavily (same with the Food and Wine books which are on vacation right now). I'm enjoying getting reacquainted with it. I also made Ham and Egg Enchiladas again this week (a brunch recipe I like to serve for dinner).

I used the red peppers that I bought marked down and then froze. They worked well in this recipe. They let out a lot of moisture but I just cooked that all out and then added the green onions and ham. This is one of our favorites.

Question of the Day: Do you feel that fast food is a treat or a cop-out?