Slow Cooker Beef Stew

We're amidst our second ice storm of the year here in North Texas & I was craving some warm, comforting, beef stew! Here's my recipe - 
Ingredients

• 3 or so lbs cubed beef stew meat (I used a 3.7lb shoulder roast, trimmed & cubed)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce 
• 1 lb baby carrots 
• 4 large potatoes, roughly peeled & cubed 
• 2 roma tomatoes, quartered 
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (1oz) envelopes onion soup mix 
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 large onions, quartered 
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced 
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 tsp beef bouillon (I use the Knorr Caldo de Res)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch 

1. Take your beef cubes & put them in a gallon sealable bag. Add flour & salt, and seal bag leaving some air in there. Shake until beef cubes are well coated. 
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over Medium High to High heat. Once nice & hot, dump the beef into the skillet. Pour worcestershire sauce over beef & toss occasionally until browned on all sides. 
3. Transfer to slow cooker (do not clean your skillet yet!). Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, parsley, and pepper on top of the meat in the slow cooker. 
4. Combine the boiling water & soup mix in a small bowl until well-mixed. Then, add to slow cooker. 
5. Melt the butter in the skillet over Medium High heat. Once good & melted, chunk in those onions & garlic, and toss around until almost soft. Dump those in the slow cooker. 
6. Mix 1/2 cup boiling water with 1/2 tsp beef bouillon, then dump in the slow cooker. 
7. Add 2 bay leaves, and give it a little stir (as much as you're able - your cooker will be pretty full at this point!). 
8. Put that lid on it and cook on High for about an hour. 
9. Give it another stir (it should be much easier now that things are starting to soften), reduce heat to Low, and cook until beef is fork tender - another 6-8 hours or so. 
10. Whisk together the warm water & cornstarch, then stir into stew. Cook uncovered for about 15 more minutes while it thickens. 
​11. Serve with rolls, cornbread, or your other bread of choice!