This has been quite the week so far. I have been working long days and we have had two evening commitments. I am ready for the weekend but there is still two days left to get through. I think I can, I think I can.....

Anyway that leads me to dinner. We had planned to have Chicken Fried Steak on Tuesday night but that didn't happen because we were out of the house at dinnertime. I thought I would make them tonight but that didn't happen either since I had to work so late. What I did instead was to run home during my short lunch and throw this into the crock pot. The recipe came from Fix It and Forget It. It was easy and actually really good. I think we will be having this again.

Swiss Steak

3-4 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 Teaspoons Dry Mustard
1 1/2-2 Pounds Round Steak
Oil
1 Cup Sliced Onions
1 14 1/2 Ounce Can Tomatoes
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Cut steak into serving pieces. Dredge in flour mixture. Brown on both sides in oil in saucepan. Place in slow cooker. Add onions. Combine tomatoes, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour into slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 3-5 hours.

Hope you enjoy it!

When I made this dinner last week my husband said it was "money!" I took that to mean it was very good. I even liked it enough that I added it to my binder of family favorites.

I served this inside of homemade tortilla shells with grilled onions and peppers..mmmm! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

I also want to warn you that it is a little spicy. I don't like really spicy things and I loved this so you know it isn't bad. Someone like my Dad, however, who doesn't like any spice will think this is way to hot. If you want to tone down the spiciness cut back on the chilies.

Chipotle Shredded Beef
from All You April 2010 with my small changes

1 7oz Can of Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce
1 15 oz Can Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Onion Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 2pound beef chuck pot Roast
1 Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper

In a blender or food processor, puree chipolte chiles with adobo sauce until smooth. Spoon 2 1/2 Tablespoons into slow cooker; reserve remainder for another use (I didn't do this because I didn't want the whole can blended. I used two full peppers and some of the adobo sauce instead. I figured they would cook down so much in the slow cooker it wouldn't matter anyway).

Add tomatoes, lime juice, onion and garlic. Stir to combine. Season beef with salt and pepper and add to slow cooker. Place cayenne pepper on top of roast. I also spooned some of the bottom mixture up over the roast.

Cover and cook on high until beef is tender enough to shred easily with a fork, about 6 hours. Using two forks, shred meat; spoon into a serving bowl with sauce. Serve beef with warmed tortillas, and choice of toppings. We used grilled onions, peppers, and sour cream. Delicious and sure to be a family favorite!

Meatballs at our house is something we always go back to when we want a guaranteed dinner success. The recipe comes from my Great Grandma and we LOVE them. They are the best meatballs you will ever eat. I usually make a large batch, freeze them, and then eat them whenever the night is hectic and we need a quick dinner. They are also the only meal my husband enjoys helping me make. I mix the meat and roll the meatballs and he fries them.

One thing we both agree makes these divine is the slight crunch on the outside. It is so good. Wow talking about these makes me want to heat some up. I will try to restrain myself. But seriously if you don't have a magnificent meatball recipe up your sleeve try these.

Great Grandma's Meatballs

1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Sausage
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Onion

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Make small balls and fry with salt and pepper.

I always like to serve these with Jamaica Me Crazy sauce but they are even good plain.

Last week I made this recipe and forgot to post it. It is Red Bean Chili from Southern Living, January 2002 but I found it online at MyRecipes.com. I had never tried to make chili so this whole recipe was a new experience for me. It isn't as mushy as the canned chili so it makes it feel more real and healthy. I also liked that you could control what you wanted to put in your chili. Often times, I am not sure what is in those cans. Overall, I thought it was good and nice for a cold day. For the recipe click here.

This isn't a great picture because I forgot to take a picture until we had almost eaten the whole loaf. Whoops!

This meatloaf recipe comes from my Grandma. I love it because of the sweet topping. It is not like most meatloaf because there is no filler like bread crumbs or oatmeal. In our house, however, it is a winner!

Grandma's Meatloaf

1 Pound Ground Beef
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Egg Beaten
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Chopped Onions

Topping
3/4 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Tablespoon Mustard
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Mix all the meatloaf ingredients together and form into a loaf in a loaf pan. Mix up topping ingredients and pour over meatloaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Dig in!

It doesn't sound pretty but Noodle Junk is a favorite in our house. It is a recipe that came from my Grandma. It is so easy, fast, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. You can also use leftover beef from steaks, roast, etc. Last time I made this I used leftover round steak and it turned out just fine.

Noodle Junk
Stew Meat or Steak cut into pieces (use more if you like lots of meat and use less if you don't. I have made it with lots of meat, very little meat, and everything in between. This is a very adjustable recipe.)
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Cooked Noodles (Again this is adjustable to what you have. Last time I made this I used a whole box of noodles which made it a drier dish at the end. Less noodles makes it more creamy.)

Cut meat into bite size pieces and brown in a skillet with a little oil, salt and pepper. If you are using cooked meat you can skip this first step and just throw the cut up meat in, warm it and continue on with the recipe. Put cream of mushroom soup into the skillet along with a can of water. Mix it all together and then add cooked noodles. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

We like to pepper ours heavily just before eating but if you don't like pepper feel free to leave that out.

Enjoy!

It's another monday!

Over the weekend Sheena and I got the chance to go to Bob's Red Mill and bought all sorts of fun things. If you live in the area, you should go check it out. Its a lot of fun! Some of the recipes below have ingredients from our shopping trip...

Sunday: I used the Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix from Bob's Red Mill and they turned out just okay. They were a little too healthy tasting but we will still enjoy them through the week. Next time I think I will have to add some real apples or applesauce to punch up the sweetness. Let me know if you have any fun ideas or if you have tried any of the other mixes.

Monday: Today I made the Pot Roast Recipe from Sheena earlier this month. I have decided that I am going to do various crock pot recipes this winter and this one kicks them off! It was so nice to not worry about dinner being done. The house smelled so good at dinner time and it made for a very pleasant meal together.

Tuesday: I am making Steel Cut Oatmeal to be ready Tuesday morning. I am very excited about this as I have never heard of making oats in the crock pot. I am excited to serve it up with some brown sugar and nuts. I will let you know how they turn out tomorrow! UPDATE: I am not sure why but this recipe didn't work for me. I am going to have to try it again later : (

Wednesday-Sunday: My boyfriend and I are going to be out of town for Thanksgiving in San Francisco. We are planning on going to a lot of fun restaurants so I will take a lot of pictures to hopefully use on our inspirations tabs!

Hope you all have a great holiday! Keep checking the blog to see how Sheena's Thanksgiving goes!

I walked into my mom's house yesterday to steal an onion for my dinner and there was the most amazing smell. She had a pot roast simmering away in her crock pot filling the whole house with the aroma of fall. With that on my mind guess what we had for dinner tonight at our house......Pot Roast! Very original I know. This is a super easy recipe which I make all the time to serve to guests. The meat falls off the bone and has super flavor. Don't judge it on looks alone because the photos do not do it justice. I also love to use the leftovers to make French Dip sandwiches.

Pot Roast
1 Roast (I usually use about one that is about 4-5 lbs)
1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

Optional Items:
Potatoes, quartered
Carrots, cut into 2 inch segments
Onion, sliced

Put everything in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. That is it! How easy can it get?!? You will be so happy when you walk in the door and the smell of dinner greats you.

Check out other crock pot meals at Life as Mom.