Where's the beef? in our freezer....

Since we bought a quarter cow I've had to increase our beef consumption in the house - especially knowing a half a pig will soon be ready for pick up and need room in our freezer. Also crockpot recipes are lifesavers in our somewhat hectic schedule at the moment. I was able to prep these a few days ahead which worked out well because on a night I planned for left overs - we had no left overs. Seems like one growing boy in our household has been doing his best to grow taller and eat us out of house and home. Oops! That means less leftovers for leftover night. Thankfully this was ready in the wings and easy to toss in the crockpot. It was the second time that week we had garlic butter noodles so the kids were thrilled. The mushrooms were great in this - thankfully I have a family who likes a bit of fungus in their dinner - because it's so good. Where will the beef be in next week's dinner? Who knows, but I'm sure we'll have some.

Beef Tips

1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 package onion soup mix
2/3 cup water
2 pounds lean stew beef, cut into 2-in. cubes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-1/2 cups cremini or baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-in. slices
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced

Combine the cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix and water in a slow cooker. Whisk until well combined.
Season the meat with black pepper. Put the meat, mushrooms, onion and garlic in the slow cooker and stir everything together to coat the meat and veggies. Put the lid on the slow cooker and leave it to cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until the beef is tender.