[UPDATED] My Beef with Crock-Pot - This is NOT a Recipe

UPDATE 9/14/13:
After publishing this post and reaching out to Crock-Pot on Facebook, I received a phone call from a very nice representative named Jesica. She was more than helpful, and with just a few questions about model and part numbers, she told me a new lid would arrived in 6 to 8 business days.

AMAZING work, Crock-Pot. Thanks for your help. :)
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Crock-Pot,

I love you.  I thought I could always rely on your cookware, and you've broken my heart.

I bought a special edition French Bull Crock-Pot just over 2 weeks ago. Since then, I've cooked 2 meals in it and hand washed and dried the pot and lid. Guess what greeted me when I grabbed it off the shelf this morning?

Rusted washers on the inside of the lid. What the hell? Where do I get replacements, and who is paying for them?

So-Good, Slow-Cooked Pepper Steak

I'm at it again with the Crock Pot. Today, we enjoyed Pepper Steak and Garlic Butter Noodles. The steak was SO easy to prepare in the Crock Pot, and it was waiting on us when we got home 8 hours later.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless round steak 3/4-1 in. thick
1 small can tomato paste (6-8oz)
1 10-12oz bag of frozen fajita peppers and onions
1 12-15oz can of whole stewed tomatoes
salt
pepper

Toppings/Side Dishes
Rice, noodles, hoagie buns, or cheese

Directions
This really is going to blow your mind. Cut round steak into serving-size pieces (it's going to fall apart anyway - just cut it to fit into the slow cooker). Season with salt and pepper, then place in the bottom of the crock. Mix paste, tomatoes, and peppers together in a bowl, and add the mixture on top of the steak. I added my ingredients directly to the pot and didn't even stir it, but I'm being cautious here...

     

Put the lid on and cook on low for 8-9 hours. I served ours with garlic butter noodles and a little mozzarella.

Husband approved!

Easy, Make-While-You-Work Crock Pot Chili Mac

By the time I get off work and make my 1 1/2 hour drive home, I'd love nothing more than to cook a nice, hot meal for my husband and me. Too bad my body and mind aren't on the same page. More often than not, we end up with a hasty meal of whatever meat I can thaw out quickly enough, canned corn, and canned beans. If we've got it, I'll whip up mac and cheese. The flavors aren't complex, and there really isn't a lot of love put into it.

Enter the Crock Pot.

We both work 8+ hours Mon-Fri. We're out of the house before 6:30am, and no one is home again until at least 4:30pm. While that means I have to skip the "5 hours on low" slow cooker recipes, I have no qualms with leaving an "8 hours on low" meal simmering for 9-10 hours if I must.

This week, we bought ingredients for 5 slow cooker meals. Meal #1 is Chili Mac. Here we go!

Slow Cooker Chili Mac


Ingredients:
oil, for skillet
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic (or jarred equivalent)
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 can chili beans in gravy, undrained
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes w/ green chiles), undrained
1 8-10oz can beef broth
1 green bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, diced
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 servings cooked macaroni noodles (prepared just before serving)

In an oiled skillet on med-high heat, soften diced onions and garlic. Before onions become translucent, add ground beef and brown.

 

Add beef mixture to slow cooker, and combined with beans, Rotel, broth, pepper, and seasonings. Give it a stir.

 

Slow cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. I made mine the night before and placed in the refrigerator overnight. It's cooking at home as I type this.

30 minutes before serving, boil/prepare 4 servings of macaroni and add to the pot. Stir and allow for 20 or so minutes on low setting.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, corn bread, or tortilla chips.

I'll upload final photos later tonight. Enjoy!

UPDATE: AHHHMAZING! This chili mac turned out great. We'll be having it again for sure. :)

Make-Ahead Work Day Lunches: Grilled Chicken Salad, Yogurt, and Fruit

I've found that if I pack myself a lunch and take it to work, I'll eat it. If I don't bring a lunch and rely on myself to make healthy choices in the company dining room or at a nearby restaurant, I end up eating something awful for me.

Though I didn't have much extra time this evening, I was able to use some of my new Ziploc containers to throw together 3 pre-made salads. My phone was nearby, so I figured I could document it for all 2 of my blog readers.

Dressing on the bottom - this keeps all the crunchy or lettuce-y bits from getting soggy. I'll shake it up before eating. I alternated Wishbone House Italian and Hidden Valley Ranch. I know, Hidden Valley Ranch might as well be melted butter. I don't care. This salad is STILL better than eating a cheeseburger.

Sugar snap peas are next, followed by pre-grilled chicken strips and wedges of tomatoes.

Romaine mixed lettuce and crispy onions as a topper.

Hello, Homeowners!

What an eventful weekend!

Closing Time
We both took off work on Friday for our closing. After walking around Wharton's downtown square to kill time, we met our Realtor at the title company around 9:30am. There were a couple things holding us up, so while the title company shuffled paperwork, we chatted with our Realtor and the sellers' agent. We even caught a glimpse of the sellers on their way out. He was in a big rush, but she was friendly and stopped to shake our hands. She told us they had just planted a Satsuma orange tree in the back yard and were worried it wouldn't make it. I promised to take care of it and take pictures of it once it was back to full health.

Just when the nerves were ready to take over, they called us back to sign papers. I've been at the closing table before as a Realtor, but it's a whole different ball game being on the buyers' side. Friends and family warned us over and over how tedious this part was going to be, but I really don't think it was that bad. The title company explained every page we signed, and we were still out of there in just over an hour.

By 11:30am, we were homeowners. We skipped off to our new home to check it out.

