Slow Cooker Roast Beef and Cookies

Please take a few minutes to vote for my pets in the Pet of the Year contest, hosted by our local newspaper. I really appreciate it!

While rearranging the freezer to fit all the new meats in it, I came across a roast I bought a few months ago and thought it'd be a good idea to thaw and use it soon.

I worked all day Saturday, so I decided to find a good slow cooker recipe so dinner could cook all day and be ready when I got home. Biz had posted one of Stephanie's recipes and I bookmarked her site, "A Year of Crockpotting." In 2008 Stephanie made a resolution to use her crock-pot everyday, so she has TONS of recipes (neatly listed in alphabetical order, no less) that she has personally made and gives honest reviews of. She's not afraid to let you know it didn't turn out, so I felt really good about taking her advice.

I dug through the list and found this one, for roast beef. She described it as a tender, mild roast beef - which is just what I had in mind. Plus, the ingredients were simple, accessible, and stuff I currently had on hand. I was sold!

I followed her recipe almost exact, except I cut my garlic cloves in half and inserted half on either side, instead of whole cloves all on one side. I also substituted our whey-free vegetarian broth for her beef one. I'm still unable to find any stocks or bouillon, except vegetarian, that don't contain whey.

It came together really quickly. I just chopped the onions, layed them on the bottom, put the garlic in the meat and rubbed on the salt, pepper, and corn starch. Then, added the broth and it was ready to go! Easy as pie.

I had J turn the slow cooker on low at noon, and when I got home at 7 p.m. it was ready. The meat was tender and juicy, with a great garlic essence.

We dunked our rolls in the broth "Chicago-style," layered on the meat, added some of the onions and mozzerella cheese and dug in. It was so flavorful and a really fulfilling dinner! Kind of when you eat a big, tasty burger with the juice dripping down your elbows. That kind of fulfillment.


Later, I had a sweet tooth attack and decided on some home-made chocolate chip cookies. I'd already turned off my computer, so I leafed through my cookbooks, but couldn't find anything! I was so annoyed by the fourth one not having a recipe, I almost gave up. Then, I found a "Basic Drop Cookie" recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

I threw in 1 1/2 broken up Hershey bars and about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts into the batter. Bake in a 375° oven for about 10 minutes. Delicious and hit the spot! I ate them warm from the oven, with a small glass of milk! Which, if you know me - is pretty rare. I have weird issues with milk and usually only have it in my cereal, never as a beverage.