Italian Beef

I apologize that it has been so long since I have posted a recipe! I recently started back to work full-time and I have been swamped! Here is the recipe for Italian Beef in the crockpot, which is a family favorite :)

Ingredients:

- Beef Roast (eye of round or chuck are good) ~ 4lbs
- 2 Beef bouillon cubes
- 1 jar of pepperoncinis (do not get rid of the juice!!)
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper
- Onion

Step 1: Cut the roast into ~ 3 pieces and lay in your crockpot.


Step 2: In a small bowl mix together about 2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning and a pinch or 2 of salt and pepper. You can adjust the seasoning either way depending on your taste.


Step 3: If you were unlucky like me and could only find jars of whole pepperoncinnis, then pour the juice into a bowl (DO NOT THROW IT OUT!). Then remove the stems from the top and slice the up the peppers. Throw the stems away.


Step 4: Add your bouillion cubes to the seasoning bowl.


Step 5: Slice up about 1/2 to a whole white onion and place over the roast.


Step 6: Sprinkle your seasoning and cubes over the top.


Step 7: Pour in the reserved pepper juice. Also, it's not in the photo, but you will need to add in some water. I added about 3 cups, but basically enough so that the liquid is just at the top of the meat.


Step 8: Add in the sliced peppers.


Step 9: Cook it on low for about 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. Once cooked, shred the meat up and return it to the crockpot. Let this sit in the juices for about 20-30 minutes before serving.


We love to eat this on homemade buns, but it can also be eaten without the bread as well.

ENJOY!

Nutella Cheesecake

First off I apologize that I don't have any pictures for this recipe, but I forgot...and to be honest, it is so simple that it doesn't need photos!

Ingredients:
- Boxed No-Bake Cheesecake ( I used no bake because I am not sure how well Nutella would do in the oven)
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Nutella (it depends on how thick of a layer you want in the finished cheesecake)

Directions:

Step 1: Prepare the graham cracker crust according to the directions on the box.

Step 2: Place your Nutella in a heat-proof bowl and put that over a pot of boiling water (same as a double boiler). Warm the Nutella until it is easy to stir and can be spread easily.

Step 3: Pour the warmed Nutella in the bottom of the crust and smooth it out.

Step 4: Prepare the cheesecake layer according to box directions

Step 5: Pour cheescake mix over Nutella layer and smooth

Step 6: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serving Tip: I found that the Nutella layer is best, if you let your cheesecake sit on the plate at room temp for a few minutes before eating it. This will allow the Nutella to soften a bit.

ENJOY!!

Chicken Tacos

Tonight was one of my favorite dinners...chicken tacos! A long time ago, I found a recipe in "Simple and Delicious" magazine that I used as a guideline for developing my own recipe. These are absolutely delicious and super flexible!

The ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts (this makes enough for about 2 meals for the 4 of us)
- Juice of 2 limes (about 3 T)
- 1-2 Tbsp of Chili Powder
- about 3/4 of a jar of your favorite salsa
- 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed) or you can use a can of corn (drained and rinsed)
- 1 small can of diced green chilis



Step1: Juice the limes. I found an old electric juicer at a thrift store for $3 and I love it!


Step 2:Trim up the chicken breasts (get rid of any fat on the sides) and place them in the crockpot.


Step 3: Pour the lime juice over the chicken breasts.


Step 4: Sprinkle the chili powder over the chicken breasts. Then mix is all around to coat both sides of the chicken breasts.

Step 5: Cook on high for about 3 hours or until cooked thru (you can also cook longer on low).
Step 6: Remove the chicken breasts from the crockpot and shred.


Step 7: Return the chicken to the crockpot and then pour over the salsa.


Step 8: Pour in the green chilis


Step 9: Add in either the black beans or corn (if you are really adventurous you can use both!). Then mix is all up and let it cook for about another half an hour to heat the beans/corn thru.

Serving: There are several ways that you can serve this. You can put it in flour tortilla shells and serve as tacos, you can place it on top of tortilla chips for nachos, or you can serve it like I did tonight. I fried up some corn tortillas in a skillet with a small bit of oil (or you can buy tostada shells for the grocery store). After I fried the shells and drained them I placed 1 on a plate with a bit of the chicken, and then added another on top of that with some more chicken. After that add your favorite taco toppings! For the kiddos, I just did 1 layer.

Here is a top view of mine. Doesn't necessarily look the prettiest, but man is it delicious!!!


Finally, a side view of it.

Other than the fried tortilla shell and possibly some of the toppings (I use low fat cheese and sour cream), these are relatively healthy tacos. My family absolutely loves these, and they ask for them often!

As always, let me know what you think of them!

ENJOY!!

Crockpot Yogurt *Updated*

I know, you all are probably thinking that I am crazy..."Yogurt in a crockpot" you say? We I have to admit that this is most definitely not an original recipe of mine! Since my son is lactose intolerant, and soy yogurt is rather expensive (and hard to find), I decided to google homemade yogurt and see what I got. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a link to http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ and her recipe for crockpot yogurt! WOOT WOOT (in the words of my 4 year old)!!

I did a bit more reading and decided that this was completely do-able. I have already made a batch of soy yogurt that my son inhaled the first time that he tried it. Today I decided to go for the normal version that we can all eat.

Here are the ingredients (I love how few there are!).

- 1/2 gallon of milk (I used whole, but I am sure that 2% will work, your yogurt will just not be quite as thick)
- 1 small container of plain yogurt- you only need this the first time you make yogurt to act as a starter
- vanilla- if you want vanilla flavored yogurt, otherwise you can do plain
- a large crockpot

Step 1: Pour the milk into the crockpot. Put the lid on and turn it to low. Let the milk cook at low for 2 1/2 hours.

Step 2: After the 2 1/2 hours of cooking, turn the crockpot off and let it set for 3 hours.

Step 3: Once it has cooled for about 3 hours, scoop out about 2 cups of the warm milk.

Step 4: To the removed milk, add your plain yogurt. After you have made a batch of this, you can start using 1/2 cup of your previous batch as the starter each time.

Step 5: Whisk the yogurt and milk together to combine.

Step 6: Add the yogurt/milk mix back into the crockpot with the rest of the milk.

Step 7: Mix it all together and add in 2 tsp of vanilla if you like (I will let you know tomorrow if that is enough since this is the first time I am trying vanilla).

Step 8: Put the lid back on the crockpot and wrap a bath towel tightly around it. I even lifted my crockpot up and put part of the towel under it to make sure it was tight.

Let the crockpot set on your counter for about 8 hours. After 8 hours stir it up and store in plastic containers in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Make sure to set aside 1/2 cup for your next batch.


**UPDATE** In my opinion, 2 tsp of vanilla is not quite enough. I would probably make it a Tablespoon or just slightly more than that next time. Also remember, that the final product here is plain yogurt, so to sweeten it, you will need to add some sugar to your liking. I stirred in some sugar prior to serving with some frozen blueberries and it was perfect.

We love to mix frozen fruit into our yogurt, especially during the summer since it is so hot! Feel free to add whatever fruits or granola you like, or even use this as a base for a delicious smoothie!

Let me know if you try this and what you think! ENJOY!

My new blog

After receiving a large amount of urging from my husband, as well as numerous requests for recipes from friends, I have decided to start a blog. I plan on using this blog as a means to share my various cooking escapades with everyone. Enjoy!