Beef Stew

I don't have a picture of this one...but I promised my friend Kirsten that I would give this recipe to her, and then promptly forgot! It's a good thing she's so forgiving, right Kirsten?

Since I needed to right it down anyway, I figured I may as well post this since I have NEVER had a beef stew that compared to this. The flavor is fabulous and the meat turns out perfect every time. I love that it's not too tomatoey either. Cuz I hate big chunks of tomatoes in anything but Mexican food. So this recipe is just my style. Plus, as a bonus, you do it in a crockpot! And if there's one thing I love, it's not having to worry about dinner at dinnertime!

So here it is. Hope some of you get to enjoy this. I'll post a picture the next time I make this! Which might be soon now that I'm thinking about and salivating over it!

Crock Pot Beef Stew
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced (I dice it in my mini chopper)
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 to 1 1/2 c peeled and diced rutabaga (I just use a little celery - cuz who has rutabaga?)
1 c fresh green beans, in bite size pieces (canned, if you please for me)
1 lb beef stew meat chunks
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 c beef stock
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Worcestshire sauce
pepper to taste
3 Tbsp flour
2 tsp tomato paste

Put everything but the flour and the tomato paste in a slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5, until the beef is tender and the potatoes are just fork tender. Stir the stew once or twice as it cooks, if possible. About 30 minutes before serving, transfer a ladleful of the broth to a small mixing bowl. Add the flour and tomato paste and whisk until smooth. Stir the mixture into the stew and cook for the remaining half hour. Makes 6-8 servings.