I have been in an alternate universe, my friends. A universe where people never sleep, the air smells like strawberry perfume, puke, and alcohol and no one seems to care that a burger costs $22. Ya….I speak of Vegas.
One of my oldest friends was getting hitched last weekend there. It was great to see him and his new wife as well as many old friends from college. It’s funny getting back together with friends that you don’t see that often, but when you do see them, it is as if no time has passed. But then the problem is that I feel like I have to cram so much fun into a condensed time span.
So what do you get when you concentrate fun in Vegas? Drinks that should never be THAT big, beer pong rallies (be sure close to your eyes when the ball hits the floor so that you don’t vom in your mouth), mechanical bull riding that felt like it lasted 10 minutes (I pulled a groin muscle doing this because I’m OLD), no sleep no sleep no sleep. It took only 12 hours for me and my husband to quickly realize that we were in our mid 30s, not early 20s. Ouch.
As a result, mama is in major decompression mode. No bright lights, no floral smells, no alcohol, no loud noises. All I need right now is to be wrapped up in a blanket like a human burrito while I listen to soul music on the record player. Put it on repeat please.
I also need a massive helping of this warm comfy soup to combat the outside temps that are in the teens!
Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stew (Gluten Free and Paleo-Friendly)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef stew meat (seasoned with salt and pepper)
- 2 onions, sliced in 1/4-inch slivers
- 10 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon thyme
- 6 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup dry sherry (optional)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place first six ingredients (stew through beef stock) in a crockpot. Cook on low for at least 8 hours.
- In a small bowl, stir arrowroot powder into sherry until a smooth paste is formed. Add sherry mixture to the crockpot and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper as needed.
You soup sounds absolutely wonderful! I really want to make it but do you think it would still work with chicken (and chicken stock) instead of beef?
LikeLike
Oh definitely! I think that would be great. I would just throw in some whole chicken breasts into the slow cooker and after about 6 hours, remove them and shred them. Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. Let me know how it turns out!!!!
LikeLike
This sounds divine! I’m a recent convert to clean eating and am wondering if sweet potatoes will work in lieu of regular potatoes? I hate to change the flavor, but I think with the mushrooms, it might be nice to have that extra sweetness. Your thoughts?
LikeLike
Hi Cecily! Great news on your switch to clean eating. I actually made this soup last weekend with sweet potatoes and it does alter the flavor to slightly sweeter but it was still tasty!
LikeLike