Yet Another Crockpot Recipe

I am not sure why I have this sudden fascination with using my crockpot. However, it is winter, the weather is dismal and I like to smell dinner cooking all day. The recipe below was given to me by my mother (thanks Mom!) and it was a favorite in her household. I had never tried it before this evening, but I am glad I did.

Now, don't laugh, but I can't make mashed potatoes. Somehow, every time I make them, they manage to come out grainy, watery, and flavorless. Don't laugh. I know it's one of the simplest things on earth to make, but I just can't do it. This time, I didn't overcook the potatoes, I used my new KitchenAid mixer to make them fluffy, I added butter and milk and they turned out good! Until we went to eat them. Sigh. They were still a little more solid than I would prefer, but they were okay.

For the Barbeque Beef, you can use any type of roast. I would steer clear of pot roast, but a brisket, or a bottom round or even a top round would be excellent. The sauce isn't thick like barbeque sauce, and it made a delicious gravy to the meat as well as the potatoes.

This is definitely a recipe I will be making again! Even my husband, who had visions of shredded beef overloaded with sauce enjoyed it. I don't fix beef dishes very often, but I am very glad I did this time.

Enjoy!

Barbeque Beef

from: My Mom

2-2.5 pound beef brisket or roast

1 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce

1. Place the beef in a slow cooker. Cover with 1 cup of the barbeque sauce.

2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

3. Cover with the remaining barbeque sauce and cook an additional 15-30 minutes.

Soup for a Cold Night

I got this recipe years ago from a friend, and she will admit that I make it more often that she does! I can't help it. It's a favorite in our house. I know, I say that about a lot of my recipes, but it really is. It takes pantry staples and a pound of ground beef, but you end up with a huge batch of soup.

It can only be described as a cross between a chili and a soup. It honestly doesn't take like tacos though, so I am not sure the name is very fair. It is prepared very quickly (within about 30 minutes) and it's just as good reheated.

There are a lot of variations on this. You can change out the type of beans, or you can add a little green pepper, more onion, play with the spices. The choices are endless! It's a pretty healthy meal, with the exception of the cheese quesadillas. Those aren't so healthy unless you use a lower fat cheese (what's the point?). However, we indulge about every four months, so a quesadilla certainly won't kill us. Although the oodles of Tabasco I add may!

Taco Soup

Brown and drain: 1 pound lean ground beed and 1/2 cup onion.

Add:

3 cups water

2 16-ounce cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes

2 16-ounce cans kidney beans, undrained

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 envelope taco seasoning

chili powder and/or Tabasco to taste

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cheese Quesadillas

from: Pachey

flour tortillas

Mexican blend cheese

green Taco sauce (such as La Victoria)

1. Spread 1/2 cup of cheese on a tortilla. Add green Taco sauce to taste (about 2 tablespoons).

2. Top with another tortilla

3. Over medium-high heat in a frying pan, cook the quesadilla. Don't add any oil to the pan. It's just to "toast" the tortillas.

4. Allow to slightly brown. Remove from heat and cut into wedges.

A Thing of Beauty!

If you happen to be one of the two (okay, maybe three) readers of my blog, you will remember my post about the ancient mixer. Well, the ancient mixer has gone by the way of the Dodo. For Christmas, my husband bought me the mother of all mixers.

Ta dah! Introducing......my new KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer!

I just had to use it, so tonight, I made cookies. I didn't care what I made, I just wanted to use my brand new mixer! I am most familiar with my mom's mixer, and her's is a good 15 years old. So, I was suprised to see that things have changed a bit on them. My bowl is a little more heavy duty, especially the handle. And, the beater goes all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, and it looks like it's going to scrape, but it doesn't!

I love my new mixer. It fits so well into my little red kitchen. Now, we just need to move into a bigger house so I can get all the other red KitchenAid appliances!

I made these cookies:

They were very easy, and tasty! I have a feeling they are going to stay moist for a very long time due to the cake mix. I use the Cake Mix Doctor cookbooks often, especially when I want something easy and semi-homeade (not a Sandra Lee plug!). Usually, you dump all the ingredients and mix. With these cookies, it was the same. You dump, mix and dump again.

I hope you enjoy these moist, chocolatey cookies. Oh yeah, I made dinner tonight too, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as using my new mixer.

White Chocolate Chewies

from The Cake Mix Doctor

solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans (I used cooking spray)

1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil's food cake mix

1/3 cup water

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 large egg

1 teaspon vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets with vegetable shortening. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, water, melted butter, egg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speek for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. The cookie dough will be thick. Fold in the chips until well distributed.

3. Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Place the pans in the oven. If your oven cannot accommodate both pans on the center rack, place one pan on the top rack and one on the center rack and rotate them halfway through the baking time.

