Spaghetti & Meatballs

Seafood/Fish/Corn Chowder

If you want to make a corn chowder, do the same thing but replace the seafood with 1 can each of cream of corn and corn niblets.

Seafood/Fish/Corn Chowder
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 8 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 3 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 medium potatoes, finely diced
• 2 lbs seafood (eg., white fish cubes, scallops, prawn, mussels, clams, etc.; whatever you have on hand)
• 1 370ml can of evaporated milk
• 5-6 cups water
• 2 tsps dried thyme 
• a pinch of cayenne pepper (doesn't make anything spicy; just brings out the flavour)
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Add a splash of water to a large dutch oven and brown bacon until crispy over medium high heat. Set bacon aside but keep all the bacon grease in the dutch oven.
2. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix well until garlic is fragrant.
3. Stir in flour and mix until you can't see any more white/raw flour. Slowly add in water while stirring the veggie/flour mixture. It'll be kind of clumpy but adding in water slowly will help unclump everything.
4. Add in potatoes and evaporated milk. Bring to a simmer and simmer on low for 15 minutes, covered. It'll form a skin but no worries; just stir to get rid of it.
5. Turn heat up to medium low and stir in seafood. Keep stirring occasionally until seafood is cooked through; about another 10 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve with bacon "bits" on top as garnish and French bread/baguette to sop of the chowder.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

This is my favourite cookie. Hands down.

I LOVE gingersnaps but even more when they're chewy. So that doesn't really make them gingerSNAPS anymore, does it? Regardless, they're my fave so I try not to make them too much or I'd just get super fat from hogging them all. :X


Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
(makes 5 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar (1 heaping Tbsp ground cinnamon & 1/4 cup sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Mix in the egg and molasses until well incorporated.
5. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated. Mix in remaining flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
6. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. 
7. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked. Allow the cookies to cool on the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks.
8. Serve with milk, ice cream, or coffee, etc.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Have I ever mentioned how much K loves to help me bake? These are his favourite and he always asks to lick the paddle afterwards even though I keep telling him no (due to the raw eggs). We made them the other day and shared them with his teachers at daycare.

Looks kinda like poop, eh? But OMG so good. These are my fave cookies to eat when I have a hankering for chocolate or even chocolate cake. K calls these the "black cookies" cuz they're so dark in colour. I had ran out of white chocolate chips so I only used 1/2 cup of them in this batch. Doesn't matter. It still tastes amazing. :)


Triple Chocolate Cookies
(makes 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsps instant coffee or espresso powder (optional)
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsps butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, coffee or espresso powder (if using), baking powder and salt over a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a non-plastic microwave safe bowl, melt 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips for 1.5 minutes on high, stirring half way, until melted. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, blend together butter, brown sugar and regular sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add melted chocolate. Mix well until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides.
5. Pour in flour and cocoa mixture and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides.
6. Using a spatula, fold in remaining 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.
7. Use one spoon to scoop dough roughly the size of a golf ball (2 tablespoons or so) onto the baking sheets and use another spoon to scrape dough off of the spoon. Space dough 1.5 inches apart. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until edges of cookies are just set and centers are still soft.
8. Allow cookies to cool on pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
9. Serve with ice cream, milk, or coffee, etc.

Chicken Cobb Salad

It's almost summer, so that means more salads! I swear it's the only time when I actually crave salads and can eat them without a grimace. This one is pretty darn good too. And filling. Until I realize I'm missing carbs. You see...I have a problem; if there aren't a lot of carbs in a meal, I'll believe I'm hungry until I eat a lot of carbs. But at least now I'm mixing in brown rice, red rice and black rice in with my Jasmine rice so it's healthier. :D

Anywho, this is an awesome salad. Definitely one of the staples we're going to have more often of.


