richard, this is the easiest beef stew recipe ever for a crock pot. 1# already cubed stew beef, 2-3 potatoes cut into cubes, 1-2 carrots sliced, 1 celery stalk sliced 1 onion sliced. 1 can of campbell potato soup, bay leaf if you have it. you can use beef broth, tomato soup, celery soup or vegetarian vegetable if you like . chicken stew is the same but with 1# of deboned chicken. measurements aren't exact, veggies are what is on hand and the soup is what ever i have in the cupboard. bon appetite! gosh i LOVE my crockpot.