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!

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?

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.

Baby steps.

Ah, yes. Another recipe name that tells you absolutely nada about what's in it. My favorite! This showed up in my feed last week. Hooray for sharing!

"Pork Tenderloin" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs pork tenderloin
~1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
~1 T yellow mustard
~3 T maple syrup
~2 T olive oil
~2 T dried onions
~1 1/2 t garlic powder

Place pork in crock pot.
Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Pour mixture over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

4 servings.

I served this with steamed broccoli (From the CSA.) sprinkled with some shredded cheddar.

This was really yummy. Tender and flavorful. Mmm. For bonus points, I managed to not overcook the broccoli this time. (Yay me!) My little helper tasted everything without too much of a fight (Which is progress.), but he wasn't a fan.

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! 

I'm ready.

I was excited to try this because it reminded me of all the yummy fall foods I'm going to be crocking in the not so distant future. (While sipping on my pumpkin flavored iced coffee! Can you tell that I'm excited?)

"Cranberry-Orange Pork Roast" (6 quart pot)

~4 b bone-in pork shoulder (The recipe said 3 lb boneless, but I grabbed the wrong thing.)

~1/2 c cranberry juice cocktail, divided

~1 c dried cranberries

~1 t orange peel

~1/2 c chicken broth

~1 T cornstarch

Place roast in crock pot.

In a bowl, mix 1/4 c cranberry juice cocktail and the cranberries, orange peel, and broth.

Pour mixture over pork.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork from crock pot and keep warm.

Pour juice into pan and skim off fat.

In a small bowl, mix remaining cranberry juice cocktail and cornstarch until smooth.

Stir cornstarch mixture into pan juices.

Cook over medium, stirring until thickened. (We were impatient, so I didn't wait long enough for this to happen.)

Slice pork and serve with sauce.

I served this with Brussels sprouts from the CSA.

4 servings.

The cut of meat was pretty fatty (and bony. Grr.), but it was good. This had potential, but I think it could have been so much better. Challenge accepted!

Best. Roast. Ever?

I was curious to make this recipe because of its name and because it came from the E-book that, so far, has been riddled with typos and other such nonsense. I'm almost always up for pot roast, so I figured with a name like this, it almost has to be *good* even if it's not the BEST EVER.

"Best Ever Beef Roast" (6 quart pot)

~chuck roast (3-5 lbs was suggested. Mine was just over 2 1/2.)
~1 (14 oz) can beef broth
~1 (10 oz) can onion soup
~1 package Italian dressing mix
~1 package of baby carrots (I bought a 2 lb bag because it was on sale.)
~pasta, cooked (I used angel hair because that's pretty much all we had.)

Place roast in crock pot.
Add carrots.
In a large bowl, mix broth, soup, and dressing mix.
Pour mixture over meat and carrots.
Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

4 servings.

"I thought dinner was pretty freakin' good!", says my other half. I've crocked a LOT of pot roasts, so it's impossible to choose a favorite. However, this one gets to go somewhere near the top of said imaginary list because everything was perfectly tender, it had a nice flavor, my little helper could've put it together for me (he's just shy of 3 for the newbies/those who have lost track), AND he actually ate a bunch of carrots. (He's always been anti beef and has lately been anti carrots.)  I should've bought a bigger roast so we could have more leftovers. Yum!

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."

What's in a name?

This recipe comes from a free E-book a friend of mine suggested I download. An E-book that has 20 "chapters"/recipes. 19 of the recipes have normal sounding names like "Sweet and Sour Chicken". And then there was this one...

As usual, I had to/ended up making some adjustments. Why? Because I don't own a dutch oven AND because I'm forgetful.

"Distinctive Taste of Pot Roast" (6 quart pot)

~4 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat
~1 T extra virgin olive oil
~1 onion, chopped (The recipe said 2, sliced, but I didn't want it overly oniony.)
~1/2 c carrots, sliced
~1 c butternut squash, chopped
~4 garlic cloves, minced
~1 t dried thyme
~1 t dried sage
~1/2 c strong brewed coffee
~2 T balsamic vinegar
~2 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water
~1 T fresh parsley* (I forgot to buy some. If you do buy some, you're supposed to put it AND the squash into the crock 2 hours before the end of the crocking time.)

