My Meatloaf Peppers

Meatloaf is a staple in our house. Over the years I've perfected it, at least to our liking. There is that special seasoning, TexJoy, that is the key ingredient! I have a roast in the crock pot HERE using TexJoy too, which is fantastic as well. So to "spice" this meatloaf up, I'll put them in some green peppers--it adds an entire new level to my meatloaf.

MEATLOAF PEPPERS

1 pound extra lean ground beef
4 oz tomato paste
1 egg,  lightly beaten
20 crackers [Club multi-grain are the best!], crushed
1-1/2 teaspoon TexJoy
4 green bell peppers

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix the first 5 ingredients into a large bowl and mix until well combined. Divide mixture into 4 parts.
• Cut tops off of peppers and clean out the seeds. Place into a square baking dish (or 2 loaf pans). Fill each pepper with 1/4 of the meat mixture.
• Cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until center reads at least 160 degrees F.

Crock-pot: TEXJOY POT ROAST

This is actually a recipe I've used for almost 8 years--and my mother has used 15 years before that. Its based around this little seasoning called "TexJoy." Its a fabulous "steak" seasoning--but I used it for everything from steaks to burgers to pot roasts.

This seasoning can't be found in stores anymore, so my mother orders a BATCH from the company, then disperses them to the family. I can't imagine living without it.

And today I'm going to show you a recipe for a pot-roast using this seasoning--and the flavor can't be beat!

Crock-Pot: TEX JOY POT ROAST

3 to 4 lbs beef pot roast/bottom round roast
1/4 cup TexJoy seasoning (this is all by "eye" so this measurement is just estimating)
3 cups water (this is also an estimation--it depends on size of roast)

Place the roast in a 5-quart slow cooker. Fill water up until 2/3 of roast is covered. Sprinkle roast and water with TexJoy until the whole cooker as a thin layer of seasoning on top.

Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low. Make sure you don't remove the lid [you will loose at least 30 minutes of cooking time]!

Remove roast and let it rest 5 minutes until serving.

The longer it cooks--the more tender meat will be. Keep the layer of fat on the roast that usually comes with it from the meat department. It will be completely dissolved by the end of the cooking time, and the little that is left will drip right off.