slow cooker pot roast stew

Prep: 40 minutesCook: High-heat setting 4-1/2 hours; Low heat setting-6 hours plus 1-1/2 hours on high-heat setting

 

ingredients

• 2  large  onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (2 cups)
• 1  3- to 3-1/2-lb.  boneless beef chuck pot roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4  cup  dry red wine or lower-sodium beef broth
• 1/4  cup  tomato paste
• 3  Tbsp.  balsamic vinegar or cider
• 2  3-inch  cinnamon sticks
• 1  tsp.  dried rosemary, crushed
• 1  tsp.  ground allspice
• 3/4  tsp.  salt
• 1/4  to 1/2 tsp.  crushed red pepper
• 1  2-lb.  butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 2  large  quince or cooking apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 4  cups  hot cooked couscous

directions

1. Place onions in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place beef on top of onions. In a bowl combine wine, tomato paste, vinegar, cinnamon, rosemary, allspice, salt, and crushed red pepper; pour over beef.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 hours. Adjust low-heat setting to high-heat setting. Stir in squash and quince. Cover and cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours more or until squash is tender. If using apples, add to cooker the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Remove and discard cinnamon. Serve pot roast with couscous and juices. Makes 8 servings.

3. Stove top instructions: Set onions aside to add later. In a 4- to 5- quart Dutch oven, brown beef one third at a time, in 2 Tbsp. hot olive or cooking oil. Transfer beef to platter; drain fat and return beef to Dutch oven. Increase wine to 1-1/2 cups and vinegar to 1/3 cup. Stir wine, tomato paste, vinegar, cinnamon, rosemary, allspice, salt, and red pepper into meat. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1-1/4 hours. Add onions, squash, and quince, if using. Return to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes more or until quince and vegetables are tender. If using apples, add the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove; discard cinnamon. Serve as above.

Test Kitchen Tip: If using apples instead of quince, choose a firm cooking apple such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Gala.

nutrition facts

• Calories418, 
• Total Fat (g)8, 
• Saturated Fat (g)2, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)4,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, 
• Cholesterol (mg)101, 
• Sodium (mg)347, 
• Carbohydrate (g)36, 
• Total Sugar (g)4, 
• Fiber (g)4, 
• Protein (g)41, 
• Vitamin A (DV%)0, 
• Vitamin C (DV%)27, 
• Calcium (DV%)5, 
• Iron (DV%)30, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Peanut Butter Pound Cake

WOW! This dessert is so creamy-rich, it's unbelievable! Try my luscious Peanut Butter Pound Cake, but be warned...it's addictive!

Cooking Time: 50 min

Ingredients

• 1 ¹/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• ¹/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¹/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9” x 5” loaf pans with cooking spray.
    
2. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in peanut butter and flour.
    
3. Spread equal amounts of the mixture into the prepared loaf pans; bake 20 minutes then remove loaves from oven and sprinkle with equal amounts of chopped peanuts. Return loaves to the oven and bake 30 to 35 more minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
    
4. Remove loaves from pans and let cool completely before slicing.

Cold Fudge Cake

Ingredients

• ³/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 ¹/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
• 2 (4-serving) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3 cups milk
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 (16-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    
2. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, and 3/4 cup nuts. Press mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until a firm crust forms; let cool.
    
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until thickened; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and half of the whipped topping; mix well.
    
4. Using a wet table knife, spread cream cheese mixture over top of cooled crust. Spoon chocolate pudding mixture over top of cream cheese mixture then top with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup walnuts over top.
    
5. Cover and chill overnight, or at least 6 hours. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Prep: 40 minutesBake: 30 minutesCook: 10 to 11 hours (low) or 5 to 6 hours (high)

 

• 3 1/2  pounds  boneless pork shoulder
• 1  14-ounce can  chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  chopped onion (1 medium)
• 6  cloves  garlic, minced
• 1  tablespoon  ground cumin
• 2  to 3 teaspoons  ground chipotle chile pepper or hot chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 3  10-ounce cans  enchilada sauce
• 1  tablespoon  snipped fresh cilantro
• 1  4-ounce can  diced green chile peppers
• 8  ounces  cojita cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 to 12  8-inch  flour tortillas
•     Snipped fresh cilantro
•     Diced tomato or quartered grape tomatoes
•     Sour cream (optional)

directions

1. Trim fat from pork. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine pork shoulder, broth, onion, garlic, cumin, ground chipotle chile pepper or chili powder, and salt. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 11 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove pork from slow cooker, reserving cooking liquid. Using two forks, pull meat into coarse strands.*

3. In a large bowl combine pork, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid, and the 1 tablespoon snipped cilantro. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl combine the remaining enchilada sauce, 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid (discard any remaining cooking liquid), and the diced green chile peppers. Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada-green chile pepper mixture in the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.

5. Divide pork mixture and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese among tortillas, placing meat and cheese near the edge of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Place filled tortillas, seam sides down, in the prepared baking dish (place tortillas close together); top with the remaining enchilada-green chile pepper mixture. Cover with foil; bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until heated through and cheese is softened and starts to brown slightly.

6. Sprinkle with additional snipped cilantro and tomato. If desired, serve with sour cream. Makes 6 servings

*Test Kitchen Tip:At this point, the meat and cooking liquid can be refrigerated overnight before assembling enchiladas. The cooking liquid will thicken. To serve, pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan; heat over low heat until boiling. Continue as directed in Steps 3 through 6.

nutrition facts

• Calories861, 
• Total Fat (g)36, 
• Saturated Fat (g)13, 
• Cholesterol (mg)212, 
• Sodium (mg)2795, 
• Carbohydrate (g)64, 
• Fiber (g)3, 
• Protein (g)68, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet