Slow Cooker Stuffing

Yikes, long time, no post.  It's not that I'm totally out of ideas...it probably has a little more to do with the fact that I'm too lazy to take pictures of our food.  But despite my long hiatus from blogging, I'm actually on time/early with a Thanksgiving post!

I love pretty much all the food at Thanksgiving and this year, it'll be all the favorites on our table - turkey breast, mashed potatoes (I'm trying roasted garlic ones this year), a roasted vegetable (probably Brussels sprouts), cranberry relish and pecan pie bars.  And, of course, stuffing, which is probably at the top of my favorite T-day foods list. 

My mom always has a classic celery and mushroom stuffing at Thanksgiving and this is exactly what that is.  But it's made in the slow cooker which is definitely a bonus!  It's easy to do and it doesn't require precious oven or stovetop space.  I made this last year for myself and my husband and we loved it so much that it'll definitely be mainstay each year for us.  This year, I made it for my husband's Thanksgiving potluck at work last week.  So I've already eaten a fair share of stuffing but I have to admit, I'm still looking forward to having it on Thursday. 

This recipe does require a bit of tweaking to adjust to your needs.  The amount of liquid needed depends on the dryness of your bread, so you'll have to taste and adjust as it cooks.  I recommend starting with 2 cups of chicken broth and adding extra only if your stuffing is dry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Slow Cooker Celery & Mushroom Stuffing
Taken from: AllRecipes
Serves 12

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional; I omitted)
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 12 cups dry bread cubes (you can use fresh instead -- just use a little less chicken broth)
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 2 eggs, beaten

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently.
2. In the slow cooker, add bread cubes.  Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes. Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, and stir gently to combine. 
3. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine 2 cups broth and 2 beaten eggs.  Pour the broth mixture over the bread cube mixture and stir gently to moisten. 
4. Cook on low for 3 hours.  At this point, check your stuffing (you can also check before this point, too) to see if you need to add more chicken broth (if you do, add 1/2 cup at a time).  Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 hours, checking again if necessary.  

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(Slow Cooker) Southwest Chicken & Barley Stew

These are some of my favorite flavors - we love Mexican flavors and usually eat them at least once o a week here.  I also love that this is not only a slow cooker dish (perfect for throwing together at toddler nap time) but it's also one-pot dish  and is pretty full of vegetables (although you could always serve with a salad on the side).  Also, it's completely adaptable - I often add in what I have in my vegetable drawer (and occasionally, like last time, completely forget to add something). Regardless, it still turns out delicious!

All three of us loved this.  The optional toppings are great, too - my personal preference is plain Greek yogurt, chopped avocado and a little hot sauce but I think tortilla chips would have been delicious, too!


Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken & Barley Stew
Heavily adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Serves 6-8

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1-2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed for a milder flavor)
• 1 large (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 cup medium barley (not quick cooking)
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• dash crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/2 - 1 pound; I use frozen)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (optional; I omitted)
• 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped (optional; I forgot to add!)
• juice of 1 lime
• Optional garnishes: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, sliced green onions, tortilla chips, hot sauce, sliced avocado

1. In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients from onion to chicken breast.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 3-4 hours.  
2.  Take chicken breasts out of the slow cooker; wait until chicken is cool enough to handle, then shred with 2 forks.  Stir shredded chicken back in the slow cooker.  Add the black beans and corn and then cook for another 15-30 minutes. (I like it thicker but if the consistency is too thick for your liking, you could add up to 1 cup of water here, too.)
3. Right before serving, stir in chopped spinach (if using) until wilted. Serve the chili with optional garnishes, if desired.
4. The chili will thicken considerably upon cooling. Add chicken broth or water as needed to achieve a desirable consistency (especially if reheating the leftovers).

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Slow Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Indian Stew

This was originally supposed to an Indian dish called butter chicken.  But after changing the recipe (including that I completely forgot to add the butter!) and throwing in every vegetable I had on hand, I thought it was unfair to call it butter chicken.  But we still enjoyed my un-authentic version so much that we renamed it Indian stew (which seems like a much better title for my version)!

