Still got it.

It is looking more and more likely that I'm going to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes within the week, so I decided I'd crock something that I'm *probably* not going to be able to eat soon.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Mexican Beefy Cornbread Casserole" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
~3/4 c ketchup (This is a guess. I actually don't know how much I used. I emptied our open bottle and squirted a bit from a new one.)
~2 T dijon mustard
~2 T steak sauce (Again, a guess. We are now out of steak sauce.)
~2 t Worcestershire sauce (Ditto. Adios Worcestershire sauce.)
~1 green pepper, chopped (From the CSA.)
~1/2 c frozen corn

Topping:
~1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
~1/3 c milk
~2 t butter, melted
~1 egg

Mix the first 7 ingredients in crock pot.
Mix the last 4 ingredients in a bowl.
Pour mixture over beefy mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

6 servings.

Mmm. This was delicious. I kinda wish I'd been paying more attention to the quantities. Still, I think I'll pat myself on the back for this one. Yum.

An unexpected perk of living down the street from Baltimore.

Sauerbraten is good. REALLY good. I've made it twice. HERE and HERE. Every. Single. Time. I'd go to the grocery store that "doesn't have anything, but is the closest one to our house", I'd see bottles of sauerbraten mix and wonder if it was any good. Welp, wonder no more.

"Easy Sauerbraten...as long as you're currently living near Baltimore, MD." (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs beef cubes
~1 bottle of Mrs. Minnicks Sauerbraten Mix (It's a local thing. AND it has stove top instructions on the bottle, but I converted it all by myself.)
~7 ginger snap cookies, crushed
~egg noodle dumplings, cooked

Dump beef in crock pot.
Pour in sauerbraten mix.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
Add crushed cookies and mix well.
Cook for a few minutes. (I cooked it for as long as it took the noodles to cook.)

I served this with baked squash. (From the CSA.)

6 servings.

So tender. So good. So easy. My other half said that it's "frickin' delicious". I'm definitely going to add this to my rotation. (You know, if I had one.)

I like it, I love it.

I love meatloaf for lots of different reasons. Here are 3: It reminds me of my childhood. You can pretty much put anything in it and it'll be delicious. My new spawn seems to want me to eat beef.

"Meatloaf" (6 quart pot.)

~1 lb ground beef
~1/3 c medium chunky salsa (Leftover from our party.)
~1/3 c ketchup
~1 egg
~3/4 c panko breadcrumbs
~aluminum foil
~ketchup

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Form loaf.
Form 2 aluminum foil handles.
Place meatloaf on top of handles in crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for at least 6 hours.
Cut and serve.
Top with ketchup.

I served this with homemade mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. (Both from the CSA.)

6 servings.

You can't go wrong with meatloaf. Even my little helper ate it. ALL of it. And that (still) never happens. I foresee lots of crocked meatloaves in the next, oh...5 months or so.

What's cooking...

Yeah, so...I've obviously totally dropped the ball on this whole blogging thing. I dropped it a long time ago, BUT I have a very good reason/excuse for the last few months. Oh, pregnancy, how I've missed you so! Ha! Between the complete exhaustion during the first trimester to the food aversions that happen randomly AFTER I've been crocking something all day? Blogging about what we (or perhaps only my other half) had for dinner just ain't happenin'. Most of the crocks I've some in the last month+ have been easy redos like my buffalo chicken mac and cheese, butter chicken, bbq pork or chicken. Easy things. Things I can just throw into the pot without using any braincells or energy. Luckily, I'm now in the second trimester, so I should (theoretically) be blogging slightly more regularly now. Here's what I crocked today...

"Clean Out The Fridge Roast" (6 quart pot)

~3 lbs boneless chuck roast

~12 oz mild salsa (Leftover from a party we had.)

~1 c chopped mushrooms (from the CSA.)

Place roast in crock pot.

Dump mushrooms on top.

Pour salsa on top.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

I served this with sautéed squash and smashed potatoes. (Both from the CSA.)

6 servings.

This was so easy and so good. All of it. Yum!

So weird.

Sometimes I buy weird things simply because they're on sale. In my world, corned beef is weird. I've crocked it 3(?) times, but I still think it's a little weird. Having it without cabbage is extra weird, yes? Yes.

"Corned Beef" (6 quart pot)

~3 lb corned beef brisket
~2 c water

Dump roast and everything in the bag into crock pot.
Add 2 c water.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

6 servings.

