RECIPE: Bad Day Comfort Food Beef

I'm not saying yesterday was a bad day. It was actually an awesome day -- brunch with friends, a three-mile walk, and some Oscar dress-bashing. (Loved Cameron, hated Charlize.) And to top it off, I concocted a delicious pot roast recipe which I'm totally whipping out the next time I do have a craptacular day. I LOVE COMFORT FOOD.

Doesn't this just make you feel warm and fuzzy?

• 2-3 lb. beef roast
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can of whole peeled potatoes, diced
• 10 baby carrots, chopped
• 1 package of dry onion soup mix

Brown the roast on all sides (I used a cast iron skillet on high heat; only took a minute or two). Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. The juices from the meat will mix with the other stuff and make a killer gravy, so I recommend having some mashed potatoes or biscuits at the ready. You can always add extra carrots or potatoes. I might try substituting canned FO soup for the dry mix next time, just to have more gravy.

RECIPE: Stroganoff...hehe.

I didn't take a picture of the stroganoff. Why? Because beef stroganoff kind of looks like barf. I posted a plea on Facebook to see if anyone could help me with the aesthetics, and one of my friends helpfully replied, "That's why you cover it with noodles." Gotcha.

• 1 lb. beef cubes
• 1 T. garlic
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. organic ketchup
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can mushrooms

Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours or until the beef is fully cooked. Serve under egg noodles. Under. Okay?

RECIPE: Bootleg Chili

Some chili purists believe that real chili shouldn't have beans. But purity's never been my strong point. And when it comes to beans, my personal policy is: The more, the merrier. So here's my recipe for thick, meaty chili with just a little bit of kick -- not enough kick to put hair on your chest or anything, but enough to make it interesting.

• 1 lb. ground turkey (or beef, if you want to keep it real)
• 1 can kidney beans (Goya oh boya!)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes (I like Del Monte with zesty jalapenos)
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes (I go for low-sodium)
• 1 can (10 oz) Campbell's tomato soup concentrate
• 1 1/2 T. chili powder
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 1/2 T. cumin
• 1 t. crushed red pepper
• pinch of black pepper

Brown the ground turkey, then add everything to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for a couple of hours -- doesn't really matter, because the meat's already cooked. For me, 3 hours did the trick. I served it with Italian boule bread, but any carbolicious dipping tool will do!

RECIPE: Biere Dip

There are few foods in the world I love more than French dip. Seriously. If you put Russian caviar next to a poorly-made French dip, I'd still pick the dip -- no question. So it was high priority for me to come up with a solid French dip recipe. And here it is.

• 1 1/2 pounds of chuck roast, cubed
• 12 oz of beer (I used Leinenkugel, but I bet an amber or a stout would be even better...)
• 1 can of beef broth (low-sodium for me)
• 1 package of onion soup mix (generic rocks)
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce (Kikkoman)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

Throw everything in the slow cooker on HIGH for 6 hours. Move the beef to a bowl and shred it with a fork; put the shredded beef on a roll.  Strain the little onion bits out of the broth, and make bowls of au jus for dipping. My hubby recommends a slice of cheese on the sandwich, but I can go either way. Tres delish, dude.