Veggies and Beef Pot Roast

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook
Makes: Makes 8-10 servings
Time: 10-12 hours

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. whole tiny new potatoes, or 2 medium potatoes, cubed, or 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
• 8 small carrots, cut in small chunks
• 2 small onions, cut in wedges
• 2 ribs celery, cut up
• 2 1/2-3 lb. beef chuck or pot roast
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 3/4 water, dry wine, or tomato juice
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. beef bouillon granules
• 1 tsp. dried basil

Directions:

1. Place vegetables in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Brown roast in oil in skillet.  Place on top of vegetables.
3. Combine water, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, and basil.  Pour over meat and vegetables.
4. Cover.  Cook on Low 10-12 hours.

I made mine with a 1 lb. chuck roast since it's just Rocky and me eating.  I kept the amount of veggies the same, though, because we love our veggies!  Because I had sweet potatoes and regular potatoes I used both and omitted the onion because I didn't have one on hand.  I used water and beef bouillon to follow the recipe but I wonder why it didn't just give the option for beef broth.  Oh well.  In about 4 hours I'll know whether or not this recipe is a keeper or not. =)

Grilled Chicken

Source: How to Cook Everything App for iPhone
Makes: Makes 4 servings
Time: About 30 minutes, plus time to marinate

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 large onion
• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Tbs dried oregano leaves

Directions:

1. Chop onion and combine with oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano.
2. Marinate the chicken in this mixture for at least a few minutes or an hour or so at room temperature or longer--even overnight--in the refrigerator.
3. Grill, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through.

This is one of my new favorites! I have made this three times now, marinating the chicken overnight, and it tastes so good! Rocky has been getting pretty good at grilling, too, so he pulls the chicken off just in time for it to be done but not dried out. We made this tonight and had my parents over for dinner and grilled some zucchini and yellow squash slices in the new barbecue stir-fry basket that my friend Liana got us for Christmas to go with it. Pretty good start to the new year.

Marinated Cucumbers

I love cucumbers! I love them straight out of the refrigerator sliced up all by themselves. I love them in salads. And I especially love them as pickles! My grandma has made this as a side dish before and I love it because it involves dill so it comes out nice and tangy. I had never made it before until last night and I can't figure out why. It was so simple to make and oh so good.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper

Directions:

1. Combine sliced cucumbers with all other ingredients; cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before serving.
   

Marinated cucumbers recipe serves 4-6.

I used just plain white vinegar since the recipe didn't specify what kind to use and I used dried dill weed instead of freshly chopped. Also, I peeled the cumber before slicing it--normally I like to eat the skin but when I've had this made for me the cucumbers have been peeled. Also, I combined everything but the cucumbers first and then poured it over the cucumbers before stirring it all around.

Autumn Harvest Pork Loin

Makes: 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 5-6 hours

Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 5-quart

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cider or apple juice
• 1 1/2 to 2-lb. pork loin
• salt
• pepper
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 whole butternut squashes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage

Directions:

1. Heat cider in hot skillet. Sear pork loin on all sides in cider.
2. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Place in slow cooker, along with juices.
3. Combine apples and squash. Sprinkle with sugar and herbs. Stir. Place around pork loin.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours.
5. Remove pork from cooker. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
6. Serve topped with apples and squash.

This turned out okay. Rocky said that I could make it again. I love that I can put stuff in the crock pot when I come home on my lunch break and have dinner ready when I get home! I served this with rice that I put in the cooker once I got home.

I didn't have any sage so I didn't use that and instead of butternut squash I substituted some other member of the gourd family that a customer at work brought me. The pork turned out moist and I liked the flavor that the apple juice mixed with the flavors of the brown sugar and apples added to it. This is definitely an autumn-y type dish and was super fragrant. I wasn't a huge fan of the apples as they got super mushy from being cooked down and I think that even just 1/4 tsp of cinnamon was too much. All in all, though, not bad.

How to Cook Everything

I am so excited to use this App! I saw this cookbook at Home Goods a few months ago but it was kind of pricey at $30 and I already have so many other cookbooks that I wasn't sure. However, I flipped through the cookbook and it fell open to a corn fritters recipe. Oh my gosh! I haven't had corn fritters in years but was so excited to find the recipe that I almost bought the book right then and there. I'm glad that I didn't, though, because what I found for the iPhone is even better! It's the book in App form on special for $1.99 with all the same recipes and awesome interactive features!