I love my slow cooker and try to use it once a week.  When I was starting to make the original recipe, I was planning to make vegetables on the side.  However, then I realized it would be great if the vegetables could cook with the chicken, both to soak up the flavor as well as to save me time and fewer dishes (okay, mainly to save me time and fewer dishes).  I used carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper and green peas to the dish.  Feel free to omit any of these or use extra vegetables you have on hand.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Stew
Adapted from: Half Baked Harvest
Serves 4-6

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 onion, finely minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2" cubes (you can peel if you'd like)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (this was not too spicy for us; you can use more if you like more spice or leave it out altogether) 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt 
• 1-2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2" cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2" cubes 
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• cooked rice or quinoa or naan, for serving

1. In a large glass measuring cup or bowl mix together the coconut milk and greek yogurt. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, ginger and all the spices. Mix well.
2. Spray the inside of your crockpot bowl with cooking spray or grease with a little oil. To the bowl, sprinkle the onion, carrots and sweet potatoes over the bottom. Add the chicken and then pour the coconut milk mixture over the chicken so the chicken is completely covered. 
3. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. After 3 hours (or 6 for low), stir in the zucchini, bell pepper. Continue to cook for 1 more hour on high or 2 more hours on low. (At this point, I also like to start cooking my rice or quinoa in the rice cooker.)  Before serving, stir in the green peas.When ready to serve taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve over rice/quinoa/naan.

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Black Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)

I've decided that Wednesdays will be our slow cooker dinner days.  It's the day that (ideally) one of us goes to a Bible study after dinner.  So our Wednesday evenings go something like this: husband comes home and works out...baby girl wants to play/help/fuss while I try to make dinner...baby girl decides she is STARVING while I'm still trying to make dinner...we finally eat...someone dashes out the door for Bible study while the other puts baby girl to bed.  So the crockpot seems key to help eliminate some of the fussing baby and distracted mama steps.

This was our meal last Wednesday.  While neither of us actually made it to Bible study, we still really enjoyed this black bean soup.  I prepped everything in the morning, threw it all in the slow cooker and moved on with the day.

This created a thick, creamy, healthy soup that the three of us really enjoyed. My husband thought it was similar to a chili but it actually doesn't have chili powder.  I loved the consistency (and the toppings!) for this soup.  And besides all the toppings listed below, I served this with cornbread muffins and a salad, which was a great combination (although next time, I might try cubing and roasting sweet potatoes as a side dish instead)!

Black Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)
Taken from: Cook's Illustrated
Serves 6-8

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I actually used stored bacon fat; you could also use coconut oil)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 celery stalks, diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I omitted)
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed well
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• Toppings: chopped cilantro (about 1/4 cup), diced red onions, lime wedges, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced avocado

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, then add onions, celery, carrots, cumin, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using) and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet, scraping bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon.
2. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker. Add remaining water, chicken broth, beans, bay leaves, chipotles, and adobo sauce. Cover and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-10 hours. 
3. Using a hand blender, blend to desired consistency (we prefer ours chunkier, so I only blended about half the beans). If you don't have a hand blender, ladle 1 1/2 cups beans and 2 cups liquid into food processor or blender, process until smooth, and return to pot.
4. Taste, season with salt (1-2 teaspoons depending on broth) and black pepper. Add the juice of one whole lime.  Add more water, if needed to reach desired consistency. Serve with desired toppings.

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Maely's Chili (Slow Cooker or Stovetop)

To say this is weird weather is probably the understatement of the year.  At least where we live, it's warm, then cold, then warm and now it's taken a turn for cold -- again.

It's times like these that call for chili.  Actually, I love soup and stews anyway.  Without fail, I always put a soup or stew on our weekly meal plan throughout the winter (even though we don't always have much of a winter here, thank goodness!).  More often than not, my husband asks for chili.  And specifically, his sister Maely's chili.

