Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2lb beef stew meat
3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 cup mushrooms (quartered)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cans (14 oz each) beef broth (I think you need 4 cans of broth)
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed

Directions:

1.Spray 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all ingredients except peas.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 9-10 hours

3. Stir in peas. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes longer or until peas are tender.

The Results:

This soup was super good. My only recommendation would be to add an extra can of broth and to add more salt and a LITTLE more pepper. You just will have to taste it to your liking. I also added the mushrooms. Add if you want. You could add in potatoes too. Everything else was perfect. My husband wanted his topped with cheese. I thought it was good without. It was a quick and easy dinner. I got the recipe out of my little crockpot recipe book. ENJOY!

Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2-3 lb round roast
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp of dried thyme
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder

Preheat oven to 275 degrees; Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. In a bowl, combine all seasonings & mix well. Rub the meat thoroughly with seasoning mixture until gone. Place in hot skillet & sear all sides of the beef.

Once seared add the following ingredients:

1/2 yellow sweet onion, chopped into large pieces
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped (I use 5)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of beef broth
8-10 white button or cremini mushrooms
2 stalks of celery
1 bay leaf

Bake in the oven for 4-5 hours.

10 baby carrots (add 1 hour before the pot roast is done cooking)
10 baby red potatoes (add 1 hour before the pot roast is done cooking)

About an hour before the pot roast is done cooking, add the baby carrots & baby red potatoes (they'll be perfectly cooked - not soggy). Let pot roast sit on cutting board for a few minutes before slicing. Strain remaining sauce through a collander and into a bowl; return strained liquid to the Dutch oven. Separate the potatoes, carrots & mushrooms (onions if you wish) to the serving plate. Boil sauce down for 5 minutes (add some corn starch mixed with beef broth or water, if you want a thicker sauce) and drizzle over sliced pot roast. Serve with carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Enjoy.

The Results:
This week I am making dinner from the recipe food blog For The Love of Cooking http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/. Everything I see on Pam's blog looks so good. The things I did different was use a Chuck Roast and I put everything into the crock pot to cook. I seared the roast with all the seasoning before I put it into the crock pot.I also made a gravy but didn't take a picture. I just put the broth left over after cooking in the crock pot into a pan and let it come to a boil and then added in the flour and water mixture and whisked together until you have gravy and season it to your taste. This pot roast was so good and tender. Perfect for a Sunday meal.

BBQ Shredded Chicken Sandwich and Red Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts ( I put them in frozen)
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce ( I used Tony Roma's bbq sauce, use whatever you want)
1/2 cup onions (chopped)

Directions:
Place the chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, onion in the cockpot on High for 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken with it is done. Serve on a hamburger buns with some cheese. :)
The Results:
This is always quick, easy and good.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound clean, scrubbed new red potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

* 1 tsp. mustard

* sprinkle of paprika

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion and celery. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

The Results:

This was so yummy. I will make it again. I added a tsp of mustard just for an extra kick and I topped it with paprika. I got the recipe from allrecipes but changed it up a little. Don't forget to salt and pepper. That's always a must. :)

Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) bag frozen onions

1 (8-ounce) bag frozen baby carrots

1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms

1/2 pound small new potatoes, halved

4 pounds beef chuck roast, rinsed and patted dry

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 packet onion soup mix

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1/4 cup steak sauce

Directions:

Into a slow cooker, put the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Season the roast with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat on all sides in oil. When it is browned, put it in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables. In a small bowl, stir together the cream of celery soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, and steak sauce. Pour over top of roast. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.

The Results:

* This picture doesn't do it justice. It was good and even better that it was done in the crock pot.

* I got the recipe off of foodtv.com Sandra Lee Semi Homemade