Mississippi Pot Roast

This recipe is all over the net but I found it here specifically. I followed exactly except I did not have pepperoncini on hand & used banana peppers instead. It was absolutely outstanding. Since I didn't have 8 hours to spare before dinner, I started out on high for a few hours then reduced to low for the last couple. But next time, I will go low and slow all the way. There was no way to improve on this recipe and was the most flavorful roast I ever had. Served with mashed taters.

1 (3-4 pounds) chuck roast
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet au jus gravy mix
1/4 cup butter
4-5 pepperoncini peppers
 
Place roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle the top with the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix. Place peppers on top of the mixes, and add the butter. Cook over low heat for 8 hours. Serve with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Do not add any water or broth to this! It will make enough liquid as it cooks. This tastes delicious with potatoes and carrots! I like to add a few quartered russet potatoes and a large handful of baby carrots to the crockpot when there is about 1-2 hours left of cooking time.

Crockpot Ravioli Lasagna

Hubs found this recipe on a Facebook page called Mimukbangs. It was excellent. You can really do as you wish with amounts of everything. Below yielded 2 layers of ravioli and 2 layers of beef. It could use a 3rd layer but that's personal preference. I bought a 44oz bag ravioli and had plenty leftover but used all of everything else. 

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli 

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

1 jar (24 oz) of your favorite pasta sauce 

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained (use 2 lbs for extra meatiness) 

Add a thin layer of pasta sauce at the bottom of the crockpot to prevent sticking. Layer the ingredients in the crockpot in the following order: ravioli, browned ground beef, shredded Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and pasta sauce. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of sauce and cheese on top. Cook: Set the crockpot to cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. This allows the ravioli to cook through and the cheese to melt and become bubbly. Servings: 6

Whole Chicken in a Crockpot & Asian Inspired Asparagus

I invited my parents over for an easy mid-week dinner before they were heading up North for a few days. I wanted to make an effort without taking up too much time since I work all day. I had a whole chicken in the freezer so I researched putting one in a crockpot & this is what I found. It paired perfectly with Jasmine rice as well as some asparagus I put my own little Asian twist on.

And since I have missed joining Angie at 7 Seven Clown Circus since minimizing posts, I am pimpin' my recipe out to WW. After all, it's still a pic with a whole lotta words. Plus, you're bound to get hungry after hopping around Wordful Wednesday!

It was fall of the bone good!!!!!

WHOLE CHICKEN IN A CROCKPOT

{Printable Recipe}

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, skin removed
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tblsp minced garlic



Remove skin from chicken & empty inner cavity of contents within. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel & and place inside the slow cooker.

In a bowl, stir together the chicken broth, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sesame oil & minced garlic. Pour mixture over chicken & cover.

Cook chicken on low setting for 8 hours, or 4 hours on high setting.

ASIAN INSPIRED ASPARAGUS

{Printable Recipe}


2 tsp sesame oil
1 pkg fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Ground ginger
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chili garlic sauce
A dash or two red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add asparagus & toss for a minute or two. Add garlic & cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. If pan becomes dry, just add a little water. As soon as the steam rises, cover asparagus & cook over low heat, tossing occasionally, until it reaches your desired doneness. Tender with a little crisp took about 10-15 minutes over low heat.

{Food for Thought}

This asparagus definitely had a kick to it which is always welcome in my house but omit the red pepper flakes if you don't enjoy the heat.

This deliciousness is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays &

Crockpot Wednesdays &

Wordful Wednesdays &

Feels Like Home

The Crockpot Chronicles - Grandpa J's Creole Mix

My parents came over for dinner Tuesday night so we can see one another before they went away this weekend.

Anyway, Dad wanted spicy & I needed fast, since I don't get home until 6. I had some shrimp & chicken sausage in the freezer so my decision revolved around that. I adjusted a recipe I found online & created this. So far, it's one of my favorite crockpot recipes. There's no cream of's so it's healthy, you can make it as spicy as you want with the Tabasco & choose whatever meat or fish you like. The sausage & shrimp combo was just right.

I dubbed it Grandpa J's because John is my Dad & he scarfed down 3 plates!! It's the least I could do.

Grandpa J's Creole Mix

1 1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 c diced celery
1 c chopped onion
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
S & P
Tabasco sauce (I used a lot to get it spicy as we like)
Aidell's Chicken & Apple Sausage, partially thawed & sliced thick
Cayenne Pepper, as needed
Cornstarch, as needed
1 lb shrimp


Combine all ingredients except shrimp in slow cooker. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. If using raw shrimp, add in the last hour of cooking. I had cooked shrimp so I threw them in 15 minutes before serving. I added some cayenne pepper at the end for a little more heat as well as a cornstarch/water mixture to thicken sauce a tad. Serve over hot jasmine rice. The kind pictured above is my absolute fav of all white rices.

