My Version of CALIFORNIA ROAST BEEF!

I made this twice while I was in Tennessee visiting family. I needed a meal that made a good amount and could stay warm so, people could eat as they came. It was really good. I took another recipe and tweaked it and changed it up. Here it is.

1 hunk of meat (a roast of some kind. Cheap is good. Cooking it all day makes it tender.)
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp. sea salt (you know I eyeball)
1 TBL finely chopped garlic (can use garlic powder)
1 tsp (apx.) ground mustard
1 TBL white balsamic vinegar (or whatever kind you have)
1 carton of beef broth (I think it is 32 oz.)

Put all of that in the crockpot. Let it cook all night or all day. I actually cooked it at least 10 hours. But, it just gets more tender the longer you cook it.

When it is tender, take 2 forks and shred the meat.

When I served this we put it on hoagie rolls, some people put Ortega Chili's on it and then melted Mozzerella cheese on top. Place the top bun on and enjoy!!

Super moist and tasty.
Really forgiving recipe in that you can substitute things easily.

Sorry there is no picture. We at it up too fast to think about it.

Slow-Cooker Rotisserie-Style Chicken

This is a favorite and it has great left over benefits. Not only is any chicken left over good, but the broth that comes from it has a fantastic flavor. The broth has been cooked down enough that it is condensed broth, one you can add a bunch of water. I will put it in a jar and freeze it for soup another day.

Also, the bones from this chicken make a fantastic broth as well. It has been well seasoned so the flavor is delicious. Recipe for that is at the bottom of this post.



1 (4-5 pound ) whole chicken     This recipe calls to skin the chicken. I have done it both ways but, it is actually really good skinned.

The rub:

1. 2-3 tsp. Kosher salt
2. 1 tsp paprika
3. 1 tsp onion powder
4. 1/2 tsp dried thyme
5. 1 tsp Italian seasoning
6. 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (Sometimes I add more or less depending on our mood. If you follow this amount it isn't hot).
7. 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• Clean up the chicken and discarding skin (if desired) and inner stuff. Washing the chicken very well. (I usually use a crock pot bag for this recipe too. Otherwise spray the inside of the crock well).
• Mix all of the rub ingredients together in a bowl. After mixing it up rub down the chicken very well.
• Place chicken, breast down, into the crock.
• Put 3-4 cloves of garlic inside of the chicken as well as pieces of quartered onion.
• Add potatoes on top if desired. 
• DO NOT ADD WATER!
• Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours. (check if on low after 7 hours. All crocks cook different).

Making Broth with the left over bones from this recipe.

I usually try to throw the bones back into the same crock after dinner is over with my saved bits of celery and older carrots I save from grocery day when I clean all of the veggies. Add pieces of onion and garlic, maybe a few more spices and fill the pot up with clean water. Then let it cook on low all night. Next day I let it cool down. Then stick it in a big bowl and put it in the fridge to let the fat come to the surface to skim (There isn't very much fat from this broth because the recipe for the chicken is skinned. Still has a great flavor). Then put it in juice jugs that I have left over and washed out. Stick them in the freezer for more broth.


I will try to add a picture after dinner tonight.

Chicken Pot Pie

First I made Chicken in the crock-pot the day before. You can make up the chicken or store buy a rotisserie chicken. Whatever works for you. I will post how I cooked it in the crock the day before. So this will actually be two recipes in one!

Whole Chicken with Vegetables in the Crock-pot

Whole chicken (mine was frozen. Cooking time will be longer if it is frozen)
Several handfuls of carrots (baby whole or chopped)
4 stalks Celery, chopped
Red potatoes, cut in quarters (about 6-8 depending on the size your crock-pot)
Onion, whole chopped or quartered
3 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on your family)

What to do with it:
Cook on low (if fresh, not frozen) for 6-8 hours. (If you have a newer crock-pot it cooks hotter then the old ones so check it)
If your chicken is frozen, I usually put it on high for an hour or two then turn it down to low for the rest of the time.

It will make some broth in the bottom. You want that.

I put the whole thing in the refrigerator over night.

It is done when the legs are starting to fall off.

Pot Pie
This will make 2 deep dish pies. Use 1/2 chicken for one pie.

Besides the chicken, vegetables  and broth from yesterday:
3 TBL flour
(possibly more chicken broth or water to make up the difference)
2 pie crusts (If I don't make homemade crust, I buy the one in the freezer section (Trader Joe's) that is uncooked and folded (some are rolled-Pillsbury).


Pull all meat off the bone. Rip it up or chop it to be about bite size. If you rip it will come apart nicely in the broth.
(I save my bones to put back in crock to make broth. You can throw them in the freezer until you can get to them.)

Pull out all carrots and celery and potatoes. Chop them down to bite size.

Put all meat and vegetables in a big pan on the stove with the broth left in the crock. (You may have to add extra broth, or water, to the pan to get the pot to look like a thick stew. Meaning more vegetables and chicken then broth.

Heat up the whole mixture until it comes to a boil.
Take out about 1/2 a cup of hot broth from the pan.
Add about 1/2 cup of water cool or room temp.
Add the flour to the broth and water and whip it with a fork until there are NO lumps.

Once all the lumps are gone, Slowly pour the flour mixture into the boiling pan while you stir quickly with the fork.  Careful to get  it mixed throughout the whole pan.

Let the pan do a low boil watching and stirring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom or burn.

While this is thickening up, open up our pie crust. Put first crust in the bottom of a deep pie dish.

Once your contents of the pan is nice and thick (Not too long. A few minutes.), spoon into your pie crust. Remember not to go above about 3/4 full.

