Pot Roast

This is an easy recipe you can throw together and let cook all day in the crock-pot while you're at work or doing something more fun than slaving in the kitchen! It's so delicious. Pair it with mashed potatoes and peas and it's perfect for a cold fall night.

Pot Roast

2-4 lb. beef chuck roast

1 medium onion

1/2 bag baby carrots

S&P

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

Spray crock-pot with cooking spray. Place carrots in bottom and roast on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roughly chop onion and layer on top of roast. In a separate bowl, mix together soup, soy sauce, and water and then pour over onions and roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

When you're ready to eat, take everything out of the liquid. To make gravy out of the sauce, pour the liquid into a saucepan and heat on medium-high heat. Mix together 2 Tbs. corn starch with 1/2 cup water and pour into sauce. Stir until mixed well then let simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.

Pork BBQ

It's been forever since I've posted anything new.  This recipe is one of those that's really good, but also really super easy. The best kind.

Pork BBQ

3-4 lb. pork loin

2 cups vinegar

2 Tbs. sugar (white or brown)

Place pork loin with fatty side up in a crock pot. Pour vinegar and sugar over pork and cook on low for 6-7 hours. When done, take out of the vinegar mixture and place in a bowl to pull apart. Cover with your favorite bbq sauce and enjoy!

Beef Stew

I have seen several variations of stew recipes recently and they've all sounded so good that I decided I would give it a try tonight. Mike and I both had off from work today so we had some time to play around with the taste. I think the key is to let everything cook long enough so that all the flavors mingle together.

Beef Stew

2-3 lbs. beef roast, cubed 

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

4 Tbs. flour

1/2 cup dry red wine (I used a Shiraz)

1 cup beef broth

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 Tbs. worchestershire sauce

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 bag of baby carrots (about 1-2 cups)

1 cup frozen peas

s&p to taste

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large saucepot. Brown half of the beef, one side at a time, and then transfer to a separate bowl. Repeat with the other half of the beef. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and 1/4 tsp. salt, cooking until tender (~5 minutes). Add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in flour until dissolved. Add wine and stir until mixture has become thickened. Stir in beef broth, and chicken broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all browned bits from the beef. Add bay leaves and thyme and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beef, continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Transfer to crock pot and cook for 1 hour. 

Add potatoes and carrots after first hour and let cook for another hour. Add peas for last 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve hot.

I served this with biscuits, but would definitely be good with any kind of bread.