Beef Stew

This is the stew that I grew up on. One that "stands on it's own." :) Anyway, I think it's awesome and pretty easy to make, too.

This is just kind of an outline. You can change it based on the size of pot of stew you're making.

Beef (It is easiest for me to just get the stew meat that you get already cut up in the packages. It's marked for use in stew)
Potatoes
Carrots
Tomato Juice
Flour
Salt and Pepper


First, put your carrots cut up into bite sized pieces into your pot. I myself prefer to get the baby carrots. The amount of carrots that you put in should be a bit less than a third of your pot. Next comes your potatoes. Again, cut up into bite sized pieces. You can peel them or leave them unpeeled; completely up to you. I like them unpeeled better. This should be a little less than two thirds of your pot. Cover this with tomato juice. Place on your stove top at Medium Low to Medium heat.

Next prepare your meat. I cut the meat into bite sized pieces as well. The pieces in the stew meat package are usually still too big and have to be cut down. I then place those cut up pieces into a ziploc bag with about a half a cup to a cup of flour, enough to coat the meat. Toss it around a bit to make sure that each piece is coated. After you coat your meat, you will cook them in a deep skillet with about a half inch of crisco melted in the bottom of your pan. Cook until done, drain and put into your pot with the veggies.

Next, take about 1/4 cup-1/2 cup of flour in a bowl(depending upon the size of your stew pot) and pour about 2-3 cups of tomato juice over it. Whisk this together and pour into your pot. This will be your thickener for the stew.

That's all there is to it. Just cook until your carrots are completely cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste.