Monday, March 31, 2014

Crockpot Beef Stew

This is crock pot beef stew......my family loves it.
 I like to make it in the crock pot, so that I can do the work of it in the morning when I have more energy.....then leave it to cook all day.











                                  
I don't always make it the same.....sometimes there are variations depending on what I have on hand, but it is usually pretty similar.

I started here with about 2 pounds of baby carrots - they were on sale this week and I was in a hurry, so didn't want to peel and cut up the regular carrots. Personally, I think the regular carrots have better flavor than the baby carrots, so that it what I usually use.

I had found red potatoes on sale, so we just scrubbed them and cut them up, leaving the skins on. We scrubbed 5 pounds and used all but 3 potatoes.....I ran out of space in the crock pot. :)

We cut up 2 large onions also.....and added both the potatoes and onions to the crock pot.








I had bought stew meat - about 1 1/2 pounds of it and I browned it in olive oil in a frying pan on the stove. I also used 1 packet of onion soup mix on it and about 1/2 cup of water. I rarely use mixes, so felt a bit guilty about this, but this helped since I was in such a hurry this day.

When the meat was browned, but not cooked all through, I added it to the crockpot.




Next came the diced tomatoes.....after I took this picture, I added another can of diced tomatoes.........then decided there was enough room for some green beans in there.....see those little spaces?... well, I filled them up with green beans.  By this time, the crock pot was really full........and I added water.....enough to bring the level up near the top, but not all the way. I also sprinkled some red pepper flakes on the top.






I had to push the lid down to get it to close since it was so full, but it worked. Normally, I do 2 crockpots of a meal like this so that we will have some leftovers, but I broke the liner of my other crock pot, so only have one now. I have to fill it really full......then when it is cooked, I transfer some to a saucepan and add salt, pepper and thicken it with corn starch in water, to make a nice thick hearty broth in both the crock pot and in the saucepan. When I use 2 crock pots, I don't have to transfer it, but this works for now until I get another one. With my size family, we put 2 crock pots to use very often.

We served fresh homemade bread with butter with the stew..... the whole meal was delicious and we all enjoyed it greatly. I love making crock pot meals.....they cook while I am doing other work and they taste wonderful after simmering all day.

Thank you for joining me here at Gentle Joy Homemaker. I hope you have a great day!   :)


Shared on....................

Weekend Potluck

28 comments:

  1. This looks (and I'm sure smelled) great! :) <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your stew looks fabulous! I love crockpot meals for the same reasons that you do.
    Thank you for stopping by my blog, and your sweet words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crockpots are so nice....thank you for visiting. :)

      Delete
  3. This recipe looks delicious! I love cooking with my crockpot! I would love to invite you to share your recipe at my linky party. :) Meal Planning Monday Recipe Link-Up. http://www.aprilshomemaking.com/2014/04/meal-planning-monday-recipe-link-up-5.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting and thanks for the invite. :)

      Delete
  4. Crockpot meals are such a blessing on our busy, homeschooling days. I am writing this one down and will try it soon. :-) Thanks for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." I hope you will be able to join us again this week. http://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/2014/04/try-new-recipe-tuesday-april-8.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crockpots are wonderful for homeschooling days! I love it when the meal is all ready at suppertime with very little work.....and I tend to regret not starting it when I get to the 5:00 panic. :) Thank you for visiting.

      Delete
  5. Yum! I've been gathering some great Fall recipes...this will go on my list! Thanks for sharing at Strangers & Pilgrims!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry to be so long in answering this... somehow I overlooked it. Collecting recipes is a fun thing to do and I hope this one works well for you. Thank you for visiting. :)

      Delete
  6. So good on a cold day...Looks delicious! I love putting dinners in the crock pot too. It's so easy and I too have more energy in the morning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you... I have lots more energy in the morning also... which makes putting food in the crockpot so helpful for me. Thank you for visiting. :)

      Delete
  7. I love stew and yours looks so good! Thanks for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you... I appreciate your visit and your sweet comment. :)

      Delete
  8. Yum, yum, yummy! I love crockpot meals and this stew looks delicious! I bet your home must smell divie while it's cooking all day :) Thanks for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. Hugs to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does... and I just love having it hot, ready and so fragrant by supper time, when we are all tired and hungry. :)

      Delete
  9. I love a good beef stew, I make mine in the oven in a dutch oven, takes 1 1/2 hour.
    It is made with 2 tbsp tapioca, 1 tsp. lemon pepper, 1 can tomato soup 4 bullion cubes and water to cover all the vegetables and uncooked beef cubes. On 375 for 1 1/2 hours, great with some crusty bread.
    I'm sure you could turn it down and cook a little slower.

    Thanks again for sharing on the Oh My Heartsie Girls WW this week.
    Hugs
    Karren

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good.... so many great ways to make beef stew.

      Delete
  10. I love recipes like this where you can throw in the veggies that you happen to have on hand. I also love crockpot recipes! I'll have to try this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do too... I made another one last week and put in a LOT of garlic scapes... Yum! It turned out to have a very nice flavor and the garlic was there, but not overpowering. :) I try lots of variations.

      Delete
  11. I can't wait to try this! I'm pinning, and you'll be featured on the Homestead Blog Hop. Thanks Joy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you will find you love it... and you can change it to use whatever veggies you have on hand and it still tastes good as long as some base items are there. :) Thank you for the feature...

      Delete
  12. I can't wait to try this! I'm pinning, and you'll be featured on the Homestead Blog Hop. Thanks Joy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like it as much as we do... and it is great to vary the ingredients based on what is on hand. :) Thank you for the feature. :)

      Delete
  13. Yummy, yummy! I especially love using the crockpot when it's hot and I don't want to heat up the house using the oven. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is very helpful when it's hot... and thank you for reminding me to get something going in it because today is going to be very hot. :) Thank you for visiting.

      Delete
  14. This looks and sounds absolutely delicious and I love beef stew. Visiting from Homestead blog hop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has been delicious... we just made it again last week... and the garlic scapes were wonderful in it. :)

      Delete