Can you tell that I like carrots?

Devilish Beef Stew
Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-By-Step Cook Book Copyright 1978

1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups water
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered I left the skin on
6 small onions, quartered
4 carrots, quartered I love carrots in stew so I added a lot more
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup cold water

In plastic bag toss beef cubes with flour to coat, reserving remaining flour. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven brown the beef, 1/3 at a time, in hot oil. Return all meat to pan; remove from heat. Add the 2 cups water, mustard, salt, garlic, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Simmer, covered, 1 to 1 ½ hours or till meat is almost tender.

Add the 1 ½ cups water, potatoes, onions, carrots and celery. Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes or till vegetables are tender.

I refrigerated it for two days at this point. I removed the solid fat before proceeding. Since I threw out the flour I used for the meat, I just made a slurry without really measuring anything and thickened the stew with that.

For gravy, remove meat and vegetables, skim fat from liquid, if necessary. Blend the ¼ cup cold water into the reserved flour until smooth. Slowly stir into hot liquid. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return meat and vegetable to gravy mixture. Heat through.

Makes 8 servings.
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This was a better than average beef stew. I wasn't sure about the chili powder and I still don't know what to think of it. I probably wouldn't have even realized it was there if I didn't know it. Did it add anything to the stew? I honestly don't know but I was just glad that it certainly didn't ruin it.

This was rather economical too. I had picked up some sort of small thick chuck (or chuck-like) steaks on clearance that I used for this. The meat was so tender, just perfect. I got most of the vegetables at the auction (farmer's market). I may have been jumping the gone on stew weather but nobody complained.

I'm having a bit of luck with this cookbook. First the Milk and Honey Cake, now this. I find Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks to usually be reliable but every once and while I find one that I just don't care for.

Question of the Day: How do you feel about carrots?