what's for dinner tonight {slowcooker beef stew}.

as i have stated repeatedly on this blog, fall is my favorite season. i just love it. aaaaaand i love cooking fall-ish foods. apple crisp. pumpkin bread. chili. chicken pie. comfort foods, mostly. it just makes me feel all warm and cozy. here in dallas, when my daughter is still wearing sundresses the last week in october and the temperature is barely getting out of the 80s, it's especially important to me to make it actually feel like fall through the things that i cook.

weird? maybe. but that's me.

tonight i made beef stew in our crockpot and it was pretty good. i mean, i'm no beef stew extraordinaire but it was tasty... AND easy... AND i started it before i left for my afternoon job and came home, tired and hungry to an apartment smelling like worcestershire and beef broth and an already prepared dinner.

love. that.

i served it with easy homemade biscuits that i made before work and reheated for dinner. yum.

slowcooker beef stew

* 2 lbs of beef stew meat cut into cubes
* 1/4 c. flour
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1/2 t. pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tsp. paprika
* 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 c. beef broth (may need to add more... i actually used 4 cups because i wanted the broth to cover all the meat and veggies since i was going to be gone all day and my crockpot cooks fast)
* 3 potatoes, diced
* 4 carrots, sliced
* 2 stalks of celery, chopped

-put meat in crockpot. mix flour, salt and pepper and pour over meat and stir to coat.
-stir in the rest of the ingredients.
-cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hrs or on high for 4 to 6 hrs.

serve with...

fluffy biscuits

* 2 c. flour
* 4 tsp. baking powder
* 3 tsp. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 c. shortening
* 1 egg
* 2/3 c. milk

-combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. cut in shortening until it resembles course crumbs.
-in a separate bowl, beat together egg and milk. add to dry mixture until moistened.
-turn onto a floured surface. knead 20 times.
-roll out to 3/4 in. thickness and cut with a floured biscuit cutter.
-place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.