#12: Crockpot chuck roast tacos

Chuck Roast Tacos

Ingredients:

4 lbs chuck roast - (I thought this was WAY too much so I used 2.5 lbs)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups diced green chile pepper (i used a can)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 (5 ounce) bottle hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Trim off any excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides and then transfer to your crockpot 

Top with onions,Season with green chile peppers, chili powder, cayenne pepper, hot pepper sauce, and garlic powder. Add enough water to cover 1/3 of the roast. 

The directions said cook on high for 6 hours, then Reduce heat to Low, and continue cooking for 2 to 4 hours, or until meat is totally tender and falls apart - I used less meat and I am not home to do that, so I just cooked it on low for 9 hours.

Put in tortilla with any toppings you like, i prefer cheese and onions, and bon appetit!

Coachella Music Festival

 

Coachella was by far one of the best experiences I've had. Highlights of the weekend: Swedish House Mafia, Radiohead, Calvin Harris & Rhianna, the entire Dre and Snoop set including Eminem and TUPAC!!!! Ahh Coachella, you were amazing.

 

 Camping wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.  Setting up wasn't to hard and after that it was really a piece of cake.  I think going with veteran campers was a huge help, and made it a great experience.  We barbequed, napped, and just hung out for a good portion of the weekend.  Having showers at the campgrounds was great and the porter-potties were gross, as expected, but they cleaned them out a few times a day.

The weather was very unexpected.  It rained the first day, which has never happened at Coachella before, and I wasn't completely prepared for that, but it worked out.  Saturday was warm with a cold and windy night, and Sunday was your standard hot Coachella weather.

Coachella itself was amazing.  They had all kinds of food stands and trucks to eat at, and most the food was really good.  Water was pretty cheap thankfully, and they had refilling stations if you didn't want to pay the $2 for a new bottle.  H&M has a genius marketing team and had a building where they gave free water, toiletries, and an air-conditioned lounging area.  So we stopped there at least once a day.

The artists were amazing to watch and the stage designs, pyrotechnics, etc were fantastic!  David Guetta and Kaskade definitely should've been on the main stage or outdoor stage, but they were awesome.  Swedish House Mafia and Radio head were shows of a lifetime and I'm so glad I got to see them.  And then there was Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to close the weekend and celebrate 20 years of performing together... Their set was beyond words, they pulled out every stop, from bringing on 50 cent, Wiz Khalifa, and other guest performers to doing a tribute to Nate Dogg, bringing out Eminem, and raising Tupac from the dead.  The crowd went wild and there was never a dull moment.

Adventure 11: Camping & Coachella

I'm so excited for Coachella!!!! The line-up is amazing especially with rumors that Eminem is going to show and while yes, I am a bit worried about camping, it should be a great experience, and thankfully my friend who went last year is giving me advice about what to bring.  Other than clothes, toiletries, and food, I'm bringing a tent, easy-up canopy, tent fan, sleeping bags, bed sheet, air mattress w/ pump, foldable chairs, tarp, blow up pool, lots and lots and lots of water, a folding table, solar lights, towels, and a cooler. 

We're headed out Thursday and have Monday off of work so I can have a recovery/unpacking/laundry day.  I'm so glad they have showers at the camp site.  It's going to be an awesome weekend!

Ropa Vieja Results

B+!

The Ropa Vieja turned out great. It shredded effortlessly and went really well with rice and biscuits.  The olives and brine did make it bitter, so if you don't like that just leave it out.  My boyfriend hated the olive taste and didn't eat much, but I liked it.  If I make any changes next time, I might just add the olives but leave out the juice.  The meat was tender and I liked the flavor the onion and peppers gave it.  This one is worth doing again :)

Adventure 9: Ropa Vieja

I got this recipe from my grandma's Food Network magazine and really wanted to try it.  I'll serve this over rice.

Ingredients: 
15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp ketchup
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves mined garlic
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (with seeds)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 lbs skirt steak
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green)
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives and 1 tbsp brine

Directions: 
Mix tomatoes, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, cumin, jalapeno, and salt tin the slow cooker.  Then add steak, bell peppers, and onion.  Toss to coat and cook on low for 8 hours.  Add olives and brine when read to serve.

Adventure 8: NYC

A 5 day adventure in NYC with my cousin started with a red eye flight with a layover in Chicago. We had very little sleep and met up with our cousin who took us out to brunch in the Brooklyn. The brunch was really good and definitely filled us up. We walked over a bridge and had a great view of the Manhattan skyline. After a much needed nap and shower we went to dinner in Chelsey.



Our second day we got to see the NYC Ballet and saw Romeo and Juliet which was really good. Dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill was delicious and dessert at Serendipity was the perfect way to end the night.

Shrimp Tamale

Forbidden Broadway Sundae

Filet Mignon

Day 3 was filled with so much walking. We went to the Empire State Building and saw such an incredible view of the city. We went to the Museum of Natural History and got to see some great exhibits although there were a million kids and we didn't stay too long. We saw Times Square at night which was fun and looked awesome.

Day 4: we went to the 9-11 memorial which was beautiful. They're rebuilding the towers very close but have placed memorial pools where the original towers once stood. We went to Brooklyn to get our nails done, and it was really cool to experience the non-touristy part of New York. We then got back to Manhattan and saw Wicked. The play was incredible with such great music, acting, and the voices of Glinda and Elfie were remarkable. This is a play I would love to see again and again.

Day 5: Back to Times Square for some shopping! We also went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum which was pretty awesome. It was cool to see rooms full of wax celebrities and take pictures with your favorites. We had a great dinner at Stand4 which specializes in burgers and shakes, both were delicious.

Pot Roast Results

The pot roast was delicious. I liked eating it more as a stew with a lot of the broth on it. The flavor was great and the onions and carrots really blended well together. The roast just fell apart when I picked it up to cut it, so no knife necessary. This is great for cloudy weather and I will most likely eat it again. It was great as leftovers too. I added a little hot sauce to it which was really good and I might try next time while I cook it.