susan

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

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Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This recipe is pretty flexible and if you have a large slow cooker you can make TWO roasts! Just double all the ingredients and give one to someone who would enjoy a nice prepared meal! New parents, an elderly parent, someone who has suffered a loss really will enjoy this comforting roast. Also, two chuck roasts will feed a family of 7-8.
The browning of the chuck roast in the sauté pan is optional, if you are busy or sometimes like me I make it before work in the morning and I don’t have time to brown the meat so I just put it in there. It’s still super delicious either way. My family enjoys mashed potatoes and gravy to go with our roast.
Tools
  • A Slow Cooker like a Crock-Pot or Instant Pot
  • Large sauté pan (optional)
  • Large fork or tongs
  • Cutting board
  • Large knife

Ingredients

Fresh Roast

Fresh Roast

  • 3- 4-pound chuck roast
  • One onion sliced
  • 3 – 4 cloves of garlic smashed
  • 3-4 carrots cut into chunks
  • Sprig of rosemary
  • One 2-ounce package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
  • 3 cups of low sodium beef broth
  • 1/2 cup of beer or red wine (optional)
  • Olive oil (optional)
  • Pepper to taste
Recipe
  • If you have time— brown the Chuck roast on either side on high heat for about five minutes on each side.
  • Meanwhile, chop onions into small pieces
  • Cut carrots into thirds
  • Place the onions, garlic, and carrots on the bottom and sides of the crockpot
  • Place the seared or un-seared pot roast on top of the vegetables
  • Sprinkle the roast and vegetables with the onion soup mix
  • Add rosemary and a teaspoon or so of black pepper
  • Pour broth (and a beer or wine if you are using) around and on top of roast until liquid comes up to one inch below the roast
  • Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-9. A fork should twist easily in the beef when it’s tender
Delish Tips
  • Don’t keep lifting the lid of the slow cooker you add cooking time every time you lift the lid
  • I prefer to use a chuck roast than an English roast the English Roast has way less fat and tends to be tough in my opinion.
  • Do not completely submerge your roast with the liquid – you’re not boiling the meat, you are braising
  • If you are browning the meat; after you put it in the slow cooker pour the broth in the hot pan and scrape the bottom of the sauté pan-all those brown bits are flavor! Then pour it on top of the meat.

Gravy 101

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Easy Gravy

Make Your Own Gravy

Making gravy for any occasion is easy once you know the not-so-secret formula.

Basic gravy is made by adding equal parts of a fat to a thickener then adding a warm liquid.

This recipe makes 2 cups of gravy.
Tools
  • Whisk
  • Liquid Measuring cup
  • Knife
  • Small pot
  • Strainer (optional)
 
Ingredients
  • FAT– butter, oil, bacon, turkey, chicken, beef, etc EQUAL PARTS TO Your Thickener
  • Thickener-Flour or cornstarch (if you use cornstarch your gravy will be light)
  • Warm Liquid – 2 cups of hot, low sodium stock (beef, turkey, chicken, etc)
Recipe
  • 3 tablespoons of beef, chicken, turkey, drippings OR butter —Melted
  • 3 tablespoons of flour stirred into the fat
  • Cook 1-2 minutes to cook the flour
  • Heat the stock
  • Whisk in hot stock gradually and bring to a boil. Whisk the whole time to prevent lumps.
  • The gravy will thicken once it comes to a boil keep stirring.
  • Turn heat to low until ready to serve.
DELISHTIPS
  • If your gravy is lumpy then pour the liquid through the strainer to remove the lumps

 

  • If your gravy isn’t as thick as you’d like, then make a paste out of a tablespoon of butter and flour in a bowl, add some gravy and whisk the butter-flour mixture until you have a really thick liquid, and then poured that into your gravy and bring to a boil again and it should thicken.

Oreo Truffles

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Oreo Truffles

Fun Oreo Truffles for Halloween

Oreo Truffles – some people call them oreo balls, but “truffles” just sounds soooo much better than balls  don’t you think?

Oreo Truffles are super simple to make, are a kid-friendly dessert, and can be decorated to match the season.  This batch was for a pre-Halloween girls trip up to my friend’s cabin.

Ingredients

  • One 1 1/3lb Oreos
  • 8oz cream cheese
  • One 11 oz bag of white chocolate chips or colored candy melts
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
  • Crush Oreos in a food processor until crumbly
  • Mix room temperature cream cheese with Oreo crumbs until a well combined dough forms
  • Roll into one-inch balls
  • Refrigerate for 30 minutes on a parchment-lined tray
  • Melt white chocolate in the microwave for one minute and stir; then continue in the microwave  for  30 seconds or until melted
  • Using a fork, dip the chilled Oreo truffles into your chocolate, tap off the excess, and then place the truffle on your parchment lined tray
  • Leave plain or decorate with sprinkles and refrigerate until set
  • Store in airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve
oreo truffles

oreo truffle

S’mores Toast

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Yummy S'mores Toast

Yummy S’mores Toast

 

A tasty snack is that is so sweet and satisfying. It’s also super quick to make AND Kid and Adult friendly.

Tools

• Toaster
• Kitchen blow torch**
• Knife

Ingredients

• Bread
• Hazelnut Spread
• Marshmallow Fluff

RecipeToast your bread.

Spread your hazelnut spread on the toast.

Top the hazelnut spread with a layer of Fluff.

Try not to mix the two together as you only want to toast the Marshmallow fluff.

Torch your marshmallow to the desired doneness and then let cool for one minute.

 

**Delishtip 1- if you don’t have a mini kitchen torch you can put these in a toaster oven or under the broiler for a minute. Just watch it carefully!

Yummy S'mores Toast

Delish Tip’s Yummy S’mores Toast