I served this with sautéed spinach.

This was good. Weird, but good. Weird because it's corned beef. Weird because I didn't serve it with cabbage. Weird because my little helper actually liked it. Who IS this kid?

What's going on?

I've crocked using this particular sauce 3 (or maybe even 4) times in the last 2 months. Because it's good. Because it's easy. Because I'm feeling lazy. It's been slightly different each time. Potatoes. Mushrooms. Potatoes AND mushrooms.

"Tavern Style Pot Roast #3" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast.
~1 qt fresh sliced mushrooms
~16 oz fresh baby carrots.
~ 1 envelope of Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce-Tavern Pot Roast

4 servings.

Everyone thought that this was the best version so far. And I MEAN everyone. My little helper ate his entire serving. Even the mushrooms. What. Is. Happening?

I'm 3!

Yup. Still here. In fact, I'm a little late to the party, but Sunday was my 3rd year blog-iversary. Can you believe it? I most certainly can't. 

I crocked this today. I have a lot of carrots and potatoes in the house, so I whipped together another beef stew type of thing. Because. Why not?

"Peppery Beef Stew" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs boneless top loin roast

~3 russet potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces

~3 carrots, chopped

~1 celery stalk, chopped

~8oz fresh sliced mushrooms

~1 c beef stock

~1 t salt

~1 t pepper

~1 t curry powder 

Add all ingredients to crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Cut beef into pieces and serve.

4 servings.

Mmm. This turned out WAY better than I thought it was going to. It was nice and flavorful and a bit peppery. Mmm. Go me. 

Again, again!

I crocked a beef stew today. I had the ingredients and wasn't feeling particularly creative.

"Beef Stew #2514" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb stew beef
~16 oz baby carrots
~3 celery stalks, chopped
~4 russet potatoes, skinned and chopped
~1 c beef stock
~1 t dried parsley
~1 t salt
~1/2 t pepper

Add all ingredients to crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

4 servings.

It was beef stew. Pretty standard and nothing special. Although...it's a beef stew that my little helper actually ate! (Minus the beef part, of course.) Progress!

Work in progress.

I haven't done a proper grocery shopping trip since before we went to Mexico, so I don't have a lot to work with food-wise. ACTUAL work, yes, but I'm kind of okay with that.

"Clean Out The Pantry Spaghetti and Meatballs and Beans and Corn" (6 quart pot)

~20 oz Garlic Pasta Sauce (Mine was most of a 24 oz jar of Safeway's brand)
~most of a mag of Italian style meatballs
~1 (15 oz) can canellini beans, rinsed and drained
~1 c frozen corn
~1/2 pkg spaghetti, cooked

Place pasta sauce, meatballs, beans, and corn in crock pot and mix well.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Serve over spaghetti.

6 servings.

This was good. Not great, but good. HOWEVER, it gets points in my book because my little helper ate everything. It took a little convincing, but his plate was clean by the end of dinner and that happens...pretty much never.

Life as we know it.

I am SUCH a slacker. I keep trying to catch up, but life gets in the way. I sprained my foot. Our family got sick. Thanksgiving happened. I've been using the oven more because I keep thinking that MAYBE my little helper will eat something if it's not all mixed together in a crock pot. He'd be happy with a bowl of plain rice or pasta for dinner every single day.

I crocked this yesterday.

"Sweet Korean BBQ" (6 quart pot)

~3 lbs beef stew meat (The pouch said to use a chuck roast. I subbed because I'm a sucker for a good sale.)
~1 pkg Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces Sweet Korean BBQ
 ~rice, cooked

 Dump beef into crock pot. Pour sauce on top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice. I served it with buttered kale from the CSA.

6 servings.

 Mmm... So good. So easy. My little helper wouldn't touch anything other than the rice. He even asked for seconds. *sigh*

Freedom!

If you've shopped at a Safeway Co. Store in the last year, you're probably familiar with their "just for you" app/promotion. If you've shopped there in the last week AND use the app, you may have noticed that you could/can get a free Campbell's Slow cooker sauce.

I chose THIS one.

"Tavern Style Pot Roast" (6 quart pot)

~3 lb boneless beef chuck roast
~1 pkg Campbell's Tavern Style Pot Roast Slow Cooker Sauce
~1 c baby carrots

Place beef in crock pot.
Top with sauce and carrots.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

I served this with some smashed potatoes.

