Ready for some Crockpot Fun? Here's today's experiment, happily bubbling away for the past few hours: Beef Barley Stew.

about a pound of stew beef, cut in chunks.
a bag of stewing vegetables, if available, otherwise any favored vegetable medley that seems like it would play well with beef.
5 cups of beef broth/stock
3/4 cup pearl barley
a pinch of garlic powder. By which I refer to the actual powder/granulated garlic product, not the garlic flavored salt.
half a cup of chopped bell pepper
basil and thyme, to taste.

Combine in crockpot, stir once or twice to mix it up, cook on slow for 9-10hours or high for 6. I chose the "high" option because everything came from the deep freeze and I started this at 1030 this morning.

In the past I've economized on the stew beef by looking for a cheap discount steak. Sometimes I can get them on the last chance discount, use/freeze date of the same or next day, and saved a dollar more per pound than official stew beef. Sure, I can chop it up with a big knife myself and save the money. Remember: keep your knives sharp, your work surfaces sanitary, and wash your hands often when working with raw meats.

Salmonella and other nasties are everything they're rumored to be. I'll take that as true. I have no wish to experiment on it.

It's been way too long. I do apologize... so, want to grab the recipe of the day? Modified from about three other recipes, I think that with this many mods it qualifies as a New Recipe? Or at least one that requires no attribution.

I took:
4 Tbs of butter
1/4 chopped bell pepper
two or three dashes of dried minced onion
1 can of crabmeat
3/4 lb of tiny cooked shrimp
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp flour
8oz pasta, cooked
mozarella cheese for topping

Melt the butter until it's all bubbly and frothy in the pan, starting to brown. Pop in the bell pepper and onion, stir and cook for two minutes. Add the flour and milk to make a roux. Stir in the crab, shrimp, and pasta. Bake covered at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove lid, sprinkle liberally with cheese, and pop back in the oven for five minutes.

This received rave reviews. My own tastes are suspect, as I've been craving shrimp, crab, and chinese stirfry all week. However I'm pleased to report that the Toddler ate a good amount without trouble. I used a small, finger-friendly salad macaroni pasta.