OPINION | FRONT BURNER: Beef and Vegetable Stew warms the heart, soul

When the weather first turns cool in the fall, my dinner thoughts turn to chili and casseroles, but by the time winter's chill really sets in — when the sky is so white it looks like it would spill snow if you only had a poker long enough to pierce it — I start craving beef stew. And this year is no exception. I tend to stick to the same recipe — with minor tweaks here and there — every time because it's always so satisfying. I'm sure there are other equally good or even better stew recipes out there, but this is the one I want when a beef stew craving strikes.

My most recent tweak was to forgo the fresh onion I normally use and add a teaspoon or two of sauteed onion base.