Crock Pot Beef Roast

All in favor of crock pots, say *I*!!! Me, too. I just love the darn thing. As a matter of fact, I recently entered a giveaway on the Fix-It and Forget-It blog and, out of almost 1,800 entries, I was the lucky winner of all 7 of the cookbooks in their collection and a beeeeeeautiful, shiney, new fancy-schmancy All-Clad 6.5 quart crock pot! It just came & I am so giddy to pull the big guy out & put it to work! It's gonna give all my other kitchen appliances a inferior complex. This meal was not made in the new cooker - but it's definitely worthy of a spot in it! I've made this exact roast probably 100 times in my life. However, this time I added one simple ingredient that has never been in it before - and it changed the flavor quite a bit! Liquid smoke. Ever cooked with it? I bought a bottle a while back & it's been patiently waiting on my shelf for it's chance to shine - and it finally came. The roast was as delicious as it usually is with an added depth of smokey flavor - very similar to the warmth you get in a bite of beef jerky. It was really yummy! And Hubby approved.

You'll need:


A chunk of beef, carrots, celery, potatoes, onion - all the good root veggies! Plus a packet of onion soup mix, liquid smoke & water.

First step, of course, would be to prep your produce. Peel the potatoes & carrots - and I suppose you'd 'peel' the onion, too! And, did you know you can also peel celery!? It's true. Run the peeler down the back edge & it'll take off that layer of strings that sometimes make it a tricky snack. I wouldn't bother doing that with cooked celery - it gets soft. But maybe something to consider next time you go for raw sticks!

Sorry - I got distracted.... now chunk up your veggies. Leave them fairly large - about 1-inch cubes on the onion, potato & celery, nice sticks on the carrots.

Load them into the crock pot first.


Now mix together the water & liquid smoke.


Place the roast on top of the veggies, sprinkle the soup mix on top of that & then pour the liquid smoke mixture over that.


Now just cover it, set it to low & find something else to do for 8 hours!

Come back & remove the roast & let it rest for maybe 5 minutes on the cutting board before you cut it. If you don't the juices will run out & you'll have less-juicy meat!


Now just serve it up with some scrumptious sides & you're done!


That's my Cranberry Pineapple Jell-o Stuff sitting beside it (yes, that is it's real name! LOL).

Can I be honest with you guys real quick? As much as I love a good roast, the veggies that result from a day of cooking alongside a roast are probably my *favorite* part of this whole thing! Sorry - it's the German in me - I LOVE potatoes!

Give it a shot - add a smidge of liquid smoke to your next roast & see what a difference it makes. I promise - you'll love it!

Crock Pot Beef Roast:

2-pound beef roast
2 ribs of celery, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes
2 onions - cut in half, then quartered
3 carrots, peeled & cut into strips
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 TBsp liquid smoke
1 1/2 cups water

Put your veggies into the slow cooker. Place roast on top of veggies. Sprinkle roast with dry soup mix. In a bowl, combine water & liquid smoke. Pour over the top of roast.

Cover & cook on low for 7-8 hours. Let roast rest on cutting board for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Banana Muffins

It seems like my kids go in phases with their banana eating. I've got 1 that never likes them, 1 that always loves them and 2 that are wishy washy. We're kind of in the lull part of their swinging banana preferences, I guess, because the last few times I've brought bananas home from the grocery store they've turned up with brown spots before anyone got around to finishing them off. That's OK, though - it means Mama gets banana bread! This time I decided to go with muffins, instead of just straight bread. And this recipe is a smidge different than my standard one because it's got the addition of some cinnamon & nutmeg in the batter for a little extra YUM!

Your ingredients for this one:
(sorry, no photo today)

1.) Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
2.) Bananas, sugar, vanilla, egg, canola (or veg) oil.

First you mix your dry (except for the sugar) in one bowl...


Mix your wet (plus the sugar) in another bowl...


Then combine the two.


Pout the batter into baking cups & cook at 375 for 18-20 minutes.


Tada!! That's it! If you'd like to dress them a little more than that you can mix up the crumb topping on this banana bread recipe & add it to the tops of each muffin before baking. YUM!!!

The addition of the cinnamon & nutmeg add another layer of warmth & cozy to these muffins. Give it a try!!

Enjoy!

Banana Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cups white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup canola or veg oil

Preheat oven to 375.

In one bowl, mix flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. In another bowl combine sugar, bananas, vanilla, egg & oil. Add dry ingredients into wet mixture; stir until combined.

Pour batter into muffin tins lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Crisco Simple Measures

So - I'm not getting paid to write this or anything. I stumbled upon this bottle recently & just wanted to sing its praises to those of you who may not realize it's out there!


I. Love. It. Do you see that lid? It should look familiar - it's just like the one on top of most laundry detergent bottle. And it has measure lines! You can measure your oil right into the cap, pour it into your pan or recipe & then just put the cap back on the bottle for the oil to drip back into the pool below. Not only is this great for the no-drips-down-the-bottle mess, but I hate when I’m measuring out oil for a recipe & the measuring cup is left all slimy – even after it’s been rinsed. And half the time after the oil cup has been run through the dishwasher it still feels kinda slimy. How wonderful to never have to dirty another measuring cup for oil!

Are you feeling the love?

Orange Chicken (similar to Panda Express)

I'm not really a very adventurous eater. I like to stick with what looks safe & has ingredients that I know. This strategy doesn't always work well when you're out for Chinese food!! LOL Thankfully when I'm craving it I know I can head over to Panda Express & get my happy little serving of sweet/heat with their orange chicken (and yes, I know - calling Panda Chinese food is like calling Taco Bell authentic Mexican food! I realize that - but I like it & it makes me happy so for my purposes, it's Chinese food!!! LOL) I was so delighted to find a recipe to try it out at home! I will say that this recipe came out with a stronger orange flavor than I get at PE but I think that was mostly my fault - I didn't measure the orange zest & I think I just put too much. It was still delicious. And even if you think you don't like heat, you *must* add just a pinch of the red pepper flakes to get any sort of heat out of this dish. Just do it - you'll love it!

