I wasn't able to start this the night before, so I cooked it for 6 hours on high and it came out perfect! I used beef broth instead of the water, added a few more carrots and potatoes than the recipe called for, and I only added 1/2 an onion (and a small one at that), as I thought it might be a little too "oniony" with a whole onion AND the onion soup mix too. I also added some chopped parsley and a little bit of black pepper. The gravy was kind of thin, so an hour before it was done I added 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with a little bit of the gravy, stirred it back into the pot and let it cook (on high) the last hour with the lid off. This thickened it up just beautifully! I served it with crusty rolls for sopping up all the gravy. I thought this was really good! When my husband took his first bite of the stew all he said was "Mmmmmmmmmm!", so I guess it was a winner with him too! :)

This is one of the best stews my family and I have ever eaten! I made a few changes to this recipe - I used 2 1/4 lbs. of stew meat, and 5 carrots, 4 red potatoes (med. size, w/ skin on), and 4 stalks of celery. I also made a roux of 5 tbsp. flour/5tbsp. butter to thicken the stew, and added a variety of spices for flavoring.

There is no need to begin cooking this recipe the night before. I have started this recipe in the morning & it has turned out just as good. Just make certain you have it in the crock pot early enough so it will cook for a minimum of 9 hrs. Pat McKay

Great stew!! I began cooking in the morning and cooked 5 hours on high and 4 hours on low. It was ready and delicious! No need to start the night before. The only change I made was using beef broth instead of water for extra flavor! Highly recommend. There is barely any left over!

Definately let this cook over night. I used sirlion tips instead of stew meat. I left out the mushrooms and celery since my famliy does not like them. I also thinkened it up by taking about a 1/2 cup of the stock out an hour before eating. I let it cool, added two tablespoons cornstarch to that and mixed well and then added back to the stew. It was delicous!

Very good. I'm not much of a meat eater, but my husband is, so I cut the meat down to 1.5lbs and increased the vegetables to compensate. Like a lot of other reviewers, I added fresh garlic and black pepper, used beef stock (low sodium) in place of water, and added some cornstarch in the last 30 minutes of cooking. I cooked it on high for 4 hours and then low for another 6 hours. The veggies were cooked perfectly and my husband said that the beef was juicy and tender. I'd definitely use this recipe again!

Loved it! Floured and browned the meat prior to cooking. Added parsnip and turnip for additional flavor. The second time I made it I added about a cup of red wine -- more flavor. Absolutely delish and the company loved it.

This stew is great on a cold winter day! I didn't use fresh mushroom because my family does not like them. I also dredged the meat in flour and browned in olive oil before cooking in the crockpot. I also added a splash of steak sauce.

I made this with some spices that came from a "beef stew packet" and left out the soup, so mine came out more like a soup than a stew, but it was delicious none the less. I may try this one again sometime with a closer follow to the recipe.

So good and so easy. I used vegetable broth in place of the water, added extra carrots, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, and a splash of red wine. I thickened the gravy with flour. I cooked this all day, about 5 hours on high and the last 5 hours on low.