I use celery in my base mirepoix for everything. It is a pantry staple along with the basic onions, carrots, potato, garlic. Must be hundreds of pot roast and beef stew recipes. None exactly the same. It does seem to be not only regional, but what ones family heritage is. Commonly a comfort dish on a Sunday and used what vegetables were easily had during off seasons and what stored well. I made a beef stew wednesday and like grainlady i cleared out my veg bin. Last night it became a beef pot pie with even more veg topped with a sliced meyer lemon and used sliced sweet potato and reg potato as the top crust. Oddly enough, having lived in NewOrleans, i've not used or bought green peppers in years but did back then. It is a special purchase when DH makes gumbo. Yet i use roasted red peppers all the time now. "A mirepoix (/mêÃÂrÃÂpwÃÂÃÂ/ meer-pwah; French pronunciation: âÂÂ[miÃÂÃÂpwa]) is a mixture of chopped celery (either common pascal celery or celeriac), onions, and carrots. There are many variants, which may include just one of these ingredients, or include additional aromatics. Mirepoix, raw, roasted or sautéed with butter or olive oil, is the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. The three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics."

Because of this thread, I bought and cooked corned beef brisket last week. It was wonderful!! Very tender and very flavorful. I wondered why I don't cook them more often. Because of this thread I learned to buy a "flat." Until this thread, I did not know there was a difference, or even a choice. I opted for the long simmer in the oven, rather than the bake. I wanted something that would take little of my attention because I was in the middle of making the "car bomb" cupcakes. Rather than cooking the veggies with the brisket, I cooked them separately, mainly because I wanted to make skillet-roasted potatoes (not a fan of boiled potatoes). We got 2 meals out of it, then I got a corned beef sandwich and to finish up the "crumbs," I made a dab of corned beef salad to munch on with crackers. I ♥ CF

Gosh, I think reheated steak is never as good as fresh from the pan. If your hub can thaw the steak, he can cook it like this (after he thaws it :): Pat the steak dry; salt and pepper it. Put a teaspoon or so of oil in the pan, heat the pan till it's almost smoking. Sear the steak in the hot pan for a few minutes (depending on thickness)on each side. If he likes it rare, it will take only a few minutes. If he likes it medium to well, put the seared steak in the microwave for one minute. Let it rest. Eat. Even my husband will do this when I'm gone, and he absolutely does not cook anything else. Except egss, which he does in the microwave.

For Christmas Eve I made a 12 lb loin of beef. I have so much stuff going on that I bought a digital therm with a probe and program it to the proper temp, it beeps when it's done so I don't forget about the beef. I cut the beef in half to make it a little easier to handle and used Ina Gartens recipe. 1 (4 to 5 pound) fillet of beef, trimmed and tied 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the beef on a sheet pan and pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Spread the butter on with your hands. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove the beef from the oven, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the strings and slice the fillet thickly. Note: Be sure your oven is very clean or the high temperature will cause it to smoke.