Stewed Up

There’s a nip in the air here on the VA eastern shore – FINALLY. Now that we’re back home, it’s back to cooking and autumn is definitely time for crock pot cooking. That’s great too because we have lots of catch up work around the house and in the yard. Ever notice how those chores don’t go away even if you do?
This is a basic beef stew and extra veggies can be added. My choice was green beans thanks to Grenville’s produce from the Frog & PenguINN garden.
Once all the prep work is done and everything is in the crock pot, you’re done with dinner. Crock pot meals usually serve 4-6, but we plan for leftovers and freeze a container too.
Beef Stew

• 3 carrots, cut up
• 3 potatoes, cut up
• 2 lbs stew beef - 1 ½-inch cubes
• 1-2 stalks of celery, cut up
• 3 onions quartered
• 1 1 C fresh (if available) or 1 can mushrooms
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp parsley
• Salt to taste

We brown the meat before adding to the crock pot.
Put about a ½ C of flour, some salt and pepper into a zippered bag. Toss the meat with the mixture and shake off any excess. Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add some of the meat; don’t crowd the pan. Stir and turn until the meat has browned on all sides. Remove and put in the crock pot; repeat until all the meat is browned adding more oil as needed.
F&P Tip: Brown the onions in the pan after the meat has been removed to scrape up any bits of flavor. 
Place ingredients in crock pot in order listed. Stir just enough to mix spices. Cover and set on LOW for 10-12 hours or HIGH for 5 to 6 hours. If short on time, start on High for 2 hours, then set  to Low for about 6 hours.
(2 hours on Low = 1 hour on High).
Go do something else while dinner cooks – come  back and enjoy.