#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!

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.

A Valentines Feast

I know Valentine's Day is a made up, capitalistic holiday where corporations make people go and spend their hard earned money on their loved ones - but I love a day where you're suppose to make that special effort for the one you love.  I'm a girl that grew up on Disney Princesses and 90s Rom-Coms, so I'll take any excuse to get some extra attention and romance.  This year we aren't spending any money on gifts or expensive dinners that aren't really worth.  Valentines dinners are such a pain with the big crowds and bad service.  Instead, we're making dinner for each other and having a nice quiet night in.

Sunday night, he made a great dinner for me which included steak, salmon, lobster-tails, and his unique broccoli recipe (the only way I'll actually eat it, mainly because veggies are gross).  Now this wasn't a cheap dinner, but it was significantly less expensive then getting flowers delivered or going out.  I loved it because we work well together in the kitchen and got to spend so quality time making food.

Pot Roast

On Tuesday I'm going to be making him a roast in the crockpot.

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 lb. red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed (pretty much the same as mincing, slightly larger)
3 fresh thyme sprigs (run your finger along the thyme branch-thing to take off the leaves)
1 bay leaf
1 beef rump roast, 3 to 4 lb.
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
The night before I'm going to chop my onions, carrots, potatoes, and garlic and set them aside.

The morning of I'll put the chopped ingredients into the crockpot along with the thyme, bay leaf, beef stock, and tomato sauce.  Season the roast with salt and pepper and coat with flour.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan and brown on all sides (about 4 minutes total), and add to the crockpot.  Turn the crockpot on low and head off to work (cook for about 10 hours).

Mexican Chicken Results

Yummm.... I love coming home to an apartment that smells delicious, it's such a good way to end the workday on a good note and always calms me even if its been a bad day.  Last night was no exception.  I got off of work much later than expected, so the chicken was cooking for about 9.5 hours on low.  Thankfully, the broth prevented it from drying out or burning.

When putting everything together in the morning, there was a bit of chicken broth left over, so I just put it in anyway and added a bit more salsa.  After I got home, I heated the oven and shredded the chicken.  The chicken just fell apart, so that only took about 5 minutes, maybe less.  I was starving, so I started eating the chicken while I made the enchiladas :)

I rolled tortillas filled with chicken and cheese and then topped it off with store-bought green enchilada sauce and lots of cheese.  I put it in the oven for about 10 minutes while I cleaned up.

I'd give this recipe an A.  It was a little spicy and very flavorful.  Next time I make it, I'll probably do tacos or something where the flavor comes out more and isn't masked by the sauce on top.  This was cheap, easy, and tasted great.  I love my crockpot!