Left over Pot Roast Tacos

I had planned on making Brisket tacos for Taco Tuesday this week, however I still had some Pot Roast left over in my fridge from Sunday’s dinner, so I changed it up. Using up left overs is my number goal. Oh man, were they good too!

I literally just took the meat and sauce I had left over and put it in a pot on the stove to reheat. Once the meat had warmed back up a bit, I took my tongs and pulled it apart until it was all shredded. I cooked it down until all the sauce was absorbed but the meat was still nice and saucy.

I used my white corn torillas for these, and I like to brown them a little to bring out the flavor and it crisps them a bit. too For this, I just put a tiny bit of oil in a pan on medium high heat and sauted them for a few minutes per side, just until they start to brown. I also had a couple left over Grain Free Hard Shell Tacos from a previous Taco Tuesday, so I made a couple “double decker” tacos. I took the soft shell, spread shredded cheese all around it, melted the cheese, and then wrapped it around the hard shell. These hard shells have great flavor but they are very delicate, so they break really easy. Hard to eat on their own but perfect to make the double decker tacos with because the soft shell hold them together.

Now that the shells are ready, it was time to assemble. I layered the meat in first, then spooned some warm Queso Blanco dip on top. The store didn’t have regular Queso Blanco or Queso Fresco cheese so I had to improvise. You cant let the little things derail you! Then I added red onions, diced tomatoes, cilantro, and shredded lettuce. Finally topping it all off with a little salsa. I perfer a chunky mild salsa.

End Result was fabulous! I love tacos! Very beefy flavor and I actually really liked the Queso dip on it, so that was a happy accident. I did not add any other cheese to these and I think next time I will. You can never have too much cheese, lol.

signature

Crispy Jack Sandwhiches

Meatless Monday this week had me trying out a couple new products. First and most importantly, Crispy Jack Patties from jack & annie’s. These are breaded patties made from jackfruit to be an alternative to chicken. I picked these up from Imperfect Foods. My local supermarket didn’t have my normal GF hamburger buns so I had to try a different brand, Ener-G.

For the jack patties, I chose to grill them on my Traeger, which I have named the Midnight Meat Train. Per the directions on the box, you keep them frozen until time to cook. I set the grill to 425 degrees and cooked for 10 minutes on each side. I then add my cheese while they’re still on the grill. I wanted to go with a spicy flair so added a slice of Pepperjack cheese with American. Leave on only long enough to melt the cheese, otherwise too long and it will melt completely off, speaking from experience.

While the patties were grilling, I through some frozen seasoned fries in my airfryer. They usually take about 10-13 minutes, in the rotating basket. I find this gets them the most crispy.

I perfer to toast my buns a little too. I only like to toast the inside, leaving the outside soft and fluffy still. I used to put them on the grill but they would go from soft to burnt in the blink of an eye. Just like making smores, you turn away for a second and its on fire, lol. So, I just spead a tiny bit of butter and put them inside down in a frying pan just until browned.

Sliced up some tomatoes and lettuce and topped with my fav vegan soy free mayo. Added the fries and a little fry sauce and it was off the dinner table, aka my bed, to dig in.

I am very happy to report that I was extremely satisfied! Who knew jackfruit made such a tasty alternative to meat, lol. I dont know if I would say that they taste like “chicken” but they were good non the less. The texture was that of breaded chicken nuggets. The pepperjack added the perfect amount of kick. The GF bun was not as good as my normal brand but they were still a hell of a lot better than those frozen pucks most places sell. With most glutten free breads, my biggest complaint is the density, like a brick, a bad brand will be so grainy from the rice flour too. These were a little dense for my liking but did not have that grainess. I used just your average pub bun for the hubs sandwhich, we perfer Seattle International Baking Company Sourdough Pub Buns. He declined the GF bun, can’t say that I blame him. I am just thrilled I got him to go along with no meat on Mondays, my “meat and pototes Montana man”. He is such a trooper, always open to being my culinary guinnea pig. I will say though that he loved this sandwhich! Definitely would make these again!

signature

I’m Back, Baby!

It’s been a minute but I’m back! Feels good to just get some words down on the page no matter what they are. Still haven’t gotten back to traveling, and not much time for reading yet, but you gotta eat every day.

