Easy Peasy Pot Roast = Leftover Stew

When the weather starts to cool off, I love nothing better than a home cooked meal, especially when I don't have to spend much time on prep.  A post roast is a great way to fill your belly with 2 meals and without too much thought.

Now hang on, because I like to cheat my way through the "homemade" part <wink-wink>

First you just need a roast and a crockpot.  What kind of roast?  Well, what do you have or what do you prefer?  For me, many times it's venison, but if that's not your thang, you can pick beef or pork.  How big?  Well, that's up to you, the size of your crockpot and the number of people you are cooking for.

Before I leave for work or before the football game Sunday, I put the whole FROZEN roast in the pot.  Why?  I don't plan ahead well.  haha  (no time to thaw!)  Then, I use a can of beef broth or maybe some water in the bottom.  Sometimes I'll put in a packet of onions soup mix for flavor.  Even ranch dressing mix is pretty darn good.  Oh! how about a stick of butter?  Totally not needed, but everything is Better with Butter.  Again, it depends on the meat and what I have on hand.  Venison doesn't have a lot of natural fat, so I compensate for it.                 

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At my house it's all about meat & potatoes.  I prefer Yukon gold potatoes, but sometimes I get "fancy" and grab a small bag of the multi-colored ones.  You'll learn I think everything should be colorful - like my personality!  :-)

If the potatoes are already small, great!  I just wash them up, cut out any bad spots and throw them in the pot.  If they're a little larger, I cut them in half, or sometimes thirds.  Now, lets not forget the onions.  I LOVE slow cooked onions in broth - I would totally eat them right out of the pot!  Again, I prefer yellow.  They seem to be sweeter.  Reds are pretty and taste good too.  You pick your favorite.

I like these quartered, but you can chop them smaller if you'd like.  This is your meal, not mine.

My 3rd veggie is carrots.  Since I'm all about "quick and easy", most of the time I grab the baby carrots already in the bag at the grocery store.  No pealing necessary!  Once again, you have your choice of the regular ones or the colorful ones.

Orange is a nice bright color.  That'll work!  Cut 'em up or through them in as-is.

At this point I'm done.  Crock pot on and I'm out the door.  If you want to add peppers or mushrooms, broccoli or ??? that's totally up to you.

When you get home for dinner, not only will your house smell excellent, but you're just a plate, fork and knife away from YUMMY GOODNESS.

Roast Continued:  What To Do With The LEFTOVERS ~ if you have any left!  

Stew!  It's all about the stew...

Taking the meat juice from the bottom of the pot, you'll need to make gravy.  Here's where the cheating comes in.  Pretty much follow the directions on the package.

Or, even easier and lump free:

Here's a recipe if you'd like to try it on your own. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/545287467385907296/

I'll also add fresh frozen corn and cube up the meat into smaller pieces.  Salt, pepper, garlic, for more flavor.  I think using a pepper grinder is best.  I'm also a taster... I taste as I go.  I've never been much on measuring.  I leave that to my baking sister.  Part of why my chicken taco never tastes the same twice!  haha

I'll be honest, the leftovers IS what I like best.  Definitely why I make a BIG ROAST with LOTS of POTATOES.  This is what they call a real "stick to your ribs" kinda meal, followed by a slight food coma.  Enjoy!

~Happy cooking~