Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
Adapted from https://therecipecritic.com/slow-cooker-barbacoa-beef/
serves our family of 4

Served with rice and guac on a tortilla... taco style!

Ingredients
4 lbs chuck roast
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups beef broth
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, cut in half
2 bay leaves
3 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt, then more to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
¼ cup fresh lime juice (I used lemon since that is what I had on hand)

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, set to high for 6-8 hours.
2. Shred the meat with two forks and turn on warm.

Slow Cooker Korean Beef

Slow Cooker Korean Beef
Adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/237005/simple-slow-cooked-korean-beef-soft-tacos/
Serves 4-6

We loved the tastefully simple seasoning sauce but it was discontinued. My family was so upset as it is one of their favorites! This was very good and all the kids were excited to eat it!

Ingredients
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2 inch chunks
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
10 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
1 star anise
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Put chuck roast into the crock of a slow cooker; add onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, jalapeno pepper, ginger root, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
Cook on High for 8 hours (or on Low for 10 hours). Remove star anise. Shred meat with a pair of forks and stir into the liquid in the slow cooker.
Serve over rice or noodles.

Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot
Browned chuck roast, removed, added spices/ liquid/scraped the bottom, put meat back in, 45 minutes pressure, 10 min NPR. Served with rice, topped with scallions!

Flourless fudge cookies

Tricky recipe, read the King Arthur Flour site for additional tips and troubleshooting. Mine came out more like meringues and the site cookies were round and flat. 

Flourless Fudge Cookies
Adapted from: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/flourless-fudge-cookies-recipe
Makes 18 tbsp cookies

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa powder
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
Lightly grease two baking sheets. Or line with parchment, and grease the parchment. Yes, grease the parchment; these cookies are sticky, and need to be baked on a greased surface.
Whisk together the egg whites and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, except for the chips/nuts/fruit. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again until smooth. The sticky batter will be the consistency of a thick syrup. Add the chips and/or nuts, if you're using them.
Drop the syrupy batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 3" circles (for large cookies), or 1 3/4" to 2" circles (for smaller cookies); a tablespoon cookie scoop or teaspoon cookie scoop, respectively, work well here. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
Bake the cookies for 7 minutes (for smaller cookies), 8 to 9 minutes for the larger cookies; they should spread slightly, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops. Note: large cookies with added chips/nuts will need to bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan. When they're nearly cool, carefully loosen them from the pan with a spatula.

Cheesy Taco Pasta

Cheesy Taco Pasta 

Adapted from Dinner then Dessert
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound large shells pasta
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 cup jarred salsa
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and/or Mexican cheese

Instructions
1. Cook the shelled pasta according to the directions on the box and drain.
2. Add the ground beef to the pan and brown well.
3. Drain the fat.
4. Add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup of water, stir and cook until water is gone.
5. Add the pasta back into the pot with the salsa and cheese.
6. Stir to combine.
7. Serve immediately

Fettuccine with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Fettuccine with Roasted Pepper Sauce
Adapted from: https://cooktoria.com/fettuccine-with-roasted-pepper-sauce/
Serves 4

Ingredients
16 oz fettuccine
1 lb chicken, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
16 oz jar roasted peppers
1/2 cup Half&Half (or heavy cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or oregano)
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook fettuccine according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Place the peppers (with the liquid from the jar) into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
3. Add olive oil to a large, non-stick pan and cook the chicken for 5 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Add blended peppers and Half&Half.
6. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
7. Add fettuccine and parsley and mix everything well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

Short Rib Ragu and Noodles

Short Rib Ragu

Adapted from: Pinch of Yum

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, smashed slightly
3 pounds beef short ribs
salt and pepper
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
16 ounces pappardelle pasta or egg noodles
Parmesan, ricotta, and parsley for topping

Directions
In a large braiser or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan.

Season the beef with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Brown the ribs on all sides in the oil the garlic was cooked in. Remove the meat.

Saute carrots, onion, until soft. Add garlic, beef, tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover, vent slightly, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Sauce will reduce and thicken. Discard the bay leaves and shred the beef in the pot using 2 forks.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Divide among 4 bowls and top each with Parmesan, ricotta, and parsley. Serve hot!

TIP:

This is a great make in advance sauce because if you chill the ragu you can remove a lot of the fat/grease that remains on top.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from All Recipes
Makes approx 28 cookies

Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven 350F
Combine all ingredients and mix well
Scoop 1 tbsp size scoops of dough and criss cross with a fork
Bake 10 minutes (cookies didn’t spread very much)
Let cook 5 minutes then remove from cookie sheet