Beef Barley Stew

This hearty and delicious stew is what I made for dinner last night. It's quickly becoming a family favorite, so it is fortunate that we can get at least two meals from this recipe.

Ingredients:   Yield: 6-8 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• medium onion, chopped (I use 1/2 onion instead.)
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 quart water (I have been substituting 3 cups beef broth + 1 cup water.)
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 5 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. salt (I use 1/4 tsp. since I substituted broth for water.)
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. paprika (I omit this.)
• 1/4 tsp. pepper (I usually use less.)
• 2 cups frozen corn (Recipe says you can also use fresh.)
• 2 cups frozen green beans (Recipe says you can also use fresh.)
• 3/4 cup medium pearl barley

Directions:

1. In a skillet, brown beef and onion in oil; drain. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker.
2. Add water (or water/beef broth), tomato sauce, carrots, celery, salt, oregano, paprika (if you wish), and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. (Our slow cooker is weird, so it takes less time.)
4. Add beans, corn, and barley; cover and cook on low 2 hours longer or until barley, beef, and vegetables are tender. (Again, for us, this takes less time than the recipe states. It has taken some trial and error to figure it out.)