Pot Roast

In between going to various doctor's appointments and physical therapy, I haven't gotten anything done.  I work a little on the quilt.  I work some on the website I am building on Wix and wonder if Go-Daddy is the better/easier site.  I have checked into Square for processing credit cards and AirBnB as a site to send guests our way.  Lots of research, no progress.   I wander to the basement and tweak or clean or look around and imagine I am a B&B guest.  What would I think?

The Health Department came and gave approval, so we just have to wait for the report and then we can get started.  I can now get the business license from the county and step back waiting for the hordes of people clamoring to stay here!

In the meantime, I made a Pot Roast in my Crock Pot

Pot Roast

Chuck Roast, about 3 pounds
1can beef broth, about 1 1/2 cups
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup mix
1/3 cup flour, optional
salt and pepper
2 large onion halved and then quartered
15 or 20 baby carrots
6 or 7 red potatoes, halved and then quartered

1/2 cup of red wine, optional

 

Trim the roast and pat it dry.  Place the flour and s&p on a dinner plate and mix.  Heat about 1 Tablespoon olive oil medium high in a large fry pan.  I used cast iron.

 

Roll the roast in the flour to coat.  If you don't choose to use four, sprinkle salt and pepper on the roast.  Brown the roast on all sides.  It should take about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.  You may have to hold it up when browning the sides.

 

Place the browned roast in the Crock Pot and turn it to low.

 

 Add the onions to the fry pan and brown a bit.  Place them in the Crock Pot and brown the carrots.  Just a few minutes to get it browned, not cooked.  Add the carrots to the Crock Pot.

 

Now deglaze the pan by adding the wine, if you choose.  You can go right to the broth if you wish.  I have some Burgundy left over from some meal or other.  I sniffed it to make sure it had not turned to vinegar and poured it in. 

 

After cooking a few minutes, I started scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the cooked bits from the roast and the veggies.  Then I added the beef broth and let it reduce for about 5 minutes.  Add the Lipton mix and stir until dissolved.  Pour all the liquid into the Crock Pot, cover and go away for about 5 hours.

Come back to the kitchen and take a deep breath of Pot Roast flavors.  Yum!  It's only lunch so you can't have it yet, but it is time to add the potatoes.  I didn't want mushy potatoes, so I chose to add them about half way through the process.  If you have to go to work and can't add something half way through, go ahead and add the potatoes with the rest of the veggies.

Now go away for another 4 to 5 hours. 

I chose to make a gravy with some of the cooking liquid.  I just made a roux with about 2 Tablespoons butter that I melted in a pan and then added 2 Tablespoons flour.  Cook until well blended and add about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Don't worry if you get some of the onion bits from the Lipton's mix.  They will just add to the flavor!   Whisk until smooth and thickened.

 

This was a perfect meal for a winter day. 

 

The house smelled great and I had leftovers for sandwiches.  On the third day I chopped everything up and heated the hash in a bit of olive oil and served it with horseradish sauce on toast.  Three dinners out of the roast.  Works for me.

Cabbage with Sausage and Apples

Our local paper, The Roanoke Times, publishes a 7 day menu with a few recipes every Sunday.  I always look at it.  I sometime find something to fix. As usual, I made a few changes. Mostly because I didn't have, and didn't want to buy, a few of the ingredients.

This is a Crock-Pot recipe, so plan on starting it in the morning.  I started to make it yesterday around 3:00.  Oops.  That's okay.  We had sandwiches, peanut butter and celery and an orange.  It was delicious, but not what I was planning.  After breakfast today I started this meal.  I hate being stupid two days in a row.

Cabbage with Sausage and Apples

1 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
Generous pinch caraway seeds
1 pound sausage links, quartered
1 bay leaf
pepper to taste


 

Spray the inside of  your slow cooker with Pam.



I always take off the outer leaves of a cabbage or a head of lettuce.  I figure multiple people have been touching it.  Cut the cabbage in half and cut out the core.  Thinly slice the cabbage and place it in you slow cooker.  I used a Crock Pot.

 

Peel and dice the onion and the apple and add to the cabbage. 

 

Add the oil, garlic, vinegar, sugar and caraway seeds.  The recipe called for whole grain mustard, but I didn't have any.

 

I was just going to use the Dijon mustard and then realized I had some mustard seeds.  That's whole grain, isn't it?  I added the mustard and about 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds. Mix well.

 

Quarter the sausages. I used  Mozzarella Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausages from Sam's Club.  It may not be what the author of this recipe had in mind, but it was what I had left over in my freezer from a previous meal.

 

Place the sausages in the Crock Pot a few at a time and bring the cabbage up over the sausage.  You don't want them to dry out. Place the bay leaf on top and set the slow cooker on low for at least 6 and no more than 8 hours.  Stir several times during the time it is cooking.

 

Remove the bay leaf and season with pepper.



 The cabbage and apples merged into apple flavored cabbage.  Sort of like sauerkraut.  If you like German food and sauerkraut then this is your kind of meal. Perfect for an overcast and cool day.

