Slow Cooker + Beef = YUM!

Happy Sunday, Kitschies! I hope you had a better weekend than I did. My (almost) 4-year-old is being a holy terror and at this rate, he'll be lucky to see his 4th birthday. *sigh* People tell me it gets better, but the only light I see at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train. This is a recurring theme in my house lately and it's getting rather old.

It's been pretty hot here the last couple weeks - Summer has arrived! On hot days like this, I like to use the slow cooker because it goes all day and dinner is ready when I get home. No, or very little, use of the stove/oven required. Plus, I'm greeted with a great smelling house when I finally make it home. This is the first time we've tried this recipe, and it'll definitely be a regular repeat in the future.

Slow Cooker Beef & Mushroom Stew

1 1/2 lb beef bottom round roast or chuck pot roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed French Onion soup
1 cup dry red wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed
10 oz mushrooms, cut in half
3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup frozen whole small white onions
1/4 cup water

Season the beef with the black pepper. Coat the beef with 2 tablespoons flour. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring often.

Stir the beef, soup, wine, garlic, Italian seasoning, mushrooms, carrots and onions in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 11 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender.

Stir the remaining flour and water in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the flour mixture in the cooker. Increase the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.

NOTES: I used cubed stew meat instead of cutting up a roast. I didn't realize the recipe called for whole mushrooms, so I just used pre-sliced - I don't know there would've been much difference. I guess it all depends on how you like your mushrooms. I couldn't find frozen whole small white onions, but I did find cocktail onions. I measured them out and put them in the freezer overnight. The one thing I liked about the cocktail onions is they have a little tang to them because they're marinated.

Coming attractions: Banana muffins, apple crisp, a couple manis and some goodies in the mail! Stay tuned!!

Listening to: The Cleveland Show (meh)
Mood: sore