Category: Main Dishes

Crockpot roast has been a staple in our house for as long as I can remember. I love a crockpot meal because of the ease, but it doesn’t get much easier than a roast. You can put a tender and delicious roast on the table with a few ingredients, and the crockpot does all the work.

My go-to roast for years was simply roast, cream of mushroom soup, and Lipton onion soup mix. That’s still a good one that I’ll occasionally make. However, I started working on something different a few years ago when the Mississippi Pot Roast became popular. That is a great recipe, but I was looking for something more.

My favorite roast is a chuck. Honestly, that’s all I will buy. They have gotten pricy over the past year or so, but I can still find them on sale, and I usually stock the freezer when I do. Chuck roast works well for many of my favorite recipes, including Barbacoa, Beef Stew, Pot Roast Stuffed Potatoes, and Carnita-Style Beef.

Your family will be so happy when you place this roast in front of them!  I like to serve green beans or peas along with this.  For a special treat, leave the potatoes out of the crockpot and make homemade mashed potatoes instead. Add a spoonful of the drippings to each serving for extra goodness!  

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Favorite Pot Roast

Course Cookies, Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Equipment

• crockpot

Ingredients

• 1 3-4 pound chuck roast
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion peeled and sliced about 1/2 thick
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 tablespoon Beef Better than Bouillon
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 envelope Spicy Ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup mild banana pepper rings
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2-3 medium potatoes
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 1 pound baby bella mushrooms cleaned

Instructions

• Heat oil in skillet or Dutch oven . Blot roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper.
• Sear roast on all sides until brown.
• Place onion slices and celery in the bottom of crockpot. Add seared roast on top.
• In a small jar with lid, add the Better than Bouillion, garlic and hot water. Close the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Pour over the roast.
• Sprinkle the Ranch dressing mix over the roast. Add thyme, Add banana pepper slices on top of the roast and top with butter. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
• About 5 hours into cooking, add the potatoes and carrots around the pot roast, then mushrooms on the top. (Add what you can fit around the pot roast but you can add the ones that do not fit around it to the top.)
• Continue cooking for 3 more hours, or until potatoes are tender.
• Serve hot with crockpot drippings.

Our move back to Georgia from Florida was transitional. First, Greg took the job and moved into a condo; then, we moved Wes in with my mother-in-law so that he could start school in Georgia. Savannah was in 7th grade and very unhappy about leaving her friends. So she and I stayed in Florida as I prepared to list and sell the house.

The arrangement could have been better, but we made it work. One of my best memories about that time was the meals that Savannah and I prepared. She is my child that was always up for trying something new. So we made new, creative foods that we both still prepare.

A friend recently asked me to work with her for a week in Atlanta. After speaking with Savannah, I was thrilled! She and I had plans to cook for each other all week, trying new dishes.

As it turned out, I did not get to work every day, and our meal plans did not work out. We both ended up with Covid!

However,Savannah was preparing this incredible pizza the night I arrived. She bought her refrigerated dough at Publix bakery to simplify the prep work. The cast iron skillet was an excellent choice for baking. Not only does it give you a nice crisp crust, but it cooks the dough evenly. The flavor combination was delicious, and the hot honey, something I would not have thought of, was terrific!

With the store-bought crust, this is an excellent option for weeknight dinners to please the whole family!

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Savannah's Pizza Perfection

Course Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

• Store-bought pizza dough (Sav used Publix)
• 1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Dried Oregano
• 2 to 4 tablespoons Marinara sauce depending on the level of sauciness you prefer
• 4-ounce Goat cheese log
• 1/4 cup Freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup Freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
• Pepperoni
• Dried oregano
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 to 1 Fresh jalapeno thinly sliced
• Arugula
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Brush the cast iron skillet with olive oil seasoned with garlic powder and oregano.
• Roll your pizza dough and place dough over cast iron skillet, covering the bottom and slightly up sides.
• Place skillet on stovetop over medium heat. Preheat dough for 2 minutes.
• Add marinara, 3/4 of the goat cheese, pepperoni, shredded Monterey Jack and mozzarella, and sprinkle with additional oregano.
• Meanwhile, turn your oven on high broil and star the hot honey (instructions follow), while the pizza cooks on stove for three minutes.
• After three minutes, place the pizza int he oven and broil for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Let pizza cool for 2 to 3 minutes after removing from oven.
• Top with remaining goat cheese, hot honey and arugula mixture.
• To Prepare Hot Honey: Heat honey and jalapeno over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Turn heat off and let stand for 5 minutes.

I never realized how much I depend on a crockpot until earlier this year when my old faithful slow cooker bit the dust. Unable to find one in a local store at the time, I turned to Amazon. So, rather than choosing from a few on a shelf, I had hundreds of options. As a result, I put more thought into buying a new crockpot than I did my last car.

I now have a slow cooker that sears too. To be honest, I would sometimes skip that step before rather than use an additional pot.

There is not much I like better than a good crockpot meal. And this crockpot pork loin does not disappoint. Pork loin is a cut of meat I buy if I find it on sale. Unfortunately, if you aren’t careful, it’s easy for a pork loin to become dry. That’s why I like to cook it in the crockpot.

With a few staple ingredients, this recipe is easy to start in the morning. You will have a fork-tender, delicious roast come dinner time. Don’t forget the gravy, either! It’s so amazing that mashed potatoes are almost an essential side dish.

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Crockpot Pork Loin and Gravy

Course Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

• 1 (3-4 pound) pork loin
• kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

• Sprinkle pork on all sides lightly with kosher salt. In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, thyme and black pepper. Rub the seasoning over all sides of the loin.
• In a skillet heat the oil and brown the loin on all sides. Transfer the loin to a crockpot. Combine the broth, lemon juice and soy sauce and add to the crockpot.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours.
• After cooking transfer pork loin to a platter and cover to keep warm.
• To make gravy, pour the drippings from crockpot into a measuring cup. Skim off the fat. Measure two cups of drippings (adding water if needed). Pour 1 1/2 cups of the drippings into a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until hot.
• Whisk cornstarch into the reserved 1/2 cup liquid and whisk into hot drippings in saucepan. Heat until thickened and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with roast.

If you spend any time online looking for recipes, you have seen the popularity of dinner in a bowl. I have a few favorites, but my daughter Savannah is the queen of healthy meals in a bowl. They are easy for her to prep ahead to have dinner and lunch for the week ready to go.

She recently made this delicious Asian bowl for me. It came together in very little time and was packed with flavor. She usually uses what she has on hand, so it’s a no-stress meal.

She starts with rice, couscous, or even pasta, whatever she has in the pantry. She has added leftover vegetables to this Asian bowl, such as broccoli, steamed green beans, or carrots.

So, on those busy nights when you think you do not have time for a home-cooked meal, give this meal in a bowl a try. You will be so glad you did!

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Asian Bowl

Course Main Course

Servings 4

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup beef broth (for beef) or chicken broth (for turkey)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek chili paste or to taste
• Cooked rice
• chopped green onions for garnish
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish
• sliced cucumber for garnish

Instructions

• In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, broth, sesame oil, ginger and chili paste, set aside.
• Brown meat in large skillet. Continue to cook until cooked through, drain well.
• Add garlic and saute for about one minute. Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce has reduced to a few tablespoons.
• Place rice in bottom of individual serving bowls. Top with meat mixture and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and cucumber sliced, if desired.