First Time Stew Maker

I made my first beef stew in the crockpot beowabbit gave me years ago, and it was at least as good as any beef stew I've ever had. I've just recently started using the crockpot, and I have to say, I'm a happy convert.

beowabbit schooled me on the informality of crockpot cooking. When I mentioned looking for a recipe, he said "Oh, no recipe needed. You just throw in whatever you've got." This was just prior to an amazing brisket I made last week without a recipe, so once again I just threw in what I had on hand for the stew. A package of inexpensive stew beef from Shaw's, carrots, potatoes, onions and celery from the Two-Dollar-A-Bag groceries that surrealestate got for me, a can of beef stock, pepper and salt. I put it all in last night and let it bubble all night and all day today, then thickened it with Wondra flour. Whipped up some Bisquick biscuits, and we just had a mighty fine comfort meal. The batch of stew would have fed at least 4 or 5 hungry people, and the whole thing cost way less than $10. I didn't measure anything, just tossed in what renaissance and colonial recipes call "a goodely ammount" of everything on hand that looked like it wanted to be stewed. Easy as Easier than pie.

Yum!