Slow it Down, Slow cooker beef stew.

The Winner of my Yoplait giveaway was Linda of Savoring Every Bite! She recently posted a lovely Pumpkin Rugelach recipe that you should totally check out!

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I adore my slow cookers. Yes, I said cookers…as in plural, as in I have 3. Well, I have 4 of you count the little dipper (warming only). I make oatmeal, applesauce, soups, stews, roasts, cobblers, lasagna (the list goes on and on…) in my slow cooker.

Yes, I adore my slow cookers.

When I was a single gal, I loved making a soup or a stew via the slow cooker. I’d come home to an apartment that smelled lovely and be able to eat a healthy dinner without a lot of after work fuss. Which was good, because without my slow cooker the Taco Bell near my apartment would have known me even better than they already did.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for bean burritos. 😀

Once I was a seriously dating gal and an engaged gal I was able to wow and impress my boyfriend/future husband with my chili and stews. It was in no small part due to the slow cooker. I have found that any meaty morsel that is allowed to cook low and slow for hours will become tender and wonderfully flavorful.

Anyhoo…. Allie and I are hosting a Slow Cooker recipe link-up. This link up will happen every 2 weeks for a while. So, if you have a slow cooker recipe to share please feel free to follow the little blue frog and enter a link to your slow cooker recipe post. We’d love to have you join in the slow cooker fun!

Beefy Stew

Ingredient List:

• 2 lbs beef or pork stew meat
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 red pepper sliced
• 3-4 cups of stock (beef or chicken or veggie) I start with 3 add more if needed
• 2 + 1/4 cups of water
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes (poked with a tooth pick) or 1 can of chopped tomatoes.
• 1 large onion chopped OR 2 cups of frozen caramelized onions
• a splash of red wine
• 1/3 cup + 4 TBSP of corn starch
• 2-3 TBSP of garlic chopped
• 1 TBSP salt
• 1 TBSP pepper
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

What to do:

I like to use a liner in my slow cooker, it makes clean up easier. Reynolds sells slow cooker liners (in fact, there is a coupon on the Reynold website for $1.00 off your purchase in case you’d like to give them a go), and they work wonderfully.

• Mix your stew meat with 1/3 cup of corn starch (or flour if you prefer) making sure to coat each piece of meat.
• Add a little olive oil to a hot skillet and brown the meat, this is an important step that you should not skip.

Brown baby, Brown.

• While your meat is browning, chop your veggies. I prick my cherry tomatoes with a tooth pick so they will cook well and not be little tomato bombs. Trust me that you do not want tomato bombs in your stew. Tomato bombs= bad so poke your tomatoes or use canned tomatoes. 😀

Whoa! Bright red tomatoes.

• Add the stock, wine and water to the slow cooker.
• Add seasoning and garlic to the slow cooker.
• Add the meat and veggies to the slow cooker.

One big happy stew-ey family.

• Stir to combine.
• Place the lid on the slow cooker and Slow cook for 8-10 hours on low or 6-8 hours on high.

About 1 hour before serving, add 4 TBSP of corn starch to the 1/4 cup of water. Mix well to combine. Pour into the stew and mix well to combine.
The corn starch will thicken the stew.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the shocking lack of potatoes in my stew. Shocking right? I do not care for mushy, stew-ey potatoes. So, I make mashed potatoes and serve my stew on top of them.

This one is for my husband.

Enjoy!

• Posted in: blogging ♦ Cooking ♦ dinner ♦ Family ♦ food ♦ Frugal living ♦ grocery shopping ♦ homemaking ♦ How to ♦ just thinking ♦ Meat ♦ savory ♦ slow cooker ♦ Texas ♦ things that make you go Yum
• Tagged: Beef, Bell pepper, blogging, Broth, Carrot, cook, Cooking, Corn starch, dinner, Family, Flour, food, frugal living, Fruit and Vegetable, Home, homemade, Homemaking, Olive oil, Onion, Recipe, Reynold, Slow cooker, Soups and Stews, Stew, Tablespoon, Texas, Tomato, Whoa