Slow Cooker Pot Roast

As the weather gets cooler, my slow cooker gets more use. I've been hunting for great slow cooker recipes and I've certainly found a few. But you can't beat a tried and true one like a classic pot roast. This is another recipe which I've tried many variations until I felt the need to come up with my own. There are plenty of great pot roast recipes out there, even one that isn't for the slow cooker that I especially love from The Pioneer Woman. But on one of those days when you just want the slow cooker to do the work for you, give this simple slow cooker pot roast a try.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Easy; Serves: 6; Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 8 1/2 hours

Taste in Bloom Original

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs roasting meat (I prefer chuck roast or brisket for this. I find eye roast turns out too tough).
• 1 1/4 cup water or beef stock (I used, and prefer, water)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp or more Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp or more garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 russett potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and diced into 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch chunks, or a bag of baby carrots
• 1/2 a bag or more of frozen peas

Preparation:

Place roasting meat in the bottom of a slow cooker with the water (or beef stock) and Worcestershire sauce. Season with Italian seasoning (or herbes de Provence), onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 7 hours.

Prepare vegetables. Carefully remove the pot roast to a cutting board and put all of the vegetables into the slow cooker in the broth. Return the pot roast to the slow cooker. Cover and set the slow cooker on high and cook for an hour or slightly longer, until the vegetables are fork tender.

Basic Beef Stew

Fall is in the air. It's my favorite season. There's just something about the cooler weather that adds an extra bounce to my step. So, I've been up and bustling about since the crack of dawn. Yesterday, we went pumpkin picking and while my husband carved a pumpkin as our 15-month old son looked on, I cooked up a pot of delicious beef stew.


In the past, I've tried different variations of beef stew. There have been some that added crushed or diced tomatoes or tomato paste to the base. Other recipes instructed searing the beef on such high heat that the outsides would char and burn and stick to the pot. Needless to say, I haven't had much luck with finding the right beef stew recipe.

This time, instead of trying to find the perfect beef stew recipe online and in cookbooks, I decided to take the knowledge learned from past mistakes and combine it with my general knowledge of cooking gained over the past few years of experience. I also read a lot of comments posted by reviewers of recipes until I came up with a recipe of my own. I got just what I wanted: a simple, hearty beef stew that my whole family, especially myself, could love. And we all loved it. Even the 15-month old.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Easy; Serves: 8; Total time: 45 minutes 

Taste in Bloom Original

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp butter, divided
• 2 lbs sirloin steak, chuck roast, or London broil chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 - 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence or oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced 
• 5oz frozen peas
• 4 cups beef stock

Preparation:

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the pieces of meat with  flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Shake the bag until all the meat pieces are thoroughly covered with flour and seasonings.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, melt one tablespoon of butter in the pot.

Sear half of the meat pieces, stirring frequently, until they are completely browned, about two to five minutes. Remove the seared meat to a plate.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil and another tablespoon of butter to the pot. It will get hot quickly, so be prepared to add the other half of meat pieces to the pot. Sear the meat as before.

Once the second batch of meat is seared, add the first batch back to the pot and add the beef stock. Bring to a boil and add all of the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low, bringing the broth to a simmer.

Simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Serve hot.

Meatloaf

Having grown up in the southern U.S., comfort foods were a staple of my childhood diet. I grew up in south Louisiana where comfort food could be defined as a steaming bowl of gumbo over white rice, a plate full of jambalaya or a tray of freshly boiled spicy crawfish, but I digress. We also spread the table with comfort foods more familiar to the greater U.S. such as fried chicken and meatloaf. This week I made meatloaf. I don't add the traditional bread crumbs to my meatloaf mix, but you can if you like.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Easy; Serves: 6 Total time: 1 hr 10 mins (10 mins for prep)

Taste in Bloom Original
Ingredients:

For the meatloaf:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 red apple, diced
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the topping:

• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, apple, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper by hand until thoroughly mixed. 

Using your hands, form mixture into a loaf and place it into a loaf pan, that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Cover with a lid or foil.

Place the loaf pan in the center of the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. 

In a small bowl, combine ketchup, spicy brown mustard and brown sugar until thoroughly mixed.

When the meatloaf has cooked for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and spread the topping evenly over the meatloaf. Replace the cover and return the meatloaf to the oven and allow it to cook for another 30 minutes.

Allow the meatloaf to sit on the counter for a few minutes before removing the cover and slicing. Serve warm.

Chicken Soup

I consider a good steaming bowl of chicken soup one of the best comfort foods out there. I love chicken soup any time of the year and for any meal of the day. My definition of a good chicken soup is one that is packed with flavor and herbs that clear up congestion in your body and soul. With every bite, take a deep breath of the steam wafting from your spoon. I sincerely hope this evokes feelings of wellness and happiness. That is what it does for me. 

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Intermediate; Serves: 6; Total time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Adapted from *Food Network - Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• one recipe Mirepoix
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 recipe chicken stock (recipe below)
• shredded chicken from one whole cooked chicken
• salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 8 oz package egg noodles

Preparation: 

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in chicken pieces. Allow to heat through for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley when ready to serve.

In a separate smaller saucepan, cook egg noodles according to package instructions. Serve separately from the soup. Noodles tend to soak up all of the soup broth if they are cooked in the soup.

Chicken Stock Recipe:

• 1 whole chicken, approximately 3 1/2 lbs (free-range preferred), rinsed, giblets discarded
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 white onions, quartered (no need to peel)
• 1 head of garlic, chopped in half (no need to peel)
• 1 turnip, ends removed, halved (no need to peel)
• 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• up to 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cover with cold water (about 3 quarts). Slowly bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface as necessary as the broth cooks. Also, if necessary, add water to make sure the chicken stays covered, careful not to add too much. (Note: I found I did not need to skim the broth, nor did I need to add any water as it cooked. It came out perfectly).

Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool before handling. Shred the chicken off of the bone and discard the carcass.

Strain the broth through a fine sieve into another large stock pot and discard the vegetable solids. Use immediately or set the pot into a bath of ice water to cool before storing in the refrigerator. Use within 4 days or freeze for up to several months.