Chicken Cobb Salad
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
• 2 medium avocados, diced
• 1 341ml (12oz) can of corn niblets
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 4 slices of bacon, diced
• 2 romaine lettuce hearts, rinsed and chopped
• 4 eggs, hard boil and diced/chopped
• 4 green onion stalks, finely diced
• 1/2 - 1 cup ranch dressing
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Remove from pan to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
2. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Brown in the skillet with the bacon fat. Cook for about 6-7 minutes each side until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through in the middle.
3. Meanwhile, divide romaine lettuce into 4 large bowls (or plates). Divide avocados, corn, tomatoes, black beans and eggs and arrange on top of the lettuce, leaving space for the chicken.
4. Once chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes before chopping into bite size pieces. Divide and add to the salad.
5. Sprinkle the bacon bits and green onions on top of salad.
6. Drizzle with ranch dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve alone or with garlic bread.

Asian Beef Stew

You can use beef ribs or stewing meat. Usually I'll use stewing meat because we're lazy with the bones. But I had extra beef ribs cut into cubes already that I needed to use up so I used the ribs. It makes the sauce way fattier but more flavourful. It's even better when served the next day. :O

Note: If you like your carrots soft, then just put them in when you start braising. Otherwise leave them out and only put them in when you have only 30 minutes left in the braising time.


Asian Beef Stew
(serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs beef stewing meat, cut into 2 inches cubes
• 1-2 Thai chilies (optional)
• 1 bulb garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsps ginger, minced
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 398ml (14oz) can of diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp rock sugar
• 3-4 cups beef broth
• 2-3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsps canola oil
• Salt, to taste
• Cilantro and lime (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat canola oil over medium high heat. Add in chili (optional), garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon stick. Cook until fragrant.
2. Mix in onion, five spice and tomato paste. Cook until onions start turning translucent.
3. Stir in beef, diced tomatoes, fish sauce, rock sugar and enough beef broth to JUST barely cover the beef. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover partially, lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours. 
5. Stir in carrots. Cover partially and simmer for another 30 minutes.
6. (Optional) Garnish with cilantro and lime.
7. Serve with rice or French bread.

Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce

I had something like this the other day at a restaurant and it totally made me want to make this. It's pretty nice in the hot weather because the cucumber is so refreshing.

Apparently this is something that most Taiwanese families have in their arsenal and it's different for every family. This is how I made mine and I like it.

Don't worry if the meat sauce seems salty; it's supposed to be that way so it doesn't taste bland against the noodles and cucumbers. The cucumbers are truly awesome (as you can tell from the abundance of cucumber we like to put in our bowls).


Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce
(serves 6)

Ingredients: 

• 6 packs udon/don don noodles/ramen
• 1lb lean ground pork
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup sweet thick soy sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• Water
• 1 English cucumber, julienne

Directions:

1. Prepare noodles as directed on the package. 
2. Heat a sauté pan on medium high heat. Brown pork. 
3. Stir in onion, both soy sauces and five spice. Mix well. 
4. Add enough water to just cover the meat. Bring to a gentle boil. 
5. Meanwhile, mix cornstarch with about 1/4 cup of cold water into a slurry in a small bowl. Add to meat mixture and turn off the heat. 
6. Divide noodles into 6 bowls. Top with meat sauce and garnish with cucumber. 
7. Serve immediately. 

Roasted Congee

I don't roast a lot of things, but when I do, I keep the carcass for congee the next day. Why waste it? The carcass typically has lots of roasted flavour from the roast, so it gives the congee a nice mouth feel and TOTALLY makes it less boring. Plus when I debone the roast, I don't have to stress over leaving too much meat on the bones. It wont' matter since it'll go into the congee the next morning. >:)


Roasted Congee
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• Leftover bones from a roast (e.g., prime rib, chicken, turkey)
• Water
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 4-5 cups water
• 2 thick slices of ginger
• Salt & pepper, to taste 

Directions:

1. Wash rice until water runs clearish. 
2. Combine rice, water (4 cups for thicker congee and 5 cups for a looser congee), ginger and leftover bones into the instant pot pot. Press the congee button. 
3. Once the machine beeps, wait 15-20 minutes before lifting lid. Remove the bone and separate any remaining meat from the bones. Place meat into the congee. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Serve by itself or with green onions and Chinese donut. 

