Super Simple Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients
2-3 pound beef roast (it's going into the slow cooker, so you don't need to spend a ton of money)
1.5 cups of water
packet of brown gravy mix (I used lower sodium)
packet of Italian dressing mix
packet of ranch dressing mix
1 pound of carrots, cut (or you can use baby carrots)
2 pounds of potatoes (I like Yukon Gold because they don't get all starchy in the slow cooker)

Instructions
1. Chop potatoes into 6-8 pieces each and place in the bottom of the slow cooker
2. Place roast on top of the potatoes
3. Tuck the carrots around and on top of the roast
4. Mix the water, packet of Italian dressing mix, packet of ranch dressing mix and packet of brown gravy mix.  Pour over the roast and veggies.
5. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on high. 

Simply the Best Mealoaf EVER!

So awesome I have to double the recipe and make two at a time!

Ingredients (for one meatloaf)
1 cup crushed round butter crackers
5 Tbsp. Onion Onion™
3 Tbsp. Bayou Bourbon™ Glaze
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork

Directions
Combine all ingredients except meats; whisk to blend. Add beef and pork; blend well. Press mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 65-70 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°. Drizzle with additional Bayou Bourbon™ Glaze if desired. Makes 5-6 servings. 

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Slow Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

 

 

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup lemon juice
5 apples (I used nice, big gala apples)
8 slices of  bacon (or two slices of bacon for every piece of chicken you are using)

 

 

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and peeled/chopped apples.
2. Wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon and place in a greased slow cooker. (I used a sprayed slow cooker liner - I hate cleaning up!)
3. Pour BBQ-apple mixture over chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is done.

Brat & Beer Cheddar Chowder

Ingredients

2  tablespoons butter or margarine

1  medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded (1/2 cup)

3 cloves of garlic

14oz of chicken or vegetable broth

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk (you can use a lower-fat milk, but it may not thicken as nicely)

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 cooked smoked brats (about 12 ounces), halved lengthwise and chopped into chunks

1 12-ounce bottle of beer

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic; reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion is very soft and golden.

2. In a large screw-top jar, combine broth and flour. (If you don't have a jar you can use, just put it all in a bowl and whisk it until it's smooth)  Cover and shake until combined and smooth. Stir into the onion mixture. Add the milk, caraway seeds and ground pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Gradually stir in the cheese; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts, but do not boil. Stir in the bratwurst and beer. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. Makes 4 to 6 meal-sized servings 

Crab Rangoon Dip

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cans crab meat (I used lump crab meat - it costs more, but it is perfect for this recipe)
16 oz. cream cheese (2 blocks)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
1. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about a minute. I did this on low, but I have an older microwave

2. Chop your green onions.  Add them and your two cans of crab meat (drained) to the softened cream cheese along with the the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, powdered sugar, garlic powder and lemon juice.  

3. Mix all the ingredients

4. Bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees.  Serve hot with chips or fried wontons.

I love to order crab rangoon from restaurants, and this dip did NOT disappoint! We ate it with baked Scoops and it was still good.

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Enchilada Pasta Casserole

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

5 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided (couldn't find it so I used a white queso blend)

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (I used 1 can of corn, drained)

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles

12 ounces egg noodles

Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
3. In the meantime, in a very large skillet, brown your ground beef then drain the fat. Then add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Add in the cream cheese until melted and combined.
5. In a large bowl, combine sour cream, enchilada sauce, half the cheddar cheese, half the monterey jack cheese, corn kernels, and diced green chiles. Stir to combine.
6. Pour mixture over the beef and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
7. In the meantime, drain your pasta. After you’ve drained it, add the pasta to the beef mixture. Make sure everything is coated in the sauce.
8. In a large casserole dish (I used a large, throw-away cake pan because I was doing a lot of cooking the day I made it), pour in the pasta mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese has completely melted.
10. Serve hot. 

This was awesome even after I froze half of it and reheated it later!

So we meet again...

Recently I've started binge cooking again.  It feels good - really good actually.  I've probably been making my Facebook friends crazy and I can imagine them yelling at me through their computer screens to stop posting pictures of, and talking about, food! I can't help it though.  I love to cook, but I don't always feel like I have the time.  Unfortunately, I definitely don't have the money to be taking the girls out to eat all the time [at all.] So I cook. And I cook. And I cook.

I'll let you in on a little secret though.  Growing up, my mom didn't cook much.  By much, I mean she cooked dinner on Tuesday night and on Sunday night because my dad was home for dinner - that's assuming he didn't grill or we didn't go out.  The other nights (and sometimes days) we ate out.  That's right, I grew up eating in restaurants - sometimes three meals a day were enjoyed in a restaurant.  (Remember Baker's Square? I once ate there for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner!  It was my mom's favorite restaurant.)  As a result, when I first moved out of the house and got married, the only things I knew how to make were reservations and catering arrangements!  Unless it came from a box.  I could make Hamburger Helper and blue box mac & cheese like a pro. 

Fast forward 15 years and I can now cook.  As in cook cook.  The things I make don't always turn out the way I'd hoped that they would, but I try.  I'd like my girls to be more comfortable with cooking when they move out someday than I was initially.  I also like being able to eat well and my girls are bottomless pits!  I swear they could live on fruits, veggies, cheese and yogurt if only I'd let them.  On occasion, you'll see my kids eating donuts for breakfast (nobody is perfect) or pizza for breakfast (well, Brooke Lynne anyway lol) and even more rarely you'll see them have a small glass of chocolate milk, but for the most part we do pretty good.  Brooke Lynne doesn't like cereal and she won't eat turkey unless you tell her it's chicken (but she won't eat chicken nuggets.)  She also won't take a sandwich to school.  I can pack it, but it will come right back home in her lunch box! As a result, I've resorted to bento-style lunches for her on the days that I pack them.  Amelia wants to eat all day, every day.  I don't know how, at almost 3 years old, she only weighs 25 pounds because she's always eating something! I actually have to pack her a lunch box of snacks to supplement what she's given at daycare.  Her lunch box usually has organic yogurt, a couple pieces of organic fresh fruit and/or veggies, a kid-sized organic granola bar, cheese and maybe pretzels or crackers.  It comes home close to, or completely, empty every day.

So as I start to post recipes from this weekend, please don't be intimidated or think that you can't make this stuff too.  I don't cook fancy.  I don't use crazy ingredients.  I haven't always been able to cook and the things I make don't always look and/or taste the way I'd like them too.  I'm busy, my kids both have crazy schedules and there are days I'd like to lock myself in the bathroom just to get 5 minutes to myself.  I'm perfectly imperfect and I'm fine with that.  That being said, enjoy the recipes to come.  Let me know if you try them and what your family thinks of them.  Above all, relax and enjoy trying something new :-D

Peace & Love,
Mel