We were supposed to have some people over for a late lunch early supper the other day and I had bought a couple of small briskets to make for us all to enjoy.  Alas the weather interfered with our plans and so I froze one of the briskets for another time, and cooked one for Todd and I to enjoy on the day.

 

I didn't do it in my usual way this time.  I found a recipe for a pot roast in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook entitled "Comfort Food Lightened Up".   I had to adapt it big time because it called for things I didn't have or want to use, but the basic concept sounded good and so I used it as a backbone for what I ended up doing in the end (with most delicious results, I might add!).

 

Normally I cook my pot roasts in the slow cooker, but I didn't feel like dragging it out on Friday.  I did this in the oven.  You can see it resulted in lovely tender meat, but sliceable meat, which was great!  In the slow cooker it takes a lot longer and the meat falls apart so you can't really slice it. The original recipe had called for browning the roast first and for using a boneless beef chuck roast.

 

Even lightened up it came in at over 500 calories a serving, so I used brisket, which is a lot leaner, and I did not brown it first.  I just seasoned the meat all over and then lay it on top of some sliced raw onions in my La Creuset covered casserole dish.

 

Then I stirred together some beef stock, tomato sauce/passata, and a bit of brown sugar.  I added some prepared horseradish and Dijon mustard, and some celery salt.  This got poured over top and then it roasted covered in a moderate oven for about 3 hours or so.

 

At the end I took the meat out to rest for a time, while I simmered the pan juices on top of the stove until they got as thick as I wanted them to be, with the end result being a delicious onion sauce that we were able to spoon over our tender slices of beef.  It was really lovely!  I served it with mashed potatoes, mashed swede (rutabaga) and cooked carrots.  Todd was in man-meat-and-potatoes heaven!

 

*Another Pot Roast*

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Rub the roast all over with the crushed garlic, salt and black pepper. 

Place the onion in the bottom of a heavy flame proof oven casserole (I use a La Crueset enameled round roasting dish).  Place the roast on top of the onion.  Put the broken bayleaf in the pan. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour around the roast in the dish.  Cover tightly and roast in the preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, at which time the roast should be quite tender.  Remove the roast to a platter and tent with foil.  Discard the bay leaf. Place the roasting dish over medium heat and simmer briskly until the sauce is of the desired consistency.  Serve the roast sliced with some of the sauce spooned over top.  

I like to serve this with potatoes (mashed or boiled) and a cooked vegetable . . .  carrots, peas, swede, etc. 

 

You could of course add peeled halved potatoes, and carrots in with the meat for the last hour of roasting.  I don't though as Todd enjoys his mash and my roasting casserole was not big enough to put much else in it.  This is really delicious however and a bit different than my usual pot roast.  Tune in tomorrow to see what I did with the leftovers.  You are going to love it!  Bon Appetit!

 

It does make heavy use of some convenience foods, such as onion and garlic powders . . .

 

Italian garlic seasoning  . . .  and yes, cream of chicken soup, plus a bit of boullion powder (I use vegetable) and some chicken gravy powder to finish it off.

 

And while I am not a huge proponent of using a lot of processed foods as a rule, sometimes they come in quite handy. 

 

This really is delicious and the gravy is lovely and smooth.  The chicken is moist and tender.  Sometimes there is a danger of overcooking chicken in the slow cooker, but this cooks perfectly.

 

 

Spray a slow cooker insert with cooking spray. Drizzle in the olive oil.  Arrange the chicken breasts in one layer in the slow cooker   Sprinkle evenly with the onion powder, garlic powder and Italian Garlic Seasoning/salad dressing.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.  Remove the cover. Stir in the boullion powder. Spread the chicken soup over the chicken breasts.  Cover and cook on high for a further 1 hours cooking time.  Remove the chicken pieces with some tongs to a platter and lightly tend.  Whisk together the chicken gravy powder and 240ml of boiling water (1 cup).  Whisk this into the juices in the slow cooker, to combine well.  Pour some of the gravy over the cooked chicken and serve.  Pass the remaining gravy at the table.  Mashed potato and a green veg go very well with this. 

 

Moist, tender and delicious, with not a lot of work involved.  You can't beat it!  Bon Appetit! 

 

This is an old, old recipe gleaned from a Mennonite Community Cookery book many moons ago.  Its such a simple dish and yet so delicious!

 

Proof positive that food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good. Everything simply gets layered in the crock pot and then cooked.

 

Long and slow until the meat is falling off the bone and the potatoes and green beans are tender . . .

 

Served spooned into bowls with some of the broth and crusty bread . . .  it's simply fabulous.

 

Sometimes you can get really brave and throw in a jar or can of sauerkraut, you have drained and rinsed.  That's good too.

