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This may be the wrong time of the year for comfort food if you live in a
warm climates.  But, it's kinda cool today  in Tacoma, so I started a
batch of stew this morning and decided to share my recipe.  It is so
easy, yet so rich, full tasting and colorful. Tastes & looks like I
worked all day on it!  I make it often in my large crock pot.  If you
have the smaller original size crock pot, you can reduce the number of
potatoes, carrots & celery ribs and use a small onion so it will fit.
But I always start with at least two pounds of beef.  (One pound of stew
meat seems to disappear when it's cooked!)

2 (or more) pounds lean stew meat
One roasted soup bone* for flavor
1 can S & W Ready Cut diced tomatoes (or 4 diced fresh)
4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled & sliced
1 onion peeled & cubed
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 cup water
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups frozen peas (or green beans), thawed

Put all ingredients in crock pot except frozen peas.  Cook on high (325
degrees) one hour.  Stir.  Cook on low  (225 degrees) 7 hours.  You may
want to stir it again half way through the cooking time.  Add frozen peas
& allow just enough time to heat through (5 or 10 minutes).  Serve with
crackers or rolls.  How easy is that?

* A roasted soup bone, shank or beef neck bones adds a beefy flavor and
makes the gravy a nice brown.  I put the soup bone(s) in a small open
baking pan & stick it in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour or two.
You don't have to roast the bone ahead of time and you can add it to the
crock pot any time during cooking, just make sure to "bury" it in liquid
so it forms the brown gravy.

Before I had my surgeries in October, I made a huge batch of this with
beef and another batch with chicken.  Then I froze them in individual
serving containers.  When I came home from the hospital, I didn't have to
cook for days.  When I make it with chicken, I liberally sprinkle chicken
pieces with paprika & tumuric.  For the roasted bone flavor, just roast
the neck & back pieces as you would for beef, then add them to the
stewing chicken anytime during cooking.  It's so GOOD!

Valerie in Tacoma

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