Beef and Onion Stew

Today I had every intention of making a beef stew.  Then I realized that my potatoes had gone mushy.  Drat.  Time to step back and punt.

I think I could make a meal of just
caramelized onions.  Delish!

We had just picked up a new bag of onions today, so french onion soup was a possibility (and oh so yummy).  But then what to so with the already thawed beef? 

This is when I figures that if french onion soup is good with just beef broth, why not try modifying it a bit to use actually beef chunks?

So, this is what I came up with and currently have simmering in the crockpot waiting for my husband to get home.  Sorry for the bad cell phone pictures.  I didn't think about making this a blog post until about half way through and didn't want to go find the camera.  I really should just leave it out int he kitchen.

Beef and Onion Stew
approx 1lb beef, in 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups beef broth (this can be 1/2 and 1/2 with beer for extra flavor)
2 large onions
1Tbsp thyme
1Tbps mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 carrots (optional, I like the little bit of color)

1) Brown the beef in a skillet and place into the crockpot with the broth.

2) Carmelize the onions and add to the pot (I do this with a little butter, takes about 5-8 min)

3) Add seasonings and carrots.

4) Cook about 4hrs on high.

5) Enjoy!  To really get the french onion thing going on, serve with thick cut bread topped with melted cheese.  Delish!

Cooking away in the crock.  Looks like about enough for 2-3 servings. 
I'm going to make a veggie soup out of the leftovers.

 
Let me know if you try this out and how it works for you!