Onion Beef Roast

Well, slight change of plans here today, folks.  We’re currently being slammed with Winter Storm Benedict.  We’re slated to get approximately 2 feet of snow before all is said and done.

Here’s the view from my kitchen window (and it’s not even done yet!)

Work was canceled for both of us today and school was closed for me.  So, I decided to switch up our menu plan for the week and make this onion beef roast today while we’re snowed in.

This was the perfect meal for a snowy day and so tasty!  I’ll definitely be making this again.

Found on Crockpot Tuesdays (who found it on Tasty Kitchen).

I know, it’s not very photogenic, but it sure was tasty!

INGREDIENTS
1.5-2.5 lb. Chuck roast
1 pkg. Dry Lipton onion soup mix
2T. Butter (or vegan margarine), melted
1/2C. Red wine

DIRECTIONS
Place roast in bottom of the crockpot. Pour melted butter over the roast, then sprinkle on the onion soup mix. Pour red wine on top of everything. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “It’s kind of a no-fuss version of my favorite – Boeuf Bourguignon.  Yum!”

And, just because he’s so darn cute – here’s a pic of our little boy.

Mo knows the best spot in the house when it’s cold outside!

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Crock Pot Applesauce

My Husband loves apple sauce.  Almost every day he takes one of those Motts single-serve cups to work in his lunch bag.  Now, while I’m happy that he’s eating fruit I figure there has to be a better (read: more cost effective and slightly healthier) option.  So, after searching for a crock pot applesauce recipe I combined a few and came up with this.

Christopher loved it!  I’m so happy!  Now, I can make a big batch and have it last twice as long as the single-serve cups!

INGREDIENTS
4lbs. Apples (I used Macintosh because that’s what the local farm had ready in 1/2 peck containers – no time to pick my own)
1/4C. Sugar (I used Splenda)
1/2t. Cinnamon
3/4C. Water
1T. Lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Wash, core and slice apples and add to crock pot.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and stir.

Pour water and lemon juice over apples, stir again.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “So good!  I love it warm.”

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Crockpot Salsa Chicken Tacos

I have just recently started enjoying salsa.  I’m not sure why I didn’t like it before…the stuff is delicious!

So, to take advantage of my new found love, I decided to do some Googling and figure out how to cook with salsa.  I found a recipe for salsa chicken on Crockpot 365.  I didn’t feel like serving it over rice, and I had tortillas in the house, so I decided to shred the chicken and turn it into soft tacos.  These were delish!  We will absolutely be making them again!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
1C. Salsa
1C. Frozen corn
1 15oz. Can Black Beans, rinsed
8 Tortilla Shells (hard or soft)
Your favorite taco toppings – cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Add chicken, salsa, beans and corn to crock pot.  Cover and let cook 6-8 hours on low.

Remove chicken and shred with two forks.  Ladle out some of the liquid from the crock pot and discard.

Return chicken to the crockpot and keep warm while preparing tortilla shells and toppings.  Assemble and devour!

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Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Very tasty!”

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Crock Pot Chicken with 32 Cloves and a Giveaway!

Yes, yes, I know, the dish should be Chicken with 40 Cloves, but the heads of garlic I had in the house weren’t that great and only yielded 32 good cloves.  So, here you have Crock pot Chicken with 32 Cloves (recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking).

I thought this dish was very tasty!  The chicken was so tender, perfectly flavored and the big hunks of soft garlic were perfect smeared on crusty bread.  Unfortunately, Hubby thought it was a little overpowering for his tastes.

INGREDIENTS
1 Whole roaster chicken, cut up into pieces
1 Large yellow onion
40 Cloves garlic, paper removed
1T. Olive Oil
2t. Salt
2t. Pepper (original recipe called for 1t.  I like pepper, so I added more)
2t. Paprika

DIRECTIONS
If using a whole roaster chicken, break it down into smaller, usable pieces – 2 breasts, 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 thighs.

