Slow-Cooked Beef and Pork with Carrots, Celery, Garlic, and Green (or Black) Olives

http://www.dailycandy.com/everywhere/article/93531/Slow-Cooked-Beef-and-Pork-with-Carrots-and-Green-Olives-Recipe

Now this sounds amazing but could it be made in the slow cooker? It would probably work but not be as good. The combination of beef and pork make an excellent gravy but I am not fond of green olives so I will be substituting black olives which I think have a more mellow flavor and will work fabulously when the leftovers are converted into Mexican or Greek cuisine. Not sure about the peels on the garlic???

Slow-Cooked Beef and Pork with Carrots, Celery, Garlic, and Green Olives Serves four (with leftovers)

Ingredients
6-8 lbs. meat (any combo of chuck roast beef and/or Boston butt pork shoulder), not cut up
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 yellow onions, peeled and cut into eighths
3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3 anchovies (optional)
1 c. red or white wine
10 lg. carrots, peeled and trimmed
10 stalks of celery, trimmed and outer layers peeled
1 c. green olives, pitted or not (Castelvetrano work well)
my substitute will be to open a can of Black Olives fish out the cupful and eat the rest while cooking
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
Chicken stock
Fresh Parsley, chopped for garnish
Toasted pine nuts
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 275°.

 2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Generously season with salt and pepper.

 3. Using the stove, crank heat high on a large roasting pan and add the vegetable oil until smoking. Sear meat on all sides until a caramel-colored crust forms. Remove meat from pan and set aside.

 4. In the same pan, on medium heat, add onions, leeks, tomato paste, and anchovies. Add a little more oil if needed. Cook for a few minutes and scrape up the meat bits from the bottom of the pan.

 5. Add the wine. Cook down on high heat for a few minutes — stirring the whole time.

 6. Turn off heat. Scatter carrots, celery, olives, and garlic cloves over the bottom of the pan. Put seared meat in pan nestled amongst the vegetables. Cover tightly with tin foil and place in preheated oven.

 7. Check after about an hour. If the pan is dry, add a little wine, water, or chicken stock.

 8. Check the meat every hour or so for the next five hours. Keep it covered the whole time.

 9. Turn heat up to 300°. Flip the meat over at least once so it soaks up juices on both sides. Then check the meat about every twenty minutes until it’s done.

 10. The meat is done when it shreds easily with a fork. This takes anywhere from five to eight hours. At the end of the cooking time, there should be a nice amount of sauce at the bottom of the pan.

 11. Serve right away with chopped parsley and pine nuts as garnishes.

 Looking for leftovers? Try pork/beef tacos with cilantro sour cream, pulled pork sandwiches with horseradish and roasted garlic mayonnaise, or meat/vegetable quesadillas — getting you through at least one of the weeks. . .(of the two weeks off from school seem to go on forever and ever). Find more mealtime inspiration online at dashandbella.blogspot.com.

Shrimp Cocktail with a Twist

From http://www.dailycandy.com/everywhere/article/125917/Aguachile-Recipe-from-Sausalito-Chef-Joanne-Weir

 Aguachile
 Serves four to six

 Ingredients
 1 lb. shrimp peeled, deveined, and butterflied
 2 c. fresh squeezed lime juice (nope only 2T)
 1½ English cucumbers
 ¼ c. cilantro leaves and stems (nope not for me)
 2-3 serrano chilies, coarsely chopped
 ½ red onion, thinly sliced
 1 avocado, sliced
 1 sm. bunch of cilantro sprigs (to garnish) (No again)
 Salt to taste

 1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and cover with 1¾ c. lime juice.

 2. Toss together to submerge. Let the shrimp sit for 15 minutes until they turn pink and opaque.

 3. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop one cucumber.

 4. Place chopped cucumber in a blender with cilantro leaves and stems, one of the serrano chilies, and 2 tbsp. of the reserved lime juice. Add ½ tsp. salt and puree until smooth.

 5. Add additional chilies, salt, and reserved lime juice to taste.

 6. Toss sauce with the shrimp.

 7. Slice the remaining ½ cucumber into ¼-inch rounds and arrange on a platter. Top with the shrimp-and-sauce blend.

 8. Place the red onion and avocado on top.

 9. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

 10. Serve with tortilla chips.

My modifications
Omit step 1 and 2
Forget the lime juice except for 2 T
Cook the shrimp until pink
Forget the cilantro

Flakiest Pie Crust Ever

Recipe for the flakiest pie crust ever...

 Double crust -if you only need one, then you can half the recipe...if you are using a deep dish, I would stick with the double crust, there will be some left over but at least you'll have plenty for your pie.

2/3 C. chilled unsalted butter cut up in small cubes
6 Tbs of chilled shortening
2 2/3 C. flour
2 Tbs sugar (this is optional, I don't omit it personally)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C. ice cold water.

Mix in a large bowl the flour, sugar and salt. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture is coarse.

Sprinkle the ice water onto the mixture a little at a time, use a fork to "fluff" the dough. Keep doing this until the dough starts to come together, you will still see shortening and butter in your dough, don't worry if it isn't completely incorporated...be careful not to over work it at this point and try not to handle it with your hands too much, the butter and shortening will heat up and the dough will be tough and leathery.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to the desired diameter and thickness...bake according to the recipe you are following. If you need to bake the shell first, I poke holes on the bottom of the pie dish and then line it with parchment paper. I add dry beans to the bottom, covering it and then bake at 350 until golden brown.

About half way through, I take the parchment paper and beans out so that the bottom can cook. Works like a charm. Enjoy, I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! :)

Rosemary Pot Roast

Rosemary Pot Roast

Author/Source: Give Every Night New Flavor (coupons available through 1/31/2012)

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cubed
3 small baking potatoes, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
14.5 ounces Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes with Rosemary &; Oregano, undrained
10.75 ounces condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of mushroom soup
0.5 cups water
2 Tablespoons Hunt’s Tomato Paste
2 teaspoons dried rosemary 0.5 teaspoons salt

Directions:
Spray inside of 4 to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. Trim excess fat from beef; discard. Cut beef into 1-1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Combine potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Top with beef and remaining ingredients.

Cook on HIGH 5 hours or on LOW 10 hours or until beef is tender.

Freezing Directions: To freeze, assemble all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag making sure that the potatoes are on the bottom and covered with water to prevent browning. Freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Place in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH 5 hours or on LOW 10 hours or until beef is tender. Servings: 6

Crockpot Taco Chicken Bowls

From http://www.iheartnaptime.net/taco-bowl/

Ingredients
11/2 lb chicken 4 large frozen chicken breasts
1/4 cup water
1 cup fresh salsa
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 clove garlic minced
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn drained
1/2 lime juiced about 1/2 TB

Instructions
Place chicken in a large crock pot and pour water and salsa over the chicken. Next add in chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic, lime juice, black beans and corn. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or until chicken easily shreds.

Serve over rice.

Optional: top with cheese, avocados, sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.

Note I am using a corn and black bean frozen mix called Ultimate Southwest Blend from Bidseye which has some red and green pepper plus onion and chicken thighs for my taste test. I like the way dark meat works in recipes like this that cook low and slow plus it has more flavor.