Hearty Beef Stew

Winter is here in Utah! Which means that it's cold and when it's cold you need warm hearty comfort food and that means Beef Stew! This recipe is so easy, so good and will warm your whole body up after plowing your driveway or playing in the snow with your kids! I suck again and didn't think to take a picture until it was too late and in my belly, sorry!

Beef Stew

From Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup flour

2 Tablespoons oil

1 bay leaf

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped (opt)

I use Onion powder or flakes instead to taste

2 Knorr Beef Bouillon cubes (any brand will work)

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup sliced celery (opt)

4 lg. potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

4 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

Coat meat with flour; set excess flour aside. In large skillet heat oil. Brown meat on all sides. In slow cooker, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, chopped onion, bouillon cubes, pepper, salt, sugar, potatoes and vegetables. Pour water over all. (Almost to the top of your slow cooker). Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Turn control on high. Thicken with flour left over from coating (about 1/4 cup) dissolved in a small amount of warm water. Cover and cook on high 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Makes 6-8 servings.

***This recipe called for 4 cups of water and then states to pour water almost to the top of the crock pot. I used 5 cups total and it was fine.

Mmmmm Good

Fall is here! It is one of my favorite times of the year because the leaves are changing colors, the air is crispy, I love wearing jackets, I love cuddling to keep warm and I love warm comfort food! And one of my favorite comfort foods is chili. Chili is such a simple dish but such a good one. This recipe is one that you can cook on the stove quick or you could put it in the crock pot for a few hours. I prefer the crock pot because your whole house will smell good and yummy! Happy Fall everyone!

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 1/2 cups water
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add the stewed tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beans and water.
2. Season with the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Crock Pot Way-
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Combine in crock pot with remaining ingredients and cook on high for 3 hours.

The Perfect Sunday Roast

I love a Sunday Roast! There is nothing better than putting the roast in the crockpot, going to church and then walking back into your house and smelling the aroma that fills your entire house! And you can't beat putting everything in the crockpot and having dinner without doing any work! I have tried several recipes for roasts, but found my version the best! I had 2 friends that were talking about roasts one day and how they couldn't find a recipe they liked. One of my friends tried my roast recipe and loved it!

Sunday Roast

1 Roast (whatever size you need for your family or whatever size will fit in your crockpot)
1 bag of baby carrots
1 onion, quartered
5-6 Potatoes, cut into small pieces (or how ever many you can cram into the corners)
1 packet of Roast Seasoning (comes in a packet with a bag but I don't use the bag)
1 cup of water

Put the carrots, half of the potatoes and half of the onion pieces in your crockpot. Place the meat on top. Cram the rest of the potatoes and onions in around the roast. Mix the roast seasoning with the water and pour over the roast. Turn the crockpot on low and cook for 8 hours! You can cook it on high for 4 hours, but I really recommend that you cook it for 8 hours. It makes the meat more tender and it truly tastes better!