Click Here for a Printable Recipe

The Crockpot Chronicles - Sweet Shredded Pork

Oh, how I have been anxious to post this recipe since making it for Monday night's dinner. I found it at Kaysville Momma who's now hanging out here. It was so amazing, exceeded any expectation for something so simple to prepare & it's simply the best pulled pork I ever had. Serve it over rice or in a tortilla or my favorite, on a fresh kaiser roll with a little shredded mozzarella. This would also be excellent with chicken!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will certainly be cooking a bit but mostly getting ready for Tristan's 5th birthday party next weekend. I'll be done with New Moon tonight. Le Sigh. But I may or may not fight myself tooth & nail (ha ha, I just caught that, no pun was intended) to go to the bookstore to get Eclipse. That's right, I may have to give myself a week's rest so I can prepare for the party because it seems I can't get my head out of Forks. As for this 2nd book, no disappointment here!!!

Sweet Shredded Pork

Put a pork roast in your crock pot. Add 2 cups of salsa, 1 can of coke (not diet) & 1 cup of brown sugar. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Shred with forks in crockpot just before serving & remove any bones. Place some shredded mozzarella on roll, pour some meat on top drizzling a little extra sauce, maybe some more cheese, hmmmm. Too easy!!!!!!

The Crockpot Chronicles - Pork Tenderloin Creole

This 2nd installment of the Crockpot Chronicles was enjoyed this past Friday evening & was perfect for a family supper.  What I loved was being able to pull some of the tenderloin pieces out of the whole mix for Tristan to eat since he doesn't go for the rest. If you don't like creole you could still enjoy this dish since I didn't find it very Creole-ish.

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs total
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp Creole seasoning
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 small green or red bell pepper, coarsely chopped (or a mixture of both)
1 rib celery, sliced
1 package chicken gravy mix (I bought 1 jar)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

Cut tenderloins in half. Dredge in a mixture of flour & the Creole seasoning. Place tenderloins in crock pot. Scatter onion, pepper, & celery over the pork. Cover & cook on low for 7 to 9 hours (I would not do for more than 7 hours). The last 30 minutes, add the dry gravy mix or jarred gravy & tomatoes. Continue cooking on high for about 30 more minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

I highly recommend red beans & rice as a side. I stood in front of the rices for 10 minutes to see which would really complement the dish. Terry & I both agreed the red beans & rice was perfect!

My Thoughts:

I tasted the sauce when I got home & felt it was too bland so I added more creole seasoning to the crockpot as well as garlic powder & salt & pepper. I also added just a little cornstarch/water mixture to thicken it up a bit. 

The Crockpot Chronicles - Crock Pot Roast

The rump roast I had in my freezer for 2 months, and wanted to get rid of, was the inspiration here. This was prepared Friday morning & enjoyed shortly after I came home. The great thing about this one is we used it for leftovers on Sunday evening for my husband's version of a hot shot, something he has grown up on & enjoyed immensely. We get 2 recipes in one today.














Crock Pot Roast

3-4 lb rump roast (mine was a standard size)
Small bag of potatoes (I used fingerling)
1 Vidalia Onion, sliced
Brown gravy mix (I used one jar of prepared from my pantry)
1 can of Cream of mushroom soup
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Cut potatoes (I did not take the skin off) in small pieces & put half in the bottom of the crockpot. Season with salt, pepper & garlic powder. Pour a little of the brown gravy over the potatoes. Set pot roast on top of the potatoes. Lay the sliced onion on top & sides of the meat. Put rest of the potatoes in pot & season everything again. Pour the cream of mushroom as well as the rest of the gravy mix over all. Cook on high for 6-7 hours. I did mine for 6 hours and let it stay on warm until I came home.

Next time I would add carrots or a vegetable to it. We served it over noodles even though there were potatoes in the dish, something we normally don't do. I just wasn't prepared for a side. Too much starch of course so next time I may omit the potatoes, especially since we used them in the hot shots below which calls for mashed potatoes.

Hot Shot













Terry grew up on pot roast quite a bit so for leftovers they would always make sandwiches. This one specifically has mashed potatoes in the middle of the sandwich & lots of gravy poured over it. Since this was a last minute leftover idea, Terry had to fish out the cut up potatoes from the roast &.then make fresh mashed potatoes. I also did not have enough leftover gravy but usually there would be much more poured on top here. Just make a sandwich out of your meat. Plop some potatoes in the middle & then pour lots of your gravy all over.

Terry really enjoyed this as he is a huge sandwich guy. As for me, I just had some pot roast over the mashed potatoes.