Cozy Beef Stew

Everyone needs that one go-to dish for company. Since I don't have a lot of spare time with a new three month old, anything I can make in the slow cooker is the way to go. This is one of my favorite dishes and perfect for the cooler weather. Pair it with some red wine and/or a warm loaf of bread and you have yourself a wonderful warm meal.

Ingredients:

12 meaty short ribs or 3 lbs beef stew meat

1/4 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup of sweet onions, diced

3 ribs of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup baby carrots

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 medium red potatoes, cubed

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbs tomato paste

1 cup of red wine

4 cups of unsalted or low sodium beef broth

(I tend to double the recipe when I make it to have left overs but don't freeze. The potatoes don't keep their consistency.)

Lightly coat the beef with the seasoned flour. Add the vegetable oil to a pan and brown the beef on all sides. You may need to do it in batches. When well browned remove the beef from the pan and add to slow cooker.

Add the garlic, onions, and celery to the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the vegetables become shiny and begin to get soft.

Add the carrots, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, red wine, soy sauce, and tomato paste to the slow cooker. Stir to mix ingredients. Make sure that your liquid covers your ingredients. Cook on either the slow or high setting depending on your time frame.

(serves about 6)