6 servings.

Delicious.

Details, details.

Sometimes, details matter. This recipe. Man. I hope the thousands of people who shared this recipe DON'T do what I did.

"Jambalaya" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (It said thighs, but I subbed because I had some.)
~1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch slices
~1 onion, chopped
~1 red bell pepper (It said green, but we got a red one in the CSA, so I used it.)
~3 celery stalks, chopped
~1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
~ 3 garlic cloves, chopped
~2 c chicken broth
~1 T Cajun spice mix
~1 t thyme
~1 r oregano
~1 3/4 c long-grain rice**
~1 lb shrimp (that I didn't add because I don't do shrimp. Ick.)*

Combine chicken, sausage, onion, pepper, celery, tomatoes, garlic, broth, Cajun, thyme, and oregano in crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
Add shrimp* and rice**; raise heat to high and cook for 30 more minutes.

8 servings.

** They must've meant cooked rice. I followed the directions with uncooked rice and it wasn't done. At all. Not after an additional 30 minutes. Not after an hour. Not even after 3 hours. Everything else was good. Yummy even. The rice?

Yeah...no.

What's in a name?

I make fun of recipe names. A lot. ...Because I can't help myself. It's in my DNA. Or something. If a recipe name with the words "best ever" (or the like) in it, I pretty much have to make it. That's probably what the original crocker was going for, yes? Isn't psychology fun?

"The Best Ever Beef Stroganoff" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs beef stew meat
~2 (14 oz) cans Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
~1 large onion, diced (I used have of a large onion because I didn't want it to be too oniony.)
~2 3/4 T Worcestershire sauce
~1/2 c water
~8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
~1 t garlic salt
~dash hot paprika
~egg noodles, cooked

Mix soups, onion, Worcestershire sauce, water, garlic salt, and paprika in crock pot.
Add beef and mix.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Add cream cheese cubes and mix.
Turn crock pot to HIGH, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir.
Serve over egg noodles.

6 servings.

I served this with side salad full of CSA goodies.

"Best Ever"? No. Pretty darn good? Yes. We dug that it was cream cheese instead of the usual sour cream, but it was missing the mushroom part. Aren't mushrooms what make it a stroganoff? Ok, maybe not. I guess if you're not a fan of mushrooms AT ALL, you may think that this is the best. ever. Us? We missed the 'shrooms.

Happens in 3s.

This is another recipe I stumbled upon while searching for the balsamic chicken recipe.

"3 Envelope Roast" (6 quart pot.)

~2 lb chuck roast (The recipe said 3 lbs, but I couldn't find a larger cut.)
~1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
~1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
~1 envelope dry brown gravy mix
~2 c water
~1 c baby carrots*
~1 c grape tomatoes*

*These weren't in the original recipe. We had some leftover from a veggie tray, so I just kind of chucked them in there.

Place beef in crock pot.
Chuck the tomatoes and carrots on top.
Mix water and 3 envelope mixes in a medium bowl.
Pour mixture over everything.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

4 servings.

Yum. Really easy and really good. I think you could make this even better by adding potatoes and other veggies. Go nuts! 

The end?

I'm running out of interesting recipes to try in the ebook. This MIGHT be the last one. I haven't decided yet.

"BBQ Beef" (6 quart pot)

~3 lbs beef stew meat
~2 c onion, chopped
~1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
~1/4 c vinegar
~2 t Worcestershire sauce
~2 t salt
~3 green peppers, chopped (From the CSA.)
~1/2 c brown sugar
~1/8 c chili powder
~1 t dry mustard.

Mix all ingredients in crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Stir to shred. (I tried. I could be stirring right now and there'd still be no shredding to speak of.)

12 servings.

I served this with corn on the cob and smashed potatoes from the CSA.

This was pretty good. The beef didn't do what it was supposed to, but the flavor was there. That's something. Right?

Can you ever just be whelmed?

Don't you just hate when the name of a recipe sounds like it's going to be amazing and wow your socks off and then you make it and it's supremely underwhelming? Me too. Doubly so when friends are joining us for dinner. (Hi Brad and Rob!)

"Teriyaki Steak" (6 quart pot.)

