Slow Cooker Sweet Onion Pot Roast

Look people... I don't rave about red meat often, but I need to stop the show and RAVE about this recipe. A friend of mine, Liz, recently shared her brisket recipe with me and I was dying to try it. Being the good Jewish girl that I am I do enjoy a good brisket, so I was super excited for this. I went to the grocery store on a Saturday night to get all the ingredients so I could have it in the crockpot and ready to go on Sunday morning. Only there was one big problem. My ShopRite had no briskets! I called my mom to ask if brisket goes by any other name (meat is SO confusing- I can never keep it straight since I eat it so infrequently) and she told me it didn't... so off I went to find a replacement. Pot roast was on sale so I decided to just try it and boyyyyyyyyy was it good. The sauce is unreal. I ended up freezing half of this and John and I decided when we make it next time it must be made with egg noodles or mashed potatoes or something that can sop up all the saucy goodness. Even Landon was loving this (then again he's a big meat eater- HOW is he my kid?! He definitely did not inherit my tastes in food). I really need you to all make this- stat. It's one of my favorite meals to date.

Source: My friend Liz (not sure of it's origin)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 package onion soup mix

2 1/2 lb to 3 lb pot roast

1 chopped onion

2 cups baby carrots

Directions:

1- Place onions and carrots on the bottom of the crock pot. Trim fat off pot roast and put it in the crock pot. 

2-Mix first 5 ingredients and pour over the brisket and vegetables. 

3- Cook in crock pot on low for 10 hours.

Crockpot Ropa Vieja

You know how certain things in life will always remind you of something else? For example, Little Caesar's pizza (which I just found out still exists!) will always remind me of summer days by my pool. Sunflowers will always remind me of my third grade teacher. And this meal, this delicious crock pot dinner, will always remind me of Hurricane Sandy. I threw this in the crock pot that morning and figured I'd be fine. In the 14 years my development has existed they never lost power. I wasn't expecting us to lose power (let alone for ELEVEN DAYS!) so I made a meal that requires power for 8 hours. I remember watching the storm pick up in intensity while simultaneously watching the dial on my crock pot and wondering if we were going to make it. Obviously we did. We ate, enjoyed this delicious dinner, and marveled at how powerful Mother Nature is in a world where we think we are in control of so much, and yet are truly in control of so little. And promptly after washing the dishes, the power left. While this meal will always remind me of a painful time in my state's history, I can assure you it will not prevent me from remaking it. I am not a red meat kind of girl but I loved this. It was so delicious and flavorful. I can't say enough about it, except that I think everyone should try it.

Source: I Was Born To Cook (only change I made was to halve the recipe)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pounds london broil
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cans (12 oz) tomato sauce
1 large onion, sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:
Add vegetable oil to a hot skillet, followed by meat. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Place meat in crockpot, then pour in tomato sauce and beef broth, followed by all other ingredients. Stir until well blended. Cook on high for about 4 hours, or on low for about 8-9 hours.

Remove meat, shred.

Spicy Tomato Compound Butter

I've said it before but red meat isn't my thing. If I never ate a steak again I'd be fine. John, however, loves a good steak. Once in awhile I suck it up and make him his precious steak... I think of it as fair since I make him eat so many vegetarian pasta dishes. Typically I either marinade the steak or just grill it and call it a day. The other night I wanted something "fancier." We go to this steakhouse by us that always does interesting things with their steak and I've seen them use several compound butters so I decided to try my hand at compound butter on a steak. I personally didn't try this but John loved it. I mixed some in with the zucchini and it was tasty on the veggies. This butter could be used on steaks, veggies, tossed in pasta, spread on bread... the options are limitless!

Source: Slightly adapted from  A Good Appetite

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
Pinch of Cajun seasoning
Pinch of kosher salt
3 sun dried tomatoes, diced small
1 clove garlic, grated using a microplane
2 tbsp. butter, softened

Directions:
1- Combine all of the ingredients and stir well until everything is well incorporated. Refrigerate until serving.

Classic Steak Marinade

The other day I decided to torture John (hehehehe) and take him to the new Italian deli that opened in town. The place is beautiful! So many homemade dishes, fresh homemade mozzarella, and a great selection of produce and meat. I was most impressed with their butcher section. I will not be buying meat anywhere else anymore! Not only was everything super clean and fresh looking but the prices were pretty good too. When we were there I picked up some fillets for dinner to reward John for being a trooper while I marveled at all of the tastiness this store had to offer. You see... John loves steak. I like steak, but not a lot. I am good having it once every 3-4 months, therefore making it really exciting for John when I do make it!

