Comfort Food

My mother can't cook. She overcooks EVERYTHING because she's afraid of e-coli and salmonella. The only thing I ever really liked that she made was her beef stew. Now, I make it myself. It's really tasty, and simple. It's just stewing beef, potatoes, carrots, a couple of onions, and some rutabaga in plain water, no herbs or seasonings, left to simmer all day. The meat comes out melt- in -your- mouth tender, the potatoes fall apart, and when you walk in the door on a cold day, and that smell hits you...heaven! A plate of this, with the potatoes mashed into the broth with lots of butter is about the best comfort food I've ever had.