Beefy stew

I haven't been making many original recipes lately, but with bone chilling temperatures in Pittsburgh today (hovering around zero degrees Fahrenheit), I thought a nice, hearty stew would hit the target. It was too cold to go to the market, so I just used the products I already had at home. You know what that means: you can make substitutions out the wazoo!

Ingredients

• 1 pound London broil (or similar low fat meat)
• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 2 handfuls of baby carrots
• 2 packages Lipton Onion and Mushroom soup mix
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a casserole dish or roasting pan that would be big enough to hold all the ingredients, mix the 2 packages of soup mix with the flour. Mine was a medium sized round roasting pan with a lid.
3. Add water to the mix, and stir with a whisk to get everything mixed together.
4. Cut the meat into big sized cubes. Mine were around 2 inches or a bit under in size. Add to the mix
5. Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks the same size as the meat. Throw them in with the meat.
6. Add the carrots, and stir everything up.
7. Put in the oven. Stir it periodically so it doesn't stick to the bottom, and the stew should be done in around 2 to 2.5 hours.

I made garlic toast from a small loaf of challah bread. For the garlic toast, cut small slices. Put on a baking sheet. Add spreadable margarine or butter of your choosing. Sprinkle dried garlic bits on top. Cook at 400 degrees for around 10 minutes.

You can put the stew over rice or noodles. I think dumplings would be a good idea, which I might try next time. I think I might also put in some peas or green beans instead of carrots next time for a change. 

Recipes are made to be changed and enhanced. Keep that in mind, and don't be afraid to experiment!