Fall is a busy time of year for families and a home-cooked dinner can often fall by the wayside in favor of drive-thru or take-out. This is the time of year that I love my slow cooker! I actually have three of them in different sizes. It’s awfully nice to walk into the house at the end of the day and be greeted by the aroma of dinner! Here’s a really easy beef stew recipe that requires very little prep. You only have to chop one thing! Take a few extra minutes in the morning to get this dinner started. You can also prepare the crock for cooking the night before, cool it down and place into the fridge overnight. Next morning, just plop it into the slow cooker base and crank it up, allowing a little extra cooking time for cooking chilled ingredients. Serve this with mashed potatoes and rolls and you have a delicious October dinner. Hint: Bob Evans refrigerated mashed potatoes and Sister Shubert rolls are delicious and ready in just minutes!