Beef Stew in the Crockpot

It's been really foggy and cold here lately. Plus, I've been way too tired to do much of anything in the kitchen after work. So, when I stumbled across this recipe on AllRecipes.com, I knew I had to try it.

I was instantly intrigued because the recipe called for no browning of the meat before adding it to the crockpot. I like to get everything ready the night before, so I can simply slip the insert into the cooker on my way out the door in the morning. There is something about doing this with 1/2 cooked meat that grossed me out. Sorry....it just does. It was easy to put together and tasted delicious. I came home to a great smelling dinner that I served with crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Delicious!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients
4 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 pounds cubed stew meat
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup (I used regular cream of mushroom)
1 3/4 cups water

Directions
1. Place the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, onion and celery in the slow cooker. Place the stew meat over the vegetables.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the soup mix with the can of soup. Add the water and mix together well. Pour this in the slow cooker over the meat and vegetables.
3. Add water as needed so that the liquid comes just to the bottom of the meat.
4. Cook on low setting overnight, adding more water as necessary in the morning. Allow to cook all day. (I cooked mine for 8 hours on low and I thought everything came out perfect)