Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches

I love this recipe because it's one that you don't use bouillon in.  It is from Betty Crocker

3 lb. beef boneles check roast

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 soy sauce

1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 dried bay leaf

3 or 4 peppercorns

2 loaves (1 lb. each) frenchbread

1. If beef roast comes in netting or is tied, do not remove.  In 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker, place beef.  In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients except bread; pour over beef.

2. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours

3. Skim fat from surface of juices in cooker; discard bay leaf and peppercorns.  Remove beef from cooker; place on cutting board.  Remove netting or strings from beef.  Cut beef into thin slices.  Cut each loaf of bread into 5 pieces, about 4 inches long; cut horizontally in half. Fill bread with beef.  Serve with broth for dipping. 

Crockpot Refried Beans/burritos

Baker's Slow Cooker Refried Beans

adapted from:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/a

 which were adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• ½ fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp.salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• One big pinch of cumin
• 6 cups water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 7-8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.until desired consistency when mashed with a potato masher

This is how we like to eat homemade burritos.  We use costco's uncooked tortillas and fill them with our beans and shredded cheddar cheese.  We either freeze or eat like this or we pour enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan and then fill it with our rolled burritos. Pour more enchilada sauce over the burritos and top with shredded cheese.   Bake covered at 325 for 25 min or until cheese is melted.  Then we top with fresh chopped onions and tomatoes.  On the side of the burrito it always tastes great to have some shredded romaine lettuce, guacomole, brown rice, and chips.   This is a great recipe for sauce if I want to fancier than using canned.  http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/05/enchilada-sauce.html  I like to sprinkle in a little bit of chipotle pepper powder to give it a little kick. 

Burrito Bowls with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

This is what we had for dinner tonight and we really liked them. It had been on my menu list for a while but I always got too frustrated trying to find the chipotle peppers at the store.  I found them for some reason this time.  They were on the mexican isle by enchilada sauce and refried beans.  I don't know how I missed them the other times.  

This is a good meal to prepare ahead because there was a lot of chopping.  I did love however that this meal was full of using my kitchen gadgets.  I made brown rice in my rice cooker, did the sauce in my food processor, and shred the cheese and lettuce with my bosch attachment. The rest of the meal was opening cans and chopping. 

 When I had seconds, I tried heating up the rice/salsa, beans, cheese, and corn first before I topped it with tomatoes,  lettuce, sauce, guacomole, onions, and crushed chips and I liked it a lot better. 

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/11/burrito-bowl-with-creamy-chipotle-sauce.html

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/11/creamy-chipotle-sauce.html

Makes 3-4 burrito bowls

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked rice or quinoa
1/2 cup salsa (restaurant-style, or your favorite store-bought brand)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained  (Beth used pinto)
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen corn, thawed)  (Beth used canned and drained)
Romaine lettuce, chopped  (Beth used her lettuce attachment on bosch)
Creamy chipotle sauce
Other additions: onion, green onion, bell pepper, avocado, cheese, cilantro
(Beth topped with cheese, onion--wish I had done green onion instead, crushed tortilla chips, and guacomole--loved this addition)

Directions
Cook rice. (For firmer rice, use 1 cup rice + 1 1/4 cup water.)
While rice is cooking, prep your veggies and make the creamy chipotle sauce.
When rice is cooked, stir in salsa.
Begin layering your bowl: start with rice, then black beans, and vegetables.
Drizzle the creamy chipotle sauce on top and enjoy.


Creamy Chipotle Sauce--(Beth made in food processor)

Makes about 2/3 cup

Ingredients
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (or 2/3 cup silken tofu for vegan)  (Beth used sour cream)
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. adobo sauce  (Beth ended up using a bit more)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp. cumin

Directions
Scrape away the seeds from the chipotle with a knife (use caution when handling chipotle, and wash your hands when done.)
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasonings/consistency as necessary.

Tips: if the sauce is too thick, thin it out with more lime juice, or olive oil. If it's too thin, add more greek yogurt. If you like a touch of sweetness, add some honey/agave.

