Pot Roast and Beef Gravy in a Slow Cooker

Here is an easy and hearty meal to put on the table for your family

any day of the week! 

Just start with your traditional root vegetables,

carrots, onions and potatoes

chopped and layered into the slow cooker. 

Some celery can also be added for good measure. 

Then, a 3# Chuck Roast was placed on top and seasoned with 

1 tbsp of Steak Seasoning

and sprinkled with some Crushed Rosemary, to taste. 

Some people would perhaps advise to pre-sear the roast in a pan on the stove to seal in the moisture. 

I have found that it isn't worth the hassle.  

I just top the roast with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil

which helps to keep the roast from getting too dry. 

Finally one cup of beef broth was added.

Set it AND forget it!

This roast was left on low for 8 hours and 

I came home to an amazing aroma throughout the house 

and this delectable roast ready for dinner. 

Now, for the gravy!

Depending on how much gravy your family likes, 

feel free to adjust the recipe accordingly. 

I happen to have some gravy lovers of my own, 

who don't get gravy very often, 

so I splurged and made 2 cups.  

(Crazy, I know, right!)

After removing the roast from the slow cooker, 

I just poured the juice into the measuring cup and into the sauce pan. 

Now, making gravy is pretty easy, 

as long as you remember one IMPORTANT step. 

Pre-hydrate the corn starch! 

Unmodified corn starch is NOT hot water soluble, 

which means if you add it directly to the hot broth, 

it won't dissolve and there will be all of these little balls (or eyes) 

in your gravy. 

I'm pretty sure you don't want that! 

So, for 2 cups of broth, 

2 tbsp of corn starch are needed. 

This should be whisked up in a small about of cool/room temperature water to start with,

then added to the beef broth.

You can thank me later!

Bring the broth to a boil, 

which is what activates the starch,

or more correctly, 

denatures the starch in order to absorb the water. 

Simmer for just a few minutes, 

while stirring. 

Then, it will continue to thicken as it cools.  

Here is the roast on the platter, just before serving. 

And, here it is with the gravy! 

The gravy could probably use some salt, 

but since my guys will add salt to everything anyway, 

I didn't bother…

RECIPE:

Cook Time: 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low

Serves: at least 6, (thankfully we finally had some leftovers!)

Ingredients:

2 cups Carrots

1 medium Onion- chopped

4 Potatoes - cubed

3 Stalks of Celery

1 tbsp Steak Seasoning

Crushed Rosemary - to taste

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup of Beef Broth

2 tbsp Corn Starch

Directions:

• Chop vegetables and layer into slow cooker. 
• Place roast on top of vegetables. 
• Season with Steak Seasoning and Crushed Rosemary, rub in with olive oil. 
• Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. 
• Measure out 2 cups of broth, add to sauce pan for gravy. 
• Whisk 2 tbsp of corn starch into water, then add to broth. 
• Bring to a boil and simmer for less than 5 minutes until begins to thicken. 
• Top roast with gravy and serve. 

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup in a Slow Cooker

Here we are at the heart of winter…

would love just a bit more snow to be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors,

but if I can't give you that or a warm beach vacation somewhere,

at least I can provide some meal ideas 

which is slow-cooker-easy and oh-soooo-good! 

The inspiration for this soup was found on 

Creme de la Crumb

and of course, I changed things up as I went.  

This was made in a slow cooker, 

(because I love to throw everything in one pot in the morning

and feel like I've slaved over it all day)

but could certainly be converted to stove top

by cooking the chicken, 

adding the veggies and simmering to your heart's content.

It certainly doesn't look very pretty getting started, 

but in this vessel you will find

2 chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken broth (I always tend toward thicker soups)

1 can of enchilada sauce

2 cans of black beans (no need to drain for a dish like this)

1 can of green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes. 

When I got home from work, after 8 hours on low and 

added 16 oz of thawed frozen corn,

it looked something like this. 

Took the chicken breasts out for shredding.

That's a lot of shredded chicken from just 2 breasts. 

While shredding the chicken,

8 oz of low fat cream cheese was added

for the beloved creaminess it brings!

By the time the chicken was returned to the soup,

the cream cheese was melting away. 

And, within minutes, 

the soup was rip-roaring, ready to go! 

Served with some diced avocado and a dash of chili powder,

this soup was gone in no time! 

Wish I would have made a double batch!

**Famous last words!**

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes at the beginning and 10 minutes at the end

Cook Time: 8-10 hours on low, 4-6 hours on high

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken broth 

1 can of enchilada sauce

2 cans of black beans

1 can of green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes

16 oz of thawed frozen corn

8 oz of low fat cream cheese

*Garnish

Diced avocado 

Chili powder

Directions:

• Place chicken, broth, sauce, beans, chilies and tomatoes into pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. 
• Remove chicken breasts and shred. 
• Add corn and cream cheese, stir to melt and incorporate. 
• Return chicken to soup and combine well. 
• Serve with avocado. 

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Hello there…

Thanks for stopping by! 

If you are like me, 

you are also hoping for some normalcy to be restored this week.  

No holiday breaks. 

