Beef Stew Seasoning Recipe

Beef Stew is really one of my go-to recipes in the cold months (well, really, it's just a few weeks here in SC, lol). However, I noticed to price of the McCormick slow cooker season packets increased from about $.60 each, to around $2. Seeing that I'd like to keep my meals as cheap as possible, I figured I'd try my hand at making my own seasoning.

Wait, what? I know you're all thinking a'int nobody got time for that. But I promise, it is easy. And cheap. And you don't have to keep picking up $2 packets of stuff that you probably already have in your own kitchen. And? You can make a batch as big or small as you like - to store and pull out whenever. You can also get all crafty and make cute Mason jars of the seasoning to give out to friends, so they think you're the best Pinterester ever.

Ingredients: 2 cups flour (all-purpose, brown rice, or whole wheat) 4 tablespoons onion powder

4 tablespoons paprika

4 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons salt 3 tablespoons black pepper

3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon celery seed

1 tablespoon basil

3 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crushed)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dump everything into a jar or sealed container, shake, and that's it. Sure, it sounds like you've put everything but the kitchen sink in, but it tastes delicious. If you are missing one or two items, don't worry about it. Want to add something else? Go for it. The general rule of thumb is about 3 tablespoons of the mixture per pound of meat you use. To make my beef stew, I toss frozen stew meat in my crock pot,  coat with about 3 tablespoons of the mix, open a bag of frozen carrots, corn, potatoes, celery, and onions (hey, I'm in a hurry!), and add water to cover everything up. If I want to make it extra soupy, I usually add more seasoning. 

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