Recipe Ideas

Easy Slow Cooker Short Ribs

• 8 beef short ribs
• Salt and pepper
• Bacon grease, or just oil will do
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 whole carrots, diced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary

Thaw the short ribs. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and then brown on all sides in the bacon grease and oil. Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, except the short ribs. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Then put the short ribs in. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Or longer if you need the time, again, the meat will just get more tender as it cooks. When its done, you can remove the short ribs from the cooking liquid, strain the cooking liquid, and then thicken it by using a roux. To make a roux, simply melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter in a pan and then whisk in 3-4 table spoons of flour. Cook the flour for about a minute, whisking the whole time so that it doesn’t burn. Then add about 2 cups of the cooking liquid to it, whisking it in to remove lumps. Let it thicken in the pan, and now you have gravy. If your gravy is too thick, add a little more cooking liquid. Now, you can serve this gravy over rice, mashed potatoes, or even grits. YUM!

Slow Cooker Fajitas

• One pound of beef fajita meat, frozen is fine
• One bell pepper, sliced or diced, seeds removed, in any color (red is the best!)
• One half onion, sliced
• One (or two for more flavor!) package of fajita or taco seasoning mix
• One 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
• One tablespoon of oil

Put everything into the slow cooker and stir. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on LOW for 5-6 hours.  Great served with rice, beans, and tortillas. Recipe by me, Erin Hayes. Note, I rarely measure, and often add as much or as little of an ingredient as I like to make it suit my family’s preferences. You can do the same! Have fun!

Ideas for romaine lettuce:

Always wash lettuce! I cannot emphasize this enough.

1.) The classic way to use Romain lettuce is to chop it and make a salad, particularly a Caesar salad.   

2.) You could also separate the individual leaves and fill with your favorite taco fillings, chicken salad or tuna salad. Have fun!

3.) Grilled: Slice in half lengthwise. Brush lettuce with a mixture of:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

----On a preheated high heat grill, place lettuce cut side down for two minutes, then flip over and grill for one additional minute. Should be charred on the outside and crisp and cool on the inside. This recipe can be found here: https://seekinggoodeats.com/grilled-romaine-hearts-balsamic/

Slow cooker roast

• One beef roast (I always put it in frozen, but you can thaw it if you prefer)
• One packet of dry onion soup mix
• Four cups of beef broth
• A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• Optional: ranch mix, or Italian dressing mix, or neither
• You can choose to add chopped onions, carrots, and potatoes if you like. I prefer to cook those separately

Add everything to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or longer if you need the time. Really, it just gets more and more tender the longer it cooks. Great with mashed potatoes or rice, and a nice salad. Recipe by me, Erin Hayes. Have fun!

Ideas for ground beef

1. Navajo tacos
2. Beef & cabbage one pot casserole
3. Taco pasta
4. Cheesy beef & broccoli casserole
5. Cowboy cornbread casserole
6. Stuffed shells and meat sauce
7. Veggie beef soup

If you would like any of these recipes, let me know! I get a lot of my inspiration from my own experimentation, my family, and also from Pinterest. I am happy to share!

Basic Quiche with Fillings

• Frozen deep dish pie crust
• Four eggs
• Splash of milk
• Fillings (a few suggestions include chunks of cheese, cooked sausage, cooked bacon, cooked ham, sauteed spinach, sauteed onions, some people like mushrooms)
• Salt and pepper (or other seasonings, be creative!)

Bake pie crust at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggs with milk until smooth. Mix in the salt and pepper. To the pre-cooked pie crust, add the fillings of your choice and then pour the beaten eggs on top of the fillings. Bake on a baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven for 35-42 minutes, until the center is set and not jiggly. Recipe by me, Erin Hayes!

Delightful Sandwich

• Tenderized beef
• Your favorite seasonings (could include Tony’s, salt & pepper, Nature’s Seasoning, lemon pepper, garlic or onion powder, etc)
• One sliced onion
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Butter
• Sandwich rolls
• Your preferred sandwich toppings and condiments

Cut the beef into strips and season with your favorite seasonings. In a hot skillet, melt some butter (you may need to add a bit of cooking oil so that the butter won’t burn). Add the beef and the onions. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to work in batches. Add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and cook until the beef browned and no longer pink. Do not be afraid of the butter and Worcestershire sauce, these two ingredients work together to make the most delightful sauce for your sandwich. When the beef is finished, fill the sandwich rolls with it and top with plenty of the pan sauce. This is a messy sandwich. Include whatever other sandwich toppings and condiments that you enjoy! Recipe by me, Erin Hayes.