Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

Also from Pinterest, made these last night and
they are divine! Will have to make them again
because I am sure I will be craving them!



Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds beef (I used a boneless chuck roast)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 cup beef stock
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (one is all you need, avoid seeds to lessen heat, use this link for helpful chipotle pepper advice!)
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Flour tortillas
Favorite taco toppings: avocado, cheese, cilantro, salsa, etc.

Directions:
1. Whisk together the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. (I cheated and used McCormicks Salt Free Sweet 'n Smoky spice rub instead) 

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side until browned. Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.

3. Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a 3-5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

4. Shred the beef and onions with two forks. Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.

Costa Vida Dinner

We love the food at Costa Vida in Colleyville! website here

After having their sweet pork the last time, I can home determined to try to recreate it at home. This recipe was SOO very easy and tasted almost just like it. Very yummy for tacos!

I served it inside tortillas with guacamole, cheese, cilantro lime rice (see recipe after the pork recipe), diced tomatoes, and pinto beans (black beans would be good too).

Enjoy!
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Costa Vida Sweet Pork

4 lb. pork roast (I used a pork butt roast)
2 cups brown sugar
1 (12-14 oz.) jar salsa
2 cans Dr. Pepper (I am sure regular coke would work too) (24 oz. or 2 1/2 cups)

Place roast in crock pot, fill half way with water and cook for 6-8 hours
Discard water.
Shred meat and return to the crock pot

Combine sugar, salsa, and coke in a separate bowl.
Add mixture to the meat in the crock pot.
Cook an additional 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

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Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups white rice
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro (I used some of my jarred freeze dried cilantro that I keep in the fridge)

Bring water, cilantro, and lime juice to a boil. Add rice. Cover and turn on low for about 20 minutes. (Basically just the same as cooking regular white rice)

Fluff with fork before serving.

Incredibly Yummy & Easy Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup Picante Sauce
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 soup can water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into strips
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Stir the picante sauce, soup, chicken, corn, beans, water and cumin in a 4-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir the tortillas, cheese and cilantro into the cooker. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.
Time-Saving: Or you may cook this recipe on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours 15 minutes

Chili Verde

O.k., I know it's a little hot for Chili, but I found this recipe online in a section of slow cooker recipes and I wanted to try it. I think it's a keeper, but I will make a few minor changes next time (like possibly waiting for colder weather!)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C salsa verde (the salsa verde I found was "Medium" next time I will definitely look for Mild!)

1 4oz can chopped anaheim chilies

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 1b boneless pork loin (I used chicken)

1 14 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 14 oz can white beans, drained & rinsed

Hot, cooked rice

~Sour Cream * (optional)

Instructions:

Place 2 cups of the salsa verde in the crock pot. Stir in the chilies. Add meat.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Take meat out of crock pot & shred. Add back to crock pot along with remaining salsa and the 2 cans of beans. Stir and cook for 30 minutes more. Serve over rice.

*when I taste tested this it seemed really spicy so I added in cream cheese & a tiny bit of milk to try and dilute(?) it...the cream cheese was actually good and made it very creamy (obviously); I think next time I will use sour cream--it was a nice consistency when placed over the rice.

Easy and Yummy Crockpot Dressing

This is one of my favorites! It reminds me of my Grandmothers which was a lot more detailed than this one.

2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread Mix - Cook the cornbread and set aside

Mix together the following:

4 Eggs
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cans Chicken Broth
1 1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 stalk of Celery, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Crumble and add the cornbread to the mix

Pour into the crockpot and cook 2 hours on high or about 4 hours on low. Enjoy!

Crockpot Beef Stew

Hello Mamas! In case some of you are thinking WHO IS AMY? I am Bonki's younger sister. Thanks for letting me share some of your recipes. They are very tasty. I have made this beef stew twice now so I thought I would share it with you guys. My little Lola loves it and begs for more (okay, so she's a dog...maybe not the most discerning audience, but I think it's delicious!) ENJOY!

From the Better Homes and Gardens Crockery Cookbook

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound beef or pork stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes (I've used beef both times)
2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 1/4 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 1/2 cups vegetable juice

1. Place flour in a plastic bag. Add meat cubes, shaking to coat meat with flour. In a large skillet brown meat, half at a time, in hot oil. Drain off fat.

2. Meanwhile, in the bottom of a 4 quart crockpot layer potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion. Sprinkle with bouillon granules, garlic, basil, and thyme; add meat. Pour vegetable juice over meat.

3. Cover; cook on low setting for 7-8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2-4 1/2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.
Makes 4 servings. For an easy meal, serve with biscuits and a mixed green salad.

Beef Stroganoff

My mom made this all the time when I was little. It was one of my favorite meals. I now know why she liked it, because it is so easy!

2 lbs. cubed stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
1 - 4 oz can mushrooms, drained
1 soup can filled with water
½ soup can filled with red wine (or red cooking wine)
2 Tbsp flour
4-8 oz. sour cream
16 oz. egg noodles, cooked according to directions on bag

Combine soups, mushrooms, water, and wine. Pour over meat in crock pot or dutch oven. Simmer 4-6 hours in crock pot or 1 hour on stove. Before serving shake 2 Tbsp or more of flour with water and add to thicken. Cook 5-10 minutes and stir in about 4-8 oz. of sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

Kristen's Pot Roast Recipe

(courtesy of Paula Deen & my mom)

1 2-3 pound chuck roast
seasons to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder, season all, onion powder -- really whatever you like to season meat with in your pantry)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-2 onions thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
3-4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed (I buy the jar that already has them crushed up). (You can use a can of beef broth instead)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (sometimes I use a bit more)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 chardonnay wine (optional)

Season the roast on all sides (season well). In medium hot skillet, brown roast on all sides in oil. Place roast in crock pot (I use those crock pot liners and it works fine cooking in that and is a breeze to clean up!). On top of roast, layer onion, bay leaves, bouillon, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add wine (optional). Cover with just enough water to covver all the ingredients suffiently. Cook on low setting approx 8 hours.

About 3-4 hours before done, I add in new potatoes and carrots. Cook until tender.

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot

I made this for the first time tonight. It was really yummy AND everyone in the family ate it. SO easy and the chicken literally fell off the bone. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
1 cup onion, chopped

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the spices.
2. Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken.
3. Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.
4. Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
5. When ready to cook, put chopped onion in bottom of crock pot.
6. Add chicken.
7. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it's own juices.
8. Cook on low 4-8 hours.
9. Note: I highly recommend a pop-up timer in the chicken because some crock pots cook faster/slower than others (my crock pot cooks this recipe in 4-5 hours).