Take the top crust and lay it out on the counter, making sure all cracks are put back together. Cut a hole in the middle to give plenty of vent. I use a small heart cookie cutter or cut out a heart. Fun to use a cutter that goes with a holiday theme. Should be about 1 and 1/2 inches big.

Place second crust carefully on top of pie. Go around the edges and pinch top with bottom crusts to seal it. You might need to pull or cut off any extra that is hanging over too far.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 30- 45 minutes.
It should be nice and lightly golden. (I cover the edges of the pie with a pie shield, you can use tin foil, so the edges don't burn before the rest of the pie is done).

You should be able to use a pie server to serve.

Can also use a casserole dish. No matter the shape. Also, to save on calories you can leave off the bottom crust. It is just so yummy with them both!

ENJOY

Crock-Pot Enchilada Casserole

Crock-Pot Enchilada Casserole

I really like this recipe. One that gives us something a little different in the crock.

I use a big oval 6 quart crock pot. So this is a big recipe. You can cut it down for the smaller pot.

2 lbs. ground beef
1 small chopped onion
minced garlic (to taste. 2 cloves?)
2-3 cans of pinto beans (red or black beans are good too), drained
28 oz. stewed tomatoes ( I use the diced. I also use one regular and one spiced with green chile's.)
8-16 oz. jar of mild salsa
18-20 corn tortillas
Grated cheese- I prefer the mixed Mexican cheese.
Opt. Sour cream
Opt. black olives, sliced
Opt. green onions
Opt. Tortilla chips

1) Brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic. Drain any fat.
2) Take the tomatoes and blend them to make them soupier. (do you want it chunky? It's up to you.)
3) Add the beans, blended tomatoes, and salsa (I use about 2/3 of a 16 oz. jar) to the ground beef mixture.
4) Simmer mixture for about 5-10 minutes.
5) Spray the inside of your crock-pot with a non-stick spray.
6) Put about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of the meat mixture in the bottom of the crock.
layer about 5 tortillas on top of that.
7) Add another layer of meat on the tortillas.
8) Layer some cheese on top of this meat layer.
9) Add a layer of cheese.
10) Continue layers in order (tortillas, meat, cheese) until everything is used up ending with meat then cheese.
11) Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until everything is heated through.

When you serve this dish, I usually put a blob of sour cream sprinkled with chopped green onions and sliced black olives. I also serve it with tortilla chips. We like to eat it like a dip.

This is a yummy hot dinner. I can't remember where I got it originally, maybe a magazine but, I have changed it so much over time I'm sure the . It is so  simple. You can tweak it to fit  your families taste.

Chili in the Crock-Pot

First Day of School and Chili

            So we had our first day of school yesterday. It was mostly like an orientation to the year and what to look forward to. We went through our notebooks, our subjects we will be doing, our weekly schedule, and then did a couple of worksheets.  I usually take a picture of everyone for their notebook but, I didn't get there. It is definitely different with the 2 Little's (4 and 2yos).  It was also cold and dreary. Not like our usual beautiful sky first day of school. Everyone was up but, not all ready for the day.

The view from our balcony on the first day of school. Dreary.

I did make an interesting dinner for them. They wanted Chile Cheese fries the other day (they saw it on a picture) and I told them I would make some. Well, I made the best chili I've ever made and then put them on top of tater tots and sprinkled cheese on top. They loved it. Me... not so much. The chili was good but, I'd rather eat it with chips or nothing. I'm not much of a tater tot fan. Here is a picture and the chili recipe I used.

Chili

2 lbs ground beef

2-15 oz. can Kidney beans

1-15 oz. can pinto beans

1- 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1-10 oz. can Rotel Original (we don't usually have that here

in So Cal but, I found it at Target)

1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1-small onion diced 

2-3 garlic cloves

3/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 TBL chili powder (add more to you taste)

2/3 tsp cumin

1. Throw Onions and Ground beef into the pot.
2. Brown ground beef until the onions are clear, then drain off fat.
3. Dump all ingredients into the crock-pot. Stir to combine.

Cook on Low 7-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours. You really can cook it as long as you like. It just blends the flavors more. Also, my family got antsy so I dumped it in a pot and cooked it for 2-3 hours on the stove, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

          If you want to, dump it on oven baked fries or tater tots. You could then top with cheese and even a little sour cream. They loved it. 

Another option is to serve with oyster crackers or Fritos. (Trader Joe's version is yummiest).

Hope you enjoy it. 

Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake

            My husbands family got together for the Labor Day holiday to eat dinner. I brought "a little something sweet" (as my Grandma always says). It is probably a little mean of me to bring it because both of my in-laws have to take extra insulin just to have a little. Sorry. But, it was good. I didn't bring much home after. The recipe was new to me. I think it is a bit like a Texas Sheet Cake (which I LOVE!!) but, with marshmallows. I also think it would be way good with pecans on top but, my family hates nuts in cakes so. If you put nuts in it will you tell me if it was good? Thanks.

I should have taken a picture of a cut piece. The cake is a cross between cake and brownie texture.

Mississippi Mud Cake

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup oil
• 4 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup plus 1 tsp. cold water, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1-10 oz. bag mini marshmallows

1. Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together (I just stirred them). 
2. Bring butter, oil, cocoa, and one cup of water to a boil.
3. Add eggs, one teaspoon cold water and buttermilk. Mix well.

Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake at 37 for 25 to 30 minutes. Top with Marshmallows while still hot and pour icing (recipe below) over the top. 

You will want have the icing finishing right as the cake comes out of the oven. 

Icing

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 TBL Cocoa
• 6 TBL milk
• 1 -16 oz. box confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Combine butter, cocoa and milk in a pan.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Add sugar and mix well.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Pour over hot cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Optional: chopped pecans sprinkled on would be so good. If you like nuts...