Ingredients:
1lb of stew beef, trimmed as needed
One med-large onion, chopped
4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
Beef bouillion cubes or powder
One clove of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rice to serve it over, boiled or steamed

My Substitutions/Suggestions:
If your grocery store doesn’t sell pre-packaged “stew beef,” any inexpensive cut of beef will do, you may just have to cut it up yourself.  I like to leave some fat on the meat, but trim most of it away, even when I buy pre-cut stew beef.  If you would prefer, you can add beef broth instead of water when you first start to cook, you may not even need the bouillion later.  You can also buy pre-peeled/cut carrot chips if you’d like, but it is less expensive to buy the carrots and do the work yourself. Also, instead of fresh garlic, I use 1/2 tsp of minced garlic in water-the kind you buy in a jar, usually in or near the produce section.  You could even use garlic powder instead, though I typically don’t.  If you’d prefer, you can serve the stew over pasta or with biscuits/crackers instead of over rice.  This recipe makes stew with a thin broth,  if you would like to thicken it up, you can use cornstarch or flour to do so.  I find it easiest to spoon some of the hot broth into a cup or bowl, then slowly add the flour or cornstarch to that, while stirring with a fork or whisk.  Once you’ve added a few spoonfuls and have fully incorporated the flour or cornstarch into the broth, simply pour it back into your stew and gently stir.  You can repeat these steps until your broth is the desired consistency.

Method:
Place your beef in the crock pot and add enough water or broth to cover the meat.  Set it on low and allow the meat to cook until mostly browned, usually an hour or two.  Add the chopped onions, garlic, and enough water to cover.  Allow them to cook while you peel and chop the potatoes and carrots.  Add the carrots and potatoes, again adding water to cover.  Allow everything to cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring periodically.  45 mins before you intend to serve the stew, taste the broth, decide whether you’d like to add any bouillion, also add salt and pepper as needed.  I typically add 4-6 bouillion cubes, along with the salt and pepper.  If you’re going to serve your stew over rice, start it now too.  I serve the stew over steamed white or brown rice, which takes approximately 45 mins to cook.