Crockpot cranberry pork roast

Just a quick note about what I made for dinner last Thursday, and have had left overs for dinner twice. It is Crock Pot Cranberry Pork Roast. I found it on Pinterest from the site recipegirl.com. I will put a link to her site below, and just mention the few modifications I had to make.

When I first found the recipe last month, it sounded good, so I bought a can of cranberry sauce in anticipation :) Last week, when the tasty bug bit, I couldn't afford the pork loin roast she used. So I bought 2 pork shoulder blade steaks that weighed about 2.5 pounds. Not as lean, but cheaper by a couple dollars a pound.

I didn't brown the meat as suggested in the recipe, and only cooked it on low...for 9ish hours. A girl has to go to work, ya know? When we came home, it smelled yummy. M (who now wants to be referred to as Cupcake, after seeing some other blogs with kidonyms) wanted rice, so we did the first night. It. Was. Yummy. But I happened to have some left over mashed taters, so that is what I have been eating the left overs with. I like that even better!

So here is the link. Try it and enjoy!
http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/01/18/cranberry-pork-roast/

Gingerbread pudding cake

My small group at church had a Christmas gathering last night. We had a potluck dinner, chatted, and sang carols. It was a nice time with friends.

I had recently gotten a free kindle book called Slow Cooker Spoon Cakes and Desserts by Sara Winlet. As with many free kindle books, I think it was self published, as there were some errors I think an editor might have caught...such as none of the recipes stated what size crock pot to use.

Anyway, that book was my inspiration for wanting to make dessert for my potluck in my crockpot. I found some that were possibilities, but I searched Pinterest, too. There I found a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for Gingerbread Pudding Cake. Since I was trying to find something Christmasy, gingerbread seemed the way to go. It was very easy, and got many rave reviews from my friends. Here it is:

**********
Gingerbread Pudding Cake (source: BHG)

1 box gingerbread cake mix (14.5oz)
1/2 c milk
1/2 c raisins (I omitted these)
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 1/4 c water
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks)

In a saucepan, combine sugar, water and butter. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly spray the inside of a 3 1/2-4 qt crockpot with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine cake mix and milk; it will be very thick. Stir in raisins, then spread evenly in the bottom of crockpot.

Carefully pour butter and sugar mixture over the cake mixture (do not stir), cover pot, and cook on high for 2 hours. Cake may still look moist in center, but will set as it cools.

Remove crock from base, uncover and let cool for 45 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream.
**********

I had been concerned, because I have a 2.5qt pot, and I was worried it would be too small. But I gave it a whirl, and it was fine. It made a yummy caramel sauce in the bottom of the pot, and a thick cake on top. Yum.

In the kindle book, I found a recipe for Cinnamon Bread Pudding (similar ingredients as French toast, but a lot less work) that I was thinking of making as a breakfast on New Years Day (it would be nice for Christmas, too, except M is at her dads until late Christmas morning). I will let you know how that turns out :)

Photos:
Cake mix in crock
After I poured butter and sugar mixture on top
A decimated cake during serving (I forgot to take a pic pre-serving)
A big spoonful of cake, sauce, ice cream and whipped cream

First crock pot of the season

I bought a new crock pot. Not because there was anything wrong with the one I already had. It was just too big. For a family of two (me and my girl M), 5.5qts was more food than we needed, or didn't cook properly when not full enough. So when I saw a 2.5qt on sale, it was a go. It is a cute, seasonal one with owls on it :)

So today I cooked my beef and Guinness stew. Since we were home all day, and I didn't get my mojo moving early enough, I cooked it on high for about 3 hours. The recipe is my mental amalgamation of several different recipes I've gotten out of books and online. Here is what it was tonight:

1 3lb boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-2 in cubes
1/2 bottle Guinness (dispose of the other half as you see fit ;) )
Salt, pepper, dry thyme
Chopped onion, celery and carrot (I used half of a carton of pre-prepped mirepoix)
A big handful prunes, cut in half

Put everything in the pot, put on the lid, turn it on, and walk away. As I said, on high it was about 3 hours. Low maybe 6-8.

When it was done, I then added 1/2 to 3/4 cup instant potato flakes to thicken all the yummy stuff up. I was going to put in chopped red potatoes, but one was bad, and there wasn't room in my new little pot. Maybe I should get a smaller roast next time :)