Grandma Bessie'S Beef Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 -3 lbs stew meat, cut into big bite size pieces
3 -4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into big bite size pieces
1 bag carrot, peeled and cut into big bite size pieces
1 bunch celery, cut into big bite size pieces
1 -2 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 large onion (I keep this whole because I can't digest onion. Love the flavor but can't eat the actual onion)
1 bottle ketchup
salt and pepper

Preparation

If it is cool or cold weather, it is best to put this in the oven (or a crock pot) and let cook for a while.
Take a large pot (I use a dutch oven) on med high heat and add whole bottle of ketchup.
Fill empty bottle with water and rinse out bottle with it, Pour this water in pot with ketchup.
Add carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic and onion.
When all of this has been cooking for a 1/2 hour or so, coat meat with flour and brown in large pan with a little oil.
Cover with a lid and let this simmer for a few minutes.
Meat will be soooooo tender.
add meat mixture (oil, drippings and all) to the veggies.
Mix well.
Add the salt and pepper.
Let this cook until it is thick and the veggies are tender.
The\"secret\" is the ketchup.
The stew doesn't taste a thing like ketchup though.