Crockpot Beef Roast

This is the way my Grandma has cooked her roast for years, except that she does hers in the oven.  I love the crockpot for roasts because they are always so tender and juicy.  We never really even need a knife to cut it with.  Anyway, it's super good, easy, and cheap! 

What You Will Need:

Beef Roast

1/2 cup water

1 pkg of Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 bay leaf

1.  Put your water in the bottom of you crockpot.  Add your roast, and sprinkle the soup mix on top.  Set your bay leaf on top as well. 

2.  Cook on low 8 hours, and then enjoy!

Cheese Ball

This is a cheese ball recipe that has been around in my family for awhile.  It's simple and delicious!

What you will need:

8 oz cream cheese

1 bottle of Kraft cheese

1 tbsp. minced onion

1/4 tsp garlic salt

crushed nuts (whatever you prefer)

Mix everything together and let sit overnight.  Form into a ball and roll in crushed nuts of your choice.

Stuffed French Toast

I got this one off of a ward Relief Society newsletter. I'm not for sure who's recipe it was, but whoever it was, thanks for sharing!  It's really yummy!

Stuffed French Toast

8 oz cream cheese

3 Tblsp strawberry jam

1/2 nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

eggs milk

bananas

fresh strawberries

Mix the cream cheese and strawberry jam together for the filling.  Prepare/mix the eggs, milk, nutmeg, and vanilla together to dip the bread in.  Spread a generous amount of cream cheese mixture between 2 pieces of bread and then dip into milk/egg mixture.  Cook stuffed french toast as you normally would, making sure to turn over on both sides.

Butter Syrup

Melt 1 cube of butter in pan.  Slowly add 1 cup sugar and dissolve on medium heat. When dissolved thoroughly, it should appear whitish yellow in color and be nice and creamy.  Then add 3/4 of a 12 oz can of evaporated milk and 1 tsp. vanilla, stir together until it gets thicker (this may take 5-10 minutes of stirring constantly).  Then serve over the stuffed french toast and sliced fruit.   

Greek Lamb (or Pork) Chops

I love trying new recipes and when I came across this one, it sounded good, except for one thing.  It was for lamb chops.  I do not like lamb, but I thought I would try it with pork and it was yummy!  I really loved the sauce that goes with it.  This one I got from a Betty Crocker Cookbook. 

What You Will Need:

4 lamb shoulder, arm or loin chops abut 1/2 inch thick (or pork chops)

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup sliced, olives

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

1.  Sprinkle both sides of meat with oregano, salt, and pepper.  Press garlic into meat.

2.  In skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Cook meat in oil 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until brown.

3.  Add broth to skillet; reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until the meat is tender.  Remove lamb from skillet; keep warm.

4.  Heat broth in skillet to boiling.  Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly reduced.  Stir in lemon juice and butter.  Cook and stir just until slightly thickened.  Stir in olives and parsley.  Spoon sauce over meat, and top with cheese.

I honestly really love this one, though like I said before I have only done it with pork.  I also really enjoy sauce so I like to double the sauce just to have a little extra.  I have also not been able to use the feta cheese (since I am pregnant).  I have just used Parmesan cheese in the past, which was also yummy, so try that if you aren't a fan of feta cheese.  Hope you enjoy!   

Couple of Things

I know I am a big slacker with this blog.  In all honesty, I thought no one ever looked at it.  I'm certain there are not a lot who do.  I mean I love to blog, and I love to cook and I know there are some AMAZING food blogs out there. This dumb little blog does not compare at all.  So because of that, I honestly thought of quit doing it. Plus, cooking is not my favorite thing to do still, since I still feel sick a lot.  At least my baby will be here soon and then maybe my zest for cooking new things will come back! 

I decided to stick with it for now though, so I promise to try and add at least a couple recipes a week.  That was mostly because my friend Teri encouraged me to do it still, since she looks at this blog every now and again.  Thanks Teri, I really did need that little boost.  This is something I enjoy doing, even if I am the only one that does look at it. 

I am going to post pictures (I know it's always better to have a picture, I myself love cook books that have them), I'm just not very good at taking food pictures. I promise to work on my skills but until then, you will have to excuse the lousy pics that you do see. 

So that is it for now! 