My sister-in-law emailed me her recipe 4+ years ago right after my husband and I were married and it's been  our favorite chili recipe ever since.  (Actually, when my slow cooker was broken and I was looking for a stove-top version, America's Test Kitchen's chili was almost the exact same ingredient list, so Maely clearly has good taste!)

We love to pile ours with different things -- cheddar cheese, diced onions, cubed and roasted sweet potatoes (my favorite!), plain Greek yogurt, and maybe Fritos.  It's so perfect for cold weather and seems especially appropriate for football games.  Perhaps even for Super Bowl XLVIII? (Go Seahawks!)

Maely's Chili
Taken from: my sister-in-law (stove-top instructions taken from America's Test Kitchen)
Serves 6-10

• 3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 onion, chopped (probably about 1 cup of chopped onions)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 3-4 cans kidney beans (light and/or dark), drained and rinsed
• 1 large (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 3-4 cans chili beans (I usually use pinto beans and black beans instead if I can't find chili beans), drained and rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons chili powder or more (I start with about 3 tablespoons and then add in more if needed)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Toppings: diced raw onions (we prefer red onions), shredded cheddar cheese, plain Greek yogurt, cubed and roasted sweet potatoes, crushed red pepper (if you want extra heat), Fritos

1. For the slow cooker: In a saute pan over medium heat, add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is almost done and then add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper.  Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are turning color. (You can drain some of the fat off now, if you'd like.)
2. Add beef and onion mixture as well as the rest of the ingredients to a slow cooker.  If possible, cook on low heat for most of the day (6-9 hours).  Taste and add more chili powder, salt, pepper or other seasonings if needed.

1. On the stove-top: Heat a large Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the beef until almost no pink is left.  Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about  4-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the beans and diced tomatoes (with their juice). Bring to a simmer, cover, then reduce the heat so it maintains a slow simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste and add more chili powder, salt, pepper or other seasonings if needed.  
4. Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The chili can also be frozen for up to 1 month (let the chili thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating).

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Slow Cooker Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew

My husband thought this lentil and sweet potato stew tasted similar to lentil soup and I have to agree! That's definitely a good thing in my book because I love lentil soup. (Also good because I got a little carried away and I bought a ridiculous amount of lentils the last time I was at the bulk food store.)  This lentil and sweet potato stew made for such a healthy but hearty meal.  I'd have to agree with The Sweets Life when she said this tasted like healthy comfort food!

Not only were the flavors great but the more slow cooker recipes I have under my belt, the better.  I just love that dinner was ready as soon as my husband walked in the door.  I originally was going to serve this with homemade bread, but since the bread wasn't quite ready at dinner time, we had the stew first and bread later.  Fine by me but they would have been great together for dinner!

I had read some comments on the original recipe site that some people thought the carrots and sweet potatoes were too mushy by the time the lentils cooked through.  To remedy this, I added the sweet potatoes and carrots 2 hours after I started the slow cooker.  In the end, both veggies were very soft but still held their shape, which was perfect.  I changed the recipe below to reflect that but feel free to combine everything at once if you can't or don't want to add the sweet potatoes and carrots later.


Slow Cooker Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew
Taken from: The Sweets Life
Serves 4-6

• 5 cups vegetable broth (I actually used 2 cups tomato juice which I save from draining canned tomatoes, 1 cup water and 2 cups chicken broth)
• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• salt and pepper
• 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more for topping
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced (I forgot to add and though it still was great)

1. Combine the broth through the ginger in the bowl of a slow cooker. Mix to combine.  If you would like, you can add the sweet potatoes and carrots 2 hours after you started the slow cooker.  If not, add them with the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until lentils are tender (I had to cook mine for at least 7 hours to get the lentils tender).
2. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in spinach. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Top with cilantro and extra red pepper flakes to taste.

