Cook-it-Slow Beef-Stew, Garbage Disposal Tips

Getting my hair highlighted today. As my husband quoted "because some hair is more important than others." I have a wonderful woman that does it. She will come right to your house. Excellent if you have little kids. If anyone wants in that piece of action that lives in my area, gimme a call. Help a sista out!

I also made one window's shutters yesterday. They turned out fabulous! Well, they haven't been stained yet, but they look awesome anyways. REMINDER! There will be a HOW-TO posted once I have them all done! (For problem-solving sections and what-not)

So, last night I made a simple beef stew. Used the ol' crock so that I wouldn't have to do any work during the relaxing evening hours. It was sooooo yummy. Much better than that canned crap.

SLOW-COOKED BEEF STEW
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1. Get out your ol' crock pot. I believe I used my 4-qt one. But you should put it in a bigger one if you decide to add more stuff than I did. If you don't have a crock, head to your local Younkers (hehe) and pick up one. There's a huge selection available in assorted sizes. Some with some awesome features. Turn it on HIGH
2. You're going to need about a pound of steak. I chose leftover round steak. Cut it up and fry it first in a seperate pan. Yes, a slow-cooker will cook a steak, but I don't like the thought of it not getting to the hottest temp to kill all the bacteria. Better safe than sorry. So chop it up, cook it, and throw it in your crock.
3. I used about 5 red potatos, but you can also use 2-3 russet potatos. Eyeball it. Cut up the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Make sure you wash them first! I make pretty big chunks, b/c I wanted a chunky stew. Toss them in.
4. Throw in half a bag (however many ounces that is =P) of baby carrots. I didn't chop them. You can if you want. Again, I wanted mine chunky.
5. Chop up two stalks of celery, toss them in.
6. Add about 1/2 cup of fresh parsely. Fresh parely will taste better than the crap in your seasoning jar. You can add it to your processor if you choose. Dump it in your crock.
7. Add 4 bouillon cubes and 4 cups water. You can do more cubes and more water if you want it to be more like a soup instead of a stew.
8. Stir it all up and let that sit for about 5-6 hours. I made mine around noon and by supper time, everything was soooo tender! Serve it up with some chunks of french bread and enjoy!


****TIPS FROM BRITTANY'S KITCHEN****
Thinking of getting a garbage disposal? Sure, why not? They are kind of handy. We might be getting one, just b/c someone insists that we need on and is willing to pay for it. But.....here's the kicker. WE ALREADY HAVE ONE!
His name is Sebastian. He's an awesome hound/german shepard mix, and he LOVES table scraps. So instead of spending money on something that could potentially destroy your nice silverwear or take off someone's hand (not to mention the cost of installing the damn thing), head to your local animal shelter and adopt your own cute cuddly garbage disposal. Other great features are:
1. Cheap security alarm.
2. Cheap entertainment for kids
3. Cheap company for trips to camp.
4. Cheap workout buddy
5. Cheap bed-warmer
6. And best of all: cheap love for a lifetime.

Can your garbage disposal do all that?? Didn't think so....



My garbage disposal-----