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

On Mother's Day I was in charge of dinner for my husbands side of the family.  I wanted something easy and that I could do in the crock pot.  I knew I would not have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen that day.  You may have noticed that I really love the crock pot.  Anyway, we recently ate at a very yummy place called DP Cheese Steaks.  If you have one around I highly recommend it.  This was my first experience eating a cheese steak sandwich.  So after that I kept craving another yummy cheese steak sandwich.  I knew that a lot of the people in my hubby's family are fans of them too so I decided I was going to make my own version of it for Mother's Day.  Now, I'm sure there are more amazing recipes then this one, but I got great reviews from my family, they loved it, and they love cheese steak sandwiches. So here it is:

What You Will Need:

Beef Roast (sounds weird I know, but I thought it would be cheaper and go further than actual steak)

Can of Beef Broth

Pepper

Garlic or Garlic Salt

Green Pepper

Onion

Hogie Buns

Cheese (we used provolone and cheese whiz.  A true Philly Cheese has cheese whiz)

1.Pour your beef broth in the crock pot. 

2. Season your roast with the pepper and Garlic.  I love to cook with fresh garlic but I actually used garlic salt this time and it was just fine.  I rubbed the pepper and garlic salt in well, all over the roast before I put it into the crock pot.

3.  Cook on low 7 to 8 hours.

4.  Once done, pull the roast out, and shred the meat.  I strained the fat and everything off of the broth and put some back in the crock pot.  I then put the shredded meat back into the crock pot to cook a little more, but I don't think that part is to crucial.  

5.  Dice your onions and green peppers.  I sauteed them in some olive oil in a skillet together, to serve with the meat, since not everyone likes peppers and onions.  You could very easily dice them and add them into the slow cooker with the roast back on step 2 though.

6.  You could toast your hogie buns if you want or leave them as is.  Let everyone make their own sandwich to their liking and enjoy.  I know my family did! 

Crockpot Pork Roast

When I had my little girl, a friend of ours brought this for dinner.  It was DELICIOUS!  Ryan told me, not asked me, that I had to get the recipe.  So thanks to my friend Liz Daw for sharing.  We have this often at our house and we LOVE it!

Sorry, my picture stinks I know.  I am still working on taking good food pictures. 

What You Will Need:

 

Pork Roast (we like to buy the little 3lb ones at Costco, but they are just perfect for our family)
1/2 cup hot water
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
sprinkle garlic powder (sometimes I like to add minced fresh garlic instead)
dried onions
2 bay leaves
1 whole clove

Spray crock pot with pam. Add water then roast.  Add soy sauce and seasonings.  Cook on low 7-9 hours, or high 5-6 hours.  Better if cooked on low.  It's so tender and just plain yummy!

Coming Soon...

I'm pretty sure no one but me ever looks at my food blog, but just in case in anyone does, I thought I would give an update.  I know I've been a slacker.  I was  going to add pictures to my posts, and add new recipes.  Then I found out I was expecting a baby, and got VERY sick.  I could not keep anything down. So needless to say, I wanted nothing to do with food. 

 Now that I can think, look, smell, or eat food without it making me run to the bathroom, I can finally cook again.  So, coming soon I will post new recipes and try to add pictures to the ones I already have.  I've tried some new and really yummy recipes, so I'm excited to share!   

Hope all is well, in your neck of the woods!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

OK, so I finally am going to start working on pictures for my food blog.  I also know that it is about time!  So here is my first official post with a picture.  Keep in mind that I am not used to taking pictures of food so this is still a work in progress.  This is the best I could do for this time around.

The recipe I have for you today, is a quick and easy one.  Apparently I am on a soup kick lately;0)  I do love a good soup, especially when it starts to cool off. 

 So here is a quick broccoli cheese soup for you.  Enjoy!

What You Will Need:

1 small head of broccoli

half onion, chopped

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cups of milk

3 T. flour

1 can evaporated milk

4 chicken bouillon cubes

2-3 cups of shredded cheese

Put the onion and broccoli in your soup pot along with enough water to boil them in.  Add the bouillon cubes.  Cook until the broccoli is tender.  Gradually stir in the flour, while constantly stirring, until well blended(I like to dissolve the flour in a little bit of warm before adding it to the pot of soup)  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the can of evaporated milk, then the cream of mushroom soup, and then the milk. 

Stir until well blended.  Add the cheese until well blended. Like any other cream based soup,

 you want to heat it up slowly. 

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a recipe that my Grandma shared with the rest of us. 