No days trapped in doors because it is something-crazy below 0. 

Just a nice, normal week of winter would be great!

Kids can be outside to play in the snow and come in

to warm up with a nice cup of hot cocoa or 

this scrumptious and hearty soup. 

Taco soup is another favorite in our house.

It received rave reviews at deer camp in the fall and 

Ryker requested it to take to school for his Holiday Open House. 

I invite you to give this soup a try for an easy weeknight meal

or maybe for the big Packer game coming up this weekend. 

Starts with 3# of ground chuck, a chopped onion and 1 tbsp of seasoning salt.

I usually go with the leaner option as my family like to top just about 

everything with cheese or maybe some sour cream!  

Have you noticed that the price of ground beef is really going up?

I am thinking of conducting a yield study to see which grade gives the best value.

Once the meat is browned, add it all to the slow cooker

along with 1 packet of Taco seasoning and 1 packet of Ranch seasoning. 

Then top with 1 can of black beans, 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 16 oz bag of frozen corn. 

Finally, add 4 cups of tomato juice and 2 cups of beef broth 

and give it a good stir. 

Feel free to adjust the liquids according to your preferences. 

We eat most of these soups as meals, 

so I generally keep them on the thicker side. 

Lastly, I use this as a home for any open jars of salsa or taco/enchilada sauce in the fridge. 

All to often they start to grow something furry before I get back to using them, 

so they make a great addition to this taco soup! 

After 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low, 

dinner is ready and 

this recipe will almost certainly leave you with some leftovers, 

which, as you know, are always welcome in our house!

Serve it up and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese for a 

perfect finishing touch. 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

3# of ground chuck

1 chopped onion

1 tbsp of seasoning salt

1 packet of Taco seasoning

1 packet of Ranch seasoning

1 can of black beans

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1-16 oz bag of frozen corn

4 cups of tomato juice

2 cups of beef broth 

OPTIONAL - any open jars of salsa or taco/enchilada sauce

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Brown hamburger and onion over medium heat. Add salt. 

Pour browned ground chuck into slow cooker. 

Add seasoning packets. 

Add black beans, tomatoes and corn. 

Add tomato juice and beef broth, as well as any open jars of Mexican in the fridge. 

Set the slow cooker according to the amount of time before eating.

• low for 8-10 hours
• high for 4-6 hours

Serve and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese for the finishing touch. 

Sweet N Sour Chicken Meatballs

If you'd like a chance to win a batch of these for yourself,

just go to the All Things Libby Facebook page and

SHARE this recipe with your friends!  

A winner will be drawn from all those who share this recipe on Thurs. Nov 13th.

(I'm not afraid to ship it, if necessary!)

Happy Fall Y'all, although it is feeling a bit more like winter around here in southern Wisconsin. 

We will manage, we're tough like that! 

At least this time of year there is no shortage of comfort food and 

today I'm sharing with you a dish which has achieved a rare accomplishment 

in the All Things Libby world. 

I've made it twice.

And, not just twice in my lifetime, or twice in a season…twice in ONE week!  

If that doesn't speak volumes about these Sweet N Sour Chicken Meatballs, 

I'm not sure what will.  

The first time I made them was for the Packer/Bear game on Sunday night 

when we were celebrating together with friends,

 not only did they FLY out of the slow cooker (perfect for a gathering), 

the guys kept asking for more and comparing how many they each got.  

Since Landon was sick and Jerry stayed home with him, 

neither of those guys got to take part of this awesomeness, 

that is quite possibly meatball perfection.  

Two of the things that I absolutely love about these meatballs is 

that they are made up of lean ground chicken and they are held together by oatmeal, 

which provides an awesome texture AND that means they are gluten free!  

While making home made meatballs may seem a bit too tedious, 

it really only took me about 15 minutes to mix 'em up and roll 'em out.  

And, if you haven't gathered by now…they are so worth it!  

So, into my trusty mixing bowl, add 2# of lean ground chicken

(Don't even both dealing with any less…even nearly 4 dozen are scarfed down in no time!)

1 cup oatmeal

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs

2 tsp salt

I have to recommend that you just dig right in and mix this up with your hands. 

Nothing else does as good of a job and 

you are going to have to get your hands dirty anyway. 

Place the formed meatballs onto a foil lined, sprayed pan. 

Pop them into the oven for 15-20 minutes at 400 F. 

I love the fact that they don't shrink very much 

since they are so lean to begin with and don't have a whole bunch of fat baking out. 

Then, the meatballs were placed in the slow cooker. 

Even when we had them at home, like last night, 

I still prefer the slow cooker so that they sauce can reduce and bake into the meatballs a bit. 

The sauce starts out with about 1/2 cup of French dressing and 

1/2 cup of BBQ Sauce. 

Then 1 can of pineapple and 1 tsp of garlic powder

are added to finish it off. 

How easy is that!?!?!

Pour it over the meatballs, give it a gentle stir and let 'em ride. 

