Food on Friday

Tomorrow, we are having some neighbors over for dinner. Originally, it was going to be two other couples, but one of the couples has come down with bad colds, so now it will jut be one other couple. I was going to break out my favorite dinner party cookbook (it has 40 seasonally-organized menu's complete with appetizers, first courses, main courses, desserts, and wine pairings!!!!!!! LOVE!!!!), but now I think I might make my favorite beef stew recipe (and cornbread and some kind of dessert). But it sounds kind of pedestrian (HA!) for a "dinner party". What do you think? Ina Garten always likes to serve comfort food at her dinner parties, so can I jump on her bandwagon? I promise it is an amazing recipe...

(adapted from here)

3 Tbs vegetable oil
1-2 lbs beef, cubed
1/4 cup steak sauce
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
1 packet of stew seasoning (or 1/4 cup of homemade stew seasoning)
6 cups water
1 can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
4 medium potatoes, cubed
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
cornstarch (if desired)

In a dutch oven or large(r) pot, heat the oil and brown the beef tips in the hot oil. Add the steak sauce and worchestershire sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the stew seasoning and water, stir. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for an hour or longer, until the potatoes and carrots are tender. I like a gravyish stew, so when it is almost done, I ladle a cup of the broth/liquid into a small bowl and add several tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk this together and pour back into the pot, and stir this around until the sauce thickens. (Repeat if desired until the sauce is how you like it.)