Crock Pot Bolognese

As I have mentioned before when I leave Oxford and head for Memphis to visit my man, I usually end up taking half of my pantry in order to put together a meal or treat for us over the weekend.

This weekend was no exception.  

I headed to Memphis with my crock pot, wine, spices, and canned goods to name a few items as well as his load of groceries that he left at my place on accident.  

We were sitting in his parents living room devouring his father's BBQ and thinking about what meal we would make the next weekend.  Yes, we are those type of people who think about their next meal  before the current meal has even ended.  We skimmed Pinterest and I got some inspiration from Half Baked Harvest's Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagne Bolognese and Little Spice Jar's Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce Recipe 

Today, turns out, is a snow day for him!  A perfect day to sit inside and make something warm and delicious.

Here is my take on those two delicious recipes:

1 lb. ground beef
medium onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
4-5 cups tomatoes (canned or chopped fresh tomatoes)
1 6oz. can tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine (whatever kind you like)
1 can beef stock
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
1 tbsp chopped basil
1 tsp chopped oregano
1/2 cup milk
rind of parmesan wedge

*I used frest herbs but dried will work just as fine!

Step 1: Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a sauté pan.  Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until meat is brown.

Step 2: Add remaining ingredients to crock pot and stir to combine.  Add cooked meat, onions, and garlic to crock pot and stir again!

Step 3: Turn crock pot on low and cook for 7-8 hours.

Serve with pasta and maybe a crusty bread and Viola!

With the left over ingredients I made an afternoon snack of bruschetta!

2 cups chopped tomato
1 tbsp julienne basil
1 thinly sliced garlic clove
1/4 thinly sliced small red onion
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar (to taste)
hearty, crusty bread of your choice to serve on

My goal for this recipe was to recreate a wonderful original meal we had at a local restaurant in Oxford, MS called Tarasque Cucina.  A couple of close friends were moving and had become good friends with the owners/chef.  They put together a wonderful going away meal for them and a few of their close friends consisting of at least 16 dishes over 4 courses....sigh!

Here is a picture showing just a few dishes from that night....this was just the first course #heaven

**Thank you to Bodie for taking some very artsy fartsy photos of our snow day delicacies!