Crockpot Fajitas

Eureka! Thought I lost this yummie recipe, but found it in a suitcase while cleaning up today.  Yes, I would take this recipe with me if I was deserted on an island with my husband, it's that good and easy too.

My husband printed this recipe off in 2004 from a news website, so credit goes to the two names listed on the original recipe, "Prairie" and "Hispanicmama", each contributing their own variation.  Easy, tender and oh so delicious! Here is my version:

Crockpot Fajitas
Into a crockpot/slow cooker, stack in this order:
1 beef rump or shoulder roast
1 envelope low salt taco seasoning
1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can of chopped green chiles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 onion
1 can Rotel chopped tomatoes and green chiles

Stack in order above.  DO NOT MIX.  Cover and cook on high for the first hour, then low for 8-9 hours (depends on the size of your roast).  DO NOT OPEN LID.  DO NOT STIR.  Do not even look at it until it's done.  When done, remove all but the liquid from the crockpot and put into a large casserole dish.  Drain off excess liquid.  With large forks, shred the roast and serve with flour tortillas and eat like fajitas.  Garnish with cheese, sour cream, etc.

This recipe makes A LOT of food, so plan on left overs, or serve it to a crowd.

How to Clean a Wood Burning Stove

Yikes!  Our Jotul wood burning fireplace was looking pretty sad, but I didn't want to take it apart and paint it.  We use our stove primarily to heat our home, and occasionally we cook with it.  Since our stove is cast iron I was thinking I could care for it like a cast iron skillet, and season the stove to clean it.  With a little bit of elbow grease, it is looking fantastic again.  It was such an amazing transformation, I am sharing it with you.  Dear hubby thinks I should do the stovepipe next, lol.

Stuff I used:
steel wool (I grabbed some from my husbands gun cleaning stuff)
spray olive oil
vacuum cleaner
cloth
Bar Keepers Friend (I use this to clean my stainless steel sink too, best stuff ever)

With steel wool, I fine sanded the rusty parts of our stove, mainly the top and a few spots on the side then vacuumed it to remove the dust and fine particles.  I opened up the front doors and cleaned the glass.  I usually use a special stove glass cleaner, but was out, so I tried Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser and Polish (Google Affiliate Ad).  It worked perfectly and cleaned the black soot off of the glass easily.  Then I sprayed the stove with olive oil and gently rubbed it around.  I was amazed that my cloth was black and how the olive oil cleaned the stove.  Wow!

We had a small fire and the olive oil smelled so good my husband asked what I was cooking, lol.  The oil will burn off completely after a few fires, and the stove will have a matt finish. 

Do not overheat your stove after applying olive oil, it could smoke up your house.

Baked Corn

A classic recipe for potlucks or holidays from a dear friend, Ruthie.

1 can whole kernel corn
1 can cream style corn
2 eggs - lightly beaten
1 stick margarine
1 cup sour cream
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

Mix all ingredients well. Spread in greased dish and bake 350 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.

Vinegar Pie Crust

I could never make a very good pie crust, no matter how hard I tried.  Techniques such as crossing knives, pastry blenders and ice cold water, just didn't work for me.  I gave up on pie crust until a dear sweet lady shared her recipe with me.  I am eternally grateful not only for her pie making skills and advice, but most importantly, her love the Lord with all your heart kindness.  I smile everytime I look at this pair of recipe's because she shared her "Vinegar Pie Crust" recipe with me, and included a bonus recipe for my dear hubby, "Coconut Cream Pie", his favorite.

Marylou Dixon passed away recently but she shared more than a recipe with me.  Thank you Marylou for your discipleship, thoughtfulness, laughter and friendship, I will never forget you.

Crockpot Hearty Minestrone Soup Inspired by Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli

Childhood memories are stirred up whenever I cook up a batch of soup.  Nothing was better than the smell of a big pot of simmering soup and homemade bread.

Enjoy this soup, and I hope it provides your family with many happy memories.  

Crockpot Hearty Minestrone Soup 

 

In a crockpot add the following, cook on high one hour and switch to low for at least 5 more hours:

half pound precooked ground beef and one small diced onion cooked (I cook up a large batch of ground beef and freeze it in portions, then defrost as needed)
1 can of 15 ounce tomato sauce
1 can of 14.5 ounce reduced sodium beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 small diced tomatoes
1 can of 15.5 ounce cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of 15.5 ounce navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of 15.5 ounce red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 celery stalks chopped
10 small baby carrots or 1 large diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon of white cooking wine
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
optional salt to taste

When you are ready to serve your soup, cook separately:
1/3 box Ditalini pasta

For pasta, cook it separately following package directions then add it to your bowl as you serve your soup.

Optional, garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. 

Notes:  If you under cook your pasta then add it to your soup, it will soak up all of your broth, and will no longer be soup.  For this reason, I like to keep my noodles separate.  Also, the can sizes given are what I found at my local store, and vary by manufacturer, so select a size that is close.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

A delight to behold and savor, these potatoes are easy to make, flavorful and delicious.  Herb Roasted Potatoes is a recipe from Family Circle Magazine, November 2012.

3 pounds of small red skinned potatotes, about 2 inches round, scrubbed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Halve potatoes and toss in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place a piece of rosemary or thyme on the cut side of the potato then gently press cut side down (with the herb) on a baking pan brushed with olive oil.  Bake for 35 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.


Notes:  If the potato is large, slice so your potatoes have uniform thickness.  Next time I make these I'm going to try sea salt instead of regular salt to season.  Also, 3 pounds makes a lot so you might want to try a half batch. 

Easy and Healthy Baked Egg Rolls

Baked egg rolls are a quick, healthy and easy alternative to fried egg rolls.  I used to make pizza egg rolls for my family and cooked them in a deep, greasy, fat bath, ewwww.  This new healthy egg roll recipe inspired by Emily from Joyful Abode is refreshingly crunchy, not dripping with fat, and healthy.

The beauty of an egg roll is being able to use any filling you want, including pizza :)  

Easy and Healthy Baked Egg Rolls

16 ounce bag of cole slaw mix

12 ounce bag of broccoli slaw

Egg roll wrappers

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce, low sodium

1-2 cooked chicken tenders diced 

1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce 

1 Tablespoon minced garlic 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place cole slaw and broccoli slaw in covered dish and microwave on high for 6 minutes.  Remove from microwave and add diced chicken, garlic, soy sauce and hoisin sauce (or season to taste). 

Place a small handful of slaw mix on egg roll wrapper and follow package directions for folding.

Place egg rolls on baking sheet brushed with olive oil, or sprayed with no stick cooking spray.  Spray or brush tops of egg rolls.

Bake in oven for 15 min. remove from oven and turn egg rolls over, bake for another 12-15 min or until browned.

Serve with soy sauce or your favorite dipping sauce, yum!