This marinade is not ground breaking. There are no "secret ingredients." It's a pretty classic steak marinade if I do say so myself. We both loved it though. I really like the combo of ketchup and worcestershire sauce and pretty much always use both in steak marinades. This one was a winner though and might be my new go-to marinade. Perfect for grilling season!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 pound of steak
3 tbsp. worcestershire
3 tbsp. A1 sauce
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon seasoning salt

Directions:
1- Combine all of the ingredients, except for the steak, in a bowl. Mix well.
2- Place the steak in the bowl, flipping to coat both sides.
3- Allow to sit in the marinade at least 1 hour, up to 24.
4- Cook the steaks with your preferred method of cooking.

Crockpot Asian Beef and Noodles

As the sole chef (I use the word chef lightly here...) in our house I am also the sole decision maker when it comes to dinner. I always ask John what he wants but he never knows. Boys... ugh... Every now and then I will be really really nice and plan a meal that has no interest to me but would excite John. This is a classic example of such a meal. I rarely make beef so anytime I do I know I am a hero in his eyes. This recipe couldn't be easier, just throw it in the crockpot and go on with your day. The end results were tasty. I enjoyed the flavor but since I don't love beef I felt like I was picking around it the whole time. John's reaction was hysterical. He said it tasted much better than it looked. Awww... I love when he whispers such sweet nothings. I guess I'll take it as a compliment, right? Overall we both really enjoyed it. This meal is also really good if you are trying to hide veggies from your child (or picky spouse) because mine completely disappeared into the meat/sauce mixture. Perfect for getting in veggies without even knowing it!

Source: Adapted from Lauren's Kitchen, originally from Cooking This and That

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
2 - 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce, any flavor
3/4 cup chicken or beef broth (low sodium)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, broken
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Directions:
Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with stew meat. In a medium bowl, stir together stir-fry sauce, broth, and red pepper. Pour over stew meat and vegetables in cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4 1/2-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of cooking time, discard spice packets from ramen noodles. Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes more. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

Pepper and Parsley Dry Steak Rub

Beef. It's what's for dinner. Well... not in our house. At least not very often. I probably make beef once every couple months. I could honestly never eat beef again and be fine. Unfortunately John disagrees and would probably eat steak once every other week or so. Meh.

I went to Wegmans a couple days ago and saw these beautiful NY strip steaks. They looked really clean and fresh. I also liked the packaging. Isn't that sick? I bought steak because I liked the packaging. I am every marketing executives dream come true. Wrap it up nicely and I will buy it. Sigh. That's probably why I need to stay out of stores like Sephora and Anthropologie- everything is packaged nicely! Ugh... cooking and shopping- my two biggest weaknesses.

This steak rub was awesome. I googled "how do I cook NY strip steak" because I honestly wasn't sure the best method. Since I don't cook steak often I always turn to my good friend google when I am going to cook it. The link listed below was really helpful. I adapted the rub from one of the rubs listed on their website and it was really tasty. I am interested in trying several of their rubs and marinades in the future since this was such a success.

Source: Adapted from Squidoo.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon cajun seasoning

Directions:
1- Place the steaks on a clean cutting board. Allow them to rest at room temperature while you prep.
2- Spray a cast iron grill pan with cooking spray. Turn the heat up to medium high heat and preheat the grill for 10-15 minutes.
3- While the grill heats coat the steaks with a thin layer of olive oil, rubbing it into the meat.
4- In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients above and stir to combine.
5- Rub the steaks and cover with the dry rub. You want it to form an even layer that coats the steak so it crisps up when you cook.
6- Grill 5 minutes on one side. Flip, and repeat.
7- Move the steaks to an area that receives less direct heat in the grill pan and allow to cook until the desired level is achieved.

Slow Cooked London Broil

Yum! I made this last night and it was awesome. I have had this recipe bookmarked on my computer for quite some time but for one reason or another I never would get around to it. It was so good. The meat was so tender that it fell apart when I tried to slice it. The gravy had good flavor and was a nice consistency. I threw in some potatoes and carrots after about an hour of cooking and the whole meal was cooked perfectly in about 8 hours. This made enough for dinner for tonight and a full tray for the freezer for another night. Very little effort and 2 delicious meals= a winner!

This picture really shows how tender the meat was.


Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:
2 pounds flank steak
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used the reduced fat kind)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup (I used the reduced fat kind)
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

Directions:
Place meat in the bottom of the slow cooker; if necessary, slice meat to make it fit!

In a medium bowl, mix together mushroom and tomato soup. Pour mixture over beef. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over top.

