FEED YOUR FACE: Southern style South of the Border Stew. (Pappy style)

Pappy loved beans. He also loved stew. And he loved just about anything hot and spicy from south of the border. If you caught him on one of his good days, the man could fill the kitchen with aromas that would knock your socks off. Or if he was in the mood for border-style, you would burn all of the hair in your nose from the aroma of chili and spices. Grandmother was surprised sometimes that the paint had not peeled off the kitchen walls.

At least once every winter, Pappy would make this stew. It's good with some fresh corn bread on the side.

2 tablespoons of shortening or bacon grease
1 1/2 pounds of lean chuck, cut it in 1 inch cubes
2 green chilies, hot or mild, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 pounds smoked pork, cut in 1 inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet peppers, green or red, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 one pound can of tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1 cup of your favorite wine (save the rest for later)
1 cup raisins
1 cup whole almonds or 1/2 cup shaved almonds

Now, get out your trusty Dutch oven.
Brown beef in shortening or bacon grease in Dutch oven. Remove beef.
Brown pork,onions and garlic. Stir often, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Now add your browned beef back into the Dutch oven, add your tomatoes,chili peppers, red peppers,salt, pepper,bay leaves, cumin, and oregano.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat.
Simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and cover.
Now, bake at 300 degrees for about 2 hours.
Skim the fat that has floated to the top, and serve.

Now, you can also do this in a slow cooker. When grandmother bought a slow cooker when they first came out and used it for the first time, I could have swore that I saw her dance a little jig in the kitchen. (She said that she was trying to squish a spider on the floor.) The roast and veggies were quite good. Pappy was overjoyed with the slow cooker also. Anyway, the slow cooker way follows.

Brown meats, onions, garlic in a skillet.
Dump that into your slow cooker. Now add all of the other ingredients.
Cover and let it cook 8 to 10 hours.

On cold days or cold nights, this stew will warm you up. It goes real good also with a cold beer and some sourdough bread.

So, whichever way you like to cook it, make a batch and FEED YOUR FACE!