Crock Pot - Old Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe

During the fall and winter months, I enjoy making hearty soups and stews in my crock pot for my family. I love the fact that I can spend a few minutes in the morning preparing it, put it into the slow cooker and walk away...a few hours later, our dinner is hot and ready to enjoy.

The following recipe was given to me by my 83 year old great aunt about 25 years ago. To this day, I still enjoy making it for my family. If you don't like okra, you can certainly omit it from the recipe. At times, I have actually substituted the okra with some fresh green beans or green peas, and the stew was just as delicious.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe

2 lbs. beef cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup beef bouillon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 carrots, peeled and sliced in 1" sections
1 cup celery, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
4 medium-sized turnips, peeled and quartered
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup partially cooked okra

In a large frying pan, heat up the vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown beef cubes on all sides.

In your crock pot combine the browned beef cubes, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, onion, bouillon, pepper, salt, granulated sugar and the vegetables listed in the recipe. Pour in 4 1/2 cups of water and stir so that everything is combined.

Cover and set the dial to high heat and slow cook for 6 hours. Remove lid and stir in flour if it is needed to thicken the soup. Replace lid and turn the dial to low heat and simmer for 1-2 additional hours.

This recipe will make 6 hearty servings.

This article is Copyright © 2009 by Shelly Hill, all rights reserved.

This is really different and delicious at the same time. Now that summer is in full swing, I use my crock pot more and more to make our family dinners.

Chipped Dry Beef and Chicken

8 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
8 pieces of bacon
1/2 lb. dried chipped beef
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 can cream of chicken soup

In a large Tupperware bowl, combine the chicken soup, sour cream and flour. Stir in the chicken and chipped dry beef. Seal bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from the bowl and set aside. Pour 1/2 of the sauce mixture into the crock pot. Take one piece of raw bacon and wrap around each chicken breast. Place chicken breasts into the crock pot. Pour the remaining sauce mixture on top. Place lid on your crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Great served with mashed potatoes.

If you are looking for an easy to make crock pot recipe, then you have found it! You only need 4 ingredients including water.

Salisbury Steak

9-12 hamburger patties
2 envelopes of brown gravy mix
1 envelope mushroom gravy mix or onion soup mix
water

In a large frying pan, brown hamburger patties on both sides. Dissolve brown gravy mix and mushroom gravy mix in 2 cups of hot water. Add gravy mixture and hamburger patties to your crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours or until done.

Auntie's Baked Beans Recipe

4 (28 oz.) cans Baked Beans
1 1/2 lb. bacon
2 medium onions.
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. brown sugar (to taste)
1/2 to 3/4 c. ketchup (to taste)
2 heaping Tbsp. sweet relish

Cut bacon into small pieces. (I use kitchen shears to do this). Place in skillet on stove and fry. Dice up onions and add to bacon while it is frying. When bacon pieces are crispy, turn stove down to warm and add the brown sugar, ketchup and sweet relish. Continue to heat until brown sugar dissolves. (mixture should taste sweet). Remove from heat and add baked beans and mix. Pour mixture into a baking dish and bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or place into a crockpot for 4 hours on low.

In the summer time I use my crock pot even more than I do in the winter time as its just too hot to heat up the oven. You can make just about anything in a crock pot these days such as: Soups, Stews, Main Dish Meats, Desserts, Breads, Cobblers, Vegetables and more. Here are some great tips to help make your crock pot cooking even easier.

Crock Pot Tips

#1. Peel and chop the vegetables the night before, cover and keep them refrigerated.

#2. The night before, trim fat from meat and cut meat into the desired sized pieces, cover and refrigerate.

#3. Thaw frozen vegetables and meat in the refrigerator, never thaw at room temperature.

#4. Brown meat according to the recipe directions. You can brown your meat the night before and then refrigerate.

#5. Serve cooked food from your slow cooker or it's removable liner to save on washing extra dishes.

#6. Slow simmering produces a mellow blending of flavors, but whole herbs and spices may give more flavor than usual, while ground herbs and spices may give less flavor.

#7. Remember to remove bay leaves and whole peppercorns before serving food.

#8. Some vegetables, especially onions and carrots, often take longer to cook than meat. Always place them at the bottom of the slow cooker.

