Lovin' From the Oven

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

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If you’ve been following me on my Instagram, then you probably know that I’ve been MIA on vacation for the past week. My DB and I went on a trip down to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. I can’t tell you how nice it is to travel and not worry about flying standby. We didn’t want to get stuck in the heavy summer traveling, so we bought full fare tickets instead.

We even got updated for no reason. Twice. It was glorious.

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I had no idea that Punta Cana was so close to Miami. It’s only a two hour flight! It was our first time traveling to the Dominican Republic and although we had a very relaxing time, two-three nights would have been enough time there. Punta Cana is more of a “resort” style vacation, where you stay at the hotel 24:7 and everything that you need is within walking distance so you don’t have to go anywhere off the grounds.

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We stayed at The Reserve at Paradisus in Punta Cana. I have to commend the staff for being so friendly and taking great care of us, but we were bored after three nights. My DB and I like venturing out into cities and exploring ma and pa shops or hidden gems.

The food was unimpressive as well. I feel like they don’t really care for dessert over there. There was plenty of food to eat at every hour in the day, but it wasn’t good food. Maybe we’re just spoiled living in the states, where ethnic foods are not only delicious, but easily accessible.

The first meal that I came back and ate in California was Bun Bo Hue, a Vietnamese noodle soup dish that I found myself craving for the last two days of vacation.

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Don’t get me wrong– Punta Cana was beautiful. The sand was soft, the water was warm, and there were no sharp rocks walking into ocean, but I can only lounge for so long. We also got lucky with the weather and had clear skies for 95% of our trip, despite it being hurricane season.

I’m glad we had the chance to go there, but I don’t have the need to revisit anytime soon. To each their own, I guess. 11 days in Hawaii wasn’t enough for us, but 5 days in Punta Cana was plenty.

This recipe for beef and broccoli comes from BS Recipes. It was good, but a bit salty for my taste. Next time, I’d try using low sodium soy sauce and low sodium beef consomme. Also, this didn’t quite taste like normal beef and broccoli from Panda Express or your local fast food Chinese take out restaurant. It’s definitely a different flavor. Because I was expecting that taste, I was disappointed.

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Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 cup beef consomme
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
  • Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
  • Hot cooked rice

Directions

  1. Place beef in a crock pot.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the beef consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef.
  3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  4. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add back to the crock pot. Stir well to combine.
  5. Add broccoli and stir to combine.
  6. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
  7. Serve over hot cooked rice.
https://lovintheoven.com/crockpot-beef-and-broccoli/

Balsamic Roast Beef and RiceSelect™

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Let’s talk about rice for a second. Growing up in a Vietnamese household, I ate rice every. single. day. I didn’t even know that not eating rice for meals was an option. Even if we had a noodle dish prepared for dinner, there was cooked rice waiting just in case any of us wanted to eat it instead. I remember my dad even putting scoopfuls of rice into the broth after he finished eating all the noodles. rice-8

I never paid much attention to the brand or kind of rice we ate at our house. We always had 25 pound bags in our pantry so we’d never run out and my parents always bought the same kind. I guess they already figured out the best brand and became very loyal to it. It was the only rice we knew and loved. As I grew older, I branched out and ate out more. I was introduced to Indian rice, Thai rice, Spanish rice, and my personal favorite: Japanese rice. I saw how it was served with main dishes, in a thick soup such as curry, and even rolled up to make sushi.

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Rice is a versatile grain that comes in many different forms, textures, and tastes. It’s a staple in many cultures. Now that I’ve had to start buying and cooking my own rice, I’ve been open to more types and brands. I’ve also been experimenting more, seeing how I can add rice differently into dishes.

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RiceSelect believes that creating a good meal starts with having the best rice. RiceSelect’s Jasmati® rice is a long grain American grown jasmine rice. It has the same sweet, enticing aroma and subtle nutty flavor of exotic Thai jasmine rice, except it’s softer, more tender, and snowy white.

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How would you use RiceSelect to spice up your cooking? Share your answer in the comments below and you could win a $100 Visa gift card.

This recipe for Balsamic Roast Beef comes from Add a Pinch.

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Balsamic Roast Beef

Ingredients

  • 1 3-4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 cups of cooked RiceSelect Jasmati rice

Directions

  1. Place beef at the bottom of your slow cooker.
  2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a measuring cup. Pour over the beef.
  3. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
  4. Once done cooking, shred the beef with two forks and serve with some sauce on top.
  5. Serve with cooked rice.
https://lovintheoven.com/balsamic-roast-beef-and-riceselect/

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Crockpot Pulled Chicken Dip

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Annnddddd we’re officially in April. We have been for a while, but I’ve just been a bit busy to post! My DB’s sister, brother in law, and their kids came up for their spring break to visit us in the Bay. It’s so nice when family comes up to visit– I loved having them up here!

Finding kid-friendly restaurants in Berkeley is a lot harder than it seems. There’s not that many places that have kid menus or something simple for them to eat since everything is pretty ethnic.

Here’s a fast recipe for a fast update. Three whopping ingredients, which I’m sure you already have on hand, for a quick and filling snack or dinner. Serve it as is for a snack, and throw it inside of a tortilla with some extras to make a burrito. Sorry this post is super short, I’ve got errands to do and work later in the day. I promise to be back soon with a more interesting update!

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Crockpot Pulled Chicken Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Directions

  1. Place the chicken into the crockpot and poor the salsa and soup on top.
  2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  3. Serve with chips or inside a tortilla.
https://lovintheoven.com/crockpot-pulled-chicken-dip/

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