Crock Pot Chili

White Turkey Chili
Williams-Sonoma

Made with chunks of cooked turkey, this hearty chili is a wonderful way to use up leftovers from the Thanksgiving feast. Fresh-baked corn bread is the perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (I omitted)
  
• 1 lb. Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled and diced,
  or 3 cans (each 7 oz.) whole fire-roasted
  Anaheim chilies, diced (I used 2 cans, mild green chilies, and 2 cans of medium fire-roasted green chilies)
  
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth,
  warmed
• 1 lb. diced cooked turkey (I used ground turkey)
  
• 3 cans (each 15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained
  and rinsed, or 4 1/2 cups cooked white beans,
  drained
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh oregano
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• Shredded jack cheese, sour cream and lime
  wedges for serving

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cumin, garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the chilies and 3 1/2 cups of the broth, then transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in the turkey, beans, oregano and cilantro.

Put the cornmeal in a small bowl and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the broth. Stir the cornmeal mixture into the turkey mixture. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours according to the manufacturer's instructions. Thin the chili with more broth if needed. (I did NOT need to thin and actually found the consistency more like a chunky soup rather than a thick chili, but I liked it all the same.)

Ladle the chili into warmed bowls. Serve with cheese, sour cream and lime wedges. Serves 6 to 8.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

The first night we ate this I was not all that impressed. It was hearty and I liked the beans/turkey combination, but when we had it for leftovers a couple days later, I enjoyed it much more. The flavors were able to meld better and I thought it was delicious. If I were going to make it again, I think I'd make it a day or two ahead and then reheat it.

Cafe Rio Pork Copycat

SWEET PORK

2 pounds pork (I like to use the boneless country-style pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet) (I know some people also use Dr. Pepper, but I would guess you would need less brown sugar)
1/4 c. brown sugar
garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
1 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar (will probably use less)

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for at least a few hours or preferably overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and a liberal shaking of garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar, (about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup, you can add a little more or less to taste.). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it! (I like to taste it at the end, if it's a bit too sweet then I will mix in a bit of seasoning salt and/or cayenne pepper. If it seems like it needs more sugar you can always add more brown sugar at this point too.)


(As noted, you can use caffeine free coke, but NOT diet)

I have used this meat for filling in tacos, burritos, on Navajo tacos, or in quesadilla. It is also delicious on salads or even in a sandwich.

A Great Side for Soups or any Meal

Braided Bread

(I got this from a ward cooking group)

2 TBS yeast

½ cup warm water

2 cups warm milk (microwave for 2 min)

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1- 1½ cups sugar

4 tsp. salt

9 cups flour

4 eggs

Combine yeast and water (add a little sugar) and set aside. Combine milk, sugar, salt and butter and mix together. Add ½ of the flour. Add yeast mixture, eggs, and the other ½ of flour. Knead until satiny. Rise until doubled and braid. Brush with egg and let rise for approx. 1 hour. Grease cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (may need a little longer). Makes 4 loaves. Can wrap cooked/cooled loaf in saran wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Hoping to Try Soon!

Kalua Pig in a Slow Cooker
Allrecipes.com

This recipe had rave reviews and I LOVE Kalua pig. Make sure you use pink Hawaiian sea salt!  This is so easy to make and so addicting!  Great for tacos, salads, or just to eat!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Hours
Ready In: 20 Hours 10 Minutes
Servings: 12

"Slow-cooker pork butt roast with delicious smoky taste."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (6 pound) pork butt roast (or use pork ribs)
1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.

2. Cover, and cook on Low for 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time. Don't need to cook quite this long, check it or it may dry out.

3. Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten.  Add additional smoke or salt as needed.

Good for Breakfast or Dinner

Crepes with Spinach, Bacon and Mushroom Filling

Prep Time: 35 Min

Cook Time: 20 Min

Ready In: 1 Hr 5 Min

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Basic Crepes
• 6 slices bacon (I used a few more)
  
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I had a 9oz box and it was plenty!)
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (added quite a bit more)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare Basic Crepes recipe according to recipe directions. Separate with wax paper and keep warm until ready to serve.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve about 1 tablespoon drippings, add 1 tablespoon butter, and saute mushrooms. (I cooked my bacon in the microwave and used 2 Tlbs of butter to cook the mushrooms)
   
3. In a separate saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in 1/4 cup flour, stirring constantly, until a smooth paste is formed. Gradually stir in 1 cup milk, stirring constantly until a smooth thick gravy is formed. Add bacon, mushrooms, spinach, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let cook until somewhat thick, about 10 minutes. (I didn't even add as much spinach as they say to and mine seemed very thick. I ended up making another batch of white sauce and adding some to the spinach mixture te thin it out a little and that helped. The flavor was quite good.)
   
4. In saucepan bring broth to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice. Temper eggs and broth together whisking constantly so as to cook, but not to scramble the eggs. (Cooking eggs to 170 degrees F). Again, salt and pepper to taste. (Since I had already made extra sauce I skipped this step and used the beshemel (white sauce) to serve on the top as well.)
   
