Summer Heat: Crock Pot Cool

May is the official Beef Month for Kansas. But it's beef month every month of the year at our house. I'm getting low on a lot of meat cuts as we wait for beef to be ready for harvest and processing.  But I've still got a few roasts at the bottom of the chest freezer.

Beef is Kansas’ top contributor in output to the state’s economy at $11.7 billion, according to the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the sector supports the most jobs—direct, indirect and induced—in the state at more than 38,600. 

         

Kansas ranks third in the nation in three commodity groupings: all cattle and calves, cattle on feed and commercial red meat production. Kansas produces more than 5.8 billion pounds of commercial red meat production, or 10.7% of the U.S. total.

 

Even though we've retired from active farming, we still own our cow herd, managed by the Millers. 

As we approach the hot days of summer, the slow cooker is my friend.

Actually, I love using my slow cooker all year. Like the old cookbook says, "Fix It and Forget It." When I saw a recipe for Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos on one of the blogs I read, Six Sisters' Stuff, I printed it off. And this time, I actually tried it ... rather than it just getting added to the pile of "to-try recipes" that seems to find its way onto my kitchen counter.

I served the meat as the protein for soft tacos with all the usual Mexican-meal suspects - Mexican rice, beans, queso and chips. I stuffed the tacos with meat, lots of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese, salsa and a little sour cream. 

We had enough meat for several meals. The meat can also be used in enchiladas, in protein bowls or on top of tostados. Since it wasn't too spicy hot, I also made some into BBQ beef for supper sandwiches.  For people who like things spicier than we do, you could add additional peppers or a favorite hot sauce. 

I just love planned overs that end up looking brand new. Don't you?

If you're looking to add some of that good Kansas beef to your table, give this versatile recipe a try!

  

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

From Six Sisters Stuff Blog

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast

1 oz. taco seasoning

1 cup salsa verde

15 ounces corn, drained

1/2 cup beef broth

Soft taco shells

Taco toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream, tomato, shredded cheese, salsa, chopped onions, etc.)

 

Place roast in the slow cooker and cover with taco seasoning. Pour salsa verde over top. Add one can of drained corn and 1/2 cup beef broth. (You can make broth using water and bouillon, if desired.) 

 

Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8. When it is finished cooking, pull from the slow cooker and shred, removing excess fat and bone. Place it back in the slow cooker when finished. Mix the shredded beef with the corn and liquid. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. 

Note: I like to use the Crock Pot liners to make clean up easier.

CrockPot Swiss Chicken and Stuffing

I'm a fan of Crockpot cooking. 

 

Fix it.

Forget it for several hours.

Add some sides.

Enjoy a hot dinner with minimal effort.

 

I saw the recipe for CrockPot Swiss Chicken and Stuffing from Plowing through Life in a Facebook link. Thinking it might be a nice alternative for a "holiday" meal for just Randy and me, I tried it out. Though beef is our usual go-to meat, it was a tasty addition to the CrockPot meals I keep on standby.

 

I made it again when chicken breasts were on sale at my local grocery store. I put it in before going downstairs to work, and the CrockPot did the work for me.  I added green beans and a salad and viola! Dinner was ready with minimal effort and mess.

Crockpot Swiss Chicken and Stuffing

Adapted from Plowing Through Life 

 

3 to 4 chicken breasts

6-8 slices Swiss cheese (or equivalent amount of grated Swiss cheese)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup chicken broth (or water with bouillon)

1 box stuffing mix

1/4 cup butter, melted

 

Line Crockpot with liner or spray with nonstick cooking spray. 

 

Put chicken in bottom of crockpot in a single layer. Place at least one slice of cheese on each piece of chicken. (I had some Swiss cheese in a block leftover from another recipe. I just grated a good amount of top of the chicken. I probably used more cheese than the original recipe called for.) Mix cream of chicken soup and the broth. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing over soup layer. Pour melted butter over stuffing.

 

Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. 

 

Note: This was the second time I made this recipe. The first time, I cooked it 3 hours or so and the stuffing didn't get as dark on top. This time, it cooked at least 4 hours. (I should have checked it a little earlier.) It tasted great; it just got a little dark on top.

 

Plowing through Life (a blog from a farm in Ohio) says you can convert this recipe to the oven. Use 6 to 8 small chicken breasts and the same amount of stuffing and other ingredients.  Bake in a 9 x 13 pan for 45 to 55 minutes or until a digital meat thermometer reads 165ºF.

 

Serve with veggies and a salad.  

This was when I left it to cook about 4 hours. I would suggest the 3-hour cooking time - or, at least, check it. I was downstairs in the office and didn't check it until noon.

And the Award Goes To ...

I am about to lose my nomination for the Farm Wife of the Year Award with this admission, but here goes: Taking meals to the field is getting really old.

Getting a meal ready is nothing out of the ordinary around here. But meal delivery adds a whole other dimension. There's packing the hot stuff in a thermal container and the cold stuff in a cooler and schlepping all the carriers to the pickup for delivery. (And, then, there's remembering to include a fork ... and a napkin.) Then you reverse the process and tote it all back in the house, where the pile of dirty dishes awaits. Sigh ... big, BIG sigh!

On my Bible study day last week, I needed to come up with a plan that I could accomplish while I was gone all morning. Slow cookers to the rescue! In fact, I used two of them.

I cooked a roast in one slow cooker. After it was tender, I shredded it and combined it with commercial barbecue sauce to make BBQ Sandwiches. In the other Crock Pot, I did a variation of baked beans, since I was looking for a change-of-pace side dish for my lunch crew.

The Sweet and Sour Beans would be a great potluck dish to take to a church dinner, too.

Maybe I made inroads toward a nomination for the fictitious award with the tasty meal. (I was always losing my Mother of the Year Award nomination when the kids were home, too, but that's another story!) For the record, the guys have been appreciative. And I do know it's helped speed up at least part of the wheat planting and milo harvesting process.

***

As usual, I made a few variations to the original recipe, which I've detailed below.

Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Beans

1 can butter beans
1 can yellow wax beans
1 can pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans
1 lb. bacon
1 large onion
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 cups ketchup

Drain all beans but the pork and beans.

The original recipe said to cook 1 pound bacon until crisp; drain and set aside. Then, saute the onion in the bacon grease. I didn't do that. I used some jarred, already prepared real bacon bits and I stirred in some minced onion. I'm sure it would have been tasty the other way, but I just didn't have the time and I didn't figure anyone needed the grease.

So ... going on: If you've sauted the onion in the skillet, add all the ingredients except the beans and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour sauce over beans in casserole dish. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

As you can see from the photo, I dumped everything into a Crock Pot and cooked it on low while I was gone all morning. It worked just fine.