Beef stew and apple crisp

Yesterday was a snowy, blowy day here on the west side of the mitten state, a perfect day for beef stew in the slow cooker. As I was putting this together, I realized that the majority of the ingredients came from our co-op. Perfect! I'm trying to transition our household to eating more local food vs. grocery store stuff, so this meal was ideal. And it was tasty, too. I think The H had three bowls at dinner, and took leftovers for lunch today.

Co-Op Beef Stew

1lb beef stew meat, cubed (co-op!)

Red wine, for deglazing pan

6 small carrots, scrubbed and sliced (co-op!)

2 onions, peeled and diced (co-op!)

4 potatoes, washed and cubed (co-op!)

Canned tomatoes

Zucchini, diced

4oz fresh sliced mushrooms

Worcestershire sauce, about 1 Tbsp

Black pepper and sea salt, to taste

Beef stock or broth, about 2 cups

Prepare potatoes, carrots, and and place into olive-oiled slow cooker crock. Add tomatoes. Brown cubes of beef with a few cloves of minced garlic, and add to crock. Deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup red wine; bring to a boil, get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, and add the wine to the slow cooker. Pour in beef stock. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire (hot sauce, like Frank's, would probably be good in here, too). Cover the crock and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add the sliced mushrooms and zucchini for the last hour of cooking. Thicken with a cornstarch-water mixture if desired. We left it brothy per The H's request.

Dessert was an oatmeal apple crisp made with co-op Ida Red apples. It was delicious! I used this recipe from allrecipes.com with very few modifications. For example, I used turbinado sugar instead of white, added nutmeg to the apples, and walnuts to the crumble topping/crust. Instead of straight butter, I used Smart Balance 50/50 blend. It was a perfectly sweet, homemade end to our chilly winter day.