Recipes out of the Blond Box

2 pounds lean beef stew meat
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 dried bay leaves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 large onions, cut into eighths
2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups water
16 dried apricots, cut in half
chopped fresh parsley

1. Remove excess fat from beef and cut into 1 inch pieces. Sprinkle beef with black pepper. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Cook beef and oil, about 5 min. until browned.
2. In a six-quart crockpot combine beef with sweet potatoes, garlic, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, onion, tomatoes, and water.. Cover and cook on low heat, 6 – 8 hours or until beef is tender.
3. Stir in apricots. Cover and cook on low for about 15 min. or until fruit is softened. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon sticks.
4. Sprinkle with parsley.