Crock-Pot Stroganoff

1 pound lean stew meat cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 basket baby bella mushrooms
1 can golden cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup white wine
1 cup low sodium beef broth
4 ounces cream cheese

2 T flour
1 T of your favorite steak grill seasoning
salt & pepper

In a 2 quart or larger crockpot, add the soup the beef broth, 1/2 cup wine and the worcestershire sauce on low.

Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat with 1 T olive oil. In the quart sized bag, add the flour and the seasonings. Put all the meat in the bag and toss until the pieces are well coated. Take the piece of meat out, leaving the excess flour in the bag. Sear the outsides of the pieces of meat for 1-2 minutes on each side. When all sides are brown, add to the crock pot.

Place the pan on the heat again, this time low to medium heat and add 1 T oil. When hot, add the onions then the garlic. Sweat the two until the onions are translucent. Turn heat up to medium high and add 1/2 cup wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon to get all the bits loose into the liquid. Simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring freqently. Add this mixture to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Then add the cleaned, sliced mushrooms and cook on low for 1 hour. Check the liquid. If it's getting too thick, add more beef broth.

Cut the 4 ounces cream cheese into a small dice and add one at a time to the crockpot. Stir several times to make sure the cheese is mixed in well. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Don't cook much longer as the cheese will begin to break down and separate.

NOTES:
The cheese acks as a thickener much like the typical sour cream does.
You can also use red wine instead of white wine to give the stroganoff a more beef burgandy flavor.
If you don't want to add the wine, use all beef broth.
Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodle or rice.