Beef Stew - (I like to make this hearty stew Halloween Night!)

Karen Parker’s Stew - (I forgot to buy carrots!!)

I package of stew meat from Costco.
1 - lg. can stewed tomatoes.
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
8 potatoes (red rose – peel, cut in large chunks
4 carrots – large chunks
1 onion - large chunks
handful of fresh greenbeans
2 beef bullions
4 cups of water
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch of thyme
Squirt of ketchup

(Use large crock pot.)

Flour meat and brown in nonstick skillet and olive oil. Set crock pot to low and put meat in crock pot with 4 cups of water, 2 beef bullions, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add a pinch of thyme. Cut up potatoes, carrots and onion and add to crock pot. Cook for about 3 hours stirring occasionally adding more fluid if needed.

Then Add salt and pepper to taste. (I used about 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper but batches will vary.) Take about ¾ cup fluid from crook pot and mix with flour (about 4 tbsps… or more depending how thick you like your stew.) and stir back into stew to thicken. Add a squirt of ketchup. Cook for about 1 hour more, stirring occasionally. Karen said you can add frozen green beans or peas also when you add the veggies.