Cut onion into half rounds and add to the bottom of empty crock pot.

In a separate bowl, combine chicken, garlic, spices and oil.  Toss to coat and add to crock pot.

Set crock pot to low and let it do its thing.  I had mine on the lowest setting for 10 hours, while at work, and kept it on warm for another hour before eating.

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Husband Rating – 1 out of 5 – “I didn’t really care for this one.”

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Now, onto the giveaway.  Today marks my one year blog-iversary!  I’m so proud of myself for sticking with it and trying so many new recipes in the last year!

Those of you that read this blog often know that I love garlic.  Love, love, love it!  So, for my giveaway, I’m going to share one of my favorite garlic tools…a terra cotta garlic roaster.

This baby can be used in the oven or microwave and produces the most wonderful roasted garlic!

So, to win this garlic roaster, leave a comment below with your favorite ingredient and why you love cooking with it – doesn’t have to be garlic. Don’t forget your email address so I know how to contact you if you win.

I will leave the comments open for 1 week and will draw a random number on Friday, August 21, 2009.  Good Luck!!

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Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Every summer our butcher shop makes heaps of their own BBQ sauce.  We, of course, head down and buy a giant vat of sauce and cook with it all summer long – and sometimes into the winter.  So, I’m always looking for new ways to use it up.

We all know how great pulled pork is, but Christopher and I had never tried pulled chicken before tonight.  It’s not nearly as moist as pork (I’m sure using chicken thighs instead of breasts would solve that problem), but slathered with sauce and topped with onions, it was quite good.  We’ll definitely make this again!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Chicken breasts
1 Onion, cut into half rounds
1 1/2C. BBQ Sauce
Salt, pepper and granulated garlic
Buns of your choice

DIRECTIONS
Slice onion and add to empty crock pot.  Place chicken on top and season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic (to taste).

Add 1C. of BBQ sauce and stir to combine.  Set slow cooker to 6-hours (med-high).  Cover and do not peek!

After 6 hours, drain out most of the extra liquid, shred chicken with 2 forks and add in the other 1/2C. BBQ sauce.  Keep warm in crock pot until ready to use.

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Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – “A little dry, but tasty!”

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A Housewarming Party! Crock Pot Pulled Pork & Italian Pasta Salad

Today we hosted a housewarming party.  All of our family and friends came over to see our new house.  It was so much fun!

On the menu was crock pot pulled pork sandwiches, Italian pasta salad, green salad, watermelon slices, brownies, orange cream cake and banana nut cake.  We had SO much food!  Everything was delicious.  Below are the pulled pork and pasta salad recipes.  The pasta salad is my own creation, the pork was inspired by the Beantown Baker – with a few tweaks of my own.

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Crock pot Pulled Pork

INGREDIENTS:
1 6-8lb. Pork Shoulder

Spice Rub:
2T. Ground Black Pepper
2t. Cayenne Pepper
2T. Chili Powder
1T. Hot Mexican Chili Powder
2T. Ground Cumin
2T. Brown Sugar
1T. Dried Italian Seasoning
4T. Paprika
1 T. Sea Salt
1T. Garlic Salt
1T. Table Sugar
1/4C Water
Barbecue sauce (amount will vary depending on how ‘wet’ you like your pulled pork)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all spices in a large Pyrex dish.  Add pork to the dish and roll around to coat, making sure to coat all sides.

Cover with saran wrap and let sit overnight (or longer if you like).

Add pork and 1/4C. water to the crock pot and set to low.  Cook 10-12 hours.

Remove all liquid and shred pork with 2 forks.

Add BBQ sauce to the shredded pork until it is as wet as you’d like it – I probably used about 2-3C.

Serve on buns of your choice.

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Italian Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2lbs. Tri-Color Rotini Pasta
1 Bottle, Italian Dressing
Raw veggies of your choice (I used broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, yellow peppers, carrots and red onion)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

Cut veggies and add to pasta in a large bowl.

