Foodie Friday: Hearty Beef Stew

This is a great meal for a crisp, Fall day. It's a slow-cooker recipe, so you can throw everything in there in the morning and come back to a delicious meal in the evening. Stew has become a Thursday tradition in our home since it's gotten colder out, and it makes for great leftovers! We've gotten into the habit of chopping the vegetables the night before, so the morning preparation is even easier. This time, we used an onion from my garden, our crop of red (pink, really) potatoes, and carrots from my friend's garden. I think food you grow yourself tastes just that much better, don't you?

You will need:
2 lbs beef stew meat
Some small red, yellow, or purple potatoes (8-10), sliced
2-3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
2 Tablespoons flour (any kind, optional)
½ Tablespoon garlic powder
½ Tablespoon season salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup red wine (whatever you would drink)
1 bay leaf

• Combine the flour, garlic powder, season salt, thyme, and cayenne pepper in a large plastic ziploc bag:
  
  
• Put the stew meat inside the bag and shake shake shake until it's all evenly coated with the spices.
• Brown the meat in a skillet on low to medium heat:
  
  
• (If you want to skip the browning step, go for it! Just dump the meat and spices into the slow cooker with the other ingredients.)
• Put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker as follows: carrots on the bottom, then potatoes, onions, meat.
• Cover with the tomato soup or paste, broth, and wine, then add the bay leaf.
• Cook in slow cooker on low for at least 6 hours.
• Eat up!
  
  

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