Who are you calling easy?!

First off, let me introduce myself. I’m BtoC’s friend Molly, ironically enough a Quality Assurance professional by trade, and amateur culinary guru. So, when J asked if I wanted to help with a terribly exciting March Madness based crock-off, I jumped at the opportunity. I realize I am at somewhat of a disadvantage (new to blogging, utilizing camera phone until real camera can be replaced, without a large eating audience), so stick with me.

I decided to start with the (Really easy and fast) Shredded Beef Tostadas. Original recipe here. Mexican/Texmex food is one of my favorite cuisines and the thought of coming home to a pot of tender, shredded, spicy beef sounded perfect. In the spirit of honesty, I am a single woman who finds helpless victims good friends to try out my culinary adventures. So, for this week, I have shanghaied one of my best friends and her family to test drive these recipes.

Here’s how it went down:

~2.5lbs boneless chuck roast (on sale!)
~1 ½ cups enchilada sauce (mild)
~½ cup picante salsa (mild)
~1 tsp ground cumin
~1 tsp chili powder
~1 tsp garlic powder
~Tostadas and toppings: corn tortillas, fat free refried beans, shredded cheese, tomatoes (diced), lettuce (shredded), sour cream.

Right before work, and before coffee even, put the roast in the crock pot.
Mix all the other ingredients (enchilada sauce, picante salsa, ground cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder) together and pour over the roast.
Turn on the crock pot to low for 8-9 hours (I went with 10, but got home at 9 hours into cooking and turned it to warm).
Take two forks and pull apart the meat, which will be ready to fall apart at a moment’s notice.

For those interested in the by the book recipe, I toasted corn tortillas in the oven until crisp (and burned in one case) and layered it with the refried beans, beef, and all the toppings. For the other, less adventurous in the group *cue rental kids* I served everything on flour tortillas for a more taco experience.

There is nothing like coming home after a long day of work (and a dentist appointment) to the house smelling of a yummy dinner crocking away. The only thing I was missing was someone waiting for me with a cold beer and my slippers (by the way, I’m taking applications). This meal was really good, but next time (and yes, there will be a next time) I’m going to halve the enchilada sauce, double the salsa (and make it spicy), and probably add a chipotle or two with adobo. I like my Mexican food spicy, but as it stands, this is a solid meal, amigo!