AMAZING CROCK POT POT ROAST

Here is the link to the original recipe page!  

With the cost of beef these days buying a roast of any kind has become a major investment, especially if you are on a fixed income or worse.  So, cooking that expensive piece of meat is crucial.  You do not want a tough or dried out roast.  The following recipe is one that has been a fan favorite for several years now.  Why?  The flavor of course but more than that, it is so easy to prepare and will produce a moist and tender roast every time.  You can pull it apart with forks and serve it like pulled pork.  This is a wonderful recipe and I wanted to share it with you.  Tasty, tasty, tasty!  My note here would be...peppers do add flavor but I just don't like them so I make it without or you can substitute peppers you prefer.  

Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

April 4, 2015 by Brandie @ The Country Cook 205 Comments

 Ingredients:

(1) 3-5 lb. chuck roast
2 tbsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)
salt & pepper, to taste
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) – REAL salted butter, not margarine
8 peperoncini peppers

Directions:

Heat up a large skillet on high. Add oil to hot skillet. You want it really hot here to brown or “sear” the beef quickly. Note: I have one of those nifty new Ninja slow cookers that has a “stovetop” option, which means I can brown the meat all right in my crock pot and not dirty up any other dishes. However, if you are in a rush, just skip the browning step altogether.

Take a paper towel and make sure you dry both sides of the pot roast (drying the meat helps it brown easier.) Then season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the roast.

Allow the roast to cook for about 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. The browning of the outside of the meat just adds flavor. Using tongs, flip the meat over and sear the other side of the roast for another 2-3 minutes.

Transfer meat to slow cooker. Sprinkle packets of dry ranch dressing and onion soup mixes over pot roast. Top with a stick of butter. Then place peppers on and around roast.

 And voila! It smells AMAZING as it cooks and it looks heavenly!

Now all you need to do is take two forks and start shredding the meat. Discard any big fatty pieces. If you want, you can cut up the peppers and stir those into the meat mixture. I ate mine with the peppers but didn’t cut them up into the meat to serve.

 Then serve on mashed potatoes, rice or on a roll with a slice of provolone or mozzarella cheese.

Cook’s Notes: If you are sensitive to sodium, you could use unsalted butter for this. Be sure to use butter and not margarine. Margarine is basically oil. We did not find this recipe salty at all if you use this exact recipe but be sure to adjust to your preferences.

Enjoy!

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Recipe Notes

You can skip the browning step if you are in a rush, or just don’t feel like it. If you prefer, you can cut up the peppers and stir those into the meat mixture for an extra kick of flavor.

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Polish Sausage and Cabbage Soup in Crock Pot

this Recipe is from southernfood.about.com

PoliSH sausage and cabbage soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 to 1 1/2 pound red-skinned or round white potatoes
• 4 to 6 strips bacon, diced, optional
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds Polish sausage (kielbasa)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium cabbage, shredded or chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock, low sodium or unsalted
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 440 minutes

PREPARATION

Dice the potatoes — peeled or not — into 1/2-inch cubes. Put the potatoes in the slow cooker.

Dice the sausage into 1/2-inch cubes. 

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced bacon, if using, and cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels and then add to the slow cooker.

Wipe the skillet out and place it over medium-high heat. Add the diced sausage and onion. Cook while frequently stirring until the sausage and onions have browned.

Add the chicken stock to the slow cooker along with the tomatoes and caraway seeds if using. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet along with the cabbage and place it back over medium-high heat. Cook while frequently stirring until the cabbage begins to brown. Transfer to the slow cooker. Drain well and transfer to the slow cooker with the potatoes.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours.

Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

Serve the soup with crusty bread.

Thanks to Kim in Australia for sharing this recipe originally.

Two of my most favorite foods are Polish Sausage and cabbage.  I love recipes that are easy to prepare and have not problem waiting for the crock pot to do its magic.  The aroma is what kills me.  It is hard to wait to dig in!  I do think the bacon adds a lot but I use precooked so the microwave comes into play.  Just place it between a couple sheets of paper towel and cook according to directions on the package.  Crumble the crispy bacon and add to pot.  Does't get any easier.  Don't skip the caramelizing of the cabbage, sausage and onion as this adds a ton of flavor to what might otherwise be a bland dish.  Not everyone can handle a lot of tomatoes so these are optional.  If you are a tomato lover fresh diced might be nice.  Some garlic bread done in the toaster oven would be a great side for this soup (unless you have digestive issues.)  Combining bread and potatoes is hard to digest.  Just saying.  