You know the drill…

on high for 4-6 hours

on low for 8-10 hours

Top 'em off with some sesame seeds and green onions for the finishing touch. 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 20 minutes + slow cooker

Ingredients:

2# of lean ground chicken

1 cup oatmeal

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs

2 tsp salt

Cooking Spray

1/2 cup of French dressing 

1/2 cup of BBQ Sauce

1 can of pineapple

1 tsp of garlic powder

Sesame Seeds

Green onions - sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

Mix together the chicken, oatmeal, onion, eggs and salt until thoroughly combined. 

Roll out into about 48 meatballs. 

Place onto a foil lined baking pan and top with a thin layer of cooking spray. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Place into slow cooker. 

Mix up sauce by pouring together dressing, BBQ sauce, pineapple and garlic powder. 

Pour sauce over meatballs and set the slow cooker according to the time until serving. 

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Happy Tuesday to all. 

I'm home again today with our youngest who is still fighting a fever.  

Poor guy!  

While being sick is never fun, at least when it is rainy and 35 F, 

spending the day snuggled in bed isn't such a bad alternative. 

Since I'm home, I can get caught up a bit!

I feel a bit like a slacker since I've noticed that this is only my 3rd post this month, 

but if you have seen the  Facebook feeds or the Janesville Gazette,

 at least I have a good alibi.

Making all of that food in one day (click here for recipes) 

was quite the cooking extravaganza and 

I am so thankful and humbled to have the opportunity to share my recipes with a broader community. 

Besides the upcoming holidays,

 I've been hearing some of you talk about warm, healthy, easy meals that are ready when you are!  

You are in luck….

I made this Jambalaya in the slow cooker a few weeks ago 

during our last soccer weekend.  

Just throw a few simple ingredients together and 

the fabulous aroma welcomed us into the house after the brisk afternoon at the field.  

Without further ado, let's get started!

Add two chicken breasts, whole, and 

one sliced up ring of smoked beef sausage 

 to the slow cooker. 

Just last year, I started adding my chicken to the slow cooker whole, 

as in, un-chopped.   

This is so much better!

Less mess because a raw chicken cutting board and knife are eliminated

and

shredding cooked chicken after a few hours in the slow cooker is just soooo easy!  

Actually, it practically shreds itself just removing it from the vessel. 

Anyway, back to the dish.  

Top the meat off with a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 

1 cup of water and 1 chicken bouillon cube. 

As far as seasoning, I used 

2 tsp Cajun Seasoning

1 tsp ground oregano

2 tsp ground garlic

1 tsp ground thyme

And that's it!  

Stir it up and turn on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. 

When we got home, it had cooked down a bit. 

Remove the chicken for shredding.

Add 1 cup of minute rice, 

which cooks nice and fast in this hot environment. 

While the rice was cooking, the chicken was shredded and added back.  

So flavorful, so warm and hearty, really hit the spot!  

I'd definitely make a bigger batch next time…

maybe even double it, 

as the leftovers, minimal as they may have been, 

were at least as delicious! 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4-10 hours in Slow Cooker

Served: 6

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 Ring of smoked beef sausage

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup of water

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 tsp Cajun Seasoning

1 tsp ground oregano

2 tsp ground garlic

1 tsp ground thyme

1 cup of minute rice

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients, except the rice, to the slow cooker. 

Stir well and set on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. 

Just before serving, remove chicken for shredding. 

Add rice for cooking. 

Add back the chicken. 

Serve it up!  

Nachos Carnitas

Last week when my family smelled the pork in the slow cooker, they were already excited for dinner. 

That excitement only escalated when they found out they were going to enjoy it with chips and cheese! 

Nachos Carnitas for dinner…sign me up!  

Just started with a 3# pork roast in the slow cooker, 

 similar to when I made Shredded Pork Sandwiches last May. 

Just top with one chopped medium onion, fresh ground salt and pepper 

as well as a cup or two of water to keep it moist while cooking.

After nearly 8 hours on low, the roast was done!

If you aren't already utilizing your slow cooker, you really need to, stat!  

This thing makes my life so much easier and it could yours too!  

There is just something so mind-easing to know that dinner is already underway. 

 

Back to the roast, it was moist tender and easy to shred.  

I included some of the onions for extra flavor and

 I always ladle some of the juices back over top and stir it up.

The shredded meat often soaks up extra moisture.  

As far as the nachos, restaurant style tortilla chips were spread out on a pan.

Topped with the shredded pork as well as a generous serving of shredded cheese. 

Probably about 2 cups.  

Pop that into a 400F oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese

and bring this party together!  

Finally, top with your favorite taco fixings…

We choose sliced green onions, avocado, salsa

and some fresh squeezed lime juice. 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3# pork roast

1 chopped medium onion

fresh ground salt and pepper - to taste

1-2 cups of water 

Restaurant style tortilla chips

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Sliced green onions

Avocado

Salsa

Fresh squeezed lime juice

Directions:

Put roast in slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. 

Shred pork and onions, add back some juices. 

Spread the tortilla chips into a layer on a baking pan. 

Top with pork and shredded cheese. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F until melted. 

Top with onion, avocado, salsa, lime juice and any other favorite nacho toppings.

Thankfully, there was enough pork left over for a few other meals as well!