Beef With Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, sliced

1 pound fresh mushrooms, halved

1 (1.61-ounce) package brown gravy mix

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef broth

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

Hot cooked egg noodles or rice

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Place first 3 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Whisk together gravy mix and next 3 ingredients; pour evenly over beef and vegetables. Add bay leaf.

Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish, if desired.

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and if that wasn't enough, Matt made me this for dessert:

Chocolate-Glazed Brownies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup water

4 cups semisweet chocolate morsels, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation

Cook first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar melts. Add 2 cups chocolate morsels and vanilla extract, stirring until mixture is smooth. Let cool 15 minutes.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt to cooled chocolate mixture, stirring until blended; stir in eggs and chopped pecans until blended. Spread brownie batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan.

Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups chocolate morsels evenly over warm brownies, and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Spread over top. Cool on a wire rack.