Beef Stew

Confession: I am so incredibly bad at making a meal in the slow cooker.   I typically use my slow cooker on Sundays--when I clean, fold laundry, or clear off my DVR. J I have to smell the food cooking all day. By the time it actually gets done, 8 hours or so later, I don't even want to eat the food because I've smelled it cooking all day. I also check the pot constantly like it's going to burn or something--so much for "leave it and forget about it" convenience.   As a result, the food never lives up to the anticipation of something I have smelled and fussed over all day.  New goal: Wake my butt up in the morning, start the slow cooker meal, and actually reap the rewards after work.

However, I do have a few crock pot success stories thus far… and the one I’m sharing today is Beef Stew.  I’ve made this a couple of times this winter, and it always lives up to the smell!

What you’ll need:

Beef Stew

1 lb. stew meat
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 can beef broth
1 can V-8 Juice (if you don’t have V-8, you can blend a can of any type of tomato)
1 cup carrot chips (I buy the bagged chips)
1 medium sweet onion (I didn't have an onion--so I added green onions and mushrooms this time)
3 bay leaves
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp pepper
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas

First, combine the first 11 ingredients in your crock pot (and any additions you had to make your stew perfect!).  Cover with lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender (I usually set mine for 7.5 hours)

7.5 hours later----Remove lid. Discard bay leaves. Add the corn and peas.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew.  

Cover stew and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened.