Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

 
So I have this delicious family recipe for a mushroom roast. I'm guessing many families have the same one. It involves mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, and Lipton Onion Soup. I love that recipe with all my heart, but most of my family doesn't like mushrooms. So I went on a quest to find a tasty, non-mushroom roast idea. I found a starting point with Chef John's Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe (cited at the bottom). I had two problems. One, it uses mushrooms and two, I'm lazy. Searing the meat bits on this stretches my patience as it is. However, the result is worth it so I go with it. The rest of the steps got thrown out because it's a roast and it's suppose to be simple. That's my philosophy at least. So, here is the modified recipe and I've had good results both from family and friends. Hope you like it!

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

• 1 (3 - 5 pound) pot roast
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 – 3 onions, quartered/cut into chunks (optional if you like slow cooked onions with your roast. If not, then mince half an onion or use onion powder to get that flavor added to your broth/roast.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 c beef broth
• 3 - 5 medium carrots, cut into chunks (optional if you like slow cooked carrots with your roast)
• 2 – 3 potatoes (optional if you like potatoes to cook with your roast)
• 1 - 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks (or small pieces if you don't like celery – for broth flavoring)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (½ tsp dry)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (1 tsp dry)
• Cornstarch (optional if you want to make broth into gravy)

Directions:

1. Cover the roast in salt and pepper. I don't recommend to taste as you shouldn't taste raw meat generally speaking. I'm generous on this. Then I sear the meat in the vegetable oil in a skillet. *Check out my detailed notes below if you want how I actually do this process.

2. While sides are searing, I put two cups of water into the crock pot and add two beef bullion cubes. However you do your beef broth, get two cups in and turn the thing to high so things start warming up. Toss in all the stuff. From onions down to rosemary. **More notes on how I “toss it all in.”

3. Get the seared roast into the crock pot, cover it and cook it on low for five to six hours. Eat it.

4. If you want, put the broth into a pot, bring it to a boil, add a cornstarch slurry (maybe 1 Tbsp cornstarch to ¼ or ½ cup cold water) to thicken it and boom – gravy.

Notes on how I like to do things:

*Cutting the meat and salting/peppering it: You can leave the roast whole or cut it into pieces. I cut it into pieces so it gets more seared on pepper/salt goodness. I sprinkle salt and pepper onto a plate. I then take my fist-ish sized pieces of meat and dab each side onto the plate to pick up the salt and pepper. I find it easier than trying to sprinkle pepper and salt onto the meat. So, I press all the sides of my smaller cuts onto the salt and pepper, one chunk at a time. I add more salt and pepper to replenish the plate as needed for the pieces. Generally, I get 1 – 2 pieces per plate sprinkling. Then I sear the sides of the pieces in the vegetable oil.

**A lot of times, I toss half the thyme and rosemary into the broth, then I toss in everything but the onions and stir it up. After stirring, I put in the onions so they don't fall apart from stirring. Then I put the seared roast in and sprinkle the remaining thyme and rosemary on top. This is just me and not really a necessary complication.

This was adapted from Chef John's Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast. (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220125/slow-cooker-beef-pot-roast/)

I took out a lot of steps because it's a roast and I don't want to spend all day on it. Also, while I love mushrooms, many in my family don't. So, this is my simplified version and it tastes great – so thanks Chef John because I needed your recipe to find mine. :)

Banana Bread

So, this is a recipe for Banana Bread. Not Banana Bread with Nuts or Banana Bread with Raisins. It is a bread in which the dominant taste is sweet banana. Why? Because we don't like that other stuff. Should you insist on ruining this delightful recipe with nuts or raisins, I will put a couple of measurements at the bottom.

Banana Bread (makes two loaves)*

2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c buttermilk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
**

Directions:

1. Grease and flour bread pans. Preheat oven at 325.

Now, technically, you can just mix all that stuff above together, toss it into the pans and go. However, in case you like lots of steps, I shall tell you how I do it. I have a mixer. I use speed 1 or 2 for all the mixing. Which speed I use is completely based on the whim of the day. I use a 1/4 cup and a 1/2 tsp for all the measuring. Then I don't have to wash more than those two items and the bowl.

2.  Toss in the 2 bananas and let them get mashed. Put in the eggs. Mix it and then add the sugar.
3. Add the flour, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. (Yes, I use the same 1/4 cup. Just do the dry, then the wet.) Make sure all of that gets mixed up well.
4. Use a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon if you don't want to have to wash more than one spoon. Now put in salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla. If you have lumpy baking powder like me, I recommend making sure those chunks are broken up so you don't get a nasty lump in your bread later. No one wants to be the person who gets that.
5. Now that everything is mixed up, divide the batter between the two pans you expertly greased and floured. Pop it into the oven for around 35-45 minutes. Use the toothpick test to make sure it's done. (If you don't know this test, it means to stick a toothpick into the bread, pull it out, and see if it's clean. If it is, you're gold. If not, it needs more time.)

* You can do half the recipe and it's still quite tasty. Most likely, you'll wish you'd just stuck to making two.

** Nuts - 1 c. Raisins - 1/2 c.

Eggplant Pita - Japan Compatible

Eggplant Pita (prep 25, cook 20, ready 45)
(If making in Japan, refer to the bottom)

Lactose Intolerant: Leave off the cheese and the ranch dressing. It should still be good.

INGREDIENTS*
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 pitas, halved*
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup ranch-style salad dressing (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine eggplant, mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion, garlic powder and olive oil in a skillet and fry until vegetables are gently brown and softened.**
2. Stuff hot vegetable mixture into pita bread pockets. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese into the pockets. Top the entire sandwich with ranch dressing if you wish.

Notes:
* Overall, I mostly double this recipe. That’s probably the long and short.
** There is a fine line when cooking this and it’s don’t cook it too long – especially the eggplant. If you’re a garlic lover, add just a bit extra too.

Japan Note:
I couldn't find pitas there. So, I made tortillas (which you can buy for a large sum – so putting in the work to make them is better).

Green Enchilada Sauce

This stuff is great, not a lot of work in my opinion, and yields a lot of sauce. It'll be far cheaper than buying it if you can find the time to make it. May I suggest that if you do it, double the recipe and cook it in a big wok so you have a large surface for evaporation. Makes it cook down faster and you're doing all the work one time with a big result. I have a large food processor which makes this a cake walk.

The original post is here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/03/green-enchilada-sauce/. It has pictures, but I want to tell you this: if you have a good food processor, I suggest ignoring all this chopping, mincing, etc. Throw the ingredients into the food processor. If it's small enough for the onions and garlic, throw them in and chop/mince them as much as the processor can. Then cook them up. This is a sauce. Let the processor do the work for you.

If the processor isn't big enough for all of it at once, who cares? Do half the ingredients with half the tomatillos and then the other half with the remaining tomatillos (the tomatillos give you a good juice base to mix and shred it all well). It all goes to the same pot and gets mixed together in the end anyway so don't stress chopping/mincing perfection.

Green Enchilada Sauce

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired (and I desire. Always.)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (This is optional and I never use it. But if you want a sweet like Cafe Rio, this will do it)

Directions:

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. I usually turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until I reach the consistency I want; it makes things go a lot faster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas are another wonderful secret shared with me by my sister-in-law. They are delicious, can be frozen* and making multiple batches is a breeze.

The original site for this work is here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/03/honey-lime-enchiladas.html. This site has pretty pictures, so if visuals are useful, go for it! I have a few tips on shredding chicken and a link to a recipe for Green Enchilada Sauce that is delicious, has a high yield, freezes well, and will cost you less than getting it in a can.

If you're making the sauce and shredding the chicken, you might want to read over that in anticipation for cooking this wonderful meal. You can make the work a lot less by doing these two bits a day or two in advance so it's not all a huge effort on one day. Each step is simple. Doing them all at once can take time and not everyone has a big chunk of time set aside for cooking.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 large limes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded (3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)**
8-10 fajita-size flour tortillas
1 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce (like the Herdez brand)***
1 cup sour cream (you can use heavy cream or half-and-half but I always use sour cream)

Directions:

Whisk together the first four ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a Ziploc bag (or other covered container) and toss with the shredded chicken. Refrigerate and let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 8 hours.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Fill flour tortillas with chicken (reserving the leftover marinade) and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. I like to mix the cheese and chicken together and then put it in the tortilla so the two tastes are throughout the enchilada.

Mix the remaining enchilada sauce (1.5 c) with the sour cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

**Here's a tip for shredded chicken instead of buying really expensive canned stuff. Throw a some into a crock pot (I do about 3 - 4 lbs per pot) for 4 - 6 hours with a little water and oil if you like. When the chicken is at a falling apart stage, pour it into a mixer with the cookie paddle. Start it up and in about 20 - 30 seconds you have a lot of shredded chicken you can freeze.

I do quesadilla chicken this way and cook it with the taco seasoning in the crock pot. Then I have probably 10 dinners worth of ziplocks full of chicken. Makes life quick and easy. If you know the meal you're shredding for, you can season it up accordingly. Otherwise, keep it pretty generic and you'll have basic, all-purpose chicken to use in whatever meal you want. I hear that cooking in citrus dries chicken out, so be aware of that.

Chicken and Dumplings

It has been so long since I posted a recipe. At the back of my brain, I kept thinking, "I love cooking but it's so busy!" I thought I'd start back up with a simple one my sister-in-law shared with me that is quite delicious. This is the original site for the recipe and it has some great pictures.

As a side note, I've tried this recipe with buttermilk and didn't really notice a change or improvement to the taste of the noodles. Still good and relatively the same flavor.

Also, when I don't have homemade broth for my recipes, I use bullion cubes and then add some powdered onion, sage, garlic, pepper, and celery salt. The celery salt and garlic I add in small amounts maybe 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. The sage is more along the 1/2 tsp lines and the onion powder is around 1 tsp. I love pepper in this recipe so I go kind of crazy with it. All in all, it's about your personal tastes and I never measure exactly. Like yesterday when my 2 year old decided to help with the sage addition. Still tasted good but I have no idea how much got in the pot, on the stove top, and in his mouth!

Anyway, the recipe:

2 cups Flour
½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Milk, A Bit Less Than A Full Cup
2 quarts Chicken Broth
3 cups Cooked Chicken (small pieces)*

Directions:

1. Assuming the chicken has been dealt with, I start by putting my broth up to boil.
2. Noodles are next. I have a food processor which makes this easy, but the long and short is put the dry ingredients together, cut the butter into them, and then add the milk. I really does take a bit less than a cup to create a cohesive lump of yummy dough. So add it until it forms a nice, soft dough that isn't going to stick all over your hands.
3. Flour** the surface you're going to roll the dough out onto. Be liberal with it and roll the dough out thin. Thin is a rather vague word, but the thinner it is, the more noodles you get. So decide if you like thicker noodles and less of them or thinner noodles and lots of them. After you've rolled them out, feel free to smooth some more flour out on top of the noodles. Lots of flour equals a thicker result for your recipe.
     3b. If you are using some frozen chicken pieces, I would throw them into the pot around now.
4. I use a pizza slicer to cut the noodles. You could do that or use a cutter that's around 2"x2". Whatever floats your boat. Cut the noodles and then move them to the pot. I pick them up with my hands, my spouse uses a spatula and a plate, sprinkling flour between the noodle layers. However you do it, drop them in one or two at a time making sure they've separated and let all that extra flour fall into the pot.
5. If I have thawed or just cooked chicken I put it in after I've added the noodles and cook the whole thing for 15 - 20 minutes. You could also wait until the end. Either way has worked for me.
6. Make sure the noodles don't taste like dough and then serve it up in bowls!

*I use around 1.5 cups of chicken. The spouse, toddler and I enjoy the noodles so we back down on the amount of chicken. I use a rotisserie chicken from Costco which usually yields 2 - 3 recipes worth of chicken depending on how much you use per recipe. It's quick, easy, and tasty. Just freeze the extra chicken for later or use it in a salad!
**Use lots of flour for the rolling and cutting of the noodles. All that flour should end up in the pot so you get a nice, thick batch by the end (in all honesty, it really does take a lot of flour and sometimes my recipe turns out nice and thick and sometimes, it doesn't. It tastes good either way.)

Victory!

So a new year is coming up, and I'm hoping to start integrating some new recipes into the menu list. I am also working on making (and backing up) new menus. Awesome news: my sister-in-law got me a new cook book. I'm hoping to have a little time over the holidays to sort through this cookbook and a couple of other ones I've not done a lot of exploring through.

So, hopefully there will be more postings soon.

:)

Tragedy

So, I'm not the most spontaneous person in the world. In fact, I struggle with spontaneity - particularly when it comes to food. I have a plan. I have a menu for the next two months. Then I know I have what I need. I don't have to wonder what to do at the last minute. Fewer surprises, happier me.

Well... I had a menu for the next two months and now it's gone and corrupted itself. I knew I should've backed that sucker up. Gr. Argh. Blah.

I will try and recall what few meals I've made over the last month that were interesting and worth trying. We haven't had a lot of variety. This is mostly because I've been home alone a lot and really, why cook for just one?

Penne with Braised Squash and Greens

Had this last night, and it was quite good. I couldn't find any smoked tofu and didn't get any other kind - which was a bad choice. I think this recipe would've been great with it. Also, I couldn't find Swiss Chard so I subbed in spinach instead - which was quite tasty.

For this recipe, you either need tofu of some kind (try a more firm tofu, soft tofu will be useless and just become a pasty coating from my experience) or some chicken or something. You could probably bolster up the butternut amount some to help if you don't have tofu, but really, this would be way good with it.

A note to those having to sub chard with spinach (or kale). First, spinach is not quite as thick so it takes less time to cook. Second, when I put my 3/4 bunch of spinach in I thought, "Holy cow, that's a ton! It'll drown out everything else." How silly of me. I should've remember that spinach cooks down... way down. Go with a full bunch. If you love spinach, try a bunch and a half. It adds a great taste.

Lactose Intolerant and Japan: I think you can leave out the Parmesan and still be happy. I will tell you that I noticed the cheese taste and it was a great flavor in the mix. However, I think it will still be good even without it.

Japan eaters will you let me know if butternut squash can be located over there? I never tried to look for it, so I have no idea if it's available or not. If not, let me know and I will remove this label. Thanks.

Penne with Braised Squash and Greens

2 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounce(s) cubed smoked tofu
1 medium onion, chopped
3 clove(s) garlic, minced
crushed red pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cup(s) vegetable broth
1 pound(s) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (3 cups)
1 bunch(es) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounce(s) whole-wheat penne, rigatoni or fusilli
1/2 cup(s) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add onion to the pan; cook, stirring often, until softened and golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
5. Return the tofu to the pan, add broth and squash; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Start cooking the pasta until just tender, according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot.
7. Add chard to squash mixture and stir to immerse. Cover and cook until the squash and chard are tender, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the squash mixture, Parmesan, salt and pepper to the pot of drained noodles. Toss to coat.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can actually google this name and probably find the site that has this recipe. I got this from a sister-in-law who got it from a sister-in-law. They are delicious. The one down side is that the dough isn't as good raw. For some people, that may be a plus.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c. All purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 c. Butter, softened
3/4 c. Packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
3 oz package instant, sugar-free, fat-free vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. Chocolate chips (or a variety of flavors)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
3. Blend in pudding mix.
4. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
5. Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.*
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Drop small, rounded spoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 9 minutes in oven.

*Technically, one is suppose to sift these four ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add in. I don't do this, and I'm not sure why I should as it still turns out well. Therefore, I don't do the extra step with the extra dish.

Salsa

This is an excellent recipe. Very tasty and fresh. Salsa from the store has become rather pale in comparison to the salsa made from our garden. Thank you to my friend for sharing this wonderful recipe (and your backyard!) with me . All of the comments in this recipe are from her as she explained what to do. She's amazing at eyeballing and improvising food. Her big thing with the salsa was variety.

You can add cumin to this. My friend and I were visiting one of her friends who had done this. It was described as having a bit of a smokey flavor. I didn't love it as much as this recipe, but it wasn't bad either. So, if you have a thing for cumin, you might want to try adding it in.

For my Japan friends: If you don't have banana peppers, don't worry. Just use some shishitos. Jalapenos were harder to find if I remember, so research some hot Japanese or chinese peppers. You could probably use shishitos in lieu of jalapenos, but then you won't have any kick whatsoever. I believe the name of the store I got my bottled jalapenos at was Pu-ro. They have some really good prices there and I think that's where I got my cheap shredded mozarella. Good memories.

Anyway, if you can find a fresh, hot version of an Asian pepper, that'll probably be best. Also, I can't for the life of me remember if cilantro is available to you. If it is, you can make this without too much trouble. If not, then please post and let me know so I remove the tag. Thanks.

Salsa o' Doom

8 tomatoes (I used a combination of Beefsteak, Roma, and Celebrities I believe, but any will do)

6 jalapenos. Half with the seeds, half without*

1 banana pepper (no seeds)

1 bell pepper (no seeds) (I used green but I prefer yellow for the color)**

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Juice from 2 limes

Salt to taste (this baby is loaded with sodium)

Directions:

1. Dice 5 tomatoes.
2. Dice the onion and cilantro.
3. Everything else including 3 tomatoes were chopped in my mini food processor but can be hand chopped.
4. Mix all ingredients and add salt to taste.

* If you decide you want it hotter, keep the seeds.
** Japan friends, use yellow. They're sweeter, and I noticed my Japan green bell peppers were different from the States.

Eggplant Sandwiches

This is a great recipe! The sad thing is that I've waited so long to write about it that the tweaks I wanted to make have escaped me. I'll probably have to send out an update when we make this again.

What I do remember:
1. Even doubling this recipe, there wasn't enough for six people. So I'm guessing without extras to really buff this up, you're looking at an involved appetizer or feeding just two, maybe three people. With sides, you could maybe bump that up to three or four depending on how bulky your sides are.
2. The bread crumb coating mixture - 1:2. It worked for two batches without doubling. If you make one batch, I would recommend halving the recipe for this.
3. The egg dip - 1:1. Double the amount if you double the recipe.
4. Cheese Mixture - 1:1. As I recall, you have to double it if you double the recipe.
5. Pomegranate Molasses. There is a substitute for it at the bottom. Also, I served it on the side so people could choose whether they wanted it or not.

Eggplant Sandwiches

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 large long eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/3 inch thick slices
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 cup shredded sharp provolone cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses*

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Coat two large baking sheets with olive oil.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the panko crumbs, salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Place the flour in a third bowl. Coat each slice of eggplant with flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg, and finally coat with panko crumbs. Place on the oiled baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn over the slices and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, but leave the oven on.
4. While the eggplant is baking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until almost tender, then add the garlic. Cook for just about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese, provolone cheese, parsley and basil. Season with pepper.
5. Divide the cheese mixture among 8 slices of the eggplant (half). Spread to cover, then top with remaining eggplant slices, pressing to compact. Return to the baking sheets.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until eggplant is crisp, about 15 minutes. Place two sandwiches onto each serving plate, and drizzle with pomegranate molasses.

*Pomegrante molasses substitute: 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp mild molasses, and 1 tsp honey

Eggplant Curry

Oishi desu!

I got this recipe from a wonderful friend in Japan. What I'm relaying is totally from memory as I can't locate the recipe she wrote for us. It's sad because she has beautiful writing and her pictures are great! It's probably the reason I can remember anything. If it doesn't taste great, you'll probably have to blame it on my faulty memory. I still look for that recipe from time to time.

The key to this is getting a hold of Japanese curry. I don't have a recipe for making it from scratch. When we learned our Japanese recipes, curry was so cheap to get no one bothered to give us recipes for making it. If you go to buy some, I would recommend House brand and then S&B, but that's just me.

The packages we have are two parts of four to six squares each. We use half of one of these packages. If you get a small package with only four or six squares, use the whole thing for this recipe. For the friends with a double package like ours, remember to cut the water in half.

Eggplant Curry

150 grams of hamburger (1/3 lb)
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced*
3 medium onions
3-4 eggplants, chopped**
Japanese curry
1 square from a Hershey bar**

Directions:

1. However you make rice, work on getting that set up.
2. Cook the hamburger. Drain off the fat. Keep off to the side.
3. Cook the onions and garlic.
4. Add the amount of water specified by the curry. Then put in the eggplant and cook until barely softened.
5. Add the hamburger and curry. Stir and heat until simmering. When the eggplant is soft and the curry dissolved, add the chocolate.
6. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

* We tend to like a lot of garlic, so we go with 4 - 6 minced cloves.
** Yes, it really is that little, but it makes all the difference in the world, so don't forget it. just one little part of a full bar.

Angel Lush

My first dessert but hopefully it won't be the last! Good and simple recipe if you like angel food cake.

Angel Lush

1 can (20oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 pkg (3.4 oz) of vanilla flavored, instant pudding
1 cup thawed cool whip
1 pkg (10oz) round angel food cake, cut into 3 layers
Seasonal Berries

Directions:

1. Mix pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping.
2. Stack cake layers on plate, spreading pudding mixture between layers and on top of cake.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish with your favorite seasonal berries.

Asian Pork Wraps

Very tasty. It's been a long time since we ate this, but I do remember we enjoyed it. This is saying something as my spouse is not a fan of pork. Also, it makes a lot of food. I would imagine this would be quite good with the Lime Cilantro rice.

It should be pretty easy for those that are in Japan to utilize this recipe, assuming you can discern the labels in the stores. I might recommend trying to mix this with rice in lieu of tortillas. My other suggestion is to make them.

Asian Pork Wraps

Meat:
2.5 - 3 lbs boneless pork loin roast
2/3 c. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. Minced garlic
1 tsp. Ground ginger
½ tsp. Chinese five spice powder

Wrap:
10 – 16 tortillas
Sliced green onion
Mandarin oranges
Toasted, slivered almonds
Shredded Lettuce

1. Grease crock pot.
2. Place roast in 3.5 – 5 quart slow cooker.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and spread over top.
4. Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 8 hours.
5. Shred roast with two forks.
6. Serve on warm whole tortillas with sliced green onion, mandarin oranges, toasted slivered almonds, and shredded lettuce.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

I found this recipe on this website. It is so good! Absolutely love and enjoy this recipe. I recommend upping the amount of asparagus (because it tastes so good) to 1.5 - 2 lbs, but if you don't, it's still wonderful.

One thing. When I got to the step to reduce the vinegar I was so mad and thought, "You should've had me doing this at the beginning, it'll take so long to reduce it by that much!" Vinegar, for those that did not know, will reduce quickly. You can do it earlier, but it shouldn't slow you down too much in the order they direct.

This recipe fed three adults without sides and we all felt full. With sides, this should feed four to six people.

One last note. For my lactose intolerant friends, just remove the cheese. It's not a fundamental taste of the overall food. Leaving it out won't change it too much. Also, I'm guessing you probably have a substitute for butter/margarine. If not, then look for margarine labelled "pareve".

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

1 pound asparagus*
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon(s) brown sugar
1 pound(s) penne
1/4 pound(s) butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F and start your penne water boiling.

2. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them.** Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.*** Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

4. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt.

Serve with additional Parmesan.

Variations:

Penne with Roasted Broccoli and Balsamic Butter: When asparagus is not in season, cut 1 pound of broccoli into small spears for roasting. Toss them with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes.

Penne with Roasted Vegetables, Toasted Nuts, and Balsamic Butter: Toss in 1/3 cup of toasted pine nuts, hazelnuts, or walnuts at the end with either asparagus or broccoli.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus, Balsamic Butter, and Chicken: Just cut up some chicken (1 - 2 breasts) and cook it in salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Blends very nicely.

* I love asparagus. I'd recommend upping the amount to 1.5 - 2 lbs.

**To snap off the hard ends, just break it where it naturally tends to break. Really, I looked it up in a couple of places. I tried it and it worked beautifully.

*** I put it into a bowl, tossed it around, then put it on a baking sheet. Worked quite nicely.

Creamy Italian Chicken

Good recipe. Very easy and tasty. If you like strong seasoning, you may want to go with two packages of Italian dressing and maybe avoid the generic (they always seem a bit weaker when I use 'em in recipes, but they are SO much cheaper!).

We did the initial cook at 5 hours, I have no idea if you could leave it for 7 or 8, but I see no reason that you couldn't. I would recommend maybe an extra 2 - 4 tablespoons of water if you decide to work it that way. If your chicken is frozen, you might not need to do that as the melting ice will add to the overall water content.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts (See the * below)
1 package of Italian seasoning**
1/4 cup water
1 package of reduced fat cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz can of mushrooms (drained)

Directions:

1. Put the chicken breasts into the slow cooker.
2. Mix the Italian dressing seasoning and water together and pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 3 hours (you could go for longer if you need to.)
4. Mix cream cheese and soup together and stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken.
5. Cook on low for 1 more hour.*
6. Serve over rice or noodles.

* We shredded the chicken into the mix after the final hour. The chicken goes farther and really, you could probably get away with 2 or 3 chicken breasts. Makes it a bit cheaper.

** I assumed it meant a package of Italian dressing. It could be the mysterious measurement "package" such as is used for yeast, but I went with Italian dressing mix.

Fancy Mac 'n' Cheese

I got the recipe from this site. It's a good recipe. It takes a bit of time, and I tend to make 1.5 times the requirements on this to feed four to five people, without sides. A normal recipe would probably be around two to four without sides. With sides, it would probably go much, much farther.

Keep in mind, this is rich and full of calories - lots and lots of cream. Also, use the salt - it makes all the difference. Because of the time to make it, I plan it for less busy days. I have adjusted the steps for this recipe. It assumes that you note the pasta should be cooked and the bacon also. Given that when I go in I just start looking at directions and somewhere at the last minute realize, "Oh right! The noodles!" I decided to add those steps into the directions.

According to the site:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 - 50 minutes

Mac Daddy Mac 'n Cheese, Guy Fieri's

2 whole shallots, peeled*
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 pieces bacon, diced, cooked, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon fat
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water for pasta (if you've not cooked it yet). Cook the bacon and reserve a tablespoon of fat. About the time the bacon finishes, be sure to drop your pasta into the hopefully boiling water.

2. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from foil and chop.

3. In a large sauté pan, reheat reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Add roasted shallot and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third. (Don't forget your noodles.)

4. When cream mixture is reduced, stir in cheeses until melted, creamy, and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. Place in a 9" by 13" casserole dish.

5. In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, breadcrumbs, butter, and parsley. Top mac n' cheese with breadcrumb mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

*How to count shallots. Some say by the clove, some by the head. This recipe is probably leaning toward the clove. For you who are good at estimates, shallots taste a lot like onions, but are a bit weaker. So, use what you feel wouldn't overpower the taste. Again, I tend to lean toward a clove count, not a head count for this recipe.

Infallible Rice

So a while back we had terrible stomach issues. I called my mother for suggestions on what we could eat that wouldn't make our innards feel like we'd swallowed nails. This was the rice she suggested and we love it! Very simple, very tasty. It's an excellent side whether your stomach is unhappy or not.

Infallible Rice

*I medium onion, minced
2 T butter
1 c long grain white rice, **uncooked
2 c chicken broth
Saute onion in butter. Combine with rice and hot broth. Bring to boil. Put in casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

Variation: Add peas - as many as you'd like. We did about a cup.


*For IBS, you might want to use onion powder instead of the onions.
**We used left over rice and just warmed it up in the chicken broth - which I believe I reduced to about 1.75 or 1.5 cups of water with two bullion cubes. The rice became very soft and a little pasty, but it was still very tasty.

Lime Cilantro Rice

This is a great side dish. It goes very nicely with the Pork Roast that makes Sweet Pork Burritos. I forget how easy it is to find cilantro in Japan. If it's difficult, let me know and I'll remove the "Japan Friendly" label.

Lime Cilantro Rice

4 cups water
2 cups white rice (not instant)
4 T. lime juice
4 t chicken bouillon (or 4-5 bouillon cubes)
1/2 onion
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
1/2 t. cumin

Directions:

In a blender, combine onion, garlic, cilantro and green chiles. In a large pot, bring water, lime juice, bouillon, salt, butter and cumin to a boil. Sir in rice and blended cilantro mixture. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Goes well with green sauce and sweet pork burritos.