Foolproof Prime Rib

There are two ways I make a prime rib roast. Both are pretty foolproof. The first method is basically Paula Deen's method and I use her house seasoning cuz it's so simple and awesome on steak. You can always use whatever steak seasoning you like best, but I always have this one on hand. :)

Hubby loves prime rib so I make this once in a while. Only really the two of us eat it so we always have leftovers, which is AWESOME when we have it thinly sliced in instant noodles or other soup noodles.

Note: It's easiest to thinly slice the leftover prime rib (or any slab of meat) if you put it in the freezer first for about 15-20 minutes to firm up a bit.


Foolproof Prime Rib
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 5-6lbs prime rib roast 
• 1-1.5 Tbsp of seasoning (see below) 
• Seasoning: 
• 1 cup salt 
• 1/4 cup ground black pepper 
• 1/4 cup granulated garlic 
• In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Store in an airtight container.

Method 1 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 
2. Place prime rib roast fat side up and bone side down on an aluminum foil lined baking tray. For every 5 pounds of roast, rub all over with 1 tablespoon of seasoning. 
3. Roast for 11 minutes per pound. (8 minutes per pound if using convection roasting option in convection oven.) Once cooking time is up, turn off the oven and leave the prime rib inside. DO NO OPEN THE DOOR. Leave alone in the oven for at least 3 hours and then reheat at 375F for 20 minutes. (If you left it only for 1.5-2 hours, reheat for only 10-15 minutes.) 
4. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before carving. Slice the prime rib off the bone and then into steak portions. (Keep bone for congee, broth, etc.) 
5. Serve with veggies and potatoes. 

Method 2 Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 500F. Place prime rib roast fat side up and bone side down on an aluminum foil lined baking tray. For every 5 pounds of roast, rub all over with 1 tablespoon of seasoning. 
2. Roast for 5 minutes per pound (11 minutes per kilogram). Turn off heat and let the roast rest in cooling oven for 2 hours. DO NOT OPEN!
3. After 2 hours, take prime rib out and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Slice the prime rib off the bone and then into steak portions. (Keep bone for congee.) 
4. Serve with veggies and potatoes.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

K love pancakes. So I made him some with grated apples. This way I can finish up my stash and feed him some more fruit. This is the easiest pancake recipe ever. It's not that fluffy, so it's not Hubby's fave, but it's awesome when I'm too lazy to look for my usual fluffy blueberry pancakes recipe (although if you do replace the blueberries with shredded apple in the blueberry pancakes recipe, it's the best pancakes I've ever had. No joke). ;)

I find that when everything is at room temperature, I don't end up burning the pancakes before they're cooked. And that's always been an issue with me and most pancake recipes. Either that or it'll take forever to cook over a medium low heat. -_-

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg, room temperature & lightly beaten
• 1 medium apple, grated
• Butter or canola oil for greasing pan

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 
2. Pour in milk, egg and mix until combined.
3. Stir in grated apple. 
4. Heat up a nonstick pan over medium heat. Lightly coat with butter or canola oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook until edges look dry and bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook the other side. 
5. Repeat with remaining batter, lightly coating the pan with butter or oil between each pancake. 
6. Serve with maple syrup and coffee or milk. 

Applesauce

K loves his applesauce, so I make it. Come to think of it, I tend to make a lot of stuff that the boys loves. Best way to actually ensure they eat their food, right?

This is one of the best ways to get K to have some apples. He doesn't tend to like them much when you slice them up. Picky little boy, eh?

You can totally make this as one of baby's first foods by removing the salt, cinnamon and lemon juice.


Applesauce
(makes ~2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 8 medium apples, cored, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• A splash of water

Directions:

1. Toss everything into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until apple chunks are soft to the touch.
2. Use a stick blender to purée or transfer to a food processor to purée.
3. Serve as a side to pork chops, with oatmeal, over pancakes, by itself, as an ingredient for other recipes, etc. 