Sweet Chex Mix

When I had Landon one of my neighbors brought dinner and made this yummy chex mix.  I have made it again but I have to be honest it never tasted as amazing as it was when she made it.  It is still really really addicting though and I have to set goals not to make it very often for that reason.

1 box of rice chex
1 box of corn chex
2 cubes of butter
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. karo syrup.
2 tsp. vanilla  (she used mexican)
8 oz. of slivered almonds
8 oz. of sunflower seeds  (I skipped these the last time I made these)
She adds 1 C. of cashews or pretzels and m and ms.
We added marshmallows and coconut the last time and they were yummy!

Boil butter, sugar, and karo syrup for one minute.  Make sure sugar is dissolved.  Turn and off and add vanilla. Cook for 1 minute or so and pour over the chex mix and stir.  Lay it out on wax paper and add m and ms and marshmallows.

0ctober 13, 2025

I just made a chocolate version of this using this recipe by adding pumpkin seeds instead of almonds and then added about 1 cup of Chocolate chips that melted so it turned it all chocolate. I also decreased the sugar to 1 cup and used 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1/2 cup honey. 

https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/gooey-almond-and-coconut-chex-mix/#wprm-recipe-container-92654

Chicken and Mushroom Sauce for Crepes

Can I just say that I Love Love Love my blendtec!   I think I use it at least a couple of times a day.  The recipe for the crepes is one I got from the blendtec cookbook.  The crepe filling recipe is one that I have redone a bit from a Taste of Home Magazine.  The original recipe is by Joanne Sieg.

Crepes:
2 large eggs
1 T. melted butter
1 1/4 C. milk
1 C. flour  ( I used wheat)
1/4 tsp. salt

Press Batters on blendtec.
I added 2 tsp. of Italian Seasoning and then pulsed 4-6 times to mix in.

Chicken and Mushroom Sauce:
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms  (I used canned because I didn't have fresh)
1/4 C. chopped onions
1/4 C. butter
2 C. milk and 2 tsp. chicken bouillon  or I used 1 1/2 C. milk and just over a 1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. sour cream
2 C. chopped chicken  (I just used a can of cooked chicken from Costco)
Optional shredded Cheese to sprinkle on top of Crepe

Cook mushroom and onions in butter.  Stir in flour.  Add milk, chicken bouillon/broth, italian seasoning, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in sour cream.  Add chicken.  Spoon filling into cooked crepes.  Sprinkle cheese on top if desired.

Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup

I called Mom to get a cheese soup recipe and she gave me 4 I want to try!  This is the one I started with because I wanted to use up a big potato and some frozen broccoli.  She got this recipe from Gayla Dowdle.  It probably would have been a better texture and flavor if I had chopped the celery, carrots, and onions by hand but I couldn't stand doing all the work so I used my food processor so they were itty bitty.  I don't regret it.:)  This recipe was a keeper.  It was a good hearty soup.

4-5 cups cubed potatoes with skin on (Beth used one big potato and peeled it)
2 C. carrots, sliced diagonally
1-2 C. chopped celery
1 1/2 lb. chopped broccoli  (Beth only did 2 C.  because that's all she had)
1 C. chopped onion
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 C. water

Steam and simmer all of the above without broccoli for 20 minutes.  Add broccoli and simmer for additional 7 min.
In separate pan:
Melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add 2 C. milk, 1/2 tsp. of dry mustard, and 1/2 C. flour. Heat and stir until thickened. Dissolve 6 cubes of chicken boullion in 2 C. water  (Beth added 3 1/2 C. chicken Broth instead) Add broth to white sauce.  Add 1 1/2 C. grated cheddar cheese to white sauce.  Add drained vegetables to white sauce.  Serves 12-15.

Mexican Quinoa Salad

  This was very similar to the salad Margaret brought to Landon's blessing. It's more of a side and makes a lot. We had it for dinner along with quesadillas so it worked for us.
http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/10/mexican-quinoa-salad.html