Cozy Food: Beef Stew

Mmmmm! Autumn means it's time to start making cozy food! I'm not sure if "cozy food" is an actual thing or not, but... it totally is. Dan & I received a crock pot as an early wedding present from one of his roommates and I've been geeking out about it. I definitely went to Half Price Books and procured myself a Betty Crocker slow cooker cookbook. One of my favorite stews that my mom makes back home in her crock pot is a beef stew, and it's soooo tasty. I'm not sure if mine was as tasty (Mom's cook with that secret ingredient called love, right?), but it definitely was tasty! And it's the perfect thing to warm up a chilly autumn evening.

Here's Ms. Betty's beef stew recipe. It was supposed to include sundried tomatoes, but I'm not a huge fan of them, so I omitted them.

1 1/2 lb beef stew meat

12 medium new potatoes, cut in half

1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges

1 bag (8oz) baby-cut carrots (about 30)

2 cups water

1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup cold water

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Mix all ingredients except the 1/4 cup water & flour, in a 3 1/2 - 6 quart slow cooker

2. Cover & cook on low heat setting 8-9 hours (or high heat setting 3-5 hours) or until beef and vegetables are tender.

3. Mix 1/4 cup water & the flour; gradually stir into beef mixture.

4. Cover & cook on high heat setting 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf.