Thursdays are for cooking….
This one’s for Aysel, because she wants slow cooker / Crockpot stuff, so this one comes from the Crock-Pot cookbooklet (Dump Recipes) I found at the checkout stand at the grocery store. It’s a recipe card booklet published by http://pilbooks.com/cookbooks/browse-cookbooks/
Galic and Mushroom Roast with gravy
You need:
1 boneless beef or pork roast – 3 to 4 pounds
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (to cook the beef or pork)
1 to 2 – 12 ounce jars of beef gravy
1 to 2 – 4 ounce cans of mushrooms, drained
1 medium onion sliced thin
3 cloves of garlic, sliced – in my view, the chopped garlic in the jars is just as good, so that would be about 3 teaspoons of chopped garlic
Season the roast with salt and pepper. Coat the roast with flour and brown it in a large skillet 5 minutes each side over medium heat. Note: the recipe does not say cut into chunks but the cooker time (8 to 10 hours) should make it tender enough to fall apart on the fork.
Put the roast, gravy, mushrooms, onion and garlic in the crockpot/slow cooker. Cover it. Set the temperature on LOW and cook for 8 to 10 hours.
They have it served over a bed of rice. I should think diced, boiled red potatoes would also be a good choice. And I’d use at least 2 cans of mushrooms and 2 jars of gravy but that’s because I love both ‘shrooms and gravy.
If you want to get more flavor, you can also use Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb, but follow the recipe the first time you make this meal. The Mrs. Dash seasonings are all salt-free and add a lot of flavor. I have several different kinds that I use a lot.
After you follow the recipe the first time, then you can put your own spin on it. And since chillier weather is coming on, think how nice that will be when you walk in the front door and it smells like supper’s waiting for you.
Category: Economy
I make some great chili. I made a huge pot the other day. I make it as one would regular chili: tomatoes, beans, onions, garlic, ketchup, spices, etc. I have found that adding a can of chili w/o beans adds ‘something’ that puts it over the top. I also add about a tablespoon of sugar; sometimes brown sugar. We gnaw on it for about three days. Great stuff. It is the one food I can make that The Russian and I both agree is great. Gotta add the sugar, not too much, not too little, about a heaping tablespoon gets it done.
Forgot to add about a pound and a half of extra lean ground hamburger meat. Yeah, add some hamburger meat to the chili. Man, am I forgetful. Pour off the grease, then place the cooked hamburger meat on several folds of paper towels to absorb the grease. Pouring off he grease and doing the paper towel trick removes a few hundred calories of fat. One gram of fat = 9 calories. Protein and carbs each add 4 calories per gram.
Slow Cooker Country Ribs
3-4 lbs Country-style pork ribs
1 cup hard apple cider (Smith & Forge)
2 Tbs McCormick Applewood Rub
3 apples (Fuji)
Place ribs in 6 quart slow cooker. Pour in the cider. Sprinkle Applewood Rub over ribs.
Cook on low for four hours. Peel, core and chop apples into 1 inch chunks. Cover ribs with chopped apples and cook for another four hours. Serve.
I’m moving to your house.
You’d be welcomed.
That slow-roast would be great on egg noodles, too. Nuke a bag of frozen peas and call it dinner!
“good on egg noodles” – I was thinking that, too. And I would use 3 cans of mushrooms and extra gravy, because I love ‘shrooms and I adore gravy on boiled red potatoes.
Here’s another Crockpot recipe that I’ve had a long time: BBQ Beans with Smoked Sasuage.
You need:
Smoked sausage – the big hoops will feed 2 to 3 people. I sometimes use 2 of them
2 cans of red kidney beans in chili sauce
Your favorite BBQ sauce, plus spicy mustard (whole grain mustard works), Worcestershire sauce and garlic
1 chopped onion
Dill pickles
Cornbread
– Put the chili beans into the crock pot. 1 standard 14 ounce can will give you two servings, so decide how many people will be served
– Add the spicy mustard (about 3 to 4 tablespoons
– Add the BBQ sauce, enough to support the beans
– Add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce – this is optional but it is smokey enough to bump that up a notch
– Add the chopped onion
Stir this mess thoroughly, taste test it to see if it is seasoned to your standards, then put the smoke sausage links on the top, put the lid on the pot, set it on low and let it cook for 5 to 6 hours.
You may want to add some coleslaw to the plate, and the cornbread can be the boxed mix, which is quick. The dill pickles support the BBQ sauce’s flavor. Also, save a little chopped onion for garnishing the beans and sausage.
And for dessert: apple pie and ice cream are always, always good.
