Beef Stew

Yesterday I tried two recipes from the newspaper that turned out to be successful. One was a slow-cooker beef stew that I just happened to have most of the ingredients for. I didn't have a can of beef broth so I used water and beef bouillon and the frozen peas I thought I had could not be located in either freezer. That didn't stop me because the beauty of a stew, is that you can add more of another ingredient to make up for one that you might not have on hand. I plugged the slow-cooker in at 2:00 p.m., started the homemade bread, and by 6:00 dinner was ready to be served. You've got to love a success like that!

BEEF STEW-Deseret News-Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

1 c. cubed white potatoes (I used 3 potatoes to make up for the missing peas.)
1 c. baby carrots (I used about 1 1/2 cups, leave them whole.)
1 c. diced celery
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 lbs. lean beef cubes (I cut up half of a cross rib roast.)
1/2 of an envelope dry onion soup mix (Lipton)
2 bay leaves
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. dried thyme (I used ground thyme.)
1/4 t. black pepper
1 can beef broth (I used 2 c. water + 2 t. beef bouillon.)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 c. frozen green peas
3 T. cornstarch + 3 T. water

1. Cut up all vegetables and stew meat.
2. Layer ingredients in the order listed above except for the peas and cornstarch. The potatoes and carrots need to be at the bottom in order to cook completely. Do not stir until later.
3. Cover and cook: crock pot 8 - 10 hours; slow-cooker on medium 4 hours. At 8 hours (or 3 1/2 hours depending on what kind of appliance you used,) remove lid, stir well and add frozen peas.
   
4. Mix the cornstarch with water and combine well. Gently stir in half of the cornstarch. Add remaining cornstarch as needed to reach desired consistency.
   
5. Serve immediately.