Tonight is pumpkin carving night at the Augerlavoie-Stinnett home. This is new in our house. As crazy as it sounds, we have only carved pumpkins once. So really it was just my oldest, one year, one time. Unless I'm forgetting maybe once more we did it. It's not that I dislike it, I was just never one to feel obligated to do all these festive things every single year. Sometimes we put up Christmas lights, sometimes we don't. One year I didn't even buy a tree! Some years we dye eggs for Easter, other years we don't. We have visited a pumpkin patch a handful of times. It's all fun and now that we have so much change around us with the moving and new schools I plan on doing more of this fun stuff, especially realizing that our youngest baby is almost six years old. Hey, my kids survived and still enjoy the holidays so we are all good.
Anyway, enough about my sporadic lack of holiday cheer, back to crock pot business. I'm trying a recipe that I originally found here that I altered just a bit. I needed something that could slow cook all day saving me time for blogging and homework. I have to squeeze in the reading and a quiz for a history class tonight. Oh, and I have become somewhat of a procrastinator. We went out looking for pumpkins today. One store was all out but luckily we found some at another store in town.
The recipe I read called for sirloin tips. I ended up going with stew meat. They were discounted to about $4.22 for over a pound. I bought 3 packs. Also, Walmart has organic bone broth! For more information about the benefits of bone broth, here is an article by Louise Hay. If you are not familiar with Louise Hay, I highly suggest you get to know her work. She is lovely, powerful, and inspirational.
I have a passionate love-hate relationship with Walmart but I am definitely impressed with all the organic products they keep adding to their inventory.
Here is what you will need!
3 lbs stew meat
splash of olive oil (or oil of your choice)
black pepper
2 cups of beef broth (bone broth is best!)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, diced
3-4 tbsp garlic, minced or chopped
1.5 tsp italian seasoning
salt to taste
2tbsp gluten free flour (or other flour or cornstarch)
3 tbsp water
I'm going to cook rice to serve under the beef and gravy, but noodles would work too.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add half of your meat to the skillet with some black pepper just for a few minutes to sear the meat, do not cook all the way through. Put seared meat into slow cooker and heat the remaining meat the same.
Once all meat is added to the slow cooker, add your chopped onion, minced garlic, italian seasoning, and beef broth. Stir ingredients together and cover. Cook on low for 6 hours.
I know the 2 cups of broth doesn't look like much. Trust me, it will be enough. Here is a peak at what it looks like after 3 hours on low. Plenty of broth for gravy making!
Once your meat is done it's time to turn the broth into a gravy. Heat the water and mix in your gluten free flour or whatever thickener makes you happy, until it becomes thick. Stir into the crockpot and let heat another 10-15 minutes.
Now you can serve your beef and gravy over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, toast, polenta, whatever your beef and gravy making heart desires .
I served mine over organic rice and had broccoli with turmeric on the side. I did need to add some more salt to the meat. The meat fell apart in your mouth and the gravy was on the thin side, which I like with the rice. The whole family enjoyed it, even the two kids that don't care much for meat.
Let me know if you try it and how you liked it, or if you made some changes!
Tons of love,
Caffeine and Freckles
