Classic Pot Roast

Another good recipe from parents.com...
but next time I'm going to double the amount of carrots and mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup baby carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 rib celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 boneless chuck roast (about 3 pounds), tied
• 1 teaspoon olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups sliced white button mushrooms OR: 1 package (8 ounces) sliced white button mushrooms
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound egg noodles

Directions:

1. In 5- to 5 1/2-quart slow cooker, layer onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Rub the roast all over with the 1 teaspoon olive oil; season the roast with the salt and pepper. Scatter the mushrooms over the vegetables in the slow cooker, and place the chuck roast on top. Tuck thyme sprigs and bay leaf into mixture.

2. In medium-size bowl, whisk together beef broth, wine and tomato paste; pour over meat.

3. Cover slow cooker; cook on high heat for 6 hours.

4. Remove chuck roast from slow cooker; keep warm.

5. Pour the liquid with the vegetable mixture from the slow cooker into a medium-size saucepan; remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.

6. In a small cup, stir together the 2 tablespoons olive oil and flour until well blended and smooth. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid in the saucepan. Boil, stirring, until liquid is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

7. Meanwhile, cook noodles in large pot of lightly salted boiling water following package directions. Drain the noodles well.

8. Slice pot roast. Serve with gravy and cooked noodles.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 10 servings
• Calories 545,
• Total Fat (g) 30,
• Saturated Fat (g) 10,
• Cholesterol (mg) 130,
• Sodium (mg) 433,
• Carbohydrate (g) 34,
• Fiber (g) 2,
• Protein (g) 33,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Rule of Two Sausage Dish

This is a dinner that Trav's mom made once and I have sorta turned into my own. She makes it with just the pots and sausage. I wanted an easy way to add a vegetable that offered more than just carbs, so that's where the green beans come in. And I don't think it actually has a name, so I named it 'Rule of Two Sausage Dish' just this very moment. You'll see why as you read on...although I bet you can guess why...

Ingredients:
2 packages beef smoked sausage (I use Hillshire Farm because it's cheap @ Wal-Mart)
2 cans cut green beans
2 large russet potatoes
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz each, or 1 big 26oz can, if you like... I'll explain more in the directions)

Directions:
Chop sausage and potatoes into bite sized pieces. Drain green beans and mix everything together in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. (If you have one with extra deep sides, that would be easiest for you to mix it in.) Mix all the ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for around 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Basically until the potatoes are done. As far as using two 10.75 oz cans of soup versus the big 26 oz can, it depends on the consistency you prefer and how you're cooking it. When I cook it in the oven, I use the big can because I like my food to be plenty moist and have lots of whatever the "sauce" is. But, the big can is too much if you're cooking in the crock pot, so that's when I use the small cans. And for those who like a low-fat alternative... you can substitute the beef sausage for a turkey blend option and you can substitute the regular Cream of Mushroom Soup with the Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup. I do not recommend both substitutions in the same dish, however, because the flavor will be a bit bland. If I had to pick the substitution that tastes the best it's the regular beef sausage with the Healthy request soup; hands down. The texture and flavor of the regular sausage is SOOOO much better. And even though the crock pot is obviously the more comfortable choice during the summer months, the oven baked version is extra yummy because the top of the dish gets a bit of a crispy texture as it cooks that it doesn't have the chance to develop in the crock pot.

I made this for my sister tonight, but forgot to take a picture. I'm making it for us on Monday (in the crock pot) so hopefully I'll remember to snap a shot then.

Slow Cooker Apple-Cinnamon Pork Roast

Well, this recipe I received via email from Parents.com. Just tried it tonight and we loved it! It had a great flavor and was really tender. The only thing I didn't do according to the recipe is add the lemon juice to the slaw. (Partly because I forgot until the end and partly because I liked it without an extra layer of flavor.) I love when a crockpot meal is a hit- hooray for not having to cook dinner in the oven when it's 108 degrees outside!

Ingredients

• 1 2.5 to 3 pound boneless pork-loin roast

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into thin wedges

• 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice

• 2 Jonagold or McIntosh apples, cored and thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix

Directions

1. If the roast won't fit in your 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, trim it and save the pieces for stir-fry later in the week. Then sprinkle the roast with thyme, salt, and pepper. In a large skillet, brown meat on all sides in hot oil.

2. Layer the onion on the bottom of your slow cooker. Place roast on top and pour on the apple cider- we prefer cider because it has a bit more fiber. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Toss apples with lemon juice and cinnamon. Add them and the coleslaw mix to your slow cooker. Cover and heat 10 minutes more.

3. Remove the roast and place it on a platter. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables and apple slices to the platter. Drizzle any remaining cooking juices over meat and vegetables.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe: 6 to 8 servings, Calories 368, Total Fat (g) 15, Sodium (mg) 273, Carbohydrate (g) 12, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 43,

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Crackpot Green Chile Chicken

I got this recipe from our witty and intellectual friend Martin's mother, Bev. She's a fabulous cook (and person, for that matter.) We were in college at the time and Trav came home to our tiny apartment raving about the meal Bev had made for them. They had this arrangement that Travis would give Martin rides to and from their classes (they were in the same degree program) in exchange for meals at the Sector residence. Classic. Wish I was Travis back then. I had to live on breakfast bars and shakes between classes. Anyway, this is without a doubt one of my favorite recipes because it is SO easy and super tasty. I haven't modified it at all because it's perfect just the way it is. Just don't make the same mistake I did the first time I cooked it and use sour cream instead of cream cheese. I thought it was a typo, but the cream cheese is what gives it the extra layer of flavor and creamy texture. Also, I'd like to dedicate this recipe to my friend, Genifer. The reason: because it only has a few ingredients and that's just the type of recipe Nob likes to cook from.


Crackpot Green Chile Chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can green chili enchilada sauce ( I prefer Hatch's because it's a little more mild than Macayo's)
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked rice

Cook chicken and sauce in crockpot for 8-10 hours on low or 6 hours on high. Half an hour before serving stir in cream cheese and begin preparing rice according to directions.