Something's Broken
As soon as we stepped onto the back porch, I noticed something wrong with the water softener. The tank looks a lot like a large SCUBA oxygen tank - it stands vertically. When I saw it, it was collapsed. The tank was still in one piece and standing, but it was as if the air/water had been sucked out of it. Electricity was turned on in the house, so what could the problem be? With inspection of the water well pump, we discovered the pump had lost its prime during the time the electricity was off in the home.

9 gallons of water and a lot of shouting across the yard, flipping the breaker, and being disappointed later, the pump was primed, and we were free to enjoy our home with running water. The softener filled back up without issue, and we've been going ever since.

First Night
Vince and I spent that night in our new home. We had only our bed (on the floor), a change of clothes, and some delivered pizza. It was a perfect night. Silent, alien, surreal, and perfect.

Moving Day
Saturday morning, we met the movers at our storage unit. In 30 minutes, everything was loaded up. They followed us to the house, and had our belongings inside in another 30 minutes. It was like magic. If you're in the Wharton County area, I recommend these guys to anyone: Mund Moving Co.

Now
Skip ahead to Tuesday morning, and I'm at work, writing this blog post. Sunday and Monday have been spent cleaning, organizing and just enjoying our new home. We were supposed to receive our fridge yesterday, but Sears Home Delivery is TERRIBLE, and it is going to be another week. Vince haggled with a Best Buy manager to get a good deal on a nice floor model fridge. It'll get moved out to the garage later, but we have a fridge in the kitchen for now.

Bravo has learned what fire ants are, and we've learned how big an acre is and what it's like to mow it with a 22" self-propel mower. I still have work to do in the garden, but that'll wait until the weekend. Our plan is to save the big stuff for the weekends and unpack a couple boxes each night. It's hard to remember to slow down and enjoy the new house with all the things that need to get done, but our relaxing back porch makes it easier.

No pictures for now, but I'll try to stay on top of that. More updates to come as we try to fix a crack on our water pump this evening. We might have to re-prime the pump again, so that'll be fun.

I have so many ideas for crafts, DIY, recipes, and more. There should be lots going on here in the near future.

Long-Awaited Drum Roll...

... aaaaaand we got the "clear to close" from our loan officer today!

After not hearing from him late yesterday or early today as promised, I gave him a call myself at 3:45pm. He apologized, said he thought he emailed me, and told me "Oh, yeah. You're clear to close. Friday at 9:30am."

Very uneventful for my first ever home purchase. Especially after the ordeal we went through, I expected more of a "Congratulations, Mrs. Morales! Great news! You're clear to close!" Oh well.

So without further ado, a montage of happy animals to express how I feel:

So, let's make it to Friday without any anxiety attacks, get moved in, and send out housewarming invites! See you there! :))

Living In A Cardboard Box

No, we aren't at that point yet. But I AM ready to pull my hair out.

You can tell with a quick scroll of the mouse wheel that I haven't been updating. Meh. Are people subscribing and reading? Not so much. That takes most of my bloggers guilt away. For anyone still following along with the bouncing ball, here are some updates in the different parts of the life of Magnificent Mrs. Morales.

The Apartment

Doesn't exist anymore. I'm no longer trapped in the 700-ft prison cell in that wretched city of Houston. We're back in the slow, quiet country where I belong and Vince is falling in love. We moved out around June 14th and have been in Wharton with my parents as we wait for our house to close.

The New House

The new house is 1,600 square feet located on a manicured acre with 3 bedrooms, formal dining, and a hollywood bath. (Half bath located in both the hallway and master, connected by a shower/tub room.) We were supposed to close on the house this past Friday, but because of a couple setbacks, we're looking at a closing date closer to July 31st - this coming Wednesday. We can't wait to be there, and I'm sure I'll cry all day when we get in the house.

The Puppy

Well, I say "puppy," because Bravo is still only 3 1/2 months old. He's too big to carry around comfortably, and he's wet or muddy most of the time. That said, he's the cutest, smartest, best dog I've ever seen, and we love him. We can't wait to spoil him rotten in the new house/yard. Bravo is a beautiful German Shepherd Dog, and his instincts are already very apparent. He likes to patrol the yard, and he's protective of me. Any time my parents' dog wants attention, Bravo is right there to beat Oscar to the punch. Oscar is a miniature dachshund, and he's never had any real training or discipline in his life. If you open the gate to the back yard, that little weenie would turn into a rocket ship and blast out of the neighborhood before you realized he was gone. It'll be nice to get Bravo into a more calm environment where we can start training him.

The Business
When I say "business," I don't mean the full-time job. I'm, of course, talking about Kapeesh. My ambition, my life goal, my passion. We've got several new followers on Facebook/Twitter, and I'm busy enough that this next sentence is a thing. I have a new designer on board! It's not just me anymore, and it feels WONDERFUL. I've got websites, logo designs, and consulting gigs going on right now, and word of mouth in the 03XX community is growing. My discount program for Marine Infantry Vets may not make me much money, but I'm proud to have a solid reputation in that market. Not everything is free or discounted in that sector, so my hopes are to get more and more of those customers as loyal clients who rely on Kapeesh for their whole marketing department. Overall, good stuff. Like everything else, the new house will help tremendously.

The Marriage
Vince and I couldn't be happier here in Wharton. Things are calm, and we like that. We spend more time talking and less time bitching about traffic or noise or inconsiderate strangers. Living with my parents isn't ideal - alone time is minimal, but we shut the door to our guest room and we're usually left alone. We just keep telling ourselves "this is temporary, we'll get through it," and that has gotten us through thus far.

So, overall - good things. Lots of waiting and lots of trying really hard to be patient. I know we'll get there. I've been talking to God more and more about things, and the more I do, the more calm I feel about most things.

Hope any of you readers out there are doing fantastic, and I promise I'll be blogging when I get into the new house. I'll have plenty of recipes (double ovens!) and DIY things to share.