Cover with dressing (I used about 3/4 bottle) and set in the fridge.  Of course you can eat this right away, but it is better if it sets overnight.

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Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

As previously mentioned, our office holds a Soup-Off competition every year.  This was my entry for this year.  I found the recipe on A Year of CrockPotting (although, I put the soup together on the stove top and reheated in the CrockPot – see her site for the full-on CrockPot directions).  This soup was delish!  The recipe doesn’t make all that much, so I tripled it and had just enough for my coworkers to sample.

INGREDIENTS:
2C.  Shredded cooked chicken
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
3 Stalks celery, chopped
1/4C. Unsalted butter
1/4C. Flour
2C. Fat free milk (no higher content than 2%, or it will curdle)
3/4C. Chicken broth (low or no salt is best)
4oz. Velveeta cheese
1/4C. Hot wing sauce
1/2t. Celery salt
1/2t. Garlic salt
Blue cheese crumbles and celery sticks for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large pot.  Add celery and onion.  Sweat about 8 minutes.  Add flour and make a roux.  Cook just a few minutes (to get the flour taste out of the dish).

Add all remaining ingredients.  Heat through, making sure the cheese melts.

That’s it!

Personally, I think this soup tastes best if you make it a day ahead and reheat.  It lets the flavors meld together quite nicely.  Although, if you have to eat it right away, that’s OK too!

I just had to share a pic of all of our crockpots lined up in the conference room.  I love my job!  🙂

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I came in 2nd this year. Better luck next time.

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Sammy’s BBQ Beef Short Ribs

Sammy is our butcher.  We love Sammy!  He always hooks us up with wonderful cuts of meat and gives great cooking tips.  Case in point – these ribs.  YUM!!

INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs. Beef Short Ribs
1 Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we like the stuff our meat market makes on site)
1 White Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Slice onion and place in the bottom of your crock pot.

Rub short ribs with garlic and in a pan quickly sear on all sides.  Transfer to crock pot.

Top with BBQ sauce.

Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.

The meat gets so tender the bones fall right off – as evidenced here

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Smokey Black Bean Soup

Every winter my office holds their annual Soup Off.  A few people bring in crock pots of soup and all the employees taste and judge.  Last year I won the coveted “Golden Ladle Award” (a cheesy spray painted award that the winner gets to keep in his/her office for the year) with this spicy black bean soup.  I saw the recipe on Dave Lieberman’s show “Good Deal with Dave Lieberman” and made a few tweaks.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
10 Slices Bacon, finely chopped
2 Medium Onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 Garlic Cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) Can Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2C Canned Chopped Tomatoes
2T Ketchup
2t Worcestershire sauce
1T Chili Powder
1t Ground Cumin
4 (15 1/2-ounce) Cans Black Beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bunch Cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
2C Small Pasta of your choice (I like elbows)
Scallions, Cheddar Cheese and/or Sour Cream for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat.  Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, cumin and chili powder.  Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook until the soup is thickened, about 7 minutes (until the pasta is al dente).

Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

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Crock Pot Beef Stew

I love fall!  It’s by-far my favorite season.  Leaves changing, pumpkins and best of all crock pot cooking!  Beef stew is one of our favorites and this recipe is delish!  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
2lbs Stew Meat
4 Carrots, chopped into big pieces
2 Stalks of Celery, also chopped
12 Small White Potatoes (I usually use baby reds, but had white in the house this time)
1 Medium White Onion (I used small boiling onions, whole)
1C Water
1t Worcestershire sauce
2 Cloves garlic, whole
1/2T Oregano
1 Bay leaf
3/4T Salt
1/2T Black Pepper
1/2t Paprika

DIRECTIONS
Put everything into crock pot, stir just enough to mix spices.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 4 to 6 hours.  Serve with homemade biscuits and you’ve got a warm and comforting meal.

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