Crock Pot Spicy Shredded Beef Tacos

If you've been around me at all in the last few weeks, you've probably heard me talk about Pinterest. I'm so sorry to sound like a broken record! I found this recipe during my daily Pinterest crawl. It's so good. And so spicy. I just had leftovers for lunch, and my mouth is still tingling (but I like that). Once again, I forgot to take pictures, but you can see the original recipe here, and she has gorgeous ones.

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe


(Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction)

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 cup beef stock

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (I love spice and used two!)

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Flour tortillas

Favorite taco toppings (**ideas below**)

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.

Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.

Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.

Some topping ideas include:
guacamole or avocado
fresh salsa
Mexican rice
grated cheese
fresh lettuce
tomato
onion
cilantro
squeeze of lime juice

Kelly's note: Yesterday, I was in a hurry when I threw this together. I didn't do anything but throw the (frozen) roast into the crock pot, chop up 2 canned chipotle peppers, and scoop in some of the adobo sauce from the can. That was it. The meat was still really tasty!

Porcupine Meatballs

This is a family favorite that my mom made when I was younger. I now make it all the time for my own family!

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (although, I always use ground turkey.)
2/3 cup rice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
15 ounce tomato soup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Mix ground meat with rice, water, onion, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Place meatballs in ungreased baking dish. Mix soup and Worcestershire sauce and pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.


*When I don't have enough time, I will use my electric frying pan to cook them. I brown the meatballs first then add the sauce and cover. Once I have added the sauce, it usually only takes about 20-30 minutes. Cook covered until the meat is cook all the way through!

Taco Soup

Here is the soup I made for our Fabulous Friday. This is Tammy Thompson's recipe, but I have tweaked it a little bit.

1 lb ground beef
chopped onion
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans undrained
1 can corn undrained
1 cup salsa (I use Pace Chunky Salsa, Medium)
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown ground beef with onion. Drain. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Ladle into bowl. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

I put mine in a crockpot and cooked on high for about 2 hours.

Burrito Bake

1 1b ground beef (I usually use ground turkey)
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup Bisquick
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, onion, and pepper together. Drain and rinse well. Add taco seasoning and 1 cup of water. Simmer 2o minutes. Combine Bisquick, 1/4 cup water and refried beans. Mix well and spread bean mixture on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Next, spread ground beef mixture, salsa, and then cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares and top with lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and sour cream.

BBQ Meatballs

I have had this recipe for years. I got it off Good Things Utah. I seem to forget about it and everytime I make it again I am reminded how much I like it. It has simple ingredients that are always on hand, the meatballs are really tender and the sauce is really good.

Barbecued Meatballs

1 egg lightly beaten

1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except beef. After ingredients are mixed well, crumble beef over mixture and mix. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over meatballs. Bake in oven at 350 12 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

This recipe is from Kraft Foods. I posted this recipe on my personal blog probably about a year ago now, but I really liked it! I don't make it very often, but I enjoy it when I do. Pardon my pictures, they don't look very appetizing, but they are what they are!

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

2 lb lean ground beef
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing mix for Chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, divided

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs, and 1/4 cup barbecue sauce in bowl. Mix just until blended. Shape into loaf in 13x9 inch baking dish. Top with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake one hour or until done (160 degrees Fahrenheit).
All ready to mix together. Gotta love playing with raw meat. :)
Ready to cook
All done!

This recipe makes a ton. It makes a whole 13x9 pan. I make it with potatoes (any variety) and a vegetable and dinner is served!

Salisbury Steak

This is a favorite at our house. Dallin actually made it this time, it's so easy and so yummy.

Salisbury Steak

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 envelope brown gravy mix, divided
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (I omit this)

In a bowl, whisk the egg and milk. Add bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp gravy mix and onion. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 3-5 patties about 3/4 inches thick. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160.

Place remaining gravy mix in a small saucepan; stir in the water and mustard. Bring to a boil, cook and stir until thickened. Serve gravy over the beef patties.