Freeze leftovers in plastic “red neck tupperware” containers, remove and place into plastic bags and seal in “suck machine” and enjoy all winter without having to make from scratch. Just thaw and reheat.
Life is good when you know how.
Gracious Mother of God. You had me at coleslaw and cornbread. Anyone from the South was fed coleslaw and cornbread from birth. Special bottles were made so they would pass easily to the infant. I still have a problem with cornbread, whether from scratch or boxed. It simply will not turn out right. I have tried dozens of variations of numerous recipes. I give up. Now, coleslaw is another matter. I have a shredder, gizmo up the cabbage and add secret ingredients. It is to die for. Much better than any commercially available product. My mom never referenced a recipe. She would throw stuff into a big bowl and Shazam.
Is it as good as Colonel Sanders cole slaw? thats the best imho!
Hmmm…. cornbread. I use the Jiffy mix, a large soup spoon to beat it, and bake it for 20 minutes at 375 in the countertop oven. It seems to turn out well consistently.
I tried the ‘scratch’ recipe, but it called for too much sugar, so the cornbread tasted sweet instead of savory (but not salty). Didn’t like that.
I make one with Jiffy, but add canned corn, cheese and green chile.
“And I’d use at least 2 cans of mushrooms and 2 jars of gravy but that’s because I love both ‘shrooms and gravy.”
“3 cloves of garlic, sliced – in my view, the chopped garlic in the jars is just as good, so that would be about 3 teaspoons of chopped garlic.”
I’d use about 4-6 teaspoons of garlic. Because I don’t like Vampires.
Since one pot cooking seems to be the overall theme here, and “easy” being important, try this:
Green snap beans* with red potatoes and sausage.
You’ll need:
as you may imagine green snap beans, tipped and tailed
Small whole red potatoes or quartered large
Onion, diced
Kielbasa, chopped into rounds
Veg or beef stock (water will do)
butter
S&P
Instructions couldn’t be easier- throw everything into a pot, just cover with the stock, lid on, and bring to a boil.
Remove lid and simmer for about an hour, done.
Serve with crusty bread and a chilled glass of whatever.
*aka string beans, depending where you’re from
Well, I have frozen pencil-thin green beans and plenty of pommes de terres, so that sounds good to me, too. Chilly night tonight.
I have chicken noodle soup w/vegs left from Tuesday for supper, then start with something new.
Frugal. Made a big pot of red beans and rice Sunday, just finished it off last night. Like most soups and stews, a little aging in the reefer just makes it better.
Okay I like this, my version of the crockpot keilbasa involves a bit of sauerkraut….I brown some pork chops in a pan with onions and butter until they are nicely browned on both sides, then I cut up the kielbasa and I like browning it a little as well (personal taste for me, you don’t need to do that part) then I put about 3 bags of drained and washed sauerkraut in the crockpot, cut the pork chops into chunks, drop in the keilbasa, toss in a little brown sugar to sweeten the mix (mostly because the wife likes the sauerkraut fairly mild) and let it cook several hours to really mix the flavors….
you can serve it with some taters and brown mustard on the side for the kielbasa or you can put the mix on some good rye or pumpernickel bread slathered in brown mustard….serve with an ice cold beer or other appropriate beverage depending on personal favorites and have at it…if I do this on a Saturday there’s enough leftovers these days with the kids gone it will last until sometime Tuesday…
I have only one Crockpot. I need to get another so that I can make more than one meal. It’ll stretch out better and I won’t get bored with it all.
The Russian mentioned kielbasa to me early on and I honestly had no idea. I grew up on ‘homemade’ sausage, compliments of many of grandpa’s animals. I have to admit, I prefer kielbasa to generic store-bought sausage. I no longer have animals to slaughter, so I have to buy the usually tasteless, fatty sausage. Took a chance and bought a brand with which I am unfamiliar today at the commissary after my dental appointment. Finding out tomorrow how it will turn out.
Nuked frozen peas will go with anything. The frozen is infinitely better than the canned variety.
Indeed you are correct sir…I will sometimes saute a few shrimp in olive oil and garlic butter…and toss into pasta, quite often accompanied by nuked frozen peas….
I also have been known in the cooler months to use some extra wide egg noodles covered in butter and sprinkle farmer’s cheese on them….your nuked frozen peas add a delightful color and crunch to this option as well…
Cutting boneless chicken into “tenders” instead of paying extra for it, or buying the even less expensive split breasts and deboning it yourself saves a lot of money. And you have the bones if you want to boil them for stock, but you have to freeze that or it will spoil quickly.