Chicken and Rice Soup...with only a Modicum of Arsenic!

At least that is what the government is telling us. Minute particles of arsenic are found in rice.  Brown rice has the most arsenic of all rice, it seems, but I like brown rice and parts per billion of arsenic don't scare me!!  Well, not much, and I don't eat it every day.

I made some chicken breasts in a Crock Pot for tacos and had a bunch left over.  It is hard to buy one chicken breast.  I also had all the broth used to cook the chicken, so I put all the leftover chicken and the broth in the refrigerator and then made the soup the next day.  If you missed the blog about the chicken tacos, just use 2 cooked chicken breasts, or cut up a cooked rotisserie chicken from the market and add 32 ounces (one big box or two little cans) or chicken broth and you have caught up with the rest of us!

 

Chicken and Rice Soup

2 cooked chicken breasts, cut up or shredded
32 oz. chicken broth

if you used my recipe your broth will have the following ingredients in it.  If not, add
1/2 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 to 1 small can green chilies

 

1/2 cup brown rice
2 Tablespoon wild rice
1 cup of chopped veggies.  I used carrots and peas, because I had carrots and peas.  Zucchini and broccoli cut up small would also work.  Use what you like.

   

Place the shredded chicken and the broth in a large heavy sauce pan.  If you are starting from scratch add the onions, garlic and spices.  Bring to a boil. 

 

Add the rice and the veggies and return to a boil.

 

  Turn the oven down to simmer and cover for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Test to make sure the rice is done and to see if you need to adjust the spices.  I like a bit of Mexican flavor with out the heat.

 

I served this with rolls, but we still have more and I will serve it with tortillas tonight.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

A fellow blogger ( http://thefrogandpenguinn.blogspot.com/ ) recently posted a recipe using chicken breasts in a crock pot.  I saved the recipe as it sounded delicious.  I wanted to use chicken breasts in a Crock Pot for a meal.  But I can't just do the SAME thing.  I wanted to do something a little different.  So I decided to use different seasonings and then cut up the chicken for tacos.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

1 to 2 pounds chicken breast
32 oz. Chicken Broth
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon garlic salt  ( I must really like garlic!)
1or 2 teaspoons cumin, to taste
1 or 2 teaspoons chili powder, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 small can ( 4 oz.) green chili

corn and/or flour tortillas  I like both.

Toppings of your choice:
lettuce
grated cheese
chopped onions
chopped tomatoes or salsa
diced avocado or guacamole

 

Place all the onion, garlic, spices and green chilies in the bottom of a Crock Pot.

 

Place the chickens on top and cover the whole thing with the chicken broth. 

 

I didn't have time to let it cook on low for 8 hours.  I put it on high and went about my business.  Then about 2 hours later I set the Crock Pot on low for 4 more hours.

 

Heat the tortillas on a griddle or warm them in a microwave.  Wrap the warm tortillas in a clean dish towel.

 

Remove the chicken breast from the broth.  Turn off the Crock Pot.  Save the broth for soup at another time.  Chop the breasts. 

 

I was going to use two forks to get small pieces to fit in the tacos, but the chicken was so moist and soft, I only needed to chop them and they were just right.

  

Set out the toppings and let everyone fix their own tacos.

 

I had a lot of chicken left over.  Lee and I cannot eat 3 chicken breasts in one sitting.  I had the broth and so I combined the chicken and the broth and I will make some soup tomorrow. 

 

Maybe with rice.  I don't know what veggies I have, so proximity to the kitchen will determine what I put in the soup.  Fresh veggies are about a 20 minute drive from here and I can't be bothered.

 

So I put everything in the refrigerator until I make some soup.  I love making soup.

Hearty Taco Chili

My Aunt gave me this recipe and highly recommended it.  That's good enough for me.  She's a great cook and entertains a lot.  She got it from a Taste of Home recipe and they are a good source of recipes, also.  I made a few changes to suit my taste, but it is basically their recipe.

   

Hearty Taco Chili

1 1/2 to 2 pounds top round  (the original recipe calls for ground beef, but I always use some sort of steak, if I can.)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can hominy, rinsed and drained

   

The can sizes are never right in recipes.  Companies make their cans a wee bit smaller and think we won't notice, so just grab any can that is about 15 to 16 ounces.

1 10 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies ( I chose the mild version.)
1 can 4 oz. green chiles
1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce
2 cans (14 oz.?)  diced tomatoes, don't drain these
1 small diced onion

And here is the part that made me want to try these:

1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning mix. (I chose mild here, too.)

  

Ooh.  Interesting, right?

Get out your slow cooker.  I use a Crock Pot.  make sure you have 6 to 8 hours before you need to serve this.  And invite a bunch of people over.  This serves about 8.

   

Trim and cut the meat into 1 inch cubes.

