Slow Cooker Beef Stew

The smell of this stew when you come home on a cold or rainy day is one of the best things life has to offer.  Ok, maybe it's not that good, but it really does make me happy to be home. This is one of those recipes that I don't follow the quantities for, I use it as an ingredients check-list. Serve it with crusty bread and you're all set. Left-overs are good too, it's microwave-friendly.

Ingredients
2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
1 t paprika
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped


Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper; pour over the meat and stir to coat. (I skip the small bowl and just dump it all in the slow cooker, I hate doing dishes more than I hate cooking).  Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots and celery.


Cover and cook on Low setting for 10-12 hours, or on High setting for 4-6 hours.  (It tastes way better cooked on Low.  If you're short on time, try the High setting for 3 hours and the Low setting for an additional 2-4 hours).


Adapted from Allrecipes.com