Hawaiian Haystacks (beef)

I haven't contributed a recipe in a long time so I thought it was about time. I actually made this meal before the holidays, but hadn't taken the time to post it yet.
Most of you are familiar with Hawaiian Haystacks made with chicken. In our family, we make it with ground beef. It's a recipe from my MIL and it's something that Marty grew up eating. It's simple and even our kids eat it.

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 small onion
2 stalks celery
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
Rice (depending on how many you are feeding)

Brown the hamburger, chop celery and onion. Place celery and onion in hamburger then add the soup. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Start cooking rice in rice cooker when you start to cook the hamburger so the rice will be done at about the same time. If you don't have a rice cooker, any rice will do.
I know, it doesn't look the most appetizing (more like dog food), but we really enjoy it. :)
I can't believe I just compared my food to dog food. (hehe)
Put meat mixture over rice. Can add olives, coconut, pineapple, frozen peas, almonds, chow mien noodles, etc. Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Not everybody likes sloppy joes, but these are a favorite for me.

Sloppy Joes

Brown a pound of hamburger (sometimes I add a little chopped onion)

Add:

1 cup ketchup

1 TBSP mustard

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion salt

They always turn out, and I love them for leftovers too.

Beef N' Noodles

Cube up a steak, brown the cubes in a little oil, add dash of salt, a little minced garlic, and a little minced onion.

After the meat is browned, drain oil, add 4 cups beef broth, 1 tsp. marjoram or basil, and 1 tbsp. vinegar. Bring to boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer slightly for about an hour- or until meat is tender.

Add 1 package frozen noodles. (Follow directions on noodles, some require thawing) I usually use the Grandma's Frozen Egg Noodles and that requires 60 sec. in microwave then put into boiling broth for about 15 min. If you don't have enough liquid to boil the noodles add some water. Cook until noodles are done.

I added a little cornstarch/water mix to thicken. It's done.

Chili and Cornbread

This was my mom's chili recipe. I recently came across it in a file on my computer. It has her commentary about it that I won't include but it's great to see how she felt about the recipe. The cornbread recipe I came across a while back and thought it was so easy and unique. It's a sweet cornbread and I like that. Sorry - no pictures. I was rushing out the door to set up for the Daddy/Daughter Dinner.

Chili

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 onion coarsely chopped (I add this to the meat as I am cooking it)
1 small/medium bag kidney or red beans, pre-soaked in cold water overnight.
2 tsp. salt
2 TBS. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Large Can (46 fl. oz) tomato juice.

Soak bean overnight. Drain and place in a pot and cover with water. Cover and cook at a soft boil until tender. Make sure the water level stays above the beans. This takes a while. I cooked mine from 9AM to 2PM. Then I added the rest of the ingredients and simmered until we were ready to eat. I transferred it to a crockpot to keep it warm.

Toppings:
Grated cheese
Chopped Onions
Sour Cream

This was always our traditional Halloween dinner.

Cornbread
2 boxes Jiffy Mix Corn Muffin Mix
1 box yellow cake mix

Mix both boxes according to directions and combine the batters. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes. Test for doneness.

I have to add some commentary on this cornbread. Yesterday I made it and couldn't get the toothpick to come out of the center clean. I cooked it longer and never was able to get the middle completely done. I have never had this problem in the past. I don't know what it was. I am considering lowering the temperature and cooking it longer the next time. I am a VERY inexperienced baker so I wish I knew what more I could do to make sure the center cooked. Let me know if you have any tips.

Beef Stroganoff

I've been eating this for as long as I can remember. My mom would frequently make it when my dad was out of town because it was quick and easy and we all liked it. I made it for our Recipe Exchange for the 30 minutes or less category.

The Ingredients

It's really simple. You need the McCormick Beef Stroganoff Sauce Mix Packet, water, thin cut steaks, egg noodles and sour cream. Just follow the directions on the back of the packet and serve over wide egg noodles. I add a vegetable with it and it's one of our family's favorite meals.

It's not so great in the visually appealing part as it's bland in colors, but it's oh so good and super quick! 20 minutes from start to finish at the most.