Lazy-Day Beef Stew

My boyfriend hates grocery shopping. He goes with me though, and more often than not, has terrific ideas for meals while we're meandering up and down the aisles. This time, he thought of beef stew. We've been dying to use the crockpot since we moved into our new apartment, and me being on a soup kick, this was just perfect!

The wonderful thing about this stew is that it's so simple, it's satsifying without being loaded with calories, and it lasts for days or can be frozen. The recipe that we used for a guideline was from the Taste of Home Website, and it was incredible.

Here's that recipe, including our modifications:

Ingredients

• 1 pound red potatoes, cubed
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch slices
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound beef stew meat, pre-cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (2 cans)
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

• Place potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Place flour and stew meat into a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet, brown meat in oil, then place over vegetables.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, beef broth, mustard, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Pour over meat and veggies. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2-4 hours or until potatoes are tender. Makes about 8 servings.

Do you have a favorite stew recipe for the winter months? Send me a link or post the recipe in the comments!