Slow cooker beef & vegetable stew

As the fall temperatures start to take a plunge (hint, hint Florida — that means no more 94-degree days!), there’s nothing better than a warm, hearty meal.

Actually, scratch that — there is something better: a meal that practically prepares itself. What a stew!

Utensils required: Crock pot, plastic resealable bag

Ingredients:

– 1 package of cubed stew beef (If your grocery store doesn’t offer this, look for a cheap cut of boneless beef that isn’t too lean — beef without any fat tends to be a lot tougher to chew, which you don’t want for this stew.)

– 1 package of carrot coins (Or baby carrots that you can slice up, like I did)

– 1 envelope of Lipton onion soup mix

– 2-3 large Yukon Gold Potatoes, cubed (Or you can leave them out and serve your stew atop a serving of instant mashed potatoes, for more of a pot roast flavor)

– 1/2 cup of flour

– 1 can of seasoned, diced tomatoes

– Water (enough to cover the veggies and meat)

– A pinch of salt and pepper (just enough to add flavor)

Time commitment: 5-10 minutes of your time; 6-8 hours of your crock pot’s time

Steps:

1. Take all of your diced vegetables and place them at the bottom of the crock pot.

2. Next, put the flour, salt and pepper into the plastic, resealable bag. Place a couple of cubed pieces of beef in the bag at a time, close it, and shake them around until the pieces are thoroughly coated. Then take out the pieces and put them in the crock pot on top of the vegetables. Repeat this process until all of the meat has been used. (The flour will thicken up the stew and make it taste heartier.)

3. Dump the can of diced, seasoned tomatoes on top, and pour in the Lipton onion soup mix.

4. Now add enough water to cover the meat and vegetables before turning the crock pot on high.

5. Let the stew cook for the next 6-8 hours, and try to avoid drooling all over yourself as you start to smell its rich aroma wafting through your apartment. You can serve it alone, with a side salad or over a bed of mashed potatoes.