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I swear a secret to a good grilled cheese sandwich is to have the bread lightly toasted first BEFORE you put the cheese in the middle.

I've made a buttload of grilled cheeses in my day, whether it be in the toaster oven, pan, or even the sad microwave. But this is definitely the way I like it most. Of course I use Kraft Singles, cuz it just tastes like my childhood. Hubby can't handle the process stuff so I gotta use real cheddar for his - claims I spoiled him with real food. I suppose it's a good thing, right? :P

This is a simple enough recipe but it's a good reminder. Plus maybe it'll be useful for the kids when they grow up...One can only hope, right? ;)


Grilled Cheese Sandwich
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 4 whole wheat bread slices
• 2 (any) cheese slices
• 4-6 Tbsps mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Spread mayonnaise on one side of the bread and place the mayo-side down in the pan. Top with a slice of cheese. Spread one side of another slice of bread with mayonnaise and place it non-mayo-side down on top of the cheese.
2. Once the bottom slice of bread turns golden brown, use a spatula to flip the whole thing over to brown the other side of the sandwich.
3. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board and slice sandwich in half, diagonally. Repeat with the other sandwich.
4. Serve with milk or tomato soup, etc.

If you have a big pan, you can do two at a time. I don't have a big enough pan to make two at a time without squishing the sandwiches, so I just use a small 8" pan and make the sandwiches individually. It's not so bad when you only need to make two sandwiches.

Wrapless Lo Mai Gai

This is by far one of my favourite things to eat at dim sums. The only pitfall is that it's really filling so then you can't have as much of the other yummy stuff at dim sums. That being said, I usually don't order it or I'll order it and then not eat it so I can save it to go. Teehee.

You can wrap it in parchment paper (if you don't have the lotus leaves) and then steam it for 15 minutes in a steam basket to make a more traditional Lo Mai Gai. But I didn't care for any of it so I just topped the sticky rice with the filling in this "wrapless" Lo Mai Gai. ;)

Note: If using a pot to cook the rice, then soak rice in water overnight and add enough water so that it's 1 part rice and 1.5 part liquid. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, covered. Turn off heat and let stand for 10-15 minutes before stirring/serving.


Wrapless Lo Mai Gai
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 3 "cups" uncooked sweet/glutinous rice
• 4 chicken skinless boneless chicken thighs, cubed
• 5-7 Shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated & sliced/diced, steeping liquid reserved 
• 2 lap cheong (Chinese sausage), thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp five-spice
• 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsps yellow wine/shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
• 2 tsps cornstarch, divided
• 2 Tbsps sesame oil, divided
• Water

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together five-spice, ginger, garlic, sugar, wine, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil with the chicken thighs. Marinate for 30 minutes on the counter.
2. Rinse out the rice and add the reserved mushroom steeping liquid and enough water to meet the 3 cups line. Add in a tablespoon of sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Cook sweet rice in the Instant Pot using the rice option. 
3. In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, toss in the lap cheong slices until they become bright red and the oil comes out. Make a large well in the middle and add the marinated chicken thighs and mushrooms. Cook until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, make a slurry out of the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water. Add to the wok or skillet, scraping up any brown bits. Cook until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat.
5. Scoop rice into 4 bowls and top with skillet mixture, drizzling extra sauce over the rice.
6. Serve hot with soup and steamed veggies.

(Matcha) Green Tea Cake

I had wanted to make this for Hubby for his birthday, but never ended up doing it cuz I was too tired from being pregnant at the time. I did end up eventually doing it about a month and half later though. This turned out pretty nicely. K even helped to make it. The kid is turning out to be a pretty good sous chef. ;)


