Vegetable Beef Stew and Biscuits--Crock Pot

This was a really easy and really good stew. I didn't think my kids were going to eat much of it, so we invited friends over to help eat it and by golly we were almost liking the pot clean! Even the kids! I made homemade biscuits to go with it and I think it was a different recipe than I previously posted so I'll post it as well today. A note about the pictures: I took some cooking pictures and then planned to take a picture of it all finished with a biscuit. We were eating before I thought of it again and the next thing I knew it was all gone and my friend was saying, "Oh, you forgot to take a picture!" And so I did. Just take my word for it, it looked yummy, smelled even better and the taste was worth the wait.

Browning the meat. I didn't cook it all the way through,
and it was still a little pink when I added it to the crock pot.This is what it looked like when I added it to the pot.
I decided later to add a can of corn (not drained) and some frozen peas.

Vegetable Beef Stew
* 1 pound lean stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces (I just bought pre-cut stew meat)
* 3-4 cups canned tomatoes
* 3-4 carrots, peeled and cubed
* celery stalks, sliced and cut the way you like
* 6 large potatoes, peeled and cut
* 2 large onions, diced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Optional ingredients:
* can whole kernel corn
* 1 can or about 1 cup frozen peas
* 2 beef bouillon cubes

1. Brown meat in a large pan. (I sprinkled with salt and my favorite pepper seasoning).

2. Put meat and all the ingredients into a crock pot (save the corn and peas for the last hour). I crushed two beef bouillon cubes up and added them as well. If you like spicier foods you could add chilies or red pepper flakes. Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

****I actually cooked it on high for 3 hours then turned it to low for 5 hours. If you want you can also cook it in the oven at 250 degrees for 3 to 4 hours.****
239 Calories, 7 g fat, 499 mg sodium

Biscuits--These turned out better than my old recipe. They were crispy on the top and bottom but soft in the middle and not overly heavy. All in all they were quite yummy.

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup shortening, margarine, or butter (I used butter)
* 2/3 cup milk

1. Stir together dry ingredients and then cut in the shortening or butter. Add milk and stir until the dough clings together. It will seem crumbly and not really like a dough.

2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently just enough to stick it together for rolling. The more you knead the heavy and less "airy" the biscuit will be. Roll it out to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut your biscuits.

3. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till golden brown. Makes 10 (2 1/2 inch) biscuits.

191 calories, 11 g fat, 152 mg sodium