Category: Dinners

Sunday dinners growing up almost always consisted of a roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, a cooked vegetable and either a tossed salad, fruit salad, or a jello salad.  Sometimes my mother cooked Sunday dinners and sometimes my dad cooked them. When I got married, I continued cooking roasts on Sunday, however, it took my a long time to master the cooking a roast. Many were burnt.  When I started having kids, I would change up Sunday dinners to a turkey, ham, casserole, or something that was a little different and easier.  I have never proclaimed to being a good cook as my mother was, but I was an OK cook.  My family survived and didn’t starve.

I do not love being in the kitchen, so I try to find things that are easy, good, somewhat healthy, and satisfying.  The crockpot is a good tool.  I gone through many of them.  So I’m going to share my mothers Beef Stew recipe, that can be cooked in the oven for 8 hours or in the crockpot for 8 hours.  I have done it both ways.  I put this in a big magnalite roasting pan that has a lid.

Erma’s Beef Stew

2 1/2 lbs of stew meat

6 carrots cut into pieces ( I use a small bag of baby carrots and cut them in half)

6 potatoes cut into pieces ( I like to use the small red potatoes, and use a 2 lb bag of them)

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can Cream of Celery soup

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

2  bay leaves

Put all ingredients in a large oven safe pot, stir, put a lid on the pot and bake at 225 degrees for 7 to 8 hrs.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

I have also cooked this in a crockpot for 8 hrs.  It is a yummy recipe.  Some of us (my kids and I) love to stir a little horseradish in our bowls before eating.  This is good served with french bread, or sourdough bread.

Just remember you really don’t need to slave in the kitchen all day long unless it’s a special occasion to have a satisfying Sunday dinner.