Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

Slow cookers are fun!   I took a half-hour of my morning routine that's usually spent on Facebook reading the newspaper, and used the time instead to quickly brown the exterior of a chuck roast.  Then threw it into the slow cooker along with veggies, spices and  a biselleh red wine (because it was 5 o'clock somewhere).  Went off to work, then came home to the most wonderful smell ... theHubby's after-shave!  But after kissing him hello, I noticed that the chuck roast gave off an aroma almost as delicious. 

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast
Serves 6-8

cooking spray
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup of red wine
1 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced into thin rings
2 cloves of garlic, minced (bottled okay)
2 1/2 to 3 lb.  boneless chuck roast
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1-2 Tbl. honey (optional)
1 Tbl. soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1 Tbl. chopped parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)


Lightly spray inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and set aside.   Some recipes at this point tell you to remove as much fat as possible.  Don't bother because you won't get it all off.  Save a step and leave it on to remove after cooking. 

Cut carrots into 1-inch chunks.  To be fancy, cut the carrots on the bias.  That's French for "I can't cut straight."  No, it really means to slice at an 45-degree angle.  Pose carrots for some reason with wine, then set both aside.





Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and garlic, saute a minute or two, just until the rings easily separate.

Scrape onions into slow cooker and top with carrots.  Return skillet to burner.

Place chuck roast in pan.  Set sit for 3 minutes without touching (to develop a little caramelizing).   Carefully turn roast over and repeat for 3 more minutes.  If you have more time, do the same with the sides (I didn't).

Place browned roast on top of vegetables in the slow cooker.  Sprinkle with ginger and pepper.  Drizzle on honey, if desired.  The reason I used honey was to also use this recipe for Rosh HaShanah, but it can also be served at one of your Passover Seders as well.

Pour soy sauce and wine over and around roast.  It look a little pale here because of the lighting but I did brown this side. Toss in a bay leaf.  Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours.

Oh, yeah!

 
Let cool for a half hour then carefully transfer everything that's not the bay leaf to a covered dish that's not the slow cooker.  Refrigerate overnight.  Or two.

Yum ... grease!

 The next day (or the day after), use an ice pick or spoon to remove and discard the thick layer congealed fat. Didn't I tell you this was a lot easier?

Transfer roast to a carving board.  Remove twine and slice.  The meat is so tender it will fall apart so don't panic.  Just deal with it.  Now toss it back into the covered dish and, assuming that you used an oven-safe covered dish, heat in a 350F oven for 25-30 minutes to warm back up.

Serve meat and veggies with potatoes or rice, spooning the juices over everything.  Garnish with parsley, if you remember (I didn't)..

Challah Pudding - Easy

Did I mention I own two different slow-cookers?  One is an oval 6-quart style, the other is the standard 4-quart variety.  I use the larger one for meat dishes and the smaller one for dairy.  Like today, when I made a batch of challah pudding.  Betcha didn't even know that custard-type desserts could be made in a slow-cooker, didnja?

Start with 4 thick slices of stale leftover challah.

Bwahahahahaha!    

Sometimes I just tickle myself with the things that come out of my mouth.  Stale leftover challah?  What does this term mean?   Okay, next time you have challah, be sure to cut 4 thick slices off and leave them out to go stale so no one will eat them and you'll be able to make this recipe.

Regular milk tends to break down during long cooking, so avoid using it as a substitute for the evaporated milk.  Cream can be used, which will result in a very delicious yet heart-stopping (in more ways than one) dish.

Leave the eggs out for about 30 minutes to lose their chill.  This allows the slow-cooker a chance to more quickly reach safe cooking temperature.  If you forget like I did, start the cooker at high, then turn it down to low after a half-hour, cooking for another 4 hours.

I used golden raisins, because that's what I had.  They are almost invisible, blending into the background, making for a happy sweet surprise, but I prefer the look of a polka-dotted pudding, so after I finish yet another bowl o'pudding I'm heading out to buy regular raisins.


Challah Pudding - Easy
serves 4-5

cooking spray
4 1-inch thick slices stale challah
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
3 eggs, room temperature
2 cans evaporated milk (low-fat or fat-free okay)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt
vanilla yogurt or maple syrup (optional)

 Lightly spray the interior of the slow-cooker insert with cooking spray.

Cut the challah into 1-inch cubes (you should have about 5 cups or so).   Place in prepared slow-cooker.  Gently stir in raisins.  Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, lightly whisk eggs.  Whisk in remaining ingredients.

Pour over challah cubes and gently stir to moisten any dry cubes.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until set.

 Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.  Or maple syrup.

