Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

First thing's first: I'm like a Crock-Pot hypocrite. I value the concept of a one-stop meal, but am always skeptical of the recipes, primarily because they often include lots of canned goods. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just more a fan of using fresh.
Second: My husband travels a lot, and the Crock-Pot is a savior when I need to have a home-prepared meal when I'm doing the single-parenting thing.

Such was the case when I came across this recipe for Slow-Cooker Beef Stew...

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 T dry Onion Soup Mix
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 carrots, cut into small quarters
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions:

1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, pepper and dry onion soup; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Mix the garlic, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, carrots, and celery.
2. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.
3. Serve over Mashed Potatoes