Simple Beef Stew

Here's a quick, easy, simple, simple, simple beef stew I threw together last month.  I made it again tonight for dinner and it was still a hit...you just never know with this crowd here at my house!

Ingredients:

I made it early in the day then put it in the crockpot.

1 1/2-2 lbs of stew meat
1 onion, cut any way you like (I cut in big pieces so certain people can eat around them easily)
1 small bunch of carrots, sliced
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
2-3 potoatoes, cut in small pieces (the smaller you cut, the faster they cook)
1-2 bay leaves
2 cartons of beef stock/broth
1/2 cup of flour, more or less
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Place the flour in a bowl, season with salt and pepper
2. Toss the beef in the flour to coat.
3.  Add the oil to a large stock pot (I am hoping for a long-desired Le Creuset dutch oven this Christmas!) and heat med-high
4.  Once the oil is hot, add the meat, sear on all sides
5.  Once the meat is cooked, you can removed it to cook the veggies, or move it to the side (lazy me, I moved it to the side)
6.  Add the bay leaves then the onions to cook them down a bit, 5 minutes or so.
7.  Add the carrots, cook another few minutes.
8.  Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. 
9.  Add the broth to the hot pan-this will help deglaze and pull up all the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour or more.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I add very little salt, especially if my stock has a lot of salt already in it.
10. Add the potatoes the last 20-30 minutes of cook time if you prefer firmer, less mushy potatoes in your stew.
11.  Remove the bay leaves before serving.
12.  Serve with crusty bread, cornbread or over egg noodles.

Enjoy!