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Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork with Homemade Barbeque Sauce

For 4th of July this year, we ended up straying from the classic hot dog and hamburger type of meal and went with barbeque pulled pork instead.  Pulled pork is one of my husband's favorite foods (every time we go to a barbeque-style place to eat, I always know what he'll be ordering) so it still seemed to be a great way to celebrate 4th of July.

While I had made this pulled pork recipe before (but hadn't shared it yet!), this was my first time making my own barbeque sauce.  We had really liked a Trader Joe's bottled sauce and while that version is still good, this recipe was even better. It's so easy to make -- it only takes 20 minutes and I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen.  As my husband described it, the flavor was nicely balanced with tangy and sweet and not ketchup-y tasting.   Excellent with the pulled pork and my husband used it to dip his sweet potato fries as well. Oh, and in a few days I'll have another recipe that would be a great use for this BBQ sauce!

The pulled pork recipe is wonderful and I love using my slow cooker.  I rubbed the spice mixture over the pork the night before and then in the morning, pulled out my handy slow cooker and let it do all the work. I halved this recipe so I only needed to cook my pork for about 6 hours instead of the full 8-10.  I'm pretty meticulous about getting out all the visible fat (who wants to bite down on a piece of that?) but other than that, it's a very hands-off recipe. 

We served this with homemade hamburger buns, sweet potato fries, Thai slaw, and cut watermelon for an amazing, albeit slightly untraditional, 4th of July meal.  Oh, and it probably wouldn't surprise my family at all that I had to put a few Heinz Genuine Dill pickle slices on my pulled pork sandwich (the only pickle we eat, thankyouverymuch).

BBQ Pulled Pork
Taken from: Crumbly Cookie
Makes a lot (I halved this recipe and we got 5-6 generous meals out of it)

• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons table salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional, I omitted)
• 2 cups barbecue sauce (see below for homemade recipe)

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.
2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid in liner. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers, discarding fat.
5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

Homemade Barbeque Sauce
Taken from: AllRecipes
Makes 3 cups

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 2 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke (I omitted)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (I omitted)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

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Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

This was a seriously easy meal to put together.  All it needs is a little advanced planning and you have a wonderful meal.  We were heading out for a day trip to visit some friends last weekend but would be back just in time for dinner.  Since I knew I didn't want to spend a lot (ok, any) time making dinner, before we left for our trip that morning. I put some frozen chicken breasts in a slow cooker, added the spices, a lot of beer and barbeque sauce, and then let it cook on low for 8 hours (and then it sat at warm for another 3 hours until we got back).  I was a little worried that the chicken would dry out but it was perfectly cooked and shredded easily with two forks.  So easy and so delicious.

When we came home,we served this chicken on toasted hamburger buns (with melted cheddar cheese and extra barbeque sauce) and had a salad on the side.  All together, 10 minutes, tops.  The next day, we had the leftovers for lunch with some sweet potato fries (although you could do these sweet potato bites instead!), carrots and fruit.



Slow Cooker BBQ Beer Chicken
Taken from: How Sweet It Is
Serves 8-10 (I halved this recipe and we got several meals out of it)

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large; I used frozen chicken breasts which worked perfectly)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8-12 ounces of beer  -- I used about 10 ounces of an amber (it's also suggested you could use ginger ale or chicken stock if you didn't want to use beer but I haven't tried it)*
• 24 ounces of barbecue sauce (I use our favorite Trade Joe's Kansas City barbeque sauce)*
• Optional: hamburger buns, cheddar cheese, extra barbeque sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 18 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce (if desired...or you can just serve extra BBQ sauce on the side). Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. (We had ours on toasted hamburger buns with cheddar cheese that was melted under the broiler.)

*Note: If you use a thicker barbeque sauce (like Sweet Baby Ray's or Trader Joe's or homemade) or if you know you'll be away from your slow cooker for a long time (ours cooked on low for 8 hours and then was on warm for 3 hours), you may want to add a little more beer in order for the sauce not to burn and thicken on the edges of the pot.

