Beef Stew

Let me just start of by saying, I love my love my slow cooker. It really is one of the greatest small kitchen appliances since you throw everything in and it does the rest of the work for you. One thing I do need to buy is a slow cooker recipe book so that I can get more ideas.

This is just a quick recipe I threw together since I knew I would be getting home later than usual one night. It was super quick and with some corn bread on the side its the perfect meal.

• 1 lb stew meat


• 2 cups carrots, chopped


• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped


• 2 cups potatoes, chopped (you can leave the skin on or peel it off)


• 3 cups beef broth


• 1/2 cup red wine


• 2 tbsp. tomato paste


• 1 tsp. kosher salt


• 2 tsp. black pepper


• 1 tsp. thyme


• 2 bay leaves

In crock pot, place carrots, onions, potatoes, broth, wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves. Mix together. Turn crockpot on low.

In a skillet with a little oil, cook meat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add meat to crockpot.

Cook for 6-8 hours on low. For the last 30 minutes before serving, turn on high.

Meatballs

I think these are a great mid-week meal because you can do so much with them and they don't require a lot of constant attention. The other night I decided to make them into sandwiches with cheese melted over the top on a toasted bun. If you aren't into the sandwiches, you could also just throw them on top of some pasta or even eat them plain with a side dish or salad. Everyone makes their meatballs different and I probably make them slightly different each time, but here is the general recipe +/- a few pinches.

• 1 lb ground beef (I use extra lean)


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 egg


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tsp black pepper


• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I like a little zip in my meatballs)


• 1 1/2 tsp oregano


• 1 tsp parsley


• 1 tbsp ketchup


• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Simmer a pot of your favorite or homemade tomato sauce with a lid on top (keeps it from getting everywhere).

Mix all above ingredients (except the meat) together in a large bowl until seasonings have blended together. Add meat in and mix well. (I usually just get my hands right in there). Roll meat into balls about the size of a ping pong or golf ball and carefully place them into the simmering sauce. Cover pot again with a lid and let simmer about 25 to 30 minutes.

If you want to make these as sandwiches, I lightly toast the bun then add the meatballs and some cheese and put in back in the oven for a minute or so to melt the cheese and get it nice and bubbly.

Note: If you want this meal to be gluten-free, just serve them on gluten-free bread or pasta, or have it in a bowl with sauce.