#9. To assure even cooking of meat, be sure there is some space between the pieces to allow for circulation of heat and seasonings.

#10. Both regular and quick cooking rice need 4-5 hours to cook on your low setting, on your high setting it will take 3-4 hours so plan ahead. You may prefer to cook the rice on your stove top or in your microwave and then add into your crock pot recipe.

#11. Pasta needs stirring while cooking to prevent it from sticking to one another. It is best to cook the pasta on your stove top until its just tender and then add into your crock pot recipe.

#12. When converting your favorite recipes for the slow cooker, reduce the amount of liquid since the slow cooker lid gives a tight seal and retains steam.

#13. Pour your liquids in last.

#14. Fill your slow cooker at least 1/2 full for the best slow cooking results.

#15. Tender vegetables such as fresh mushrooms, tomatoes or zucchini will only need to be added for the last 45 minutes of cooking time, otherwise you could over cook them.

#16. To prevent milk, cream and sour cream from curdling, add near the end of the cooking time and just heat through.

#17. Coating pot roasts and stew meat with flour helps to thicken the broth as it cooks.

#18. If you have too much liquid in your slow cooker, you can remove the lid and cook on high for the last 25 minutes.

#19. Resist the urge to lift the lid. The heat that you lose will add as much as 30 minutes to the cooking time. If you have to stir, resume timing when the mixture starts to bubble up again.

#20. Cooking for 1 hour on high is the same as 2-2 1/2 hours on low.

#21. After the food has finished cooking, it can usually be held in the slow cooker for an hour on the low setting without over cooking it.

#22. If food is not done within the stated time in your recipe it could be because you overfilled your slow cooker or you took off the lid too many times. Adjust your cooking times accordingly.

#23. Slow cooking at the low setting is better for tenderizing cuts of meats (brisket, pot roasts, etc).

#24. Take time to trim and remove excess fat from your meat before slow cooking to reduce the amount of fat that accumulates during cooking.

#25. You can use a slice of bread to skim off excess fats or you can use a slice of lettuce leaf.

One of my husbands favorite meats to eat is spareribs and he loves them done in a crockpot (slow cooker) or hot from our grill. This recipe is a little different than most sparerib recipes buts its very easy to make. Mix up all the ingredients and place into your crockpot before heading out the door to go to work. By the time you get home, dinner will be done. The meat will just fall off the bone! My husband loves this recipe serve with rice, corn on the cob or with buttered beans.



Chinese Style Spare Ribs



1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. orange marmalade

2 tbsp. ketchup

1 clove garlic, crushed

3-4 lbs. spare ribs



Combine soy sauce, marmalade, ketchup and garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Brush on both sides of ribs. Place ribs in crock pot. Pour remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

Here is a great Garlic Beef Stroganoff recipe to make in your slow cooker (crock pot) during those hot summer days when you don't want to heat your house up by using your home oven.

Garlic Beef Stroganoff

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 cup boiling water
10 3/4 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
9 ounces sliced mushrooms, drained
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds boneless round steak (1-1/2 to 2 pounds), trimmed and cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
Hot cooked noodles

In a slow cooker, dissolve bouillon in water. Add soup, mushrooms, onion, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. In a skillet, brown beef in oil. Transfer to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the meat is tender. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Serve over noodles.

Crock Pot Country Spare Ribs



2 1/2 to 3 lbs. spareribs (pork or beef)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 (1 lb) can sauerkraut, drained

1 apple, cored & diced

1 tbsp. sugar



Cut spareribs into serving-size pieces. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place on rack in baking pan. Brown in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, turn andbrown on other side for 15 more minutes. Pour off drippings. Spoon sauerkraut into slow cooker pot. Top with apple, sprinkle sugar over the apple and put the ribs on top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender and done. Makes 4 servings.

Crock Pot Chipotle Pork Chops

2 medium red or green sweet peppers, cut into strips
1 c. celery, sliced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
8 pork loin chops, cut 3/4 to 1" thick
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c. orange juice
1 tbsp. chopped chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

Place sweet pepper, celery and onion in your crock pot. Sprinkle pork chops with garlic salt and pepper. In a large frying pan cook chops, half at a time in hot vegetable oil over medium heat until brown on both sides. Add pork chops to crock pot. In a small bowl stir together chicken broth, orange juice, chipotle peppers and oregano. Pour over pork chops in the slow cooker.. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours or until done.