   

 Put a couple teaspoons of oil in a large fry pan.  Brown the meat in batches.  You don't want to it all in the pan or you end up steaming the meat and not browning it.  If you REALLY want to, brown the ground beef now, instead.  Just know that you would have liked the top round better!

When each batch is cooked, use a slotted spoon to put the cooked meat into the slow cooker and cook the next batch. 

   

Dice the onions and put them on the meat in the slow cooker. I know there is strange morning light, but I have to get this in for dinner, even if it is the morning!  Add the two seasoning packets and give a quick stir.

   

Rinse the cans of beans and hominy well.  Hominy?  That's easy.  One of each!  (Sorry.  My attempt at humor.)  Add the beans and hominy to the slow cooker.

  

Place the can of tomatoes with green chilies in a food processor.  Add the little can of green chilies.  Process until smooth and then add to the now almost full Crock Pot. 

   

Add the last two cans with the diced tomatoes and the can of tomato sauce.  Add some pepper.  Give a bit of a stir and cover it.  Turn on the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.  Go on about your business.

   

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and diced onions.  Don't forget the beer muffins!



As an aside, I took the parts I trimmed off the meat and cooked it in the microwave.  The whole time I was cutting off the fat, the dog and cats were starting at me.  Very intent stares.  I could feel them looking at me and every time I turned around there was a wee beastie.  So when the meat cooled, I gave each of the pests beloved animals a taste. 

   

How kind of me.  And it got them out from under foot!

   
   
 

Black Beans and Pork

   

Every once in awhile I go through my old recipe box.  I have recipe books galore and magazines and books with recipes.  I also have a stash of recipes I have downloaded from the computer that I will someday organize.  Maybe when it snows or something.  But the box is old and has some things I made a long time ago and never blogged about.  Gotta go through them, too.  I wrote Yum Oh on this one (a la Rachel Ray) so I know I liked it.  I found it in a Family Circle magazine.  Another thing to miss about not being in the library 40 hours a week.  Easy access to lots of magazines.

Because it is cold and this is a Crock Pot recipe it was perfect for yesterday. I set it and did some outside things and then worked in the basement for awhile.  Lee kept working and I got the excuse to quit and hang around in the kitchen.  My kind of labor.

The last time I made it, I cut up the meat and put it in a Ziploc bag with the spices the night before.  I drained the beans and put all the rest, except for the cilantro, in another Ziploc bag.  Both bags went in the refrigerator.  In the morning I dumped both bags in the Crock Pot and went to work.  Even though I was only supposed to cook the recipe for 6 hours on low, it cooked all day and was perfect when I came home.  I called Lee and had him start the rice and everything was done and waiting for me.

Black Beans and Pork

1 to 1 1/2 pound pork loin, trimmed and cut into cubes.  I couldn't find a pork loin small enough, so I just got a pork tenderloin, not the flavored kind.
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cans (15 ounces) black beans
1 can (14.5) ounces tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cups cooked rice (optional)

   

Pork tenderloin always comes with a long, white, thick membrane that you have to remove.  I don't know why they leave it for the consumer, but they do.  While you are trimming that off, you might as well get any hunks of fat that you can easily remove and take them off, too.  I got a plastic bag from the grocery store that I had saved to recycle and put the wrapping from the tenderloin and all the bits I cut off.  This way they don't gunk up the counter and get in the way when you are cutting up the meat.  Then you can just tie up the bag and toss it.

Because I had three pets watching me intently, I then picked out the bits with more meat than fat and heated them in the microwave.  After they had cooled, I fed them to all three. Cats like pork.  Who knew?   The wee beasties were very thankful and just loved me all day.  Riiight.  Did you believe that?

   

Cut the tenderloin into bite sized pieces, about 1/2 inch square.  Dump the meat into the Crock Pot.  Add the spices and mix thoroughly.  Chop the onions and add them, along with the garlic.  Drain and rinse the black beans and put them on top of everything.  The store only had one 15 ounce can of black beans, so I bought the biggest can they had.  It wasn't quite 30 ounces, but plenty for us.

Add the tomatoes with the liquid.  Then you need to add the water.  I measured out the water and poured it into the tomato can.  A quick swirl and the water went into the Pot.  I like to rinse out cans before recycling them.  This way I got all the bits of tomato, too.

   

Stir everything until mixed and then cover and turn it on to Low.  It will take 6 hours, but, like I said,  mine went 9 hours once and was great.  If you are in a hurry, and by hurry you are fixing it at noon and want to eat it for dinner, you can turn it to High.  It will take about 4 hours.

   

An hour before you serve, make 3 cups of brown rice.  Sure you can make some white rice, but brown rice tastes so much better.  Rinse and chop a big handful of cilantro and mix it in to the Black Beans and Pork.

   

 Serve the Black Beans and Pork over the rice.  If you are watching carbs, leave out the rice and just eat it plain.  It is still delicious.  Hot sauce aficionados may like to add some of their favorite sauce to heat it up a bit.  This is not a spicy hot dish otherwise.