Sierpinski Hamantaschen ... or Sierpinskitaschen

I was lazy didn't have time this year to make my own hamantaschen, so I had to depend upon the kindness of others for my blueberry fix (my favorite kind).  But in the interest of entertainment I came across this article about hamantaschen baked in the shape of a Sierpinski triangle. 

A Sierpinski triangle, according to that mathematics expert The Oxford Dictionary, is "a fractal based on a triangle with four equal triangles inscribed in it. The central triangle is removed and each of the other three treated as the original was, and so on."  

Fractals may be larger than they appear

I don't have the rights to republish a photo of Deborah Gardner's version, so you will have to visit her blog to see her amazing and delicious creation for yourself.  She also provides her grandmother's recipe so you can make a Sierpinskitaschen of your own.  Or t least the kind that can fit in your pocket.

Lemon-Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken - Easy

The following recipe is brought to you courtesy of a co-worker, Nancy.   She mentioned this very easy recipe the other day, and when she got to the part about not sauteing the leeks nor pre-soaking the beans I was practically jumping up and down with glee.  So after a bit of begging polite request, Nancy was nice enough to provide me with the recipe AND a photo!  Woo-hoo!

The amount of black-eyed peas was not mentioned in the recipe, so I guesstimated at 2 cups.


Lemon Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken
Serves 6-8

2 cups diced leeks
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and checked for debris
12 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed using the side of a large knife
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth (low-sodium preferred)
1 whole lemon, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 tsp. if not using low-sodium broth)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place diced leeks into a 4-quart slow-cooker.  Cover leeks with black-eyed peas.  Spread garlic cloves on top of peas.

Arrange chicken thighs on top of garlic and peas, overlapping as necessary.

Pour in wine and broth.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until peas are tender.

Serve hot, preferably on gorgeous china.

Chocolate Covered Bananas - Easy - Secret Recipe Club

Time again for a recipe from the Secret Recipe Club.  This is my fourth participation, so as not to bore you yet again with the rules take a look at my previous SRC recipe.

My secret blog assignment is Fantastical Sharing of Recipes.  The lovely person who writes this blog states that her name is Sarah, but asks to be called anything but.  So I will respectfully call her FSR.  Anyway, lovely FSR uses her blog to share recipes.  Many of her recipes look absolutely wonderful and her photos are delicious.  I'm a sucker for anything chocolate, and (probably because Valentine's Day recently blew past) there is a mother-lode of great recipes of the chocolate persuasion.  I could probably spend almost every day until next February 14th making a dessert recipe without (much) repeating.

As usual when the SRC reveal date starts to sneak up on me, I was short on time and needed to select a very quick and massively easy recipe.  Semi-healthy would be nice, but optional.  Luckily I found both in Mini Chocolate Dipped Bananas.  I just happen to like bananas almost as much as chocolate.  Almost.

Four ingredients, if you count the lollipop sticks (which I used), nut topping (which I didn't) and melting chocolate (which I subbed).   The lollipop sticks are optional but make dipped bananas more fun to eat.  Without them, tho, you would simply have the banana equivalent of a Klondike Bar.


Mini Chocolate Dipped Bananas- Easy
Slightly adapted from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
Yield:  12 servings

3 firm but ripe bananas
2 cups melting chocolate (or 2 cups chocolate chips mixed with 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening)
1/2 cup nuts of your choice, finely chopped (optional)
12 lollipop or popsicle sticks


Line a small baking sheet or large freezer-safe plate with wax paper; set aside.

Peel bananas.  Cut each one crossways to make 4 pieces.  Push a lollipop or popsicle stick half-way up a center of a cut side of each piece.  Place on prepared baking sheet or plate in a single layer with space between each.  Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Almost totally, dude!

Place melting chocolate (or chips and shortening) in a small bowl.  Microwave at full power for 30-second intervals, stirring between each, just until chocolate is almost totally melted.

Smooooooth!

 Remove bowl from microwave and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. 

Remove frozen bananas from freezer immediately before the the next step.  If bananas start to defrost before dipping, they will start to sweat and get soft and mushy.  And not in a good way.

Dip da-dip dip dip!

 Holding  the stick, dip bananas in chocolate just up to stick to completely enrobe.  Gently tap against side of bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.  Since the bananas are frozen the chocolate with set up fast so if you are using nuts, immediately dip or roll pop in nuts.  Either way, return pop to pan/plate. Pop banana pops back into freezer for 10 minutes.

You kidding me?  They never made it back into the freezer.

 If not serving right away, transfer to a freezer safe container or a ziploc bag until you are about ready to enjoy.

Disclaimer - because this recipe is part of an online cooking challenge group, the linked recipes below might not be kosher.