Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

For the past three months I've been trying to convince myself to order Chinese takeout. Mr. O-P and I had a favorite Chinese restaurant that was located not too far from the house. In order to get delivery, we had to have a minimum purchase of $20. That may not seem like a lot, but $20 is a lot of Chinese food.  The two of us could eat for three days on that food; my guess is that I’d probably have it until the end of the year, but I digress.

The other day I really had a hankering for Chinese food, and toyed with the idea of calling Green China for my favorite combination of carryout items, but it just seemed weird to be doing that on my own. I know, I know, I'll get over it, and move on, and soon I will have a refrigerator full of Chinese takeout containers. But for now, I think I'm going to have to content myself with just making Chinese food at home.

When I saw this recipe for beef and broccoli (coincidentally enough exactly the dish I was craving) that is also made in the crockpot, I figured, why not? Truth be told, instead of using the sirloin steak called for the recipe, I actually used a rather large filet mignon from the freezer. (As you may recall from this post, I'm trying to clean older items out of the freezer, in order to make room for something new.) The use of a filet in a dish like this may seem a bit extravagant, and perhaps it was, but I have quite a number of them in the freezer, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to eat all of them on my own. So I figured why not treat myself to a special dish this evening.

Whether I used the fillet or the sirloin, this dish was spectacular! I could not believe how easy it was to put together -- it almost seemed sinful -- and the aroma that wafted through the house while it was cooking was amazing. If you like Chinese food the way that I do, this is absolutely the recipe for you. I adapted it slightly by adding an entire onion that I sliced up and layered on top of the meat, and I thought this was just perfect. I may try this again and, instead calling it beef with broccoli, call it beef with vegetables and add thin strips of carrots in addition to the broccoli and onion as well as some water chestnuts and diagonally sliced pieces of celery. This recipe is a winner, no matter what you do. Highly recommended.

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

(Slightly adapted from Buzzfeed.com)

2 lbs sirloin steak or boneless beef chuck roast, sliced thin
1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. Water

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

In a medium bowl whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Pour mixture into the bottom of the crockpot.

Place slices of beef into the liquid and toss to coat. Layer sliced onion on top. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

After 4 hours, whisk together cornstarch and water in small bowl. Pour into crockpot and stir to mix well. Add the broccoli, and gently stir to combine. Cover with lid and cook 30 minutes more to cook broccoli and thicken sauce.

Serve over warm white rice.

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Happiness is Homemade
Inspire Me Tuesday
Dishing it and Digging it
Amaze Me Monday
Cooking & Crafting with J&J

 Full Plate Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home
Simple & Sweet Friday
Foodie Friday & Everything Else
Share Your Cup
Wildly Original
Creative Ways Party
Share Your Style
Simple Saturday Blog Hop
A Bouquet of Talent

Dessert & Booze Hacks, a whimsical review.

It's getting to be that time of the year when thoughts turn to holiday gift giving. If you have a whimsical cook and book lover on your gift list, have I got a book for you! Dessert & Booze Hacks by Peggy Wang, founding editor of Buzzfeed, is a fun, delightful book that would be welcomed by any recipient. It is a board book (remember those from your youth?) that features 75 amazingly easy, fun-to-make recipes for desserts and drinks.

The design of the book allows it to open flat on the counter and stay open making it easy to use; large and colorful text makes it easy to read as well. The recipes are presented in a fun way with pictures, illustrations, smile-inducing comments, and helpful tips, all contained in an eye-catching, easy-to-read layout. Frankly, I have read a lot of cookbooks, but have never seen one like this before. It is really quite engaging, and a book that should be kept close at hand, because all of these recipes yield results in a flash, allowing you to dazzle those annoying drop-in guests with your culinary skills, no matter how limited those skills might be.

The book is divided into two sections: Dessert Hacks and Booze Hacks, all of them simple and speedy to get serious deliciousness to you and your guests as quickly as possible. As the author states, “These recipes were designed to pack maximum deliciousness into the least amount of effort... ” because “we are not long for this world” and she “wants to be shoving spoonfuls of sweet satisfaction down her throat STAT.” Who can disagree with a philosophy like that?

In this book you will find recipes for all seasons. Imagine cooling off on a hot summer day with Frozen Sangria, or warming up your sweet self in front of a roaring fire with Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a Glass made with Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and Rum Chata, what's not to like here? 

Some of the munchies include Pretzel Toffee, Five-Minute Bread Pudding (made in a mug), Kit Kat Brownies, and Carrot Cake in a glass. As I read these I thought what a great book this would be for the novice cook, or what fun projects for a Cub Pack or Brownie Troop (the desserts, not the cocktails!).

I cannot recommend this book enough. Give one to a friend, and treat yourself. Keep it on the counter and be prepared to satisfy your cravings in a flash.

Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.