 

 

It would not win any beauty contests, but I think beauty is oftimes largely over-rated, don't you?

 

You cannot beat this for taste and convenience.  It leaves you hands free to get on with your day, knowing that something quite simpy tasty is bubbling away in wait for you at the end of it all.

 

Smoky ham, tender and delicious  . . .  the potatoes flavoured with ham stock, and the tender green beans . . . a slice of buttered crusty bread.  Manna from heaven, this is  . . . manna from heaven.

 

 

Place the ham hocks into a slow cooker along with the water.  Peel the potatoes, cut in half lengthwise and then into half moons, about 1/2 inch thick.  

Place the potatoes into the slow cooker on top of the ham hock.  Wash and trim the green beans.  Lay them in the slow cooker on top of the potatoes.  Cover and cook on high for about 5 hours. 

Remove the ham hocks and shred the meat, discarding any bone or fat.  Return to the crock pot and mix all gently together.  Pour into a serving dish, sprinkle with some black pepper and serve immediately.

 

Those Mennonites sure know how to cook.  I have never cooked one of their recipes but it wasn't lip smacking tasty at the end.  You could serve this with mustard pickle or pickled beetroot, and a salad on the side (or coleslaw)for a complete meal. Bon Appetit!

 

I have long been a huge fan of the flavours of French Onion Soup  . . . caramelised onion, sweet and succulent . . . cheese . . . toast . . . garlic . . .  thyme. 

When done well, it is a beautiful thing to behold and to eat.

 

Everything has to be in perfect balance however.  There cannot be too much of any one thing.  I strongly dislike it when there is too much cheese.  

I have been served French Onion Soup in restaurants where there has been so much cheese in the dish that you are almost choking while you are eating it, which is not a very nice thing at all to experience.

 

I saw a recipe this recipe for French Onion Chicken done in the slow cooker the other day. It looked really tasty and of course quite simple to make.  

Normally I am not such a big fan of chicken cooked in the slow cooker.  Its a texture thing  . . . I also think if you really overcook chicken, especially boneless and skinless chicken, you remove all of the flavour.

 

This did look appealing however and it wasn't cooked for hours and hours, which also appealed.  It said between 2 and 3 hours, which seemed just about right.   

 

Of course I could not leave well enough alone. I reduced the quantities so that I could serve only two people with it.  No waste. 

 

I added some garlic because I thought it belonged in the dish.  I was right. It did. Not too much, just a smidgen.  

I also chose to use dried thyme because well . . . I don't think fresh thyme would make much of a difference in a dish cooked in the slow cooker.  But that's just me. 

 

I also chose to add some sherry, because sherry is a beautiful addition to French Onion Soup.  

It works very well.  I also thought it would enhance the flavour of the chicken.  Again, I was right.

 

So what you are getting today is a dish that is simple to make, won't heat up your kitchen.

Sized just perfectly for us, it is just a tiny bit sophisticated without being over the top, and which is totally delicious.  All winning qualities as far as I am concerned! 

 

 

  

I did kind of a dry run for Christmas dinner the other week.  Its never a good idea to try out new recipes ON the special day so I usually try them out ahead of time.  

I never mind really because, if its good, I get to actually enjoy a special meal twice and we all know how much I love my food! 

 

 Turkey is the meat of choice in most homes for Christmas Dinner.  I know that it is also the choice of meat for the holidays in Canada.  In America, probably not, since they just had turkey for Thanksgiving, but if they are anything like me, they never quite get tired of eating turkey.  

Well, just so long as it is cooked well that is.  Ain't nobody going to like a poorly cooked dry turkey!!!

 

This year I decided to try cooking a Turkey Crown in the slow cooker and I have to say that I was totally pleased with the results. 

 It was so easy to do, and resulted in a perfectly cooked and deliciously moist turkey!  I adapted the idea from a recipe I discovered on Skinny Taste.

 

So not only is this delicious, but it is also relatively low in fat as well.  If you really were craving a brown looking turkey, you could finish it off in the oven for about 15 minutes, but I did not bother.   

I basically was just wanting to see how the recipe worked and how it tasted.  

 

 I was so pleased with the results that I am doing it again on Christmas Day, which works perfectly for me as this year Christmas is on a Sunday and we will be spending an hour in church in the morning, so I won't be home to tend any turkeys. 

Not only was this simple to do and the meat tender and delicious, but the gravy was some of the best gravy I have ever eaten.  I give this recipe a resounding ten out of ten!

 

 

 

 

I should actually call these Sunday Tacos.  The delicious beef filling is made in the slow cooker and on Sundays the slow cooker is my best friend!   💕