Simple Supper

Once in a while, you just want a tasty dinner but don't want to have to spend all evening in the kitchen. Or, maybe that is just me! Tonight, I went all out with making dessert, so I made a simple supper. I had purchased a small container of premade pesto at the grocery store, so voila! Instant dinner. I sauteed some chicken breasts, which my husband seasoned quite nicely. While the chicken was cooking, I boiled water for pasta. Once the pasta was done, I mixed in pesto while it was still hot. Then, I added the chicken I had cooked (after I cut it into chunks). It was very satisfying and tasty! You don't even need a recipe for this, but I will post one anyways:

Chicken and Pesto Pasta

from Pachey

2 chicken breasts, cooked, seasoned how you wish (we used salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and dried basil)

cooked pasta - whatever kind you prefer and however much you want!

pemade pesto - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

1. Saute the chicken breasts until cooked. When cool, cut into bite sized chunks.

2. Cook the pasta to the desired firmness. Drain, but don't rinse!

3. Mix the pasta together with pesto. Stir together while hot.
4. Add the chicken and stir again.

Is this Asian Cooking?

One of my favorite family recipes is American Chop Suey. I believe my mom came up with this recipe about 40 years ago when she was in school. In the cafeteria at her school, they served this. She made note of the ingredients and recreated it for our family.

It isn't Asian cooking. I have no idea why it's named Chop Suey. There isn't any Chop or Suey. Instead, it's a mixture of ground beef, elbow macaroni, onion and green pepper with some tomatoes. I believe some people call this Ghoulash. But, it isn't very Hungarian either. Don't panic about the bacon fat. I realize that most people don't keep it on hand. If you don't have any, which we rarely do, you can use canola oil or vegetable oil. Also don't panic that you don't drain the ground beef or rinse the pasta. Just try and trust me here!

This is a favorite of our family. It's quick, easy, inexpensive and filling. When I was growing up, my whole family loved it. Now, my husband, who isn't all that impressed with some of my cooking, loves it too. What is not to love about beef and tomatoes (my favorite food)? Enjoy this hearty dish with a bread of some sort. French, Italian, Sourdough. It doesn't really matter.

American Chop Suey

3-4 teaspoons bacon fat
1 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 small can tomato paste

1 large can tomatoes, diced

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Boil water and cook macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni is cooking, saute the bacon fat, onion, and green pepper on medium heat. Onions and green pepper should be soft when thoroughly cooked.

2. Add ground beef, cooking until grey.

3. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, and spices. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. When macaroni is cooked, drain it and add it to the meat mixture.

That Doesn't Look Anything Like the Picture

Sometimes, cooking can be a disaster. I love making new recipes. Look forward to it actually. You can find your new favorite by trying new recipes. So, a few weeks ago, I found a really good chili cornbread recipe. You put beans, ground beef, spices and all kinds of yummy bits in your Crock Pot. Then, you topped it with a mix of cornmeal, creamed corn, milk and salt. This was supposed to turn out looking like thick chili with a cornbread topping. What it ended up looking like was this:



Keep in mind, this was well after the cooking time was up. I cooked it for three hours, then four, then FIVE and the cornbread never set up. Granted, it wasn't that much of a waste of money, but you know what? That is not the point! The point is that I was seriously looking forward to the recipe. IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE. It ended up being a congealed mass of goop. The chili didn't taste good either. Sigh.



What did we even end up eating for dinner that night? I don't even remember. Probably soup and sandwiches. Thank God those don't need a recipe.


Needless to say, I won't be trying that recipe again. Boooooo!

Baking....Goooooood

Because it's the holidays, I tend to bake more than normal. I blame my husband for this. Every year, around Thanksgiving, he has to have his Spicy Chex Mix. He begs me to make it for him. I usually make a double or even a triple batch because, I admit it, the stuff is good. Very good. It's like crack. My prefered way to eat Spicy Chex Mix is with a spoon. Yes, a spoon. I don't subject myself to greasy, orange fingers this way. My husband finds this bizarre, and I am sure many of you out there probably will too.

Now, Chex Mix is not the only treat I bake around the holidays. Typically, I like to make Christmas cookies. I really don't feel up to baking cookies this year. For a reason why, read The Ancient Mixer and you will understand. So, instead, I will settle for some nice banana bread. What's not to love about fresh, warm from the oven banana bread? If you are feeling sassy, you can add some blueberries or even chocolate chips to the batter. One time, I even added shredded coconut. Good times. I can always count on Mrs. Betty Crocker to provide a yummy banana bread.

Curl up on the couch with a bowl of Spicy Chex Mix and watch the Saturday Night Live Christmas Special. By the time the Schweddy Balls skit rolls around, your tummy will be full and you will be laughing so hard your eyes will water. There is hardly anything better than that!

Spicy Chex Mix

from General Mills

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 and 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3/4 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1-2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (add more if you want it really spicy)

3 cups Corn Chex

3 cups Rice Chex

3 cups Wheat Chex

1 cup nuts (peanuts are best!)

1 cup pretzels

1 cup cheese crackers (such as Cheez Its)

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Melt butter in a large roasting pan in the oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated.

3. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Banana Bread

from Betty Crocker

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons oil

3/4 cups milk

1 egg

2 to 3 medium ripened bananas, mashed

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x5x3 inch pan or two 8.5x4.5x3.5 inch loaf pans.

2. Measure all ingredients into large mixing bowl; beat on medium speed 1/2 minute, scraping side and bottom of bowl constantly.

3. Pour into pans. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.