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Slow Cooker Pork Tinga Tacos

I happen to love my slow cooker.  It was such a great wedding gift -- I just love the idea of throwing things in a pot, going to work and then coming home to a complete meal.  Who wouldn't want that? So when I found this slow-cooker taco recipe, I couldn't wait to try it!  

This was a huge success, too! I only had pork tenderloin in our freezer instead of pork shoulder so I just cut down on the cooking time dramatically and it ended up being perfect - not too dry, which is usually the problem with using a lean cut of meat. The meat was so easy to shred with two forks.  I think one of my favorite things was that usually after work, my mind goes straight to cooking.  But for this meal, I threw it in the slow cooker at lunch time and forgot about it, had a great coffee date with Bryant after work and was still able to have dinner on the table within minutes of coming home.

We thought these tacos did have quite a bit of heat (even after removing most of the seeds in the chile); the avocado helps cool it down but I cooled it a bit further with some nonfat yogurt.  We served it with some homemade refried beans on the side to round out an easy weeknight meal.

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos
Taken from: Elly Says Opa via Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

• 1 lb. redskin or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1″ pieces OR 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, fat removed
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), including juice
• 3-4 chipotles in adobo, sliced (remove seeds for a milder dish)
• 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4″ thick

For serving:

• 4 oz. fresh Mexican chorizo sausage (optional)
• 24 warm corn or whole wheat tortillas
• 1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese, such as feta or goat cheese
• 2 large avocados, diced
• nonfat yogurt (optional)

1. Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow cooker and top with the pork.
2. In a large bowl, mix the (undrained) tomatoes with the chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion, and about 1 1/2 tsp. salt.  Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes.
3. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 (if using pork tenderloin, cook on low for 5-6 hours - I had halved this recipe and the pork was perfect at 4 hours on low).
4. When you’re ready to eat, fry the optional chorizo and then stir everything together, breaking the pork into smaller pieces (with pork tenderloin, shred with two forks).  Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.
5. Serve with warm tortillas, cheese, avocados and optional yogurt for making soft tacos.

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Mexican Pulled Chicken & Week's Menu Plan

Since we had Thanksgiving a little late this year so my sister could join us, I was able to use Thursday and Friday for prepping all things Thanksgiving.  However, I had also promised to bring Bryant and his co-workers dinner for Friday.  Since I was busy making cranberry relish, sweet potato casserole, pie dough, gravy, etc, etc, I didn't have much time to make an elaborate or complicated meal.  So I just sauteed some onions and dumped frozen chicken breast (I remove the fat and portion chicken breast before freezing it) and a few other ingredients into the slow cooker and cooked on low for 8 hours.  The result was surprisingly moist chicken that was great for burritos (and we used the leftovers in quesadillas the next day).

I highly recommend this recipe if you have time to throw the ingredients together in the morning to make an effortless meal that night.  Plus, when you serve it tons of extras - we had lettuce, cheddar cheese, black beans, guacamole, homemade salsa, and tortillas - it not only tastes great but it also looks like you worked a lot harder than you did!

Mexican Pulled Chicken
Taken from: Handle the Heat (great in burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc)
Serves 4-6

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup salsa (homemade is better but jarred is fine for a quick dinner!)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 lime, juiced

-In a nonstick skillet, bring to a medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion, cumin, chili powder and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook onion, stirring regularly until it starts to soften (about 5 minutes). Add half a cup of chicken stock.
-Add skillet mixture to slow cooker.  Add chicken, salsa and the rest of the chicken stock.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
-Shred chicken in slow cooker with two forks (it should be tender enough to easily shred).  Continue cooking for 15 minutes or more or low. Add lime juice to chicken. Taste and adjust seasonings.


Week's Menu Plan

 Monday: Grilled Mahi Mahi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and quinoa

Tuesday: Thai chicken soup

Wednesday:  turkey mole

Thursday: Rice and Bean Casserole

Friday: Penne with Italian sausage & bell peppers

Saturday: ground beef wellington

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Week's Menu Plan & Slow Cooker Chicken Broth

So it's back to the working world for me on Monday - which I'm quite excited about although quick weeknight meals will be a much bigger factor from now on!  I'm assuming that I'll be a bit drained after the first work week so I tried to pick things for this menu plan that are much easier to make or the prep work can be done ahead of time.  And we'll be celebrating on Friday with a little homemade pizza!