 It is a 10 for sure, it has become a family fav!

What you will need:

chicken-cooked and diced or shredded

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cans chicken noodle soup

1 cab evaporated milk

3 carrots cut up small

4 cans chicken broth or water

1 package noodles 8 oz

1 onion chopped

8 oz cream cheese (optional)

Just add everything to your pot, and let slowly heat up so you don't burn it.  Just keep stirring occasionally until you have reached your desired thickness, and then serve.

*Sometimes I just used minced onions instead of fresh onions, and don't always add carrots.  I also like to use the good noodles you find in the freezer section.  They just seem more homemade.  Costco also sales a big bag of homemade type noodles that are yummy too.  I often don't add the cream cheese to try to make it a little healthy:0) Enjoy!

Swiss Chicken

What You Will Need:

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 slices of Swiss cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
1 box chicken stuffing

Butter 9X13 inch pan.  Place chicken in pan and top with cheese.  Pour the soup mixed with water over the chicken.  Cover top with stuffing.  Drizzle 1 cube melted butter on top of stuffing.  Bake @ 350F for 1 hour uncovered.

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes that I have.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!

Apple Snicker Salad

This sounds like a strange combination, and well, quite frankly it is.  It is so YUMMY though!  I made this once for my hubby's family and they almost always request that I make it when we get together and I am in charge of the salad.  So enjoy, because you will be going back for 2nd's!

What You Will Need:

1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits in juice

2 medium red apples

2 medium green apples

4 ounces cream cheese

1 cup frozen whipped topping

Snickers

1.  Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice.  Place cream cheese in a large bowl.  Gradually whisk in the pineapple juice until smooth.  Fold in the whipped topping until well blended.

2.  Cut Snickers into bite size pieces.  Add the pineapple and Snickers into the cream cheese mixture.  Dice the apples and add them into the cream cheese mixture.  Quickly blend salad together.

3.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* This is better when made a little bit ahead and has had time to chill in the fridge.  I also always add the apples last so they do not turn brown.

*  I always double the recipe.

Pina Colada Fruit Dip

What You Will Need:

 

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Pkg (3 1/2- OZ ) instant coconut pudding mix

1- 8oz can crushed pineapple, undrained

Blend milk, sour cream, pudding mix and undrained pineapple. Cover and refrigerate

overnight, Serve with fresh fruit.

 

You can never have enough good fruit dip recipes!  Got this one from my Aunt.

Easy Dutch Oven Cobbler

What You Will Need:

1 box white cake mix
1 16oz can of pie filling (any kind)
2 tbsp butter
1 can of Sprite (we've used Dr. Pepper before too, so I think you could really use any pop)

Cook in 12" dutch oven.  Drop butter into the bottom of the oven.  Pour out pie filling.  Add the cake mix on top of the pie filling.  With your finger, make a zigzag pattern in cake mix.  Pour Sprite over the top.  Checkerboard your charcoal on top and bottom until full.  Turn at 15 minutes and start checking to see if it's cooked.  Check every 15 minutes after that.  Usually takes about 30 minutes.

It's easy and delicious!

Dutch Oven Cheesy Potatoes

What you will need:

1 lb bacon

3 to 4 onions diced

5 lbs potatoes

1 lb cheddar cheese grated

1 pint sour cream

salt and pepper

Fry bacon until crisp in 12" oven.  Remove from oven, but leave drippings.  Add onions to bacon grease and cook until clear.  Add potatoes, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to coat the potatoes with grease.  Cover and cook for 1 hour (350F).  8 coals on bottom, 17 on top.  Carefully fold in cheese and sour cream, cook for 10 more minutes.

We love to eat these potatoes anytime we go camping.  They are very yummy (not healthy but yummy), and easy to do.  Sometimes I even make them for dinner if I have potatoes at home that I need to use.  They are just as good baked in the oven.  Hope you enjoy! 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I love strawberries, especially this time of year. This salad is easy to make, light, and tastes pretty refreshing this time of year. (someday I will post pictures with my posts).

What You Need:

Dressing:
1 lemon
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Salad:

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced and cut in half
1/4 cup small red onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach

1. For dressing, zest lemon to measure 1/2 teaspoon zest, juice lemon using juicer to measure 2 tablespoons juice. Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil, and poppy seeds in small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. For salad, spread almonds in single layer over bottom of pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven, cool almonds.

