Beef Stew Crock Pot

Fall is here and I can feel that slight chill in the air! Both fall and winter always bring on the craving of good old comfort food. One of my absolute favorite is a crock pot beef stew. Chris and I would prepare it in the morning and enjoy the delicious smell of it cooking all day long. Here is how I make mine:

• 2 lbs of stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 carrots, chopped
• About 15 unpeeled mini-potatoes, cute into halves or quarters if they are large
• We personally like the mixed potatoes of yellow, red, and purples that you can get at Costco
• 2 cans (28 oz total) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp of chili paste (optional or decrease the amount for less spiciness)
• 3 cups of reduced sodium beef broth, divided
• 1 can (15 oz) corn
• 3 medium bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange), chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Fill your crock pot with the sweet onion, carrots, potatoes, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic and chili paste. Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and brown the beef in small batches at a time and transfer the meat into the crock pot. Pour 2 cups of the reduced sodium beef broth over the mixture and gently stir. Cover and cook on low for about 8-10 hours.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of reduced sodium beef broth and flour until you create a smooth paste. Add to the stew along with the corn, bell peppers, salt and pepper about 30 minutes before serving.

Finally, eat and enjoy!

~Hong

Glitter Nail Polish

I must admit that lately, I have developed an obsession for glitter nail polish! So when Ulta had a buy one, get one free Butter London nail polish, I was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. I have actually never tried Butter London's nail polish, but I have heard great things about it including color pay-off, sustainability, and being free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP and parabens.

To start myself off slow, I choose only two nail polishes. Just by looking at the picture online, I knew I would LOVE Lovely Bubbly and sure enough I did! It is a beautiful purple base with red, blue, and gold glitter mixed in. Two coats will provide sufficient coverage, but I personally liked the deep hue I achieved by three coats.

I used the same base and top coat as I usually do, Rimmel's Base Coat/Top Coat Pro and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. As mentioned in a previous post, I like the Rimmel as a base coat, but not so much as a top coat, hence, I tend to reach for the Seche Vite for that job.

I must admit that I am pretty picky about my nail polish's brush, which the Butter London brush was not necessarily my favorite, but it was not bad either. I prefer a flat brush and the Butter London brush was more round. However, I do like that the brush is slim and short, which allows for better control.

So far, it has stayed put without any chipping for four grueling days and I have received so many compliments! I recently bought six more Butter London nail polishes during another sale on Ulta that I cannot wait to try so come visit soon for updates of my favorites!

~Hong