Beef Stew and Buttermilk Biscuits!

My Momma makes the BEST Beef Stew and biscuits. This was probably one of my top 5 dishes growing up. I've tried several beef stew recipes and many of them include tomato/barbeque base broths which I find pretty much disgusting. I've come across a few that I like well enough but nothing beats the way my momma does it.

I was so desperate for some of her beef stew that I decided to give it another shot. This time, I came pretty darn close and I was so proud.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1 lb stew beef
flour
1/4 cup or so of oil
1 diced yellow onion
1 stick celery
2 fat carrots, peeled and coined
2 tbs chopped garlic
3-4 tbs butter
3 cups chicken broth (you can do 4 broth, 4 water if you prefer)
5 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 small/medium potatoes peeled/diced

Directions:
Roll beef chuncks in flour and brown in hot oil, drain oil and place beef in large stock pot. Saute the onion and garlic in butter. After onions start to look translucent, add carrots and cook for about a minute. Add celergy and cook maybe a minute more. Pour into stock pot.

Add broth and water and potatoes to stock pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are cooked through. If broth is too soupy, take about 2 cups out and whisk some flour into it (1/8 of a cup) and re-added to pot...the flour will thicken the broth. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over warm buttermilk biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
5 cups of flour
/4 cup crisco
2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Use pastry cutter to mix crisco into flour. Add buttermilk and cut in with pastry cutter. Once it starts getting to be a sticky dough, I like to use my hands. If its TOO sticky you can add a bit more flour. Turn dough out on a floured surface and roll out and use a biscuit cutter if you wish. For "cathead biscuits" just form large balls in your hand and then press down. This is how momma made them. These biscuits are thick and perfect for "sopping up" the gravy. If you want a FLUFFY buttermilk biscuit you have to add yeast to the dough to get the airy rise.