Beef stew nomnoms!

Today i have the pleasure of making my first beef stew for a friend who is feeling under the weather. Smelling it cooking right now is extremely enticing..

 Ingredients: 
-2 pounds beef chunks for beef stew 
-2 cups water -3 cloves garlic, peeled
 -2 tbsp. vegetable oil 
-2 tbsp.'s Worcestershire sauce 
-2 sage sprigs -3 thyme sprigs 
-1/2 tbsp. pepper 
-1 tsp. salt 
-1/2 tsp. paprika 
-1 tsp. powdered sugar
-dash ground allspice or ground cloves
 -3 large carrots
 -3 ribs celery, chopped 
-2 tbsp. cornstarch 
-1 medium onion, sliced 
-1 small yam, chopped 
-1 cup quinoa, rinsed

Directions: 
- brown meat in hot oil 
 - add water, onions, garlic, and all spices excluding cloves/allspice
 -cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours -remove garlic, sage and thyme
 -add carrots, celery  and quinoa
- cover and cook 30/40 mins
 -to thicken gravy, remove 2 cups of the liquid and add to a separate bowl 
-combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth -mix with a little of the hot liquid and return mixture to pot
 -stir and cook until bubbly. 

Serve with mashed baby red potatoes! 

Cheers, foodies!