Granny's Beef Stew with Dumplings

1 pound beef chuck steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
3 cans beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 pound carrots
1 large onion
3 medium potatoes
2 stalks celery
-- fresh parsley
2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk

Coat beef cubes with flour.
In Dutch oven, saute beef in oil over medium-high heat to brown on all sides. Add thyme, pepper, salt, bay leaf, broth and wine. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low cover and simmer 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
Cut carrots, onion, potatoes and celery into 1-inch chunks. Add vegetables to stew and add water to cover if necessary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour or until vegetables are tender.
Combine biscuit mix and milk and drop batter by spoonfuls onto boiling stew. Cook dumplings uncovered 10 minutes. Cover stew and cook dumplings 10 minutes longer.
To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.

Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America-not on the battlefields of Vietnam .

- Marshall McLuhan