Here's what I ended up doing...

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
Brown beef in oil over medium heat.
Place beef in crock pot.
Add onion, carrots, squash, cloves, thyme, sage, coffee, and vinegar to crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Add cornstarch mixture and mix.
Cover and cook on low until thickened. (Mine sat there for about a half hour because I was waiting for my other half to get home from soccer.)

8 servings.

This was a pretty darn good pot roast. The meat was perfectly tender and had that distinctive taste of pot roast to it.

You see what I did there?

Forget it.

Someone sent me the link to this recipe.

"Rancher's Roast Beef" (6 quart pot.) The original recipe is HERE.

~3 lb beef chuck roast
~1/2 t salt
~2 T canola oil
~1 envelope ranch dressing mix
~1/2 c pepperoncinis
~1/4 c pepperoncini juice
~2 T butter

Heat oil over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle beef with salt.
Sear beef on both sides.
Place roast in crock pot.
Top roast with ranch mix, pepperoncinis, and juice.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

(I served it with a sweet potato and Brussels sprouts from the CSA.)

6 servings.

So...our new house has a pool. My little helper spent most of the day in/around it. So much so, that when dinner time came, I kind of forgot that there were some last minute steps and just plated everything without finishing the actual recipe. Oops. (THIS is exactly why I prefer the fix it and forget it type.) As it was, it was still a very good recipe. The meat had a fabulous flavor and everything meshed together nicely. I might have to have a do-over, just...for funzies. Or something.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Someone tagged me in this recipe on Facebook. I have no idea who posted it originally.

"Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs pork tenderloin
~1/4 c soy sauce
~1 T yellow mustard
~3 T maple syrup
~2 T olive oil
~2 T dried minced onion
~1 1/2 t garlic salt

Put everything in crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.*

 *It probably should say something like "Place pork in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over pork. BUT since it doesn't, I didn't do that. Take that internets.

It also didn't say to leave it on warm for 2 hours, but I HAD to do that. AND I served it with sautéed asparagus from the CSA.

4 servings.

This was pretty good. I'm sure that if I had actually done what I think it SHOULD have said, it would have been even better. My other half wishes there was more of it. My little helper would touch it.

Pepper pots.

I KNOW I've done a Coke one, so why not do a Dr. Pepper one? Right? Right.

"Dr Pepper Roast" (6 quart pot)

~2.8 lb chuck roast (The recipe says 3-5 lbs. I bought the biggest one I could find.)
~1 can Dr. Pepper (Do not sub diet.)
~1 c water
~2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
~salt
~pepper
~3 garlic cloves

Place beef in crock pot.
Add all other ingredients.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
Serve warm with pan juices spooned over top.

4 servings. (Since our roast was little AND fatty.)

I served it with a sweet potato and spinach...both from the CSA.)

This was good, but it didn't wow our socks off. I will say that the Dr. Pepper did make the beef nice and tender, but that's about it. It gets extra points, though, because my little helper dug 2/3 of the meal...he seems to be off of his sweet potato strike. Yay for that!

Living up to its name.

We haven't had a roast in awhile, so I decided to whip one together. For funzies.

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

~2 lb beef chuck roast
~salt
~pepper
~1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
~1 spring onion, chopped (From the CSA.)
~2 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces (From the CSA.)
~1 c sliced mushrooms
~1 t amchoor powder (From way back when Molly's mom gifted several spices to me/us. Hi Molly's mom!)

Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper.
Place roast in crock pot.
Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
Pour mixture over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
*Find an ant colony marching through your kitchen and spend the next few hours making them disappear and mopping the floor.
Cut roast into chunks.
Serve using a slotted spoon.

*optional

4 servings.

This was fabulous. The beef was perfectly tender and everything had an awesome flavor. I love when experiments make my taste buds happy.

Not in your hand.

Sherry picked 5. (Thanks Sherry!) Number 5 was..

