Years ago I bought a crockpot that was oval shaped, it sat on top of a griddle base, and came with a recipe book. Although the crockpot is long gone, our family still enjoys this one particular recipe. Maybe your family will, too.

German Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs. stew meat or beef chuck, but into cubes

2 tbl. flour

1/2 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. pepper

1, 1 lb. can of diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups thinly sliced carrots (you can certainly eliminate these if your family doesn’t like them)

1/4 sherry cooking wine

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

1. Place beef in crockpot
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, celery salt, garlic powder, ground ginger, and pepper.
3. Mix thoroughly, then sprinkle over beef.
4. In a separate bowl, mix undrained tomatoes with carrots, cooking wine, and molasses.
5. Pour this liquid mixture over beef and flour mixture.
6. Cover crockpot and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
7. If adding raisins, put into beef mixture 30 minutes before serving.
8. Serve over hot cooked noodles or rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.