This is fairly long-winded. But it all comes together in the end so sack up and read it.
My good friend Gina had a tragic turn of events this week when her 50 year old mom died in her sleep, out of the blue. I can not even come close to imagining what she is going through, but it hits close to home, as James lost his mom a few years ago as well. I want to do something for Gina and Craig (her boyfriend and one of James's best friends), if nothing else than to make her life easier right now and have been racking my brain on what to do. I think, next week, after things have calmed down, I will take her some pre-made or pre-prepped food that can last a couple of meals with just warming up or whatever, so she doesn't have to think about anything but her family.
While thinking about what I wanted to make for Gina and crew, I instantly realized I haven't even been cooking for myself recently. I am not sure why I thought when we got back from the honeymoon and wedding and weekend travels that life would calm down a little. Silly, Abby. There is always so much going on. And it seems like our friends are the same way! In addition to Gina's trials, my best friend, Jessica, is just a few short weeks away from having her first baby AND has 3 events coming up for work AND just moved into a new house. And even though her hormones want to get the best of her, she still manages to seem cool, calm, and collected at all times. It baffles me.
Between Jessica and baby and Gina and family, I got motivated, and got out the slow-cooker recipe box. Inspired by my friends who actually are too busy to cook, I dedicate this 3 in 1 meal to them.....I don't want people to forget to eat. Or just eat to sustain (even worse). A good, healthy, tasty meal is only a few short minutes away.
I have to say, one of my favorite things about pot roast is what you can do with the leftovers! This recipe is fantastic, especially because it makes 2-3 different meals, all at once! The full recipe, listed below, is for 12 "servings"......riiiiiight. 12 servings for mini-people. About 8 servings for regular people, I've found. So, if you want to take advantage of the 3 meals in 1, make the whole recipe (and don't worry, chuck roast is cheap, so you won't be breaking the bank).
For the other two meals you can make with leftovers: fajitas and BBQ sandwiches!
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 for pot roast, 1 or 5 for fajitas, 1 or 5 for sandwiches
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 7 for initial slow-cooking, 1 for everything else
Slow-cooker Pot Roast
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 and 1/4 cup water
5.5 lbs pot roast (chuck roast)
In slow cooker, mix soup cans, onion mix, and water. Place pot roast in slow-cooker and coat with soup mix. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
Seriously, it's that easy. I also like to season the meat, and sear it before placing it in slow-cooker. But if you are trying to keep it super simple, just follow the above recipe. I would serve it with some sort of potatoes, as the soup mix turns into a gravy while it cooks with the meat juices! It's genius! Boiling some redskins is probably the easiest, as you don't have to peel them, or mash them, or do anything but boil water and you have an awesome side that will go great with the pot roast and gravy.
Fajitas
Tortillas
Fajita toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.)
Green Bell Pepper
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow or Sweet Onion
1 TBL butter
Leftover pot roast meat, shredded
Slice the green pepper, red pepper, and onion thinly. Heat butter in saute pan over medium heat, saute peppers and onions until desired tenderness. Add shredded meat to pan to heat through. Serve with warm tortillas and toppings as fajitas.
If you want to get super fancy on this, I suggest serving with some sort of rice and beans. I, personally, love the ones in the grocery store that come in that little black bag. I forget the brand, but it's like $2.50, and they have other flavors (mexican, spanish, yellow, etc.) but I think the black beans and rice mix is suuuuper good and goes great with this.
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
4 Buns
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 slices gouda or cheddar cheese (optional)
Leftover pot roast meat, shredded
In small saute pan or pot, heat pot roast meat and BBQ sauce (as much sauce as you like), continually stirring, and continually adding sauce. If desired, heat buns in oven, or under broiler for a few minutes so a little toasty. Place 1 slice of cheese on half of bun, add BBQ meat, then top with other half of bun.
Yes, I really just explained to you how to make a sandwich. You never know with people sometimes. Maybe they think the cheese slice will melt itself so I felt the need to explain the meat would melt it. It's been a long morning.
Disclaimers for my picky friends:
* For those of you who don't eat cheese, just don't add the cheese. It's not that difficult to figure out. Commies.
*** For those of you who want a lower-fat version, use fat-free cream of mushroom soup for pot roast.
**** For those of you who don't eat potatoes, I'm done talking to you.
I now feel better about myself. I have been slacking on cooking, blogging, and thanks to this overly long blog post, slacking on working this morning....I just made 3 meals in 1, blogged about it, and hopefully gave inspiration to those who think they are "too busy" to cook.