(Matcha) Green Tea Cake
(serves 12-14)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup cornstarch, sifted)
• 6 tsps (matcha) green tea powder, divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola/vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup plain yogurt (or 2 Tbsps white vinegar + enough milk to make 1 cup of sour milk [let sit for 5 minutes before mixing into batter])
• 3 tsps vanilla extract, divided
• 1 250g (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsps butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line the bottom of two 9" round pans with parchment paper. Grease the sides, if not using teflon pans. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 4 teaspoons of green tea powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, beat sugar, oil, eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until smooth. Add in half of the sifted flour mixture. Beat on low until just incorporated.
4. Add in yogurt and beat on low until just incorporated.
5. Add in remaining flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and beat for another second or two until just incorporated.
6. Divide batter into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester (aka dry spaghetti pasta) comes out clean when poked into the center of the cake.
7. Cool for 1 hour or so until the cake is at room temperature.
8. Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating cream cheese with butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, icing sugar, milk and the remaining 2 teaspoons of green tea  powder until smooth.
9. Once the cake layers have cooled to room temperature, use a serrated knife to level/slice off the top rounded layer of the cakes. Spread 1/3 of the frosting on top of one of the layers. Top with the other layer of cake. Frost a thin (crumb) layer of frosting on the surface of the cake with an offset spatula. Wipe clean and spread remaining frosting all over the cake. To make a swirly pattern like in the picture, use the rounded side of a large spoon to press down, twist, then lift up.
10. Serve with coffee or milk.

Meat & Potatoes Stew

This is Hubby's favourite stew. It's even better the day after, as with most stews and chilis. It's fantastic if you have it with some crusty bread as well. Honestly I can just dip the bread into the stew with the carrots and have Hubby finish everything else. Lol.

Meat & Potatoes Stew
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 2lb stewing meat or chuck roast cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 1 large onion, julienned
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 medium russet potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 2-3 cups beef broth (just enough to cover the beef 3/4 of the way)
• 2 Tbsps smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsps sugar
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsps canola oil
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp cornstarch, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Water

Directions:

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. When heated, add oil. Meanwhile, toss beef with 1/4 cup of cornstarch. 
2. When oil is heated, shake off any excess cornstarch and sear beef on all sides. Seat in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd. This is going to take a long time but it's well worth it. 
3. When beef is all seared, add onions, garlic, allspice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, rosemary, paprika, bay leaves and 1 cup of beef broth. Mix well and scrape off the brown bits from the bottom. Add beef back into the pot and cover with remaining beef broth (enough to just cover the beef 3/4 of the way. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat to the lowest heat and simmer for 2 hours. 
4. Turn the heat back up to medium high. Addin potatoes and carrots. Add about a cup of water (just enough to ensure potatoes are covered). Bring to a boil, lower heat to lowest setting, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. 
5. Make a slurry out of the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of cold water. Mix into the sauce to thicken up. Heat thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Serve with crusty bread. If you want to be extra healthy, add some baby spinach to the bowls before ladling in the stew. The heat from the stew will cook the spinach for extra iron. 

Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef Sandwiches

Funny story. I hadn't had the motivation to cook for a WHILE now and after I made this, Hubby asked if I took a picture yet. After I said no, he asked "then how will you remember how you made this? You have to put this on your blog! :O" And this is how I started blogging again...

This sandwich recipe is super spicy for my sis and I so we put a generous amount of mayonnaise to help temper it. The guys loved it as is so they just had it in the form of meat and bread! We originally toasted the bread with some cheddar cheese (see pic), but we found that it wasn't necessary. Just put more meat with the bread and lots of mayonnaise for those who can't handle the heat.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef Sandwiches 
(serves 4-6) 

Ingredients:

• 2lb chuck roast
• 1 199g (7oz) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 Tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tap pepper
• 4-6 ciabatta buns, halved
• Mayonnaise (optional)

Directions:

1. Place everything except the beef and bread into the slow cooker. Mix well. 
2. Place beef into the mixture and turn to coat all over. 
3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. When finished cooking, shred beef with two forks and mix with juices. Keep warm until ready to serve. 
4. To serve, lightly toast ciabatta bread. (Optional) slather a generous amount of mayonnaise on each halves of the bread. Top one half with the shredded beef with peppers and top with second slice of bread. Cut on a bias (easier to eat). Serve with soup and salad.