Summer is coming and the weather is getting warmer, pretty soon it will be too hot to run our kitchen ovens so I will be using my crock pot (slow cooker) even more than what I do now.

A few nights ago, I found this recipe in one of my vintage cookbooks. Hubby rated the recipe 8 out of 10 stars so he really liked it.

Book Name: Crockery Cookery by Mable Hoffman and it was published in 1975.

Crock Pot Fruited Pork Chops Recipe

4 lean pork chops
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 tbsp. prepared mustard (we used dijon mustard)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. dried dill weed
1 (17 ounce) can fruit cocktail
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water

Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Place in your slow cooker pot. Combine mustard, vinegar and dill. Drain fruit cocktail; add 1/2 cup of syrup from fruit to mustard mixture. Pour over chops in crock pot. Cover pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove pork chops from the pot and turn control to high. Dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into pot. Add drained fruit cocktail, cover and cook on high for 15 minutes. Spoon fruit sauce over the pork chops and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Side Dishes That I made: Baked Potatoes with sour cream, cheese sauce and crumbled bacon topping along with frozen peas in butter sauce.

Here at our home, we eat a lot of seafood...especially crabs, shrimp, lobster and oysters. Here is an easy crock pot recipe to make shrimp marinara!

Crock Pot Shrimp Marinara Recipe

1 (16 ounce) can peeled tomatoes, cut up
2 tbsp. minced parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 lb. cooked, shelled shrimp
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cooked Spaghetti Noodles

In a slow cooker, combine tomatoes with parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, oregano, tomato paste and seasoned salt. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Turn control to high setting. Stir in cooked shrimp, cover and cook on high for 15 minutes. Serve: Serve topped with Parmesan Cheese served over cooked spaghetti noodles. Makes 4 Servings.

Your classic crock pot beef roast recipe. We slow cooked ours in the crock pot with some veggies for 6 hours and our beef roast came out juicey and tender, it just fell a part...just the way we like it!

Crock Pot Beef Roast Recipe

3-4 lb. beef roast
2 c. sliced carrots
1/2 c. sliced celery
6 med. potatoes, cut into cubes
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 tsp. beef steak seasoning spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 tbsp. parsley
Water

Rinse off your beef roast and place in your crock pot. Chop up your carrots, celery, mushrooms and potatoes and add them on top and around your beef roast. Add in your chopped onion, minced garlic, beef bouillon cubes, steak seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley. Pour in water to cover the beef roast and veggies. Slow cook in your crock pot for 6 hours on low.

My 82 yr old great aunt has collected recipes over her the years and has now passed them onto me. Some are ones she clipped out of newspappers, magazines, given to her by others and so forth. I have thousands to sort through. I think the vintage recipes can be the best ones because they are usually simple to prepare and use ingredients you normally have on hand. Yesterday I decied to make the following recipe that she gave to me using my crock pot.

Crock Pot Peached Pork Chops

5-6 pork chops
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (29 ounce) can cling peach halves
1/4 c. vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly brown pork chops on both sides in a skillet. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Pour off excess fat-grease.



Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, tomato sauce, 1/4 c. syrup from peaches and vinegar in a large bowl.



Arrange pork chops in your slow cooker (crock pot). Place drained peach halves on top.



Pour tomato mixture over them. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 4-6 hours until done. Makes 5-6 servings.



Now your finished product should look like this! Happy Eating!

It's been pretty cold here in Central PA the past week and we were in the mood for chili today. Here is one of my husbands favorite chili recipes.

Mild Chili Recipe

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2-3 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper
2 lg. cans of kidney beans
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
4 c. tomato juice
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 sm. can mushrooms

Brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic. Drain grease. In a large kettle, add all of the ingredients together and simmer uncovered for 60 minutes. You can also do this in your crockpot over low heat setting for 3 hours. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe freezes well. Just fill your freezer containers 80% full. Label and date them. I date mine no longer than 9 months.

