Beef Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 lb. stewing beef, cut into pieces
small dab of butter
1 qt. wine or cider
mustard to taste
bay leaves to taste
sugar to taste
salt to taste
2 Tbsp. butter
raw vegetables (potatoes, celery, carrots, any others you like)

Preparation

Put pieces of beef into stew pot with dab of butter to brown. When browned, cover with the wine or cider.
Add to taste the spices and salt. Allow to boil 2 hours.
Add, in bite size pieces, vegetables on hand. Add liquid to keep covered and continue cooking until vegetables are cooked.
Add a 2 tablespoon size ball of butter rolled in flour and stir until thickened. Serve with chunks of bread.