Roast Beef (Slow Cooker)

1 2-3lb roast (rump, pot or chuck)
1 onion, cut into chunks
salt & pepper
1 can Coke (or Dr. Pepper)
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 c beef broth (I used 1 hefty tablespoon Better than Bouillon and 2 c water, but canned broth is fine)
3 cloves garlic peeled & crushed
¼ c flour
2 T parsley flakes
1 T onion powder
½ tsp of each of the following: Lawry's Seasoned Salt, ground white pepper, ground oregano, celery seed, Italian seasoning, paprika.
2 bay leaves

Set your slow cooker on low and cover the bottom of the crock with the onions. Generously salt and pepper the roast and place on top of the onions.

In a blender, mix the Coke, tomato paste, beef broth, garlic and flour on a low speed (so the carbonation from the soda doesn't blow the top of the blender off), then at a high speed until well blended. Add everything but the bay leaves and blend again until mixed. Pour over the meat and onions in the crock. Toss in the bay leaves and cover.

Stir VERY infrequently (every time you remove the lid, you add 20 mins to the cook time) and cook for the next 6-8 hours on low. It doesn't hurt to leave it in longer, but add an extra ¼ - ½ c of broth for anything over 8 hours. The gravy should thicken as it cooks. If it becomes too thick, add a bit more water or broth to thin it out. Make sure to remove bay leaves before serving.

Best with mashed potatoes. Leftovers are excellent for beef & noodles!

Sugared Broccoli

3 T butter/margarine
2 T brown sugar
1 lb fresh broccoli (or frozen pieces, thawed and drained)
1 c chicken broth

In a skillet, melt butter and add brown sugar, cooking on medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved. Add broccoli and saute for two minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 8-10 minutes until broccoli is tender. Remove broccoli and keep warm. Cook sauce uncovered until reduced by half. Pour over broccoli and serve.

Beer Cheese Soup

2 lb box Velveeta, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
2 T butter/margarine
1½ c milk
½ c beer
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
few dashes Frank's hot sauce

Melt butter over medium-high heat and cook onion & garlic in a saucepan until translucent. Lower heat to medium-low and add cheese, milk, beer, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Stirring frequently, cook until cheese has melted. You can add more beer, if you choose, but it does have a strong beer taste if you do.

Dee's potatoes

A while ago, I worked at a transportation company and the best part of that lousy job was all the food days we had. And the best part of the food days was a slow cooker full of these potatoes. When I left that craphole place, my severance pay was Dee's recipe in my hands. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 2lb bag chunk-style hash brown potatoes
1 16oz carton sour cream
2 c shredded cheddar cheese (Colby Jack is good, too)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 T butter
2 T chives
½ medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and put in slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours (6-8 hrs if hash browns are still frozen). You can top with crushed Ritz crackers or corn flakes if you want added texture.

Cake Mix Cookies

I hate baking. No, seriously. I hate it. I can't stand the mess. I don't like the hassle and I tend to burn everything that goes into my oven. These, however, were easy peasy. FIVE ingredients.

1 box cake mix (your choice of flavor - I used Devil's Food Cake)
1 egg
¼ c applesauce (or oil, if you don't have applesauce)
¼ c water
1 c add-in of your choice (I wanted to use the Cherry Cordial M&M's, but SOMEbody ate them all, so I used plain)

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix first four ingredients together until smooth. Stir in add-in's. Using a miniature ice cream scooper (or a teaspoon), drop small balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully, using a spatula, place them on a cooling rack. Serve with frosting or ice cream.

And a big glass of milk.

Makes about 3 dozen.

(and yes, I burned the first batch.)

Mexican Lasagna

My nephew requested a Mexican-style version of my lasagna recipe a few weeks ago. This post is for him.

1 box lasagna noodles
*1 qt chili (homemade works best, but you can use canned, if you prefer)
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
½ pkg shredded colby jack cheese (or the cheese blend of your choice)
1 jar nacho cheese sauce (queso is fine, too)
1 large can refried beans

Optional toppings:
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
black olives
sour cream
chopped green onions
guacamole


Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook noodles according to package directions. While they're cooking, heat up the chili and the refried beans (separately). Put the peppers and onions and a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and sautée until onions turn transparent. When they're done, add to the chili.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with a couple scoops of chili. Then add a layer of cooked noodles so they cover the chili. Add another layer of noodles, then add a thick layer of beans and cover with a light layer of cheese sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Add a layer of chili. Repeat these layers until you get close to the top. On the top layer, put the rest of the nacho cheese sauce. You want to leave a little bit of room so you can put the shredded cheese on top later.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 mins. Remove foil, cover with shredded cheese and bake an additional 10 mins. Let sit for 10 minutes. Cover with optional toppings if you choose and serve.

* If you don't have chili, you can substitute 3lbs browned ground beef, 1 - 15oz can tomato sauce, and 1 - 28oz can enchilada sauce.