Beef Stew

It is cold tonight. Beef Stew with cornbread muffins=happiness. Oh yeah. It does take a while to make, so it's not a quick after work meal (unless you do a crockpot version, which this is not), but it's yummy and wonderful on a chilly night. Here is the warm goodness.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Stew meat (a lb or so), cubed
1 1/4 cups beef broth (concentrated)
3 1/4 cups water
3 carrots (chopped)
2 or 3 red potatoes, cubed
1 onion (if you want it)
1/4 cup flour or corn starch

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Brown the stew meat on all sides, but don't over cook it. Add the beef broth and 3 cups of the water, leaving 1/4 cup for later. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 1.5 hours. At that point, add the carrots and potatoes, and onion if you use it, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. In a separate bowl, mix the flour/cornstarch with the 1/4 cup of water. Add it to the stew, stirring frequently. Boil the stew for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until it begins to thicken up. I like my beef stew with cornbread. I think they go well together. Haha. Yum.