slow-cooker beef stew.

even though fall continues to evade us, i couldn't wait any longer to simmer this gorgeous stew on a sunday afternoon. i cooked it on low for 8 hours and it was perfect. i served it with pureed potatoes mashed with butter and milk.

mmm.

here's the how-to-do:

heat pan till very hot. melt butter. season beef stew meat with salt and pepper liberally. sear meat and (all the goodly juices) throw into a slow cooker with one can of diced tomatoes, baby carrots, (frozen) pearl onions, a generous splash of red wine, a heaping spoonful of minced garlic, plenty of beef stock, several splashes of Worcestershire sauce, a couple of bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste and a teeny, tiny pinch of thyme.

garnish with fresh parsley.

this was amaz-ing. so good that we ate it for dinner three nights straight.

beer cheddar potato soup.

slow cooker recipe: 

I just kind of eye balled the ingredients.

-diced potatoes
-diced celery
-diced baby carrots
-diced red onions
-minced garlic
-1 cup milk
-1 bottle beer
-a generous pat of butter
-freshly ground pepper
-bay leaf
-Worcestershire sauce
-Tabasco
-pinch of salt
-chicken stock
-dash of Dijon mustard

cook on low for 6 hours. puree with an immersion blender. garnish with bacon bits and chopped chives.