The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Sunday 28 June 2015

Crock pot cooking. Pot roasts and cold meat.

It has been cold here and is dark well and truly by five thirty pm.  It is the weather for hot food!  This week I am covering pot roasts.  Now, this is also useful in summer as you can cook meat and use it as cold meat, warm chicken salad, platters and sandwiches etc. Here we do both. A roast is a hot comforting dinner. Then left overs re appear as other meals. Sometimes many other meals!

A roast usually contains some fat. So the first thing is to lift the meat up from the bottom of the crock pot so the fat will drain down and away. Why oh why crock pots don't come with such a thing I don't understand.  I use two metal trivets that fit just right. This comes from the traced template that I take with me to watch for things that will fit. These are perfect. They keep everything up a little bit and nothing falls through except fat. You could use anything that will fit and do the job, in an emergency scrunched up balls of al foil could work.



You can do any roast you can think of I think. This is my recent lamb roast. 



Think of the flavor combinations you like. With lamb I put in rosemary and I often cover the lamb with mint jelly and reserve some to serve with the meal. This is yum. Add in your vegies. Put on high and forget. About 8 hours ish... more or less is still fine. If it went on earlier I often will turn to low the last couple of hours. There is no water in the bottom, I thought I should mention this...

It is fall off the bone tender. 



Very comforting and warming for dinner! The next day the lamb became wraps for dinner in soft round wraps, spread with tatziki dip, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, onion and cheese. Then two of those became  work lunches. This was great and like a night off.  I warm the meat for dinner wraps but it can be cold. These are DELICIOUS and the kids can assemble them. 

On the weekend we had a chicken pot roast. With a chicken as the meat is delicate I place a square of baking paper just on the spot where the chicken sits on the racks. I put the chicken breast side down as you want the juices to run into the breast meat. 
In this case I cover the chicken with some cranberry sauce/jelly as we like that...



This had been cooking for a while when I remembered to take a picture!  It was just lovely and so tender...



Of course I had cold chicken for the next day. This time I am making Wendy's chicken flan (My Abundant Life.) but other times I would make wraps, warm chicken salad, cold meat and salad or work lunches. There are so many things you can do with left over chicken. 

Other pot roasts I love are pork with whole apples, turkey, cranberry and apple, beef or venison and winter vegies...
Any combinations that you love and lots of vegetables will make it go so much further plus be so good for you. As I am thinking of baby food these can be lifted out and mashed and voila you have instant baby meals!

These are the kind of meals you put on and forget. If you have been out when you walk in the house smells like Nana has been making you a meal. It is a huge help and relief. If you have a baby and dinner is a tiring time, it is all done. You just serve. If you are running children around to after school sports etc. dinner is cooking. You have left overs for other meals. Just so helpful. Let your crock pot help you out. The number of times my crock pot has saved us from having take away would be some ridiculous number! 

Any time I need to make lots of sandwiches or rolls I cook some meat this way and use it then instead of Deli meat. This is usually a fraction of the cost and healthier. If you see a roasting piece of meat take a look at that price and compare it to the same weight in the deli department or pre cut packs. It is a big difference! Plus it is going to be so tender and good!

I hope you have a great week! We are nearly into July! I have so many things I want to get done...
and I love to get going on a Monday and start the week off well. See you on Wednesday! xxx






19 comments:

  1. Annabel, I had forgotten all about putting something in the bottom of the crockpot to lift the meat off the bottom! Thank you for reminding me! I'm going to be trying some of your methods as well. Another great post!

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    1. It makes a big difference to roasts and the vegies. Just much nicer. I'm glad there is something you can use that will be handy for you. Some will be better for when the weather is cooler but some are ok for summer. Many thanks Patsy.Xxx

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  2. Annabel, do you make gravy in the crockpot after everything is removed, or use juices leftover and make as usual on the stove? I have cranberry sauce here, and will use it with a chicken this way next week. I'm showing Jess this one, what an easy way for them to eat and baby food covered too!

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    1. Hi Kaye, thank you. Yes this makes perfect baby food all soft and easy to blend etc.
      I save the juices etc but for later as I like to pour them into a container and refrigerate. Skim fat off the next day. Then I freeze the juices for future gravy. So I get a supply ahead... And just thicken with gravox. I love cranberry jelly, mint sauce so have those as well! Hope that helps. xxxxx

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  3. Thank you! Great post. I must find some racks. We returned home from church to Groundnut Stew in the crock pot. So good with french bread (the dough made up in the bread machine using Laine's recipe).

    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. Racks are so handy, hopefully you will have something that might fit. Then you are set. There is nothing nicer than coming home to a cooked meal! Thank you Leslie.xxx

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  4. yum, you keep making me want to buy a crockpot!
    Have a great week. Fi x

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    1. When you are working even if only for soups etc this would be a big help! And baby food :) Xxxx

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  5. Annabel I can smell the lamb shanks I put in the crockpot this morning. They will be ready for dinner soon on this cold and foggy evening. Keep the tips coming. I love this series.

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    1. Thanks Nanna Chel, lamb shanks are delicious! I haven't done them. In a while so I must soon. It is the right weather for it. Have a great week! Xxx

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  6. Annabel, thank you so much for this information! Like Patsy, I never thought about a rack in the bottom. I don't know why as I always use a rack in my roaster! lol I do have a question: You said you add no water in the bottom. I'm assuming then that the meat juices and the veggies make their own moisture? And that is enough?

    Both the lamb roast and chicken look absolutely delicious!! I love having leftovers for "nights off"!! lol I'm down to one package of cooked chicken in the freezer, so I think trying your chicken upside down will be on the menu soon! :)

    Great post! Have a wonderful week everyone. Love, Teri

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    1. Teri I usually have added mint jelly or cranberry or maybe a drizzle of olive oil if nothing else but no water. Meat itself has plenty. In fact at the end the amount of juices is surprising plus it is very tender.. Adding water makes things soggy and mushy... I never add water except to soup.
      I totally am for the night off! Some days this is such a relief!
      Have a wonderful week to you too.xxxx

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  7. If you don't have trivets to put on the bottom you can just crumple up some aluminum foil to do the job.....You've inspired me to begin using my crock pot again.

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  8. I should have read further before commenting! I see you mentioned the foil idea.

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    1. Hi Kristi, yes that's ok when your in a pinch. But watch out for something like a cake rack or trivet...it's really handy for so many things. xxx

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  9. Great idea to use racks Annabel. My slow cooker is oval shape, and I don't know that there are any available that shape, but I will take a look around to see if I can find some. I don't like the idea of using aluminium in my cooking...

    Your food looks absolutely delicious!!

    xTania

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  10. Tania a stainless steel cake rack would work, I mean a round one that fits in the centre as it would keep the roast lifted up. Watch out for one or something similar. It is a big help. xxx

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  11. We love a pork roast rubbed with taco seasoning and cooked low and slow for 10-12 hours with a cup of water in the bottom. Shred the meat and stir back into the juices after skimming the fat. The first day serve it over rice and then on days after make pork tacos and then with BBQ sauce stirred in and on buns. This also freezes well. when I do a beef roast with vegetables I make extra veggies and then make stew with the leftover meat, veg and gravy. It has been hot, hot here and we have been eating lighter and the grocery bill has been lower. :)

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    1. This sounds really good Lana... the soft meat on buns would be heavenly! A good summer idea too.
      All things going well... next week I will show some sides to do that go well with a BBQ, this is how we handle the heat in the summer and keep the house cooler. However we are the exact opposite at the moment. I am in bed typing with a hot pack keeping me warm! Many thanks for this tip.xxx

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