i got marshall a crock pot for christmas, and for its maiden voyage, we decided beef stew would be the mission. here’s how it works: 

cut 4 (ish) lbs of top round steak into bite size pieces.

heat olive oil on medium high and brown the meat. you’ll have to do it in shifts - put the browned meat into the crock pot as it is done and add more to the skillet as room opens up. 

when all the meat is cooked, in the same skillet, cook 2 large dices onions until translucent and then add one 6oz can tomato paste and cover the onions completely and add to the crock pot.

pour 1 cup red wine into skillet to get all the brown bits up and pour that into the crock pot as well. 

in the meantime, cut up your veggies. we used potatoes (not pictured, obvi) and carrots, celery and bell pepper. 

mix all of this in the crock pot with 2 cans of beef broth, 1 tbs salt, 1 tsp thyme and 1 bay leaf. 

cover and cook on high for 4 1/2 hours. don’t open it to check on it! this is the hardest part! 

when its just about ready (maybe a half hour or so before it’s done) add 1 bag of (thawed) frozen peas and mix it all up. 

now you could stop here and just enjoy the stew with a glass of wine. but…

to go with the stew, i also made roasted garlic toast. for this, cut the top off a couple heads of garlic and peel off as much as the paper as you can from the outside. 

put the garlic on aluminum foil or in a covered dish and drizzle with olive oil. cover it and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

when it’s done it should be all nice and brown and toasty looking. 

when its cool to the touch, scoop or squish out all of the garlic goodness and spread on some toasted bread. 

serve with your beef stew and enjoy!