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Cheddar Bobbers

This is a recipe found in Pillsbury.com/recipes.  Just follow any link to see the original page.  Broccoli is my personal favorite and something I eat often plus in the winter weather there is nothing more comforting than a good homemade soup.  If you love cheese and broccoli you are sure to love this simple recipe for making your own soup.  So...what is a Cheddar Bobber you ask?  Just some really yummy cheezy biscuits to eat with your soup.  That what!  There is no calorie information with this one but the creamy part of the soup is 3 cups of whole milk.  So, milk and cheese add calories but these are nutritious foods, not to mention the broccoli and onions.  What's not to love?  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1

can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands!™ refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits) 

2

cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese (8 oz) 

1/4

cup butter

2

cups diced onions (2 large) 

1/4

cup all-purpose flour

3

cups whole milk

1

bag (12 oz) frozen chopped broccoli

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Separate each biscuit into 2 layers, then press each to form 4-inch round.
• 2For each bobber, place 1 tablespoon cheese in center of 1 round. Pull up dough around cheese, and pinch to seal. Place bobbers seam side up 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
• 3Meanwhile, in 5-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
• 4Slowly stream in milk, stirring constantly. Heat to simmering; reduce heat and cook 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until milk has thickened.
• 5Turn off heat; add remaining cheese. Stir to melt cheese.
• 6Meanwhile, make broccoli as directed on bag. Stir broccoli into soup. Divide soup among 4 large bowls. Serve each with 2 or 3 bobbers.

*PS:  Eating 2 or 3 bobbers is a bit excessive if you are watching calorie intake.  One is satisfying.  Also, I only drink 2% milk which works here but the liquid will not be as dense as this.

How to Make Your Own Big Boy's Strawberry Pie

This pie has always been one of my favorites.  Now you can make it at home.  This would be nice for a Valentine's Day celebration!

My Own Homemade Vegetable Soup

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE SOUP - so easy and so satisfying!









(This is not my actual dish as my camera takes REALLY poor quality pics. It is pretty close though.)


Prep time: About 10 minutes.   Cook time:  About 20 minutes.

This is my version of homemade vegetable soup.  Here is how it is made.

Ingredients:

Frozen package of sliced carrots
Frozen package of broccoli spears with cheese (packaged for steaming)
Frozen package of mixed vegetables
Large Container of Beef Broth
Seasoning Salt by Mrs. Dash (Table Blend)
Garlic Salt
1 envelope of Lipton's Onion Soup (dried soup blend)
Couple big splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
Ground chuck (about a hamburger patty size)

I used a big cooking pot and browned the hamburger meat first with some of the seasoning sprinkled on top.  I always chop the meat up with a large plastic serving spoon to get it into a crumbled state.  Then pour in the Beef Broth.  Add the frozen vegetables and the seasonings, the dry onion soup and the Worcestershire Sauce.  Season to taste.  Mix it all together and cover until it comes to an almost boil.  Turn the heat way down and let it cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes or until the aroma gets the better of you and you have to have some. ENJOY!

*I find that when you are trying to keep your calories down, having this type of homemade nutritious soup on hand is a great way to fill your tummy which usually stops unwanted cravings for food that is NOT  so healthy.  Eating foods with fiber or high nutritional value is both filling and satisfying.  This one is a great way to get in the daily requirement of veggies.

**I never wrote my own recipe before so I hope this makes sense to you. :)

Simple and Delicious Chicken and Rice Soup

They say that homemade chicken soup is as good as medicine and certainly it is synonymous with "comfort food". Making a great tasking yet nutritious soup from scratch is not that difficult and although the cooking time can be as little as 15 minutes, letting it simmer longer enhances the flavors. Like many dishes, the longer the flavors commingle, the better the taste. This recipe is by no means labor intensive and is so simple anyone can handle this with ease. The following is a recipe I copied directly from WEBMD.com and you can follow their links to see the original page. ENJOY!

