Growing up, I was never a big fan of stew. My high school marching band sold chicken stew as a big fundraiser every fall. I have many memories of this time. My parents along with the other band parents worked to make the stew in the school cafeteria while the band students helped transport it to a refrigerated truck for storage. I pushed many a cart of quarts of piping hot stew. The band chicken stew is beloved all over town. My parents stocked our freezer full even before I was in band. I always ate my portion, but it wasn’t my favorite meal.

Now that I’m older, I realize how delicious a hearty bowl of stew can be. One of my favorites is Christy Jordan’s recipe for ground beef stew. The spicy V8 juice gives the broth such a unique flavor. I love this recipe for busy week nights because I can throw it in the crockpot in the morning and not have to worry about it. I don’t even have to make anything to go with it. The stew is full of meat and veggies that make it a one dish meal. I highly recommend this recipe! You can find it here.