The Best Pot Roast

I realize this isn't much to look at, but this is hands down the best pot roast ever. I'm not a big meat eater, but I could eat this all the time! You must try it. I shredded mine to put in tacos and it shreds so easily with one fork because it's so tender. You could also serve it as is with a side of mashed potatoes. Yum!

Pot Roast

• 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons House seasoning, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or olive would do)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Sprinkle roast on all sides with house seasoning. Using a skillet over high heat, sear roast until brown in oil. Place roast in a slow cooker, and layer onions, bay leaves, crushed bouillon cubes, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months

Green Chile Burros

Filled our freezer with these last week (Marilee style) so on the days I don't make Chris a lunch he can grab one of these and still have something half-way decent. He comes home telling me how for lunch he had a giant slice of somebody's birthday cake, or a couple candy bars or something, and it makes me ill. Just trying to give you options, dear.
Recipe from friend/chef Tatum.

Green Chile Burros

1 large can refried beans
about 2 cups leftover shredded pork or roast beef
1/2 C. salsa
1 C. green chile sauce
1/2 C. grated cheddar or jack cheese
tortillas

On stovetop or in crockpot, place beans, beef, salsa, sauce and cheese. Cook on med-low for a couple hours til warmed through. Place tortillas with some grated cheese under broiler for a few seconds. Fill with green chile mixture. If eating right away, add sour cream and guacamole before rolling tortilla up.

Really, I just wanted to make these so I could purchase a 7 pound can of beans from Costco. (Note, the flat of small cans of beans from Costco costs about $7, this 7 pounder cost $3.29. Great one!)

When making lots to freeze:

I didn't really do exact measurements when doing 24 burritos, just used lots more of everything. I used all 7 pounds of beans, 2 small pork roasts from Costco, 1 jar salsa, 1 large can green chile enchilada sauce, and 2 small blocks of cheese, shredded. It filled 24 large tortillas with some to spare. I just froze the extra (2 cups) in a separate ziploc for another time. Wrap finished tortillas in tin foil and freeze. When Chris leaves for work, he grabs one, leaves it out for the morning, and then by the time lunch comes around, it is defrosted enough to zap in the micro and eat. Hope you can follow the haphazard directions. :/

Pot o' Chili

Tried a new chili recipe last week. Realized I like my old recipe best. I usually make this in the crockpot.

Pot o' Chili

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 ribs finely chopped celery
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (15-oz.) can stewed tomatoes
3 (15-oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 T. chili powder (if you like it spicy, do 1 1/2- 2T.)

Brown ground beef and celery, drain. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook 8 hours on low or 2-3 on high. Serve with warm cornbread, cheese and sour cream. And OLIVES! (Much to Chris' disgust.)

White Chili

This is probably more like soup than chili, but still good! I love crock-pot recipes because you just throw everything in and it does the rest.

White Chili

2 cans white beans
1 can diced green chilies
1 cup green enchilada sauce
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a Costco rotisserie)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper
sour cream and cheese (opt.)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours, until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper and top with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Broccoli cheese soup

This is the easiest soup you'll ever make and so good! You can do this on the stove or in the crock-pot. We had ours with a side of TJ's cornbread- yum!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 lb. frozen broccoli florets
1 can cream of chicken soup
16 oz. carton half and half
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli in crock-pot with 1-2 cups water on low for 2 hours, or until soft. Drain water, then mash broccoli with potato masher (I use a fork because I don't have a potato masher). Add remaining ingredients to crock-pot and cook on low for about 2 hours, until cheese is melted and soup is warmed through.

Cream Cheese Chicken

So, I realize this picture is terrible, but it's the best I can do in my circumstances, so deal with it. This is a great fall back recipe because it literally takes no effort at all, and it's actually quite tasty. Now for the recipe...

Cream Cheese Chicken and Pasta

1-2 lbs. chicken breasts or chicken tenders
2 pats of butter

1 packet Italian dressing mix

6 oz. cream cheese

1 can cream o chicken soup

1 can of milk

Cook chicken, butter and Italian dressing mix in crock-pot for 2-3 hours (depending on whether you've used chicken breasts or tenders). Shred the chicken using two forks then add cream cheese, cream of chicken soup and milk. Cook until everything is well combined and creamy. Serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

Shredded Beef Tostadas

OH my dang- these were so good. Fresh and Easy has mini corn tortillas (not to mention the best pizza dough... Chrystal:) which I used for the base. I fried them- and don't feel a bit bad about it, because I honestly can't remember the last time I fried anything. So I went for it. We topped them with shredded slow cooker beef, guacamole, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, shredded carrot and sour cream. The carrot was an experiment- it was colorful and added another veggie and no one seemed to mind it on there.

The shredded beef was sooooo tender and juicy. I have tried roast a dozen different ways- and finally found a method that ensures succulent results.

STEP 1- sear the roast in a couple Tbsps veg oil in a skillet on the stovetop over high heat, one or two minutes each side.
STEP 2- place roast in crockpot with desired seasonings and liquids.
STEP 3- cook all day (10 hours) on low.

The searing step I learned from Paula Deen. When I first heard of it, I thought- that is the REASON you cook in a crockpot- so you don't have to dirty another pan or skillet! But it is worth the step. I just did the roast plus a packet of taco seasoning mix, and covered it all with water. The meat was really yum, but didn't taste a whole lot like taco seasoning. The flavor of the seasoning all got tossed out with the water. When I make these again I'll try at least two packets. I have also tried the non taco-seasoning packet route- the Tyler Florence from scratch shredded taco meat route, and it wasn't anything spectacular, I liked this one better for sure.

Refried Beans

These taste like they are from a Mexican restaurant rather than from a can. They do not take much time, and they make lots. I usually freeze several bags and pull them out as needed. These are not fried once, twice, or any times. The name is a misnomer.

Refried Beans

2 lbs. dried pinto beans
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 beef boullion cubes
1 T. salt
2 C. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C. mild Taco Bell sauce (this is sold in bottles at the grocery store, or if you have no shame like me you can take them by the fistful from the restaurant)

In a large bowl, cover beans with water and let soak overnight. In the morning, rinse beans and put in large crockpot. Cover beans with water and add garlic, beef boullion cubes and salt. Cook on high about 6 hours or until beans are soft enough to mash. Drain off water about 2 inches below beans. Mix half the beans with an electric mixer and the other half in the blender til very smooth (this is for texture purposes). Combine both with a large spoon and add cheese and TB sauce.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

This is what we had for dinner last night and it was so good! I'm kinda proud because I thought it up all by myself.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar green taco sauce
16 white corn tortillas (I used 2 per taco)
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
2 limes, cut into wedges
sour cream
cilantro

Pour taco sauce over chicken in crockpot and cook on low for about 4 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. Shred chicken and keep warm in crockpot until ready to serve. Warm tortillas in skillet on stovetop, then add chicken, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and squeeze lime wedge over top. Serve with a side of Trader Joe's chips and pineapple salsa- it doesn't get much better than that!