Inspired Cooking Experiments

Today, I got busy and cooked. I used two crock pots I have. OK, I have at least four, but that is totally beside the point. Today, I wanted to cook, but I didn't want my whole house to be heating up because of an oven, or me to be heating up because of the stove.

I got some pot roast meat the other day... a huge package for a discount. I cut the roast into six pieces, to make six meals for the two of us. I have a habit of cooking (particularly in a crock pot) for more than just the two of us. We eat leftovers for a week on the stews I usually come up with. Today, I used the 2 quart pot instead of the 6 quart oval one. {Edit: Oops! I actually used the 4 qt. crock. I didn't think about it, I just dumped stuff in it.}

Pot Roast Stew

About 1 pound of pot roast. I used thawed this time, but you can start with frozen, if you like.
3-4 medium red potatoes
2 stalks celery
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 carrots (fat ones. I LOVE carrots in stew!)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (no salt added)
Frozen corn (about 1 1/2 cups)
Frozen green beans (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup (in the last 1/2 hour, to thicken the broth slightly)
1 bay leaf
Spices that sound good
Water (or beef stock) to cover at least 2/3 of the veggies (the veggies will give off some liquid, so make sure to leave at least 1 inch of space at the top)
Cook for 6 to 8 hours on Low, 4 to 6 hours on High.

I just put the meat in the bottom, and layered each thing on top of the pile in the crock pot as I cut them into small, bite-sized chunks. I have a mortar and pestle, and I put in all the spices that sounded good, and ground them up together before putting them on top of the veggies. Then I poured the water over it all. This was great at 4 1/2 hours on High.

This one wasn't as good as others have been. The meat turned out tender, but not the fall-apart tender I love. I took it out, and cut it in small bite chunks to match the potatoes. But, it was good for as little work as I put into it. I thought of a nice little add-in today; I used Baby Goldfish Crackers to add a little crunch and cheese flavor. DH tried that, but also liked Club Crackers with the stew.

I had to clean to start the stew, and had to clean after, to have clean bowls to eat out of. I have been very tired since this weekend, when I helped with a Yard Sale. I don't do so well in the sunshine. The sun is my enemy. It saps the energy right out of me. Mom used to get cold sores if she was in the sun too long. I just get dehydrated, burned to a lobster redness, and too tired to move for a long while. It took me all day Sunday and most of today to recover. I wasn't burned this time. We were in the shade the whole day. I was rosy for several hours, but no burns. Hooray for sunscreen!

I decided that I had several kinds of fruit in the house, and I wanted something special for dessert. I found a recipe for a Peach Compote on Stephanie's site, and decided to try my own with the fruits available.

Fruit Basket Compote

1 Nectarine, cut into small pieces
1 Apple, cut into small pieces (I used a Gala)
Blueberries, about 1/3 cup
Black Cherries, pitted, about 1/3 cup
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar {Edit: Don't use this. Seriously. The next day, you taste it more.}
1/8 cup Dark Rum
1 tsp. Vanilla
Brown Sugar to taste (start small, and taste after an hour or so...), optional
Cinnamon, Nutmeg (could use pumpkin pie spices)
{Edit: Also add 1 to 2 Tbsp. Butter.}

I put all of this in a Little Dipper 1 quart crock pot, and let it steep for about 2 hours. There are no temperature options on that crock, it is either On or Off. I got DH to go to the local Freddy's and get some vanilla custard, to serve under the fruit. I missed the butter that apparently goes in a true compote recipe. I may add it later when I reheat the rest of it, for breakfast tomorrow.

I have to go now and put the leftovers in the fridge. I have been letting them cool on the counter since 9 pm (two hours). Don't want to break a crock by putting it in the fridge after being so hot... a full and then cracked crock in the fridge would cause a huge mess, and then I would have to buy a new crock pot. Since I didn't win one of the 10 at Stephanie's contest, I can't afford to lose one now.

Happy Dinners!