There are some meals that just come together as you make them and this is one of those meals. I was hungry for pasta the other night, but also wanted meat and gravy.... what better option than to combine the two?!
I prepared the roast in a very simple fashion and thickened the gravy with a slurry after it was done cooking. I love thick homestyle noodles in dishes like this, but an egg noodle or a shaped pasta would also work well. Ron, Kellen and I really enjoyed this and Kellen especially enjoyed sloppy slurps with the noodles. The meal makes tasty leftovers, but the noodles soak up a lot of the gravy, but the flavors are still there. If you want a little more sauce you could skip the step of tossing the beef with noodles and store them separately.
I am watching the Packer game as I type this and am temped to turn on Law and Order..... seriously.... it will probably make me feel better than watching this game....maybe tomorrow morning I will be happy because there was a miraculous turn around in the 3rd quarter. Tonight seemed to be off all around.... I forgot to thaw my chicken and we grabbed take-out. My nachos were totally blah and filled with soggy lettuce and Kellen refused to eat. Kellen also got a hold of a toothpaste tube and squirted it all over the bathroom..... He was also feeling especially toddler-ish tonight and I finally gave up asking him to do things because he would just do the opposite....bedtime was a happy time for both of us I think. It amazes me that the baby stage is pegged as scary....toddlers are the scary ones!
Anyways, this week has been going well. Work has been busy, but that is a good thing and I was lucky enough to sneak in a girls night. I feel like there is nothing I should complain about after what happened in California. I feel very helpless and wonder what it was like before days were filled with worry about sprays of bullets from assault rifles. I wish this was not something my child will deal with, but he will not go to school without having active shooter drills part of his life. Ultimately, these drills could save his life if he were in that situation. At my job, we had our first active shooter training and drill the day before the California shooting. If you have not gone to one of these training or experiences one of these drills it is eye opening. I have sent my Representatives letters in response to my feeling and beliefs on gun control and availability, but it is difficult get a voice heard with all of the pushing from special interests. As some of my long term readers might remember, I worked for the House of Representatives for about 5 years before starting with my current job. It is certainly interesting being on the other side of the coin when there are regulations I feel need to change! I want my children to be safe and it is frightening, as a parent, to know that power can be take from me so quickly. I can only hope that my family or loved ones are never in that type of situation.
Ingredients
2 1/2 lb lean roast (I like to use a spoon roast)
2 cups beef stock
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 lb cooked home-style noodles (or other thick noodle)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
Place roast in the slow cooker and pour slow cooker roast. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.
Remove roast from slow cooker and cut or shred into pieces. Whisk together water and flour. Whisk the mixture into the stock. Turn slow cooker to high and add meat back to stock. Cook for an additional 30 minutes or until stock is thickened. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
While sauce thickens, cook the pasta and drain. Toss pasta with meat and gravy once stock has thickened. Serve immediately.