Barbacoa Beef

Madeleine told me that I HAD to make this recipe so I did. And it's delicious! 


Taste: Delicious! We had it with corn guacamole which really enhanced the flavor
Texture: Moist and tender
Would I make this again?: Yes! Just throw it in the crockpot and have a delicious dinner at the end of the day! 

Barbacoa Beef 

found: Gina's Skinny Recipes

3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed
5 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion
1/2 lime, juice
2-4 chiptoles in adobo sauce (to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp ground cloves
salt and pepper
3 bay leaves
1 tsp oil
1 cup water

Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chipotles, cloves in a blender.

Trim all fat off meat, cut into 4 inch chunks. Season with salt and pepper and brown on high heat in 1 tsp oil. Add liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and put in crockpot on high for 4 hours.

Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove the meat and place in a dish. Shred it with two forks and discard the bay leaves. Return the shredded meat to the pot, adjust salt and cumin (you may need to add more) to taste. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to let the flavors penetrate.

Italian Meatball Stew

This is another crockpot recipe that is super easy and delicious!
Taste: The meatballs were flavorful, and the broth tasted great on it's own.
Texture: The vegetables still had a little crunch so they were a good contrast to the soft meatballs.
Would I make this again?: Yes, it was so easy to throw together in the morning.

Italian Meatball Stew
From: Crock Pot

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 ounces tomato paste, canned
1 cup water
1 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
10 ounces mixed frozen vegetables, thawed

Combine beef, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, cheese, salt, garlic salt and pepper.
Form into meatballs.
Add to slow cooker with all other ingredients, except for frozen vegetables.
Cover; cook on Low 6-7 hours.
Add vegetables during last 30 minutes of cooking.

Slow Cooker Layered Enchilada Dinner Recipe

As you may have noticed, I've had a lot of baking/cooking time lately! I took off the 4 days between Christmas and New Years and had a goal of baking something and cooking dinner everyday! Along with some cleaning and errands mixed in there. And so far they have been successful! Here is another dinner I made. I love crockpot recipes as you can throw all the ingredients in the morning and not worry about it until it's ready at dinnertime! 
Taste: Pretty flavorful. The corn added a flavor contrast.
Texture: The recipe called for corn tortillas, but I don't like the taste. I think they would have held up a little more. The corn tortillas became mushy, but they still tasted good.
Would I make this again?: Maybe, it didn't totally impress me, but was really easy.

Slow Cooker Layered Enchilada Dinner Recipe

Adapted from Pillsbury

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® enchilada sauce
10 corn tortillas (6 inch)

1 bag frozen southwestern flavor corn
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (12 oz)
Paprika

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in soup and chiles.

2. Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom of slow cooker. Place 4 corn tortillas over sauce, overlapping and breaking in half as necessary to make an even layer. Top with 1/3 of beef mixture, spreading evenly. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese and 1/3 of the corn.

3. Repeat layering twice, using 3 corn tortillas and half of remaining beef mixture, enchilada sauce and cheese in each layer. Sprinkle paprika over top.

4. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours 30 minutes.

5. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving