English Roast {#CrockPot #Recipe}

I've had ample opportunity to try out some of the wonderful recipes that you have so graciously linked up on my Call for Crock Pot Recipes post since our gas had been turned off. The good news is we now have it back on! But I have learned how to cook some amazing meals using that slow cooker and will continue to do so more often than a couple times a month (I'm thinking at least twice a week.) It's so easy to just toss everything into the crock pot in the morning or even before going to bed the night before, then setting the crock into the heating unit, turning it on, and letting dinner take care of itself. I also like that I'm not pouring any valuable vitamins down the kitchen sink when I drain veggies - they cook in their own juices and I use the extras for gravy or sauce!

The first recipe I tried was for a beef roast, shared in the comments by Christy who writes Adventures in Mommyhood: Mommy Outnumbered (I have another idea she shared in an upcoming post, too!) Her suggestion was to season a beef roast (I use something called Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt to season the majority of the meat I cook) and set it in the slow cooker. The, mix up a can of cream of mushroom soup and one packet of dry onion (or onion & mushroom) soup mix. Pour the mixture on top and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. The juices can be turned into gravy and you can serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Photo by: sundaykofax

Being the kind of cook I am, I had to change it around a little. I cut up some carrots, potatoes, and onions from the farmer's market and set them into the bottom of the crock pot. Then I added the seasoned roast. Mine was English Roast because Kroger often has "Buy 1, Get 1" deals on them and they're perfect for the slow cooker. Next, because the whole family loves them, I chopped up a bunch of fresh mushrooms and put them on top of the meat. Then I reached into the cupboard for my cream of mushroom soup - GONE! How could we be out?! I'm the only one who uses it and I do so rarely - we usually have 2-3 cans sitting in there! OK, time to really improvise... I found a can of mushroom gravy form who knows how long ago waaaay in the back. There was no expiration date on it, so I opened it, smelled it, and tasted it. Hmm... seemed OK. So I mixed it with a packet of dried onion & mushroom soup, poured it on the mushroom-covered meat, put the lid on, and prayed that the gravy was good.

Within an hour, my husband began asking when dinner would be done (it was 11am!) All day long, I made the entire neighborhood jealous. I'm not kidding - I had three different neighbor drop by for no good reason. They all got around to, "So... what are you making?" before they left. The last guy was the lucky winner - he stopped by just as I was cutting up the roast. He's a single guy who buys frozen dinners in bulk, so how could I send him home with that wonderful aroma in his nose to eat a frozen "meat patty with gravy"?

Everyone loved it! I usually have enough leftover to reheat for another entire meal when I make a roast that size. This time there was enough left for a snack... for Little Guy. It was so good! 

So a big  

"THANK YOU!" 

goes out to Christy for sharing that great idea.

Photo by: vistamommy