How I Made Round Steak with Gravy and Potatoes (Or Shove it in the Crock Pot!)

Oh. My. Goodness.

So this Thanksgiving, it was our turn to host. I don't know how that works out for everyone else, but in my house, it translates to days (and days) of prep. It's like all the dirt in the world congregates in my house and needs attention as soon as I make plans to have people over. I run out of time to cook, but funny thing is, my family still needs to eat regardless of whether I feel like I have time to feed them. Does that happen to anyone else?

This meal was a lifesaver the day before Thanksgiving when I knew I'd be pressed for time and unwilling to make a big mess while cooking.. Earlier this year, we split a cow with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law; we got so spoiled, since there was always meat in the freezer....and we're talking hamburger, roasts, and the best cuts of steak. See? Spoiled rotten.

Naturally, when you get a whole cow, you get the lesser cuts as well. My husband's favorite meal is chicken fried steak, and while I'll make that upon request, I don't like to do a whole lot of frying. I had a couple of packages of round steak still in the freezer and wanted to find a different way to prepare them.

I looked up some slow-cooker recipes online, but each one that I found called for a condensed cream soup. I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of convenience foods, for a variety of reasons. I'm becoming very uncomfortable with the thought of all the preservatives and chemicals that we put in our bodies, and while I'm not making the leap into exclusively "real food" territory (let's be honest here...I love me some Oreos), I do try to make as many things from scratch as possible. I've gotten to the point that I can taste the preservatives in a lot of prepared foods, and it makes my stomach turn. Once again...I'm not a complete health nut! Just a moderate health nut. :P And finally, cooking well (and eating well) on a tight budget usually requires cooking from scratch. It doesn't really take all that much more time once you get the hang of it, either. It's totally worth investing the time to learn.

I wasn't sure how my children would enjoy this meal, because they do not (DO NOT) like anything with gravy, typically. But they, along with my husband, went back for seconds, and not one bit was left over.

Slow-Cooker Round Steak with Gravy and Potatoes

1 package (maybe 4 good-sized?) steaks
4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. paprika
Splash of vinegar
6 medium poatoes, peeled and cut into thirds

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup beef broth and 1/4 cup flour. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker, use a whisk to combine with the other 3 3/4 cups beef broth, and sprinkle in the seasonings and the vinegar. Put the round steak in along with the potatoes, and cook on high for 4 hours.

Linked up to Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons Six Sisters' Stuff Petite Hermine