** 5 points for 1 serving (1/8 of the meat and gravy)
Cover, and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.

London Broil Marinade

I have mentioned before that beef is not my fave. However, I really do like london broil. Growing up my family had london broil regularly and it was the only form of beef I would eat. To this day it is still something I really enjoy. To spruce it up a little I looked for a marinade recipe. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. I am glad I did- it was awesome! I let it marinade over night and the taste was incredible. I used a 1 pound cut of meat but the recipe calls for a 4-7 pound cut, so obviously you can use any size within that range and have plenty of marinade.

The above picture is the marinade prior to flipping the steak. Here is how it looked after 14 minutes in the broiler:


Ingredients:

1/3 cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic smashed
3 T ketchup
2 T soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix marinade ingredients together, pour into zip lock bag. Put London broil into bag and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours (I let it sit overnight).

Cook london broil with preferred method. I broiled mine in the oven, 7 minutes on each side, 14 minutes in all. It was medium-well after 14 minutes.

Let is sit about 10 minutes prior to slicing.

Steak Bites

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman and it was awesome. I used MUCH less butter then she did but it came out great. If your looking for a new way to make steak give this a try- we both loved it.

A little warning though- this recipe calls for a screaming hot pan. I took this step VERY literally and set off the smoke alarms- so be careful haha!!

Ingredients:
1 sirloin steak
salt
pepper
butter (I used 1 tablespoon for a 1 lb steak)

Directions:
1- Slice off the fat. Then slice the steak into 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
2- Preheat a large skillet over high heat until it is smoking hot.
3- Add the butter and allow it to begin to brown.
4- Add the steak and allow it to sit and brown on one side. (The Pioneer Woman recommends 45 seconds but I like my meat MUCH more well done- I did it about 1 1/2-2 minutes.)
5- Flip the steak. Allow to cook until desired level.
6- Remove from heat, drizzle with the butter from the pan if desired (I poured it all on John's portion and he said it was great with the extra butter.)

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

**This is the least photogenic food I have ever cooked. It does taste better then it looks, I promise!

Tonight I decided to follow this recipe for beef stroganoff. I am trying to use my crock pot more as well as cook with beef more often. It is hard because I don't really love beef but since John does I try to make it now and then. The meat was very tender and fell apart at the touch of a fork. John thought it was really good and I liked the sauce it made. I did half the amount of sour cream in order to account for personal tastes, but I am sure the original amount would be best for most people. Overall, pretty good!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound beef stew meat
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used onion powder)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup
1 jar (2 1/2 ounces) Green Giant® sliced mushrooms, drained (omitted)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (I used 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups hot cooked noodles or rice

Directions:
1. In 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soup, mushrooms and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
3. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles or rice.

Garlic Balsamic Steak

I don't cook beef often but every once in a while I decide to try something new for the sake of John. I picked up some steaks at the food store and found this recipe online for a steak marinade that had some of our favorite ingredients- balsamic vinegar and garlic! It was great! I didn't get a good picture of the steak, but this marinade was great!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (omitted)

1 pinch cayenne pepper (I used cajun seasoning because it was what I had on hand)

Directions:
1- Stir the ingredients together. In a shallow dish, pour the marinade over the steak.
2- Allow it to sit in the marinade for several hours. I let it sit 8 hours, the original recipe said 24-48 hours... but honestly after 8 hours it was perfectly permeated with the taste!
3- Cook according to your prefered method (I grilled mine on my grill pan).

Mom's Pot Roast

Let me first say pot roast is not pretty... these pictures are not beautiful but the food is good! This recipe reminds me of my mom and dinners growing up. She made it semi regularly and it was always good. The best part of this, in my opinion, is the gravy. I am not a huge fan of red meat and rarely cook it. This was an experiment... and it went pretty well. I will say since I don't normally cook red meat I didn't realize how much the meat would reduce down in the cooking process. This led to my meat being a little overcooked. The recipe below is the one that my mom gave me, the way it should be made. I cut the size of the meat in half because we aren't good with leftovers, but in the future I would make it the way it is and freeze half. I made this in the crockpot, but my mom always makes it in the oven, so you can do it either way. I really love the potatoes and carrots in the gravy, so I felt the need to include a picture of just them:


Ingredients:
2-3LB roast
2 cans of round potatoes
1/2 bag of baby carrots
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped up (I LOATHE celery...so I omitted that)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope of onion soup mix

Directions:
Place the roast and the carrots in the crockpot. Cover with the onion soup mix and the can of cream of mushroom soup. Set the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. After about 2 hours of cooking, add the potatoes and celery. Stir, and allow to finish cooking.