My Nanna's Homemade Beef Stew

Me and My Nanna. If you know me, you know ONE thing for sure; I love my Nanna.

Honest to God, I spent every Friday night of my life at my Nanna's house until I left for college. You know that Shepherd's Pie recipe I have of hers? She would make that for me every almost Friday night. After dinner, I'd have it as a snack while I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch. If there was any left over, I'd have it for breakfast.

My Nanna is the best cook in the world. Everything she makes reminds me of those Friday nights I spent at her house eating and drawing and painting and eating. Not eating paint, though. But, yeah, my Nanna is awesome. And I miss her A LOT.

So my favorite way of NOT missing her is to cook! And since Autumn is on it's way, I've been craving some comfort food, New England Style. PLUS, my Nanna makes the BEST Beef Stew so I called her up and made my demands clear. From the intel I gathered, your orders are as follow:

You will need:

• 2 lbs. stew beef (cut into bite-sized chunks)
• 3-4 carrots (sliced)
• 4 beef bouillon cubes OR 4 cups beef broth
• 3-4 yellow potatoes (bite-size)
• 2 yellow onions (diced)
• 1 14.5 oz. can cut green beans OR peas (I used green beans)
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• salt
• pepper
• parsley flakes

Get a  big old stew pot and slap it on the stove. Dump in the stew beef and Worcestershire sauce. While the beef is browning, use this time to dice up the onions. After the beef has browned a bit, add the onions then continue simmer on low.

If you have beef broth, skip this step. Dissolve each beef bouillon cube in it's own separate cup of hot water. That's 1 cup for every 1 cube. Once the beef has fully browned, add the beef broth or beef stock you created.

The carrots go in next because they need to cook a little longer than the potatoes. You can take this time to add some salt, pepper, and parsley flakes to your liking. Now add the potatoes, and green beans. Simmer until both carrots and potatoes are fork tender.

Mix the cornstarch with 1/3 cup of cold water until it's completely dissolved. Gradually stir it into the stew. This will thicken up the base and make it more gravy-like.

You're ready to reduce the heat and serve! I like mine with a bit of bread and butta'.

Love,

Liz