• 

• chicken and rice soup 

• WEBMD.COM 

• 15M

 

• COOK TIME

  15M
 

• TOTAL TIME

  30M

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

• Gluten-Free
 
• Low Calorie
 
• Low Cholesterol
 
• Low Saturated Fat
• High Protein

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes: 6 servings

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

• Calories175
• Fat4 g
• Saturated fat1 g
• Mono Fat2 g
• Cholesterol21 mg
• Protein15 g
• Sodium709 mg
• Potassium469 mg

This is a great, easy chicken-and-rice soup. We like to use instant brown rice because it cooks so quickly, but you could substitute cooked brown rice (stirred in at the end) if you have it on hand. Try the recipe with other herbs if you like, such as dill or tarragon.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup instant brown rice
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

*All I had on hand was instant white rice and no parsley. This soup still turned out really good.

Really Easy No-Bake Cookie/Candy

NO BAKE OATMEAL COOKIES
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
Waxed paper
Directions
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.— with Shelia Houchins.

This is a recipe posted in Facebook by Shelia Houchins.  Years ago I made these kind of cookies every year around the holidays.  They are easy and everyone always likes them.  Best of all is you do not need to use the oven.  This year I had left-over chocolate chip morsels from my traditional holiday candy.  So...instead of using this recipe to the letter I used the chocolate chips (Herseys, but any will do I suppose) and made the cookie/candy.  

I had dark chocolate chips (dark chocolate is so much better for you than milk chocolate) and peanut butter chips.  In a large bowl I melted the two together - one half bag of each is plenty.  To temper the chocolate add 1/4 cup milk and  melt it at for 2 to 3 minutes stirring once every minute.  When you can stir them easily they are melted just right. Add a little milk when you stir if the mixture is too thick to stir.  If the chocolate can't be stirred easily you will not be able to mix the other ingredients effectively.  The candy will set up quickly so you need to work fast. Don't over cook them or the chocolate will become bitter.  Quickly mix in your cookie ingredients.  I used 2 cups of quick oats, 1 cup of shredded coconut and about 1/2  cup of raisins.  You could add nuts or whatever sounds good to you.  Mix until all of the ingredients are covered with chocolate.  Spoon the mixture onto parchment (or wax or foil paper) into the size pieces you want.  These will not spread out and will harden in about 15 minutes.  They keep really well and really taste good.  Nutrition and calorie wise it will depend on what you add.  There is plenty of sugar in the chocolate chips so adding anything sweet will most likely make them too sweet.

During the holidays I do the same thing but add cashews or other nuts.  It is best to use unsalted nuts. They look like you slaved over a hot stove but the whole thing takes only minutes.

Quick oats are the best to use as they will set up nicely and are tastier because they are thinner.  Also, if you are using peanut butter, something like Jiff is best rather than the healthier brands as the cookie/candy will set up better with Jiff or the like.  I keep the cookie/candy in an air-tight tin (Christmas tin works nicely and it is ready to give as a gift).  If you do use peanut butter then the peanut butter chips are not necessary.  Replace these with more chocolate (maybe mix milk and dark chocolate chips). This year I used 12 oz milk chocolate chips, 2 1/2 cups oatmeal, 1/2 cup Jiff peanut butter.  Probably the more ingredients you add the less oatmeal you would need.  The mixture should look well balanced.  Personally I think the chocolate is more important than the oatmeal but you may feel differently.  Let your ingredients speak to you.  Enjoy!

EASIEST  FUDGE EVER!

Now that you have  your chocolate chips out, why not make a pan of fudge.  It takes minutes!  
This image is from Phillsbury.com and this is their recipe as they have it posted.

Ingredients

1

package (12 oz) dark chocolate baking chips

1

can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1

tablespoon milk 

1

teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• 1Line 8-inch square pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
• 2In large microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips, sweetened condensed milk and milk uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until smooth.
• 3Stir in vanilla until well blended (mixture may be thick). Spread evenly in pan. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

I have made this fudge for many years now and everyone loves it, even more than the kind that is cooked and tricky to make.  The only difference is step 3 where you blend in the vanilla at the last minute.  This year I will try this.  Also, I have always just buttered a glass baking dish but using the foil may just be a good idea as you can lift it out of the pan, flip it over and cut it without the baking dish getting in the way.  I would make sure the foil is spread out really smoothly in the pan or the fudge will have strange creases when it sets.  Their way of melting the chocolate chips sounds even easier then my defrost cycle tempering but I am quite sure it is imperative to stir it often.  This is a great candy.  Nice texture, not too sweet but sweet enough to be decadent!