Things got crazy here with the launch of our new business in reptile breeding, Wild Roots Reptiles. (Check us out on IG and FB!) A house full of animals has been keeping us hopping. Also doing a bit of home reno and that hasn’t left us with much extra time. All my books are currently in boxes in the spare bedroom closet. I have managed to get a few audio books in but I just cant do reviews on audios. I had stopped menu planning too and going rogue is not working for me. Dinner ends up being hamburgers, taco, or “what do we have in the freezer?”. Gets old very quick.

I am a planner and it may sound boring but for me, a planned day keeps the anxiety away. So weekly menu planning is back and running and I’m loving it already! Started up last week and had some great dinners! That has surely been missed. The hubs is very thankful too.

Here’s my layout:

  • Meatless Monday
  • Taco Tuesday
  • Whatever Wednesday
  • Casserole Thursday
  • Freezer Friday
  • Soup/Salad Saturday
  • Slow Cooker Sunday

Every Sunday, while I am relaxing in bed watching football, I scour Pinterest for dinner ideas. Start with ones that I have all the ingredients for and then add to the grocery list things I need for ones later in the week. My imperfect shopping days are Monday and Tuesday with Thursday delivery day, so that usually works out that I can get everything I need there, with maybe just a quick trip to the supermarket if not. Freezer friday is hub’s choice, I leave that one up to him. He can either pick something out of the freezer or we can get take out. This also helps me mix up my proteins throughout the week so we aren’t having beef 3 days in row. And it is great on using up the food that I have in the fridge, keeping my food waste to a minimum. Which is really important to me, also why I use Imperfect Foods.

Last week’s menu:

  • Tomato and White Bean Soup
  • Gluten Free Hard Shell Tacos
  • Grilled Mahi with Lemon Rice and Salad
  • One Pot Cheeseburger Casserole
  • Take out from Sweet Lou’s Restaurant & Tap House (I had the Bleu Cheese and Mushroom Burger, so good!)
  • BLT Balsamic Chicken Avocado Salad
  • The Best Pot Roast with mashed potatoes and canned corn

They were all so good but these were definitely my top 3!

I finished up the menu for this week last night and here it is:

  • Crispy Jack Patties with fries
  • Brisket Tacos
  • Grilled steak with Oven Roasted Herb & Garlic Parmesean Potatoes and salad
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
  • ??? We will have to wait and see what he chooses.
  • French Onion Soup
  • Crock Pot Pork Chops & Gravy with mashed potatoes and brocolli.

Stay tuned thoughout the week for updates on how they turned out!

signature

Book Review – The Stowaway

The Stowaway

The Stowaway by James S. Murray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Crime Thriller

“A far stronger smell blasted out of the dark space, immediately overwhelming and shocking Pam’s senses. It was putrid. Something rotten. Like a decomposing animal.”

“All passengers on board are accounted for. All crewmembers are accounted for. No one is missing, not a single person.” Hendricks shrugged. “So it seems we have a stowaway.”


Maria Fontana’s life changed the day she was selected for jury duty for the murder trial of Wyatt Butler. Charged with the murder and mutilation of eight children, he was labeled the worst serial killer in decades. When the jury couldn’t agree on conviction, the mistrial threw their lives into turmoil. The public and the victim’s family were furious, how could they have let this monster go?

Continue reading Book Review – The Stowawaysignature

🔸️🔸️Book Mail!🔸️🔸️

Happy Tuesday all! I was under the weather yesterday so I’m gonna pretend it didn’t happen. 😁
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
They are just never long enough for me. I managed to finish a book but did not manage to finish any of my backlog of reviews. Just keep swimming. 🐟

However I did receive this book mail that I am so excited for! Thank you St. Martin’s Press!

Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival
Tom Clavin
Nonfiction, Biography
Publication Date: 11/2/21

An American fighter pilot doomed to die in Buchenwald but determined to survive.

signature

📚July TBR 📚

Happy Thursday all! Obviously this month has gotten away from away. 😀

This month I plan to focus on books that I have publishing this month.  IF (doubtful 🤣) I manage to get through these, I will work on my back list. 

  • Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen – Pub date:  7/1/21
  • Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson – Pub date:  7/1/21
  • The Second Life of Mireille West by Amanda Skenandore- Pub date:  7/27/21
signature

🔸️🔸️Book Mail!🔸️🔸️

TGIF!  Oh I am so happy it’s Friday!  Definitely ready for the weekend!  Hopefully spend some quality time reading.

Book mail makes it even better!  Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press for this copy!

The Brightest Star in Paris
Diana Biller
Historical Romance
Publication Date:  10/12/21

Amelie St. James, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet and the people’s saint, has spent seven years pretending. In the devastating aftermath of the Siege of Paris, she made a decision to protect her sister: she became the bland, sweet, pious “St. Amie” the ballet needed to restore its scandalous reputation. But when her first love reappears, and the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her, all her hard-fought safety is threatened.

Dr. Benedict Moore has never forgotten the girl who helped him embrace life again after he almost lost his. Now, he’s back in Paris after twelve years for a conference. His goals are to recruit promising new scientists, and, maybe, to see Amelie again. When he discovers she’s in trouble, he’s desperate to help her—after all, he owes her.

signature

📚 Currently Reading 📚

Anchored Hearts
Priscilla Oliveras
Zebra Books
Contemporary Romance
Pub Date:  4/27/21

I started this book back in June for #dyrc21, Romance read.  Life got crazy and I took a little break for a bit but I’m back!
Totally enjoying this super cute Romance that is a perfect beach read.

Alejandro and Anamaria were high-school sweethearts, planning to travel the world together following Alejandro’s photography passion.  But once Anamaria’s father has a heart attack, she realizes she can’t leave her family behind and Alejandro goes on without her. 

Now he’s back, home to heal after an accident.  Anamaria has moved on, made a name for herself and has no intention of history repeating itself.  But their mothers have other plans.

Norbert says Hello!
signature

📚June TBR📚

Well I managed to eliminate one from the list last month, let’s see if I can do better this month.  It’s growing at a much faster rate than I am reading them 😆. 

▪︎Endings by Linda L. Richards – Pub date:  4/6/21
▪︎The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth – Pub date:  4/13/21
▪︎Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras – Pub date:  4/27/21
▪︎A Shepherd of Wolves by R.J. King – Pub date:  4/27/21
▪︎A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery – Pub date:  5/11/21
▪︎Beneath Devil’s Bridge by Loreth Anne White – Pub date:  6/1/21
▪︎The Puma Years by Laura Coleman – Pub date: 6/1/21
▪︎Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen – Pub date: 7/1/21
▪︎Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson – Pub date: 7/1/21
▪︎The Second Life of Mireille West by Amanda Skenandore – Pub date: 7/27/21
▪︎These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant – Pub date:  10/26/21

signature

🏅Top Shelf Tuesday 🏅

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This week’s pick is:

No Man Left Behind (Iris Williams & Annette Toni)
R.G. Miller
Police Procedural, Thriller
Kindle
Published 7/24/2017

I received this book in 2018 as a Goodreads giveaway. The short blurb grabbed my attention immediately!

“He lurks in the abandon subway tunnel under New York City. An Ex-Marine who was left to die in the steaming jungles of Vietnam in 1975 by his commanding officer.
Homicide Detective Iris Williams had thought she seen it all until she and her partner and lover Detective Annette Toni are called in to investigate a horrific murder of an entire family. The case becomes a nightmare for the detectives as they crawl deeper and deeper into the mind of a man that the media is calling, THE PIGGYBACK KILLER.”

I found a spot for it right away in the reading challenge I was completing that year, the prompt: A book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist. This book really did have everything in it for me. I love the characters, Homicide Detectives Iris Williams and Annette Toni. Who doesn’t love a powerful, smart, beautiful lead woman?! How about two!? As a girl I wanted to become a homicide detective myself, actually full disclosure I wanted to work for the FBI in the BAU. Thanks Clarice Starling! 🤣 I was even enrolled at Saint Cloud State University with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology; but life takes their own turns sometimes.

Anyway… so I have a proclivity towards books with strong female detectives, special agents, or private investigators. I’m sure you have seen a trend. If you like those brutal, graphic murder thrillers like The Silence of the Lambs, like I do, then you will enjoy this one too.

signature