{Balsamic Pot Roast} Crock Pot

I love trying new Pot roast recipes. I have some roast recipes that I just love and I make them over and over. This one just made it on that list. I loved it. It had a really good flavor, and the gravy was delicious poured over the meat and veggies.

3 lbs beef chuck roast
garlic salt and pepper for seasoning
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp powdered sage
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup red cooking wine
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5oz) can beef broth
3 Tbs corn starch
salt and pepper
a bag of baby carrots
4-5 red potatoes, quartered

  Sprinkle garlic salt & pepper seasoning all over the meat.  Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large skillet.  When nice and hot, sear the roast on all sides - couple of minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and place in the bowl of your slow cooker.  Top with the sliced onion, chopped garlic and balsamic vinegar, and all the herbs. Cover pot and put in fridge overnight.  
Add the red wine and beef broth, add the carrots and potatoes.  Cover and turn slow cooker on low and cook for 6 hours.  Turn the slow cooker up to high heat and cook for another 3-4 hours.  Once everything is done to your desired tenderness, pour the liquid into a large measuring cup.  Let it settle, then skim off the fat.  Add about half of it to a bowl and mix in the corn starch until it's nice and smooth.  Add the other half of the liquid to a medium saucepan and turn it on medium-high heat and bring to a slow boil.  Add the cornstarch liquid to the saucepan and stir to combine.  Heat until it gets hot and thickens up a bit.  Once you've got the thickness you prefer, turn off heat and pour the gravy/sauce back into the crock pot over the top of meat and veggies.  Serve hot.

Recipe Source: Little B Cooks

{Sloppy Joes}

Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite summery meals. My husband LOVED these and I will admit I thought they were quite scrumptious myself. :)

1 Tbs butter
3 lbs ground beef
1/2 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cups water
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp dry ground mustard
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs tomato paste
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
kaiser rolls

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spoon meat mixture over the rolls. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

Adapted From: The Pioneer Women

{Asian Beef with Snow Peas}

This is a really simple and delicious Asian meal. Everytime I make it my husband loves it :) Who needs take out!

Sauce ( I double this)

3 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs rice wine

1 Tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1Tbs sesame oil

1 Tbs minced fresh ginger

1 Tbs minced fresh garlic

1 lb round steak cut into thin strips

8 ounces of snow peas

*You can throw in some sliced carrots and sliced almonds too that would be yummy!

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Stir fry ginger and garlic for about a minute. Add the steak and fry for about 2 minutes or until browned. Add the snow peas and other veggies you want and fry for about 3-5 minutes. Add soy sauce mix and bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Lower the heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Serve with rice or Asian noodles

{Spaghetti Sauce}

This sauce is really really good. The key is to let it simmer on the stove for at least an hour. I let mine simmer for almost 3 hours and it was perfect! This recipe makes a lot so it is great to freeze half the batch and easily heat it up another day for a delicious and quick meal.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds hamburger
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

*Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

{Enchilada Casserole}

This meal is nice because it's pretty quick and easy. It was really yummy and much easier then rolling up a bunch of enchiladas :)













2 tsp olive oil
1 (15oz) can red Enchilada Sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
4 Green Onions, sliced, preserved for garnish
1 can Sliced Black Olives
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
12 Corn Tortillas,
2-3 cups Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend
2-3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Pre-heat the oven to 450°. Swab bottom of a baking dish (You can use and 8x8 or 9x13 depending on how much you want) with olive oil & a small amount of enchilada sauce; set aside. In a pan fry up your yellow onion with ground beef until cooked all they way. Add green onions, cumin, salt, and about 3 Tbs of sliced olives together with a small amount of enchilada sauce. Cover bottom of dish with a layer of tortilla (I used 4 whole tortillas for each layer). Top with half of the beef mixture, followed by a small amount of sauce and about one-fourth of the cheese. Repeat second layer in the same order. Top second layer with tortillas, remainder of sauce and remainder of cheese. Garnish with remainder of olives and green onion tops. Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted, the edges are browned and sauce is bubbly; about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and sit for 10 minutes before cutting. Garnish with fresh cilantro

{Beef Fajitas}

Last night we made these Beef Fajitas along with This and they were so tasty and I will tell you why...

















1 flank steak or round steak, cut into thin strips
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Red bell Pepper, sliced into strips
I large yellow onion, sliced
about 1 1/2 tsp Fajita seasoning

Mix this all up in a bowl and either grill it or fry it all up in a pan until the meat is done.

And these are just one of the reason I love Costco so much! We just cook these up on a griddle and feel them with the meat, peppers and onions.

And for the things that make it GOOD. Have you ever tried Wholly Salsa?? It is so so yummy and I am usually not into store bought salsa but this is my new fav..

Also top with:

Fresh Cilantro

diced tomatoes

Fresh lime juice

Sour Cream

Homemade Guacamole

{Chili Cheese Dip}

This is a yummy little dip, and I thought it would be a good one to post being super bowl weekend and all...Oh and it all goes in the crock pot so its easy!

















1 lb lean ground beef
1 (16oz) picante sauce (I use mild)
2 (15oz) cans refried beans
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Small can of mild green chilies
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook beef with onion, drain. Mix everything together in a crock pot. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

{Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast}

I love finding unique ways to make a roast...This roast is so yummy and full of flavor...oh and very moist. It makes a really yummy gravy that we like to serve over rice or potatoes..Mmmm!














1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 3lb chuck or pot roast
1 (16oz) can jellied cranberry sauce
3-4 garlic cloves
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour


First insert cloves of garlic into the roast.
Place the onion soup mix in the bottom of the slow cooker, place roast on top, and pour the cranberry sauce over that.
Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low.
Remove roast, and set aside. Set slow cooker on high. Whisk together the butter and flour and slowly mix into the liquid remaining in the slow cooker to create a thick gravy. Serve with the roast.

{Mexican Beef with Rice}

I love any good Crock pot meal. They are just too easy and so good. This has a ton of flavor and the round steak gets so tender. Its definitely a family fav!

















1 1/2 pound round steak cut into bite size pieces
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs prepared mustard just in your fridge
1 chopped onion
1 beef bouillon cube
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans drained

Cut up the uncooked meat and place it in the crock pot. Mix with garlic salt, pepper, chili powder and mustard. Cover with onion, bouillon cube, and tomatoes. Top with beans. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over white rice. I usually always serve with Jasmine Rice cause its my favorite!

{Pot Roast}

This is a super east and delicious roast, and perfect to feed your family on Sunday. Well any day really...And the best part is that it makes its own gravy, so you can serve it with rice, bisquits, noodles, anything you feel like :)

















2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
1 pot roast

In a crock pot, mix together the mushroom soup and the dry onion soup mix along with the water. Place the pot roast in the crock pot and coat with the soup mix.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

{Bavarian Pot Roast}

Everyone I have made this for has LOVED it! It is absolutely delicious! And its great because its not your typical pot roast recipe, so its nice to have on hand when you wanna switch things up a little :)

1 Pot Roast

1 tsp Vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 whole cloves of garlic ( I insert them right into the roast)

4 medium size apples, leave the skins on

1 small onion, sliced

1 cup apple juice

3-4 tbs flour

3-4 tbs water

Lightly rub top of meat with oil, dust the meat with salt and pepper and ground ginger. Insert the garlic cloves into meat. Place the apples and onion slices in the bottom of a crockpot and put the roast on top. Pour in the apple juice. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. When its done remove the roast and apples to a platter and turn the crockpot on high. Make a paste with the flour and warm water and stir the paste into pot bring to a slight boil until it thickens. Use as gravy when serving the roast.