3. Meanwhile, hull strawberries, and cut into quarters.

4. Slice cucumber, and slice onion into thin wedges.

5. Place spinach in large serving bowl. Add the strawberries, cucumber, and onion. Whisk dressing and pour over salad. Gently toss to coat lettuce. Sprinkle with almonds, and serve immediately.

Makes: 10 servings/70 calories
* Always toss salad with dressing just before serving to avoid the salad going soggy

Potato Casserole (Crock-Pot)

My life has been so crazy busy lately, that is why I keep posting crock-pot recipes. I love them; they make life so much easier! This a kind of a version of "funeral potatoes" as we like to call them. They are pretty good. I prefer the ones baked in the oven more but if you are in a hurry, these are a great side to a dinner.

What You Need:

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup plus3 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1 teaspoon of salt
2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 to 2 cups of stuffing mix

1. Combine soup, sour cream, onion, 1/4 cup butter, and salt in a small bowl.

2. Combine potatoes, and cheese in slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over potato mixture; mix well. Sprinkle with stuffing mix over potato mixture; drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.

3. Cover; cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH 5 to 6 hours until potatoes are tender.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Cookie Pizza a la Mode

I made this for dessert on Sunday for a family dinner with my hubby's family. It was pretty good. My husband loves cake, pies, cookies, etc. and I don't. I do LOVE ice-cream though, and guess what, that's right, my hubby does not! I thought we would give this one a try since it was a good compromise for both of us. Sometimes my oven cooks things funny so our cookie got a little over done (so I would watch it close while cooking), but other than that everyone really seemed to enjoy it.

What You Need:
1 tube (16-1/2 ounce) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
Chocolate syrup
Vanilla ice cream
Maraschino cherries
Whip cream

1. Press the cookie dough onto an ungreased 12 in pizza pan. Bake at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges.

2. Drizzle chocolate syrup onto dessert plates. Top with warm cookie wedge, scoop (or two) of ice-cream, and additional chocolate syrup on top of ice-cream. Garnish with whip cream and cherry.

*You can prepare and cool the wedges ahead of time and place in a resealable storage bag or airtight container. Warm wedges for a few seconds on microwave before assembling individual desserts.

Fruit Topped Almond Cream

On my first date with my hubby Ryan, he took me to Ruth Chris Steak House. The whole meal was delicious and for dessert we shared berries and cream. It was yummy and has been one of my favorites ever since. I recently came across this recipe and was so excited to make it for Ryan, hoping to bring back memories from our first date. It turned out to be delicious, but Ryan didn't even remember eating that on our first date. Shocker I know;0) This is a quick and easy recipe and you can use just about any kind of fruit to go along with it.

What you will need:
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant French Vanilla pudding mix
2-1/2 cups cold milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups assorted fruit (strawberries, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges. I personally like to stick to berries so I use blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc)

1. In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, beat cream and extract until stiff peaks form. Fold into pudding. Spoon into shallow serving dish. Chill. Top with fruit just before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

Mexican Style Shredded Beef

Sorry guys, I know it has been forever, once again, since I have posted.  Life has been so crazy!  We just got back from vacation, and are trying to get caught up around here.  Anyway, here is a great beef crockpot recipe.  I have used this beef to go along with all the other Cafe Rio recipes, and sometimes I just make it to use in tacos or enchiladas.  Any way it is served it is yummy!

What you will need:
1 boneless beef chuck shoulder roast (about 3 lbs)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup salsa or picante sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1.  Cut roast in half.  Combine cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and red pepper in small bowl.  Rub over beef.  Place 1/4 cup salsa in slow cooker; top with one piece of beef.  Layer 1/4 cup salsa, remaining beef, and 1/2 cup salsa in slow cooker.  Cover; cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until meat is tender.

2.  Remove beef from cooking liquid; cook slightly.  Trim and discard excess fat from beef.  Shred meat with 2 forks.

3.  Let cooking liquid stand for 5 minutes to allow fat to rise.  Skim off fat.  Blend water and cornstarch until smooth; stir into slow cooker.  Cook, uncovered, on HIGH for 15 minutes or until thickened.  Return beef to slow cooker.  Cover; cook 15 to 30 minutes or until hot.  Adjust seasonings.  Serve as meat filling for tacos, fajitas, or burritos.  Leftover beef may be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. 

Makes 5 cups filling