5. Fill each crepe with spinach and meat filling, roll up, and top with warm egg sauce.

Fun Appetizer or Light Dinner

Bistro-Style Onion and Artichoke Galette
Pillsbury

Prep Time: 25 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 5 Min
Makes: 8 servings


INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
2 cups thinly sliced sweet onion (such as Maui or Walla Walla; about 1 large)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning blend, if desired (I used a combo of garlic powder and Italian seasoning)
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup) (I substituted Swiss)
1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, well drained, coarsely chopped
¼ cup chopped well-drained fire-roasted red bell peppers (from 7.5-oz jar) (I used olives)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Omitted--still plenty of flavor)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (Omitted because I didn't have)
1 egg white, beaten
Fresh thyme sprigs

DIRECTIONS:

1. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and golden brown. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in vinegar and seasoning blend; cook 3 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F. Unroll pie crust on ungreased nonstick cookie sheet. Lightly brush mustard over crust.

3. Sprinkle 2/3 cup of the cheese over center of crust to within 1 1/4 inches of edge of crust. Spread onion evenly over cheese; top with artichokes and red peppers. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon chopped thyme and remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Fold 1 1/4-inch edge of crust over filling, pleating crust as necessary. Brush egg white over crust edge. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

4. To serve, cut into 8 wedges. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Serve warm.

With the frozen pie crust this was really easy to make. I found it very flavorful and quite delicious. I changed a few ingredients mainly for budget's sake and depending on what I had on hand. I also created another version that was more kid friendly and they certainly seemed to like it. I substituted pesto for the mustard, used mozzarella cheese, and for toppings I used fresh tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, and black olives. I enjoyed this version as well. We ate both for dinner with a salad and it was very filling.

A Different Lasagna

Vegetarian Four Cheese Lasagna

Prep Time:	15m
Cook Time:	1h
Ready in:	1h 15m
Yield:	1 - 9x13 dish

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin or butternut squash (to save time, I used 2 cups canned pumpkin, but am excited to try it with the squash when it's in season) 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds 5 tomatoes (Or two cans diced tomatoes, time saver) 1 pint ricotta cheese 9 ounces crumbled feta cheese (I only had 4oz and it was plenty of flavor) 2/3 cup pesto 2 eggs, beaten salt and pepper to taste 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (Or your favorite spaghetti sauce) fresh pasta sheets (I used no-boil lasagna noodles, but they were a bit thin for the consistency of the dish so I would recommend sticking with traditional noodles) 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, fry eggplant in a skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
4. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two (or as many regular lasagna sheets as you need) pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

I really like eggplant and would even consider doing a second layer of it, but I also think a layer of zucchini would be good, I'm just not sure about the water content. I found this surprisingly yummy! I wasn't sure how all the flavors (pumpkin, tomato, eggplant, pesto, etc.) would combine, but it was really good. My kids gobbled it up and asked for more! I think the abundance of cheese helped with that too :o) Using the time-saving cans of pumpkin and tomatoes, this was actually rather quick to prepare although I think the chunks of pumpkin/squash would add another nice texture to the dish.

Easy Homemade Mac 'n Cheese

Ham and Cheese Bowties
AllRecipes

I found this recipe while looking for a way to use up some leftover ham. It's an easy and great homemade mac and cheese with added protein. The kids ate it well and I thought it had a nice flavor and texture. You could easily add a veggie as well, such as broccoli or shredded zucchini or use bacon in place of the ham.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard (I omitted the mustard and added a little more s & p to taste)
2 1/2 cups shredded Colby cheese (I used medium cheddar)
4 ounces cooked ham, julienned
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or
until al dente; drain.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Saute garlic 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in mustard and Colby. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and ham.
4. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. (I also topped the casserole with a little shredded cheddar and bread crumbs along with the Parmesan cheese. This gave it a nice crunchy topping.)
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

Simple Side to Hot Cocoa

Brown Sugar Shortbread

Serves: 16 • Prep time: 10 min • Cook time: 45 min • Stand time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread (or 2 sticks margarine, slightly melted)
  
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease 9-inch round cake pan; set aside. (Grease pan well as mine tried to stick a little bit when I turned it out to cool)

Beat I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread with sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add flour and beat on low until blended. Spread into prepared pan, pressing into even layer. With knife, score (lightly cut) surface into 16 pie-shaped wedges.

Bake 45 minutes or until golden. Cool 20 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely. To serve, pour melted chocolate into small plastic storage bag. Snip corner and drizzle chocolate over shortbread. Cut into wedges.

I really liked this. I think next time I will add chopped pecans to the batter though for a little more texture (everything is better with nuts :o) I liked the chocolate drizzle on top, but I might also try adding a few mini chocolate chips. It's a dry, slightly crumbly shortbread so it would go great with hot chocolate or you could serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Easy Crockpot, Full of Flavor

Aus Jus Roast
Lisa (my mother-in-law) got this recipe from a friend. It's simple and turns out moist, juicy, and flavorful.

1 pkg Aus Jus (powder form)
1 pkg Italian dressing (powder form)
1 cup water (or a bit more if desired)
1 roast (I used a London Broil)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot (for a large group you can do 2 roasts and simply double the other ingredients). Cook on low for 12-24 hours. Or, if you'd like to start it in the morning (and not get up at 6am) you can cook it on high for the first couple hours and then finish it on low. I had a smaller-sized roast and should have probably used a little bit less of the aus jus powder as it was a bit salty. However, after it cooked, I shredded it and added some more water and it was good. The leftovers did not seem overly salty at all.

As it gets close to time, make sure to check it so that it isn't getting too dry. If all the water absorbs and it continues to cook for a long while the meat will dry out.

You can serve this over baked potatoes, rice, or even use it in a tortilla.