Stew's On!

When I woke up this morning, there was a chill in the air in the house. The kind of chill that let's you know it's cool outside. Granted, I don't like to be cold, but I do enjoy the briskness of fall air. Fall is by far my favorite season, so as you can imagine this chill was welcome by me! Puppy err'd her displeasure with the cool air and ran right back under the blanket in the bed after her breakfast. (Puppy is a 2.5 pound chihuahua that will actually be 3 years old in October, and puppy is her nickname).
One of the best parts of fall and cooler weather is comfort food! You can't REALLY enjoy beef stew when it's 90 degrees outside (and in North Carolina, that's pretty much all summer long!) so I'm taking the opportunity while it's cool to enjoy one of my new favorite dishes. Growing up, I never liked beef stew and I think it's because I don't like the big chunks of meat. So I realized not long ago that "Hey, I'm grown and can make my own the way I like it!".

Doesn't that look yummy?!

Melissa's Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds extra lean stew beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 6 oz can tomato paste
3-4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
3 1/2 cups beef stock
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 cup frozen baby peas
Flour for coating meat approx. 1 cup
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste (I use 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper)

Directions:
Pour beef stock in your slow cooker, just enough to cover the bottom and turn on high heat. Trim any excess fat off of the beef, and cut into bite sized pieces. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Coat beef in flour and brown a few pieces at a time and adding more oil between batches when needed (I don't dust off the excess flour, the extra browns in the pan and makes a thick yummy sauce!). Transfer meat to the slow cooker, leaving behind any oil and browned flour in the skillet. Add onion to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and 1 cup of the beef broth; stir to coat the onions and transfer to the slow cooker. Pour the remaining beef broth into the pan, scraping up any little bits off the bottom of the pan. Add package of onion soup mix and stir to dissolve. Add to cooker. Add potatoes, carrots, and thyme leaves to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 7 1/2 hours (or 4 hours on high if you're in a hurry but low is best). 30 minutes prior to serving, add the peas and stir, allowing to heat through.

I hope it's cool enough where you live to eat some beef stew or comfort food for dinner tonight!