The ingredient list is a little long - but don't get overwhelmed! It goes quick & easily.


Diced raw chicken breast, flour, salt, pepper, an egg, water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, green onion, corn starch & red pepper flakes - and enough oil to fry up the chicken pieces. Whew!

First get your oil heated in a large pan or wok (375 if you have a temp dial) - I did medium/high heat. Closer to medium, though.

Mix your flour, salt & pepper in a dish. Crack your egg & scramble it with a fork.


Dip the raw chicken in the egg then into the flour mixture & then plop it right into the hot oil.

Now that we've made this once, I think next time we'll put the flour mixture in a gallon zip lock bag. Then dip all the chicken in the egg at once, stirring to coat & then toss it all into the bag & give it a good shake.


Cook it 'til it's done (I did it in 3 batches). I can't really say "10 minutes" because it really depends on how big your cut your chunks & how hot your oil is. Just get it cooked through. Pull a test piece & cut into it if you need to.


While that is going we're gonna simmer up our sauce. Get your garlic & ginger diced up & zest your orange.


In a sauce pan mix water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar & soy sauce. Allow it to heat through for a few minutes then add the ginger, garlic, zest, green onions & brown sugar.



Bring it to a boil over medium heat. In the meantime, blend your cornstarch & water in a separate dish & then add it to the sauce mixture.


Chicken's done... Sauce is done.... Now mix them together!!!


Serve it up on a bed of rice (on not, I suppose!) and drizzle a little extra sauce over the top. Garnish it with some more fresh green onions and the red pepper flakes. Remember - don't go super heavy on the pepper flakes but definitely don't go without!


Mmmm...... This was seriously so yummy. I want it again right now!


We had it with brown rice & steamed broccoli & it was just perfect!!

Enjoy.

Orange Chicken:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Canola or Veg oil (for frying)

1 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger root (minced)
1/2 tsp garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp green onion (chopped)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a gallon zip lock bag. Place beaten egg into a medium-sized bowl. Dip chicken in beaten egg, stirring to coat. Put the chicken into the bag with flour mixture & shake to thoroughly coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken. Garnish with red pepper flakes and green onion.

Source: Tasty Kitchen by way of Portland Mama.

Tracfone

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Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Sometimes in the summer I just don't want a heavy dinner. Tonight was one of those nights. Enter = Chicken salad! It's so light & yummy but filling at the same time. And, a bonus, it doesn't heat up the house! Woo hoo! Let's go!

You'll need:


Cooked chicken, red grapes, celery, slivered almonds, mayo & black pepper.

Come by the cooked chicken whatever way you'd like - leftovers, a rotisserie from the grocery store, grill it, bake it, boil it - today I threw some frozen breasts in the crock pot with a little bit of broth & seasonings. Just make sure if you cook it fresh for this that you give it time to cool. Hot chicken salad isn't quite as yummy as the cold stuff!

Mix everything but the pepper & mayo in a bowl.


Then add in your mayo & pepper! Start out light on the mayo & add more as you see the need. You can always add more but once you have too much there's not a lot you can do.

I started out with 1 cup of mayo for 4 cups of chicken & ended up adding about 1/4 cup more.


You can cover it & chill it until you're ready to eat or just serve it up right away!


YUM!! The celery & almonds give it 2 different types of crunch while the grapes add a splash of sweet. And of course the creaminess of the mayo with the chicken.... goodness. YUM! As a throwback to my childhood we had a loaf of whole grain WHITE bread here at the house so that's how we served it up. But you choose - Hubby at all the leftovers scooped out of the bowl with Ritz crackers! Put it in a pita, a tortilla, a little dinner roll.... oh the possibilities!!

Doesn't this just look like the perfect summer dinner!!?

Chicken Salad Sandwiches:

4 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1 1/2 cups red grapes, either halved or quartered
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 - 1 1/2 cups mayo
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients & mix until thoroughly combined. Cover & chill or serve immediately.

Crispy Oven Potatoes

I think we're over due for a side dish around here! These are some really good potatoes - they stay nice & soft inside but get a perfectly seasoned crisp on the outside. The spices sort of remind me of the fries at KFC. They were a nice change of pace from our usual Onion Roasted Potatoes or Silver Dollars.

Here are your ingredients:


Potatoes (I went with Yukon Gold on this recipe & loved them!), garlic, butter, salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried marjoram, flour & a bay leaf.

First off, throw your seasonings into a gallon ziplock bag - the salt, pepper, flour, thyme & marjoram.


Give it a shake to bled them together & then add your potatoes. You're gonna want to scrub them & dice them, first!! LOL


Give it another shake to distribute the spices all over the spuds.

Melt the butter into a 9x13 dish. Dice your garlic & add it in; spread it around as evenly as you can.


Dump in the potatoes & top it with your bay leaf.


Cover with foil & bake in a 450 oven for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes remove the foil & give them a good stir. Then put them back in the oven, UNcovered this time - and go another 15 or 20 minutes, until they look ready to go!


And that's it! Pull them out & take a big whiff of the perfect, savory potatoes & get them on a plate so you can dig in!


Enjoy!

Crispy Oven Potatoes:

1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
2 pounds small-medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 450.

In a gallon ziplock bag, combine the flour, salt, pepper, thyme & marjoram. Add potatoes; seal bag and shake to coat. Melt butter into a 13X9 inch baking dish; stir in the garlic. Add potatoes and bay leaf.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until potatoes are lightly browned and tender. Discard bay leaf.