"Country-Style Pork Loin" (6 quart pot)

~3lb boneless pork loin roast
~1/2 c flour
~1 t onion powder
~1 t ground mustard
~2 T canola oil
~2 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
~1/4 c cornstarch
~1/4 c cold water
~2 white potatoes, quartered* (The card said that she usually serves it with mashed potatoes. I improvised.)
~1 turnip, quartered* (And then improvised some more.)

Cut roast in half.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, onion powder, and mustard.
Add pork at a time, shake to coat.
In a large skillet, brown pork in oil on all sides.
Transfer to crock pot.
Pour broth over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until tender.
Let pork stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Strain cooking juices, reserving 2 1/2 c juices; skim fat from reserve.
Transfer to a small saucepan.
Bring liquid to boil.
Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into pan.
Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve with gravy and mashed potatoes if desired.

8 servings.

This pork was melt in your mouth tender. It was fabulous. It doesn't photograph well, but I promise it tastes AMAZING.

My crock pots are taking the LONG Easter weekend off, but I'll be back crocking on Tuesday. Try not to miss me TOO much, k? K.

I'm a pepper.

Teresa picked number 29. (Thanks Teresa!) Number 29 was...

"Sirloin Roast with Gravy" (6 quart pot)

~3lbs beef sirloin tip roast
~1-2 T coarsely ground black pepper (I used 2T)
~1 1/2 t minced garlic
~1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce
~3 T balsamic vinegar
~1 T Worcestershire sauce
~2 t ground mustard
~2 T cornstarch
~1/4 c cold water

Rub roast with pepper and garlic; cut in half and place in crock pot.
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard; pour over beef.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender. (The card said 5 1/2-6.*)
Remove roast and keep warm.
Strain cooking juices into a small sauce pan; skim fat.
Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve with beef.

10 servings.

This was yummy, but REALLY peppery. You kind of have to like love pepper to use the 2T, I think. *AND 6 hours was slightly too long. Still, it made our taste buds happy.

Blame Canada.

I posted this last night. Really. I have NO idea why the page did "not exist". (Or why nobody noticed...have all of my fans deserted me?)

Katie picked number 39. (Thanks Katie!) Number 39 was...

"Canadian Pork Roast with Gravy" (6 quart pot)

~3lbs boneless pork loin roast
~1/3 c maple syrup
~1 T lemon juice
~1 T Dijon mustard
~1 garlic clove, minced (From the CSA.)
~2 T cornstarch
~1/4 c cold water

Cut roast in half.
Transfer to crock pot.
Combine syrup, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic; pour over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove meat to serving platter and keep warm.
Strain cooking juices; transfer 1 c to small saucepan.
Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices.
Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Slice roast; serve with gravy.

10 servings. (Supposedly.)

This was pretty good. The pork was nice aI accidentally screwed up the gravy a bit (but it was my own dumb fault) which made it slightly gelatinous, but it still tasted okay. It wasn't as sweet or as mustardy as I was expected it to be, but still had a nice flavor.

Nice to MEATcha.

Melanie picked number 13 (Thanks Melanie!) Number 13 was...

"Slow Cooker Beef Au Jus" (6 quart pot)

~3lbs bottom round roast
~1 onion, sliced
~1/4 c reduced-sodium beef broth
~8 oz baby carrots*
~2 potatoes, quartered*
~1 envelope au jus gravy mix
2 garlic cloves, halved (Still working on the bulbs from the CSA.)
~1/4 t pepper

Cut roast in half.
In a large greased skillet, brown meat on all sides over medium-high heat.
Place onion in crock pot.
Top with meat.
Add carrots and potatoes.
Combine broth, gravy mix, garlic, and pepper.
Pour mixture over everything.
Cover and cook on low fot 7 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.
Remove meat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Thinly slice meat and return to crock pot.
Serve with juices and veggies.

*optional: The card said that she sometimes adds carrots and potatoes, but she didn't say how much, so I just kind of chucked some in there.

10 servings.

This was really good. All 3 of us agreed. My little helper devoured the carrots which was nice because he's been in an anti-carrot phase for awhile. I inhaled mine because there was a 1 day old baby girl I just HAD to go meet. It probably would've tasted FANTASTIC if I'd actually taken 30 seconds to taste it.

The meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Sandie picked number 42. (Of course you did. Thanks Sandie!) Number 42 was...

"Cranberry-Apricot Pork Roast with Potatoes" (6 quart pot)

~3lbs pork loin roast
~4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
~1 (14 oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
~1 (15 oz) can apricot halves, drained
~1 onion, quartered
~1/2 dried apricots
~1 T sugar
~1/2 t ground mustard
~1/4 t cayenne pepper

Cut roast in half.
Place potatoes in crock pot.
Add pork.
In a blender, combine cranberry sauce, apricots, onion, dried apricots, sugar, mustard, and cayenne and process for 30 seconds or until almost smooth. (We have only a Magic Bullet, so I had to do this in batches.)
Pour over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove pork and potatoes.
Serve with cooking juices. (The card says to put it in a pitcher. Instead, I just ladled some on top of our servings.

8 servings.

I tasted the "smoothie" before I poured it over everything and it was awesome. Oniony, but delicious. I knew this was going to be a good one. It doesn't photograph well, but I promise it's really good. REALLY good. Yay for leftovers.

(And yay for a newborn bouncing bound to be geeky baby girl! Happy birthday, Elyse!)

A roast by any other name.

Today's crock was card number 12. (Thanks Shana!)

"Slow-Cooked Pork Loin" (6 quart pot)

~1 pork loin roast (The card says 3 1/2-4 lbs. The ONLY one I could find was 1.5. I kept the amounts on everything else the same.)
~1 T canola oil
~1 onion, chopped
~1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces
~1 envelope brown gravy mix
~1 c water
~1 c unsweetened apple sauce
~1/2 c unsweetened apple juice
~2 t Worcestershire sauce
~1/2 t seasoned salt
~1/2 t pepper

Cut roast in half.
In a large skillet, brown roast on oil on all sides.
Transfer to crock pot.
In the same skillet, sauté onion and celery until tender; add to crock pot.
In a small bowl, combine gravy mix and water.
Stir in remaining ingredients; pour over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Skim fat from cooking juices.
Thicken if desired. (I added some tapioca.)

12 servings (if you use a 4 lb roast. Our tiny roast was about 3.)

This was a darn good pot roast. I served it with sautéed spinach and garlicky smashed potatoes and it all went together very nicely. The only thing it loses points for is its name. I know I'm absolutely terrible at naming things, but I feel like so far, the recipes in this stack of cards are SEVERELY lacking in the naming department.

Maybe I'm just weird.

That could be it.

Prunish.

A few days ago, my other half informed me that he wasn't sure he'd ever had prunes. I decided that that meant I had to make this ASAP because I like prunes. A lot. (Does that make me weird? I feel like it does.) This came from the French section of the cookbook. Surprised? It's the last one. I promise.

"Pork and Prunes" (6 quart pot)

~3/4 c plus 3 T flour
~1 t salt
~2 lbs pork loin roast
~1 T vegetable oil
~2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
~1 c white wine (I used Anakena's Sauvignon Blanc.)
~1 c chicken stock
~1 sprig thyme
~2 bay leaves
~8 oz pitted prunes

Combine 3/4 c flour and salt in resealable plastic bag.
Add pork and toss to coat completely.
heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add oil.
Add meat and cook, turning, for 10 minutes until browned on all sides.
Transfer meat to crock pot.
Add onions and 3 T flour to sauté pan.
Sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until browned.
Gradually add wine and stir to scrape the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.
Add stock and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pour sauce over pork.
Add thyme, bay leaves, and prunes.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove and discard thyme and bay leaves before serving.
Slice pork and pour prune mixture over each serving.
Serve immediately.

4 servings.

This was so yummy. My other half likes prunes! This opens up so many things! Ok, not really. Anyone know anything else you can do with prunes? Because other than this and eating a bag of them, I'm kind of out of ideas.

I also crocked a dessert. Tried to anyway. We haven't tasted it yet, but I can already tell you that it deserves its own entry. You're intrigued, yes?