I'm especially looking forward to the skirt steak and blue cheese salad (my husband loves blue cheese although I'll be topping mine with feta instead) because our farmers market just started carrying grass fed beef. And I'll be stocking up, too, as the end of farmers markets is rapidly approaching (it'll be goodbye to the farmers market, hello to CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] boxes!).

I've been wanted to make my own chicken broth for a while.  I've been shelling out for Trader Joe's chicken broth and while it's good, I figured making my own would be cheaper AND better.  At our local grocery store this week, free range, antibiotic-free whole chickens were only $1 a pound, so I jumped at the chance.  We really only like white meat so I cut off the chicken breast and roasted it along with some vegetables last night.  The rest of the chicken was thrown into the pot for stock and simmered all day yesterday.  For a 5 pound chicken, we got a great meal (or two) AND tons of broth!  I haven't tried the broth yet but I'll be using it in the Vietnamese chicken pho that I'm finally making this week.


Week's Menu Plan

Saturday: marinated chicken skewers, tzatiki, Greek salad
Sunday: Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon Sauce with risotto
Monday: spaghetti with meatballs with sauteed vegetables
Tuesday: skirt steak and blue cheese salad
Wednesday: Spanish Tortilla with biscuits
Thursday: Vietnamese chicken pho
Friday:  homemade pizza


Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
Taken from: Ina Garten
Makes approx 4-6 cups of chicken stock (which can then be thinned with water, if desired)

• 1 (5-pound) roasting chickens (or the parts leftover that you didn't want to eat)
• 1 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and halved
• 1 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds
• 7 sprigs fresh parsley (all I had was dried so I just threw in probably about a teaspoon)
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme (again, only dried)
• 20 sprigs fresh dill (optional, I omitted)
• 1/3 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (don't use ground as it'll be too spicy)
• 8 cups water

-Place the chicken/chicken parts, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a large stockpot or slow cooker.
-Add approximately 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours over the stove OR place a slow cooker on low and cook 8-10 hours.
-Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids.
-Chill the stock overnight or at least 8 hours. The next day, remove the surface fat.
-Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months (my husband laughs but I package mine in 2 Tbsp. ice cubes and then freeze them that way.  This means 8 chicken broth cubes would be one cup. It's a lot easier to get the amount you want and a lot quicker to thaw!)

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Weekly Menu Plan & Pulled Pork

With my husband working long hours this month, I've been trying to do things to make his life easier and of course, taking pity on him and making his favorite meals. This is especially true when he works on the weekends so that's when I really try to make something special. And that something special this weekend is definitely pulled pork sandwiches. This recipe is so good! The spices give the pork a great flavor. And it's not just meant for BBQ pulled pork (although I didn't realize that fact last time). Once this recipe is cooked, it can be used in lots of other dishes - Chinese, Mexican, salads, etc. Of course, we'll be having BBQ pulled pork sandwiches tonight but I'll freeze the leftovers to use in other dishes.

Pulled pork is traditionally made with a cheaper cut of pork called pork shoulder or Boston butt. However, once you remove the tons of extra fat, a 4-lb shoulder is suddenly much closer to 3 pounds. I've started buying a slightly more costly, leaner cut of pork but since it's leaner, I can buy a small quantity (since you don't have to remove as much fat). While I still haven't found a perfect cut of pork for pulled pork, I've tried pork loin chops before which worked well.

