There is a light at the end of the tunnel

And it hasn't been turned off just yet!! I've been busy working and settling back into the rhythm of the school year, the kitchen fairy has taken over, a.k.a. my slow cooker.

This week I tried out a couple of new recipes and they weren't exactly perfect, so some tweaks need to be made. We did have a very hearty beef stew one evening, that I must say was dang good and because we are in the midst of weather changes here, it was a perfect fit!!

I've also spent a fair amount of time on the ever popular site www.Pinterest.com. I must warn you it's highly addictive and possible that you'll enter a time warp and forget you even have children when you visit the site. AMAZING ideas and I am a huge fan. Follow me. The food ideas alone excite me to no end.

I found this recipe for beef stew. Delicious.

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.