Eldena's Beef Stew

When I made this the other night, my husband said, "Finally, some different food!" And I didn't have any idea what that meant and was starting to maybe not be so happy. But then he quickly explained that he meant he was glad it was another season and we had "new" food to eat, things we haven't had in a very long time. He proceeded to have 2 ginormous helpings of stew which erased any and all bad feelings from earlier. :)
I think he's a wee bit tired of "summer" food, because living here in the desert, summer lasts a long time. Anyway, this family recipe comes from Aunt Eldena who is a terrific cook. I make mine in my crock pot but you could also bake it in your oven, I'll give those directions at the end. This is fall eating at its best. And the roll you see hanging over the edge of the plate, I'll be posting the recipe for those later. They were wheat/white rolls and the perfect companion to sop up stew. This leaves your whole house smelling like a yummy fall day!

2 lbs stew meat, cubed into 1-2 inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
8 regular carrots, sliced, or approx 20 baby carrots
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp white sugar
1 (14oz) can beef broth
1/3 cup tapioca (yes, the same tapioca used in making puddings and in fact it is located by the puddings. It is merely a thickening agent, don't be alarmed)
8 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients (minus potatoes) and cook in a crock pot on low for 4-5 hours. After the 2nd hour, add potatoes. If you want to cook it in your oven, same instructions, oven should be at 300 degrees.

* a note. This doesn't make a huge amount, just right for a family of 4. With my husbands 2 huge servings, my 1 regular size and my kids 2 small, we ate it all without any left-overs. You could easily double this and it can still fit in the crock pot, I think you would increase the cooking time by a few hours.