In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat oil; add meat cubes and brown on all sides.

Stir in broth, minced garlic, and paprika.

Bring to a boil and then cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

To prepare leeks, cut off and discard the tops and very dark green portion.

Cut the leeks lengthwise so you can rinse them well and then slice them thickly.

Cut and seed the bell pepper and chop coarsely.

Scrub the mushrooms to get off all dirt.

If they are very small, you can leave them whole; if not, halve or thickly slice them.

Add the vegetables to the stew, bring to a boil, and then cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Mix together the cornstarch and apple juice.

Add to the cream and stir to mix.

After the vegetables are tender, increase the heat, add the cream mixture while stirring constantly, and keep stirring until the mixture thickens.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a mixing bowl or gallon-sized plastic bag, mix together the flour, garlic powder, mustard powder, chili powder, and pepper.

Add beef cubes and stir or shake to evenly coat pieces of meat.

Save any remaining flour mixture to be used a bit later.

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil until hot.

Add the beef cubes and cook for about 5 minutes, or until cubes are evenly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, and onions.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer.

Cover and cook for 1-1½ hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in zucchini and corn and continue to simmer, covered, for another 15-20 minutes.

In a small bowl, blend together the reserved flour mixture and water until smooth.

Add to stew and cook, stirring for several minutes or until the stew has thickened.

Dredge the meat cubes in the flour.

In a heavy pot or cast-iron Dutch oven, heat the oil and then add the flour-coated meat cubes and brown on all sides.

Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, broth, 1 cup water, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake in the oven at 300° for 3-4 hours.

Optional: If you like your stew thicker, mix together ¼ cup of flour with ¼ cup water and stir it into the stew before cooking.

Before serving, remove the bay leaves and discard.

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

(You may need more salt.

)

Add carrots and water to a large pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the onions, potatoes, rice, macaroni, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil once again; reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.

(Add more water only if absolutely necessary.

)

Add the milk and butter and stir; heat until hot, but do not boil.

In a heavy pot, brown hamburger; drain grease.

Add the remainder of the ingredients except for the parsley.

Simmer for about an hour; add the parsley and simmer for 10 minutes more.

Ladle into individual bowls and serve.

Or top with shredded cheese (Jack, Cheddar, or crumbled Cotija), a dollop of sour cream, and sliced green onions if desired.

Some people like to serve this over cooked rice.

In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, brown the hamburger just until the meat is no longer pink; drain grease.

Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and pepper flakes and continue to brown the meat, stirring regularly, for another several minutes.

Next, add the beans, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil.

Reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 1 hour.

Remove the cover and continue to simmer for about 30 more minutes, or until the chili has thickened a bit and has a deep color.

(If the sauce cooks down too quickly, you can add some water, about ½ cup at a time, so the chili doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Ladle into individual serving bowls and, if desired, top with shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese, sour cream, diced avocados, or sliced green onions.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot; brown the meat half at a time, adding garlic to the second half of the browning.

Drain off excess fat and return all meat to the Dutch oven.

Add remaining ingredients except for the parsley.

Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and simmer for another 30 minutes or so until desired consistency.

Stir in parsley just before serving.

In a saucepan, place cubed sweet potatoes and cover with water; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are almost tender.

Drain sweet potatoes and set aside for now.

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil and brown the pieces of chicken on all sides.

Add the chicken broth and half-cooked sweet potato cubes and bring to a boil; reduce heat, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the sweet potatoes are tender.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat oil; add chicken pieces and brown on all sides.

Add remaining ingredients except for parsley, cover pot, and cook on a low simmer until chicken is done and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

To serve, ladle into individual bowls and garnish with a bit of parsley.