~2 boneless chuck steaks, each one 2 1/2 lbs
~1 t ginger
~1 T sugar
~2 T soy sauce
~1 garlic clove, crushed
~rice, cooked

Cut beef into 1/8 inch slices.
Combine ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and garlic in a bowl.
Put meat in crock pot.
Pour sauce over meat.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve over rice.

6 servings.

I served this with sautéed spinach.

This was okay. It was a bit dry and missing the teriyaki flavor I/everyone thought this was going to have. Boo. So far, this particular E-book (which happens to be the largest of the three) is not my favorite. I'm going to give it a week (or 2) more and then I'm done. 

Hungary?

This came from the E-book. I was going to make it for my mom when she was in town, but it has "evil onions" in it, so I had to postponed it a couple of days.

"Hungarian Goulash" (6 quart pot)

~ 11/2 lbs beef stew meat
~1 onion, sliced
~1/2 c ketchup
~1/8 t garlic powder
~2 T Worcestershire sauce
~1 T brown sugar
~2 T paprika
~2 T salt*
~1 c water
~1/2 t dry mustard
~1/4 c flour
~egg noodles, cooked

Place meat in crock pot.
Add sliced onion.
Combine ketchup, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, paprika, salt, water, and mustard.
Pour over meat.
Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
Dissolve flour in a small amount of water.
Stir into goulash.
Cook 10 minutes on high.
Serve over egg noodles.

I also served this with corn on the cob from the CSA.

4 servings.

This was pretty good, but *WAY TOO salty. I used 2 T like the E-book recipe said and I thought (at the time) that it seem a little lot excessive, but I did it anyway. Boo. When will I learn to trust my salt instinct? Maybe Hungarians REALLY like salt? Maybe it was a typo. I. just. don't. know.

Wash me.

This was LITERALLY a clean out the freezer meal. I took everything out of it and scrubbed the sucker clean. While doing so, I found a beef roast and some bacon that I had NO idea was in there. Then, I used my imagination.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Roast" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
~2 slices of bacon, cooked
~1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
~1 onion, chopped
~1 garlic clove, minced
~1 perfectly ripened tomato (From the CSA.)
~1 t salt-free adobo seasoning (It's THIS.)

Place beef in crock pot.
Top with remaining ingredients.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

I served it with corn on the cob. (From the CSA.)

4 servings.

Mmm... This was flavorful and slightly spicy. Just the way we like it. "I done good."

¿Qué?

Have you ever read the name of a recipe and said, "Whaaaaaaat?"

"Floating Tacos" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb ground beef (The recipe said "hamburger". Kind of weird, yes?)
~1 onion, chopped
~1 (15 oz) can chili with beans
~1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
~1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
~8oz picante sauce
~1/4 t chipotle chili powder (I used a hotter than normal chili powder because I'm...awesome.)
~1/2 t garlic powder
~1/2 t salt
~1/4 t pepper
~tortilla chips
~shredded Mexican blend cheese
~chopped green pepper (The recipe said lettuce, but I didn't have any. I used a pepper from the CSA instead.
~sour cream

Brown ground beef and onion; drain.
In crock pot, mix ground beef with chili, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, picante sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
To serve, layer chips, meat sauce, cheese, lettuce/pepper, and sour cream.

4 servings.

Mmm... This was kind of like yesterday's, but BETTER. I found chips that weren't stale! AND my other half says that he liked the addition of the peppers. It had a nice spice to it, too, so if you're not a fan, I guess you could dial things down a bit. I won't judge.

Comforting.

Due to a family emergency and a fridge full of leftovers, I was away from my crock pot for a few days, but I'm back and I have a new E-book to play with.

"Enchiladas" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb ground beef
~1 c onion, chopped
~1/2 c green bell pepper, chopped
~1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
~1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
~1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilies
~1/3 c water
~1/2 t cumin
~3/4 t chili powder
~1/4 t pepper
~1/2 t salt
~1 1/2 c shredded cheddar
~1 1/2 c shredded monterrey jack
~6 corn tortillas

Sauté beef, onions, and green pepper until meat is browned. Drain.
Add beans, tomatoes, water, cumin, chili powder, pepper, and salt.
Bring to boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Put 1/2 c meat mixture in crock pot.
Top with tortilla.
Top with 1/2 c cheese.
Repeat layers.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

4 servings.

This was pretty darn good. The top shells were a little crunchier than they should have been, but we didn't really care. We just needed some comfort food and this nailed it.