Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I adapted this Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe from Martha Stewart's Beef Stew recipe.  I was unsure about adding balsamic vinegar to a beef stew since I have never tried that before.  However, it turned out great.  I actually love balsamic vinegar but never thought to add it to beef stew.  I also added mushroom broth since it was something I wanted to use up from the fridge.  You could also make this on the stove top or oven, but I prefer using a slow cooker.  The meat always comes out tender and melts in your mouth!  I usually like to serve beef stew over wide egg noodles, but its also great as is or even over rice.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/3 cup tomato paste

½ cup and ¼ cup mushroom broth (You may use beef broth)

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

1 onion, diced

1 russet potato, diced

½ pound baby carrots

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Toss meat with flour to lightly coat.

In a pan over medium-high heat, add oil.  Next, add in meat in batches to lightly brown.  There is no need to cook the meat all the way through since it will cook in the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, mix together tomato paste, ½ cup mushroom broth, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.

Once meat is done browning, add ¼ cup mushroom broth to pan to deglaze. Scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Next, pour in tomato-balsamic sauce and stir to mix with deglazed bits.

In slow cooker, add in carrots, onion, and potato.  Top with meat.  Pour sauce over top and add in bay leaves.

Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

You can also freeze in freezer bag(s) prior to cooking for a make-ahead meal.

Dog Birthday Cake

Happy 10th Birthday Buddy!  I had to make Buddy a special dog birthday cake this year for his 10th birthday.  Does this really make him 70 in dog years??  He sure doesn't act like it!  I have made this dog cake before for Buddy and Ellie's past birthdays and its really simple.  I frosted the cake with cottage cheese and decorated the cake with dog biscuits and extra shredded carrots.  I also used peanut butter to write on the cake.  Buddy (and Ellie) could not wait to eat this cake!  You should definitely make this for your dog's next birthday or any day really :)

Ingredients

1 egg

¼ cup peanut butter

½ cup applesauce

1/3 cup honey

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Optional Frosting:

Cottage cheese

Peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour and baking soda and use a whisk to mix dry ingredients.  Next add in the remaining ingredients.  Stir to mix well.

 

Pour cake batter into an 8x8 inch baking dish.  You can use a similar sized baking dish/pan of your choice.

 

Bake for 30 minutes.  (If you make cupcakes, it would probably take about 18-20 minutes to bake.)

For the frosting – Spread the cottage cheese over the cake.  I put some peanut butter in a plastic sandwich bag and snipped a corner of the bag to use for piping on the cake.

 

Feel free to decorate with extra shredded carrots, dog biscuits, or your dog’s regular kibble.

Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. 

 Special beef bones for Buddy's birthday present (of course his little sister gets one too)!

Yummmmm!

Happy dogs...