BEEF STEW a'la Nana Day

My mother-in-love Nancy arrived today!!! We are very lucky, as this is the 2nd 'Nana Day' this month!!
I am a very blessed wife, as I can truly say: "I LOVE MY MOTHER-IN-LOVE!!" (For clarification -- in our family, we use 'in-love' instead of 'in-law,' a wonderful tradition started when my mother in law started calling me her 'daughter-in-love' years ago!)
Her last visit was to come and meet 'the kids!' This visit is to help me take care of the children while my husband goes to Japan for a week on business!
While the rest of our krewe headed to a local park, I stayed home to 'wing' a recipe for beef stew. Here's how I made it:

Beef Stew a'la Nana Day Serves 6 to 8

2.5 # beef stew meat, cut into approximately 2" cubes (to save time, I 'splurge' and buy mine pre-cut!)
1/2 to 1 cup whole wheat flour (you may use all-purpose flour)
1 to 2 TBSP Geasoning (or salt and pepper) *if your beef broth is salty, cut back on the seasonings! Yes, you should taste all your ingredients before using them!!
olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
4 TBSP butter, divided
2 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges per onion (or you may cut into large chunks)
4 or 5 stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into 1" to 2" chunks**
1 # bag of baby carrots (or about 5 carrots, scrubbed and cut into equal-sized pieces)**
5 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into equal-sized chunks (may also use other waxy potatoes)**
3 cups beef broth, divided
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar OR 1/4 cup red wine, optional
4 oz left over spaghetti sauce (plain old 'marinara,' you may also use 4 oz tomato sauce or 2 TBSP tomato paste)
2 to 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
2 pkgs. Laura Scudder's onion dip mix (1/2 oz. each), I used 1 pkg green onion and 1 pkg toasted onion (you may use Lipton Onion Soup mix. If you are worried about sodium intake, use only 1 packet and add another onion to the pot!)
6 to 12 oz. frozen peas, thawed
2 TBSP freeze-dried parsley, optional (IF you use fresh parsley, add it at the last minute!)

TIPS:
*Allow the meat to come up to room temperature before flouring and browning.
**Your goal is for all of the vegetables to finish cooking at the same rate, therefore, think of how they cook and what consistency you would like in your stew. (ex.: If you like your celery tender and your carrots tender-crisp, maybe add the carrots right before adding the covered pot to the oven.)

In a large, oven-safe stock pot add 1 TBSP oil and 1/2 TBSP butter over medium heat, wait until butter stops foaming to add the dredged meat.
Meanwhile, liberally season the meat on all sides, then dredge it in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and add to heated oil and butter. Brown the meat in batches (approximately 5 batches for this recipe -- or 1/2 # per batch), getting it nice and brown on at least two sides of each piece of meat. Take your time with this step, it adds tons of flavor to your end product! Do NOT crowd the pan, or else you will 'steam' the meat and it will just be gray and sticky! YUK!
As each batch is browned, remove it to a large plate or bowl and keep covered. (I use the oven-safe stock pot lid that I will end up using later! Fewer dishes!!)
Once all the meat is brown, remove the excess oil from the pan and discard. Return the pot to the heat and deglaze the pan by adding 1/2 cup of broth and the balsamic vinegar or wine, if using. With wooden spoon, scrap all the fond (yummy bits) off the bottom of the pan, don't worry if the liquid reduces a bit, this will just intensify the flavors.. Add the tomato product to pot, stirring about 2 minutes. Layer the celery and 3/4 of the onions on the bottom of the pan to make a 'bed' for the browned stew meat to rest on. Add back all the stew meat and any juices that collected on the plate. Layer the carrot and potato chunks, followed by the rest of the onions.
In a measuring cup, mix the remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth, Worcestershire sauce, onion mix and freeze-dried parsley. Pour over the top of the vegetables.
Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid and simmer for at least 30 minutes. While simmering, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place covered pot into the oven and cook an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender.
Add peas and parsley; allow stew to 'rest' on stove -- OFF the heat. ***This is when I place a batch of cornbread muffins into the oven! The oven is already at the perfect temperature!! (Jiffy is my preferred old-school recipe -- yes, the little blue box! A neighborhood favorite is whole wheat cornbread -- possibly made by Hodgson Mill.)
Note: If you have extra butter leftover, add it to the top of the pot before covering it and putting it into the oven! This is supposed to be a comfort food and the butter will give it better 'mouth feel!" Plus if you serve 8, it is only 1/2 TBSP per guest! --Courtesy of TC, at home in Sacramento -- December 2009.