This is a delicious French recipe that uses a whole bottle of red wine; you won't find any beef broth here! You will need to increase the cook time to 2.5 hours so that the beef easily falls apart.  I added a small bag of baby red potatoes and it made it more substantial with no need for a side.  I made this with a velvety bottle of Pinot Noir from California.  Good enough to serve to guests on a cold day.
Source: Food and Wine Magazine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds trimmed beef flatiron steak or chuck, cut into 8 pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 thyme sprig
One 5-ounce piece of pancetta
15 pearl or small cipollini onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms
15 baby carrots, peeled
Sugar
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the meat in the casserole in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 minutes. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it. Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
  2. Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavorful.
  3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover the pancetta with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the pancetta and slice it 1/2 inch thick, then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons.
  4. In a large skillet, combine the pancetta, pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes.
  5. To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve.

SUGGESTED PAIRING: Robust, dark-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon

 
This is one of my husband's favorite recipes.  It makes a TON of food.  I omit the whole part about the bread crumbs - I think it's unnecessary. 
Source: Rachael Ray Mag


  • 6 tablespoons butter

  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs

  • 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

  • Salt and pepper

  • 12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick

  • 2 onions, finely chopped

  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

  • 1/3 cup flour

  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame

  • 2 15 ounce cans  white beans, rinsed

  • 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

  1. In a medium skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add half the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
  2. In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, remaining garlic and 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, the onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually stir in 2 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the white beans and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until firm and opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the seasoned crumbs over each portion.
 
This is one of Matt's favorites.  It takes less than 1 hour from start to finish and will feed you for days.


Source: Everyday with Rachel Ray (with changes)
 Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
  • Salt and pepper
  • 12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 2 15 ounce cans  white beans, rinsed
  • 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Directions
In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Add the butter, garlic, herbes de Provence, onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Gradually stir in 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the white beans and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until firm and opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 
 
Oh the crock pot!  There is nothing like coming home to the aroma of a meal slowly cooking all day!  This is one my favorite slow cooker recipes!  Perfect for cold, winter days.  

Source: Real Simple magazine (with changes) 
Serves 6| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: Varies
  • 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into chunks
  • 2 sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons
  • 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • kosher salt
  • 1 10-ounce box couscous (1 1/2 cups) (garlic flavored is my favorite)
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 2 cups baby spinach (1 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped
Directions
  1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beef, tomatoes (and their juices), onion, apricots, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water.
  2. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours, or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
  3. Add the sweet potatoes part way through to avoid overcooking them.  If you're cooking on high, add them after two hours.  If you're cooking on low, add them after 4 or 5 hours.  
  4. Ten minutes before serving, prepare the couscous according to the package directions.
  5. Add the chickpeas to the slow cooker and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Serve with the couscous and sprinkle with the almonds.
  6. To freeze: Omit the couscous and spinach. Cool the beef to room temperature and divide among freezer containers or bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  7. To reheat: Thaw in a bowl of cold water or overnight in the refrigerator. Cook in a pot, covered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Serve with the cooked couscous.

My favorite crock pot:
 http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Forget-6-Quart-Programmable/dp/B001AO2PXK

Everything you want in a slow cooker for $50!  If you are like me, when you go to work, you are out of the house for well over 8 hours.  With this, you can program the pot for a certain cooking time.  After it reaches that time, it will switch to a "keep warm" setting.  Otherwise, you can insert a probe into the meat and when the desired temperature has been reached, it will switch to the warm setting.  The snaps on the lid make it easy to take to a pot luck.  This also received great reviews on Consumer Reports.  

Slow cooking tips:
- Don't peek! I've heard tale that when you take the lid off, it will increase your cooking time by 30-60 minutes.
- Don't worry! You won't burn the house down (really)!
-Get a pot that is about this size (6 qts).  Otherwise, you will tend to overcook your meals if it is too small and most recipes call for a medium size crock.
-Consider adding some ingredients part of the way through (if you're home).  For example, we add the sweet potatoes, chick peas, and spinach later in the recipe above.  Add beans an hour or so before serving when making chili.
-Reynolds makes slow cooker liners that you may insert into your slow cooker before adding your food.  This certainly makes clean up almost instant.  However, I'm not sure how I feel about plastic being heated along with my food for hours at a time.  I'm holding off on using them for now.  
-Cooking times are really approximate when using slow cookers.  An hour here or there on low can really be insignificant at times, which is the glory of slow cooking.  Also, don't be afraid to play around with the settings and times.  For example, you could cook on low for 5 hours and then on high for 2 to speed things along.