Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Potatoes in Onion Gravy

Sometimes you just don’t want all those veggies with your pot roast.  I’m a true meat and potatoes kind of girl and so now and then I like to just make a pot roast with potatoes as my only vegetable….oh and onions…You have to have thick and rich onion gravy to make it the best pot roast you’ve ever tasted!  I decided to try something different with my gravy this time so I used a couple of those little McCormick gravy packets.  I only had the pork gravy and not the beef but I decided to give it a try.  OH MY GOODNESS.  This turned out to the one of the best pot roasts I’ve ever made!

Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Potatoes in Onion Gravy

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 (4-5 pound) chuck roast

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 cups of beef broth, unsalted or low sodium

1 small bag of new potatoes

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Carefully place it in the pan and sear it on all sides until golden brown.  Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

Add sliced onion to the skillet and sauté over medium heat until they are lightly caramelized and golden in color. 

Spray a 4 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Place the seared roast in the pot and place the caramelized onions on top. Add chopped garlic. 

Pour beef broth over roast.  Set temperature to high, cover and cook for about 4 hours. After four hours, remove the lid and place baby potatoes on top and around roast.  Cover and cook another 90 minutes to 2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Remove the meat and potatoes to a platter and cover with foil.

Gravy

Juices from crockpot

2 packages of McCormick Pork Gravy Mix

¼ cup of water

¼ cup heavy cream

1 small can cream of Onion soup, (undiluted)

Carefully pour the juices from the crock pot into a medium sauce pan.  Add two packs of Pork gravy and stir well.  Add the can of soup, the water and the cream and whisk until smooth. 

Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow gravy to thicken, stirring occasionally.  Once gravy is thickened, remove from heat and pour over meat and potatoes and serve! 

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Salted Caramel Brownie Bites

These Salted Caramel Brownies are going to take your brownie game to a whole new level.  Deliciously moist and fudgy brownies topped with ooey gooey melted caramel and chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped pecans.  YUM.

Turtle Brownie Bites

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon instant coffee

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt 1 2/3 cups chocolate chips, divided

30 soft caramel candies

1 tablespoon milk

¾ cup finely chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pans with liners or baking cups. 

 

 

Stir sugar, butter, oil and coffee in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thick; remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. 

 














Stir flour with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl; stir into egg mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pans.

Heat remaining chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM (50%) for 40 to 50 seconds; stir until smooth. Heat caramels and milk in another microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%), stirring every 30 seconds, for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. 




 



















Spread an equal amount of warm caramel onto each cupcake. Then pour melted chocolate over each cupcake and sprinkle with pecans. Let stand until set.

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Hot Molten Fudge Brownies

Once you’ve had a fudgy molten brownie, you will wonder why you haven't been eating them all your life! I mean who wouldn’t want to bite into a fudge brownie and have thick, smooth, warm chocolate slowly ooze out?  You’ll wonder why all brownies aren’t made this way. The secret is to take the brownies out of the oven when they don’t seem quite done. They’ll continue to cook and as they cool the fudge centers will stay moist and fudgy.

Hot Molten Fudge Brownies

1 cup all-purpose four

¾ cup cocoa

¾ cup brown sugar

1 1/3 cups sugar

¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup good quality chocolate, chopped into chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to hang over sides to use as handles for lifting out brownies later.

Place the flour, cocoa, both of the sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix batter until smooth. Add the chopped chocolate and continue to stir until smooth. Spread the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top until level.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the brownies are set on top. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before slicing into squares and serving warm.  Top with vanilla ice cream for a real treat! 

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Tortellini and Cheese Skillet Meal

This is one the easiest recipes you’ll ever make yet it tastes exactly like a dish from a great Italian restaurant!  It’s just that good!  I love this one- skillet pasta meal and I make it often. Delicious tender tortellini filled with cheese and sausage and tons of melted cheese, served in a thick and chunky tomato sauce and served with a side salad and crusty bread.  Even sounds like something on the menu!  

Tortellini and Cheese Skillet Meal

1 pound ground ground beef

2 cloves of minced garlic

9 ounce bag of fresh cheese Tortellini

9 ounce bag of fresh sausage Tortellini

1 (24 oz) jar Ragu Chunky Tomato, Garlic, Onion Sauce

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in ground beef and cook through, until no longer pink. Add in minced garlic and saute until tender.  Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, Italian seasoning, and both bags of tortellini.

Bring mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and cover. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the tortellini is tender. 

Remove from heat. Sprinkle Mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over tortellini. 

Place skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly.   Garnish with fresh parsley or basil, if desired.

Serve with a side salad and some crusty Italian bread.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator. This only gets better each day! 

NOTE:  You can use any type of Tortellini you like. I like mixing both the cheese and sausage because it changes the texture.  

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Quick Turkey Bolognese

It’s the perfect combination of ingredients that lends itself well to store-bought shortcuts.  Get dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less with this fast, fresh and family-friendly recipe.

Quick Turkey Bolognese

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 pound ground turkey

1 32 ounce jar of Ragu Chunky Tomato, Onion, Garlic Sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 pound uncooked spaghetti pasta

Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional) 

Add the olive oil to a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the ground turkey and using a spatula, break it apart into pieces while it cooks.  I like to leave some bigger chunks for texture.

 

Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the tomato sauce, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes then taste and season it with additional salt and pepper as needed.

While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook it until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta well before serving.

 

Transfer pasta to serving bowl and top with the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional).  Enjoy with a side salad and some crusty Italian bread!  YUM.

 

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