Feeding the Rice’s
By Reagan Rice
Sometimes life is a little bit crazy; sometimes it’s a whoooole lotta crazy. When those times hit, I like to have my back-up, never-fail, always go-to recipes that make lots of different meals. Below are those recipes for me. I’d love to know what you have up your sleeve as far as long-reaching meals go! My family consists of myself, my husband, and our two boys who are 2 1/2 and 1 year old (they eat more than you’d think).
Main meal one goes to Pot Roast & Vegetables: This is just the good ol’ Sunday favorite. If your Momma doesn’t have a recipe for you, mine easiest one is below. I use my crockpot, but Momma always did hers in the oven in a casserole dish. I buy the biggest chuck roast I can find, because I have two additional recipes for my leftovers. Some folks swear by searing or browning your roast in a hot skillet but to be honest, I can’t taste enough of a difference to justify getting another pan dirty.
Recipe Two goes to Shredded Beef Sandwiches: This is pretty much a French Dip with some of your leftover pot roast. Hoagies, a French roll or just regular white bread will work for this. It includes gooey, melty cheese, onions that are full of flavor and the jus from the cooked beef.
Recipe Three is the Grab-N-Go Burritos: This is what my Mom always did with leftover Pot Roast and it’s still a household favorite.
Ingredients for all three recipes:
• Pot roast (large one)
• Onions (at least two, three if you love ‘em)
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Beef Broth
• Ranch Mix Packet
• Italian Dressing Packet
• Knorr’s Onion Soup Mix
• French roll or hoagie
• Ranch Style Beans (1 can)
• Flour Tortillas
• Shredded Cheddar
• Provolone or Swiss Cheese
• Cumin
• Chili Powder
Directions for the main recipe/Pot Roast and Vegetables
- Slice onions into rings and layer half of them on the bottom of crockpot
2) Season your roast with salt and pepper and place on top of onion
3) Mix dry mixes (ranch, italian and onion mix) together and pour over roast
4) Add rest of onions on top
5) Cover with beef stock
6) Cover crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-6. Your meat should shred easily when it’s cooked.
*** Add your vegetables whenever you want*** I like mine soggy, so I don’t have a problem with them cooking all day. Some people like them crispier, so add them at lunch if you want to, or even right as you get home from work, and cook until desired tenderness is reached
Gravy
- For a thicker gravy take equal parts oil and flour and cook until it starts to bubble. Slowly whisk in about a cup of your warm jus from your crockpot. Bring to a boil and add more jus if needed for desired consistency.
Recipe 2/Beef Sandwich
Grill your bread. With butter. Real butter, not the pretend stuff. Get a good crust on it so it can hold up to all the juice you’ll be dipping it in.
Reheat some of your leftover pot roast and onions in a pan with enough liquid to bubble around the meat. Eyeball your portions… you can always use what’s left in the next recipe because it freezes so well
When heated thoroughly (maybe five minutes on a medium heat), use a slotted spoon to load your grilled bun up. Don’t be shy, load it up.
Put a good layer of cheese on top and it’ll melt right in
Use your hot jus that you heated the meat in for dipping
Recipe 3/Burritos
I usually go ahead and make these on Day 2, just so they’re ready to go for the next time I need them.
1) Heat the rest of your leftover beef and onions in a large sauce pan with about a half a cup of jus.
2)Add can of ranch style beans and mash into beef and onion until beef is very shredded
3) Mix in 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of chili powder
4) Spoon mixture into a flour tortilla and top with shredded cheese. Roll, and enjoy!
These burritos make great grab-n-go meals. I wrap any leftovers in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a foil wrap, and freeze. When ready to eat, simply take the foil layer off, and reheat in the microwave for about 3 minutes on 50 percent. Obviously times will vary.
Hope you enjoy these, and I’d love to know your serving secrets!
