Meat & Potatoes

I tried making a pot roast in the slow cooker and ran into a couple of issues - both of which stem from a fundamental problem in the world of cooking: recipes are geared towards people who already know how to cook.

My issues:

1. The recipe calls for 5.5 lbs "pot roast." So I was in the meat department of my local grocery store looking for "pot roast," but such a thing does not exist. They had rump roast, chuck roast, and tri-tip roast, but no "pot roast." I was just about to reach for my phone and call my mom to ask her which I should buy (in retrospect, funny how my first thought is to call my mom and not ask the butcher who was standing 30 ft. away) when I noticed that the chuck roast was on sale for $1.99/lb. So I bought that.

2. The recipe instructs to cook on high for 3-4 hours but gives no guideline for determining when the roast is adequately cooked. After 3 hours there was still a lot of blood coming out when I poked at it. After 4 hours, I thought it looked done. Fortunately, Blake was over and he remembered something about meat needing to have an internal temperature of 160-degrees. I managed to find a meat thermometer and my roast was only 140-degrees. So we put in The Godfather II, let it cook another hour (for anyone who is counting, we're now at 5 hours) and it just barely reached 160-degrees. Unfortunately, we found that it was overcooked.

So the meat was tough and fatty (should I have used something besides chuck roast?) and the gravy was way too salty (I suggest using only half of the onion soup packet). But I had added some red potatoes and mushrooms and they were quite tasty.

At the end of the day, I don't think I'm a meat & potatoes kind of girl.

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Submitted by: Brenda Arnold Rated: 5 out of 5 by 2992 members

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 8 Hours

Ready In: 8 Hours 10 Minutes Yields: 12 servings

"This simple pot roast makes its own gravy in the slow cooker."

INGREDIENTS:

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion

soup mix 1 1/4 cups water 5 1/2 pounds pot roast

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
2.	Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories 435 (52% from fat) | Protein 45.6g | Fat 24.5g (sat 9.1g) | Carbohydrate 5.2g | Fiber 0.3g | Cholesterol 127mg | Iron 4mg | Sodium 663mg | Calcium 27mg

Bean & Ham Soup

Here's where I get into trouble with cooking: apparently you're supposed to follow recipes. I am detail-oriented in every other aspect of my life but, for whatever reason, when it comes to recipes I struggle.

The Bean & Ham Soup was my first experience with a slow cooker. It's supposed to cook for 10 hours. That sounded ridiculous to me - so I tried 5 hours (on high) without success. After hour 4 I ladled the contents of my slow cooker into a large pot and simmered it on the stove. The broth didn't want to thicken so I added 3 tablespoons of corn starch mixed with water.

It was somewhat of a disaster.

Bay leaves are gross. Some of the reviewers on Allrecipes suggested adding them but I wish I hadn't. I also added a clove of garlic and a can of chicken broth. I have no idea if either of these ingredients made for more flavorful soup, but they didn't hurt.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can buy pre-cooked and cubed ham. Due to my immense fear of raw meat, I am a fan. I will likely make it again - but will use more chicken broth and less water.

On a side note, my slow cooker rocks. It has a lid that can be clamped down to prevent spills when transporting. It also came with a super stylin' green gingham carrying case.


Hamilton Beach Stay/Go Slow Cooker

Grandma B's Bean Soup

Submitted by: Reneerent Rated: 4 out of 5 by 23 members

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Hours

Ready In: 16 Hours 15 Minutes Yields: 8 servings

"A simple slow cooker bean and ham soup. It's delicious!"

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dry navy beans 3 carrots, peeled and shredded 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, sliced 1 medium onion, diced 2 cups cubed cooked ham

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place the beans in a slow cooker with enough water to cover, and soak 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
2.	Drain the beans, and return to the slow cooker. Cover with water, and mix in the carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and ham.
3.	Cover slow cooker, and cook soup on High for 3 1/2 hours. Switch to Low, and continue cooking at least 6 1/2 hours. The longer it cooks the more flavorful it becomes.

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories 337 (17% from fat) | Protein 22g | Fat 6.8g (sat 2.4g) | Carbohydrate 48g | Fiber 10.8g | Cholesterol 32mg | Iron 4mg | Sodium 47mg | Calcium 118mg