Santa Fe Bean Soup

3 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (10 ounce) can chopped tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large cooking pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. To Serve: ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle the cheedar cheese on top.

Optional: You can also do this in the crockpot. Just dump in the first 6 ingredients into your crockpot, turn your crockpot on the low setting and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Cherry Cobbler

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coat the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in the cherry pie filling. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Spread evenly over the cherry pie filling. Cover, and cook on High for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the topping comes out clean.

Did everyone have a great Superbowl Sunday? We had a few friends over for the big game. One of the recipes I made was some Chili in my crockpot. We like our chili served over white rice however my mom likes hers served over mashed potatoes. My daughter just likes it plain served in a large soup bowl. This recipe also freezes very nicely. I like to make up big batches and plan ahead by freezing some in quart size freezer containers.

Crockpot Chili

2 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic
2 lg. onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. red cayenne peppers
2 large cans kidney beans, plus juice
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. basil
4 c. tomato juice
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. sugar
1 sm. can mushrooms

Brown the ground beef with the garlic and onions. Drain grease. Pour mixture into the crockpot and add all of the other ingredients. Set your crockpot on low setting and simmer for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

I am a big fan of the crockpot and use ours 2-3 times per week, mostly on the weekdays as I am a busy mom and wife. In the morning I will put my ingredients into the crockpot and by 5pm when my husband arrives home from work, dinner is done! Here are a few of our favorite crockpot recipes.



Pork Chop and Apples



6 pork chops

3-4 unpeeled apples

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp butter

3 tbsp. hot oil



Use a fry pan and brown both sides of pork chops in hot oil. Then combine all of the above ingredients (except for the pork chops) and mix well. Place the pork chops into the crock pot and pour mixture over top. Cook on Medium Crockpot setting for 3 hours or until done.



Pepper Steak



2 lbs. beef round steak

2 tbsp. cooking oil

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 c. chopped onion

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ginger

4 tomatoes (cut into 1/8 ths or 1 can of stewed tomatoes)

2 lg. green peppers (cut into strips)

1/2 c. water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

cooked noodles or cooked white rice



Cut beef into 1" by 3" strips; brown in oil in a large skillet. Transfer to a slow cooker. Combine the next seven ingredients; pour over beef strips. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Add tomatoes and green peppers; cook on low for 1 hour longer. Combine the cold water and cornstarch to make a paste; stir into liquid in slow cooker and cook on high until thickened. Serve over cooked rice or cooked noodles. Yields 7 servings.



Crockpot Cheesy Chicken



6 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 (10.75-oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (10.75-oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup



Rub chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place chicken in slow cooker and pour soups over the top. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low. Makes 6 servings.

When it comes to crock pot cooking (using a slow cooker), I enjoy using mine all year long. One of the recipes I enjoy making in it are Cabbage Rolls, which are also known as Pigs In A Blanket.

This recipe does take some preparation time, but is well worth your efforts.

To Prepare Cabbage: Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a rapid boil. Take the core out of each head of cabbage. Place head into boiling water, cover and cook for 5 minutes, remove from water immediately. With one head, start taking the leaves off, being careful not to tear them. They should be pliable, if not, place back into the water for an additional minute or two.

Cabbage Rolls

2 large heads cabbage
2 to 3 lbs. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups cooked rice
1 hot pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can warm water

Fry the lean ground beef and chopped onion in a large skillet over medium heat until it's not longer pink; drain grease. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked ground beef mixture with cooked rice, diced hot pepper, paprika and salt, set aside.

On a clean surface, such as a cutting board, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat mixture onto the center of the cabbage leaf. Overlap the sides of the leaf and roll. Repeat until your meat mixture is completely used up.

Place rolls into your slow cooker (crock pot) and pour the can of tomato soup over top along with a 1/2 can of warm water. Turn the dial to high heat, cover and slow cook them for 4 hours or until done.

If desired, you can freeze the left-overs for up to 6 months in your freezer as this recipe will make approximately 25 to 35 cabbage rolls.

This article/recipe is copyright 2009 by Shelly Hill, all rights reserve. If you would like free reprints of any of my articles, please contact me.