Old-Fashioned Beef Stew from Once-A-Month Cooking

This is an interesting recipe from this terrific book that I won a few months ago at a giveaway at Jane Doiron's....Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

This cookbook is authored by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg.  I'm honored that Mary Beth signed the book for me.

When I spent time at my daughter's a while back, this dish was something I was able to whip up in just a few minutes, to put in her freezer for them to eat later.

It's truly an amazing concept!

Place the ingredients in a ziploc freezer bag, then toss into the freezer until you're ready to thaw, then cook it in a crockpot.

(Deb said they really enjoyed this meal.  She added a little more worchestershire and thickened the gravy.  She also said it was ready after 6 hrs. in the crockpot.)

Here's what you do....

MAKE AHEAD OLD-FASHIONED BEEF STEW

1 lb. beef stew meat

3 cups (24 ozs) V8 juice

1 cup (8 ozs) beef broth

1/2 sliced onion

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 cup (8 ozs) frozen green beans

1 cup (8 ozs) frozen whole kernel corn

1 cup chopped carrots

(To save time and work, we opted to use a bag of frozen stew vegetables instead=)

Pour all the ingredients, with vegetables still frozen, but broken apart as much as possible, into a 10-cup freezer container (gallon ziploc freezer bag works fine).

To serve, thaw.  Pour into a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

(My thinking is that if you are not using fresh veggies, you may not have to cook it as long)?

SUMMARY OF PROCESSES: Slice 1/2 onion; chop 1 cup carrots

Serves 8

(The authors suggest you always use fresh meat before freezing...refreezing meat that has once been frozen, is not a good idea)

If you want to thicken sauce, mix some cornstarch with water then stir into stew before serving.

Some of the other recipes in this cookbook that sound wonderful...

~Sweet and Sour Chicken

~Apricot-Glazed Pork Roast

~Egg Bake

~Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chicken Pie

~Smothered Burritos