Week's Menu Plan

Saturday: slow cooker pulled pork, salad, my husband's award-winning cookies

Sunday: Jamaican Jerk Chicken with corn on the cob

Monday: pad see ew (thanks to lots of leftovers from a lovely lunch I had with my grandma on Friday) with baby bok choy and red peppers

Tuesday: beef enchiladas from last week (I've actually already made the meat and frozen it so all I have to do is bake the enchiladas) with restaurant style salsa

Wednesday: Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Thursday: shrimp and grits

Friday: Vietnamese chicken pho (it never was made last week)


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Taken from: Life's Ambrosia

• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder OR 3 pounds of pork loin chops or whatever cut you've chosen (again, if you go with a leaner cut of meat, you won't need as much)
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water

-Remove as much fat as possible from the pork.
-Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, granulated garlic, pepper and oregano in a small bowl.
-Rub spice mixture all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate over night or for several hours.
-Slice the onion and lay it on the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker. Place the pork on top of the onions. Pour beef broth and water over the top. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).
-Remove from slow cooker. Allow to cool slightly. Discard bone and pan juices. Using a fork and spoon shred meat (removing any visible fat).
-If making BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, return shredded pork to slow cooker and add good bottled BBQ sauce or homemade sauce. Cook on low for 1-2 hours.

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Homemade Marinara Sauce & Ways to Save Money

I love tomato sauce. Love it. I use loads of any tomato-based sauce like salsa, pico de gallo and marinara whenever I can (I don't, however, like plain tomatoes which I find weird). As my friend Becca says, "I could eat salsa with a spoon." And I'm right next to her, spoon in hand.

However, while I've made fresh salsa, for some reason, I've never tried making my own marinara sauce. I don't know why it's taken me so much time! It's delicious. My husband thought this was a great "summertime" marinara sauce. Light and fresh. We still have leftovers and I froze half so we'll be enjoying this for quite some time!

A couple changes I made: I used both fresh tomatoes from the farmers market as well as canned whole tomatoes in this sauce although you could use 2 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes (Cook's Illustrated recommends Muir Glen brand for crushed tomatoes). Another difference was that I cooked mine in a slow cooker although the original recipe is on the stove. Finally, I added more spices and 1/4 cup of red wine to give a bit more richness to the sauce.

Also, before I share the recipe, I wanted to share a way to save money on groceries! I'm always looking for ways to save - I look at grocery circulars, compare prices (my dad and I sometime discuss milk prices at grocery stores), cut coupons, print internet coupons...you get the point. However, one way that is a GREAT way to save money in the kitchen is your local co-operative. A co-op has the BEST prices on spices, hands down. I recently refilled my bay leaf container for 26 CENTS and my dried oregano container for 25 cents. They're typically $2-3 at the grocery store. That really adds up! Also, you can buy as much or as little as you like. So, for example, I had been putting off trying recipes because you only needed a teaspoon of dried ginger and I just couldn't justify shelling out a few bucks for an entire container. However, at a co-op I could get just a tiny amount of these lesser-used spices. They also have cheap bulk foods with different kinds of oats, flours, dried fruit, trail mix, nuts, etc. I even found REAL maple syrup in bulk - grade B, of course. (My family is a bunch of maple syrup snobs. Seriously. We bring our own to restaurants.)

One thing about co-ops is that I believe they are often in cities so just check the internet for the closest one to you. The closest one for us is 45 minutes away so I don't go there a lot. Instead, I save up a list and pair it with some other shopping or errands to do in the city anyway.

Homemade Marinara Sauce
Taken from: AllRecipes (also, the meatball part of this recipe is excellent although I didn't use it this time)

• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen recommended by Cook's Illustrated) OR 56 oz. of fresh tomatoes crushed in a food processor (6-7 large tomatoes)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine

-In a skillet over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.
-Add cooked onions and garlic to a slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaves.
-Cover, set on low (you can change to high if pressed for time) and cook 5-6 hours (2 hours on high). Stir in tomato paste, dried spices, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and red wine and cook on high for 30 min (or set to low and let simmer until you're ready for dinner).
-If you like a smoother marinara sauce, take about 1/4 -1/2 of the sauce and add to a blender. Blend on high for a few seconds. Add back to slow cooker. Serve with pasta.

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