1-First, prepare your meat by browning 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb hot breakfast sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble it as it cooks, then drain the fat and transfer it to your slow cooker. This step adds a deep, savory base to the stew.

2-Next, get creative with your veggies. For the 3-4 large carrots, cut them into pumpkin shapes by making two slits for stems, removing triangles from the sides, and slicing them. Add these along with 2 cups small diced gold potatoes, 3 diced celery ribs, 1 cup diced leeks, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp Italian herb seasoning, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 10.5 oz condensed French onion soup, 10.5 oz condensed tomato soup, 1.5 cups water, and 32 oz beef broth to the slow cooker.

3-Cooking and Finishing Touches: Hold off on adding the 10 mushrooms for now. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. As the time winds down, prepare the mushrooms by halving them lengthwise, poking eye holes with a straw, and making slits for the nose and stem to look like collars.

4-Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes to keep their shapes intact. Finally, serve the stew warm, perhaps topped with cheese and paired with bread. This method ensures everything blends perfectly for a cozy meal.