Beef & Butternut Stew

A nice hearty bowl of Beef & Butternut Stew would be wonderful on a chilly winter day! Luckily we're not there quite yet, so it's good that I have some in the freezer waiting for me :) This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentis, and you can also find step-by-step pictures here. The only thing I did slightly differently is to cut the beef and squash in smaller bites than called for in the recipe and cut down a little bit on the oil. Here they are... one for now and some for later!!

(I made half the recipe, and decided to split it into thirds so I could add half a sandwich or muffin or whatever the heck I felt like...  if you're wondering about serving size)  This was delish, and due to simmering for longer than Giada called for (I forgot to check the clock or set the timer) the meat was especially tender!  While I was making this, I was thinking "hmm, I'm just not a huge fan of beef stew."  Luckily I really enjoyed it and would definately make this again :)  I didn't so much pick out the sundried tomato flavor, but I just eye-balled those and might've been a little shy.  It also couldn't be hurt by adding more squash, but that's probably true for alot of things!!  Melissa  and I must've been on the same wavelength sunday, as we both made this--check out her raves here.