SLOW COOKER HAWAIIAN MEATBALLS

Call me Sandra Lee. Who? She's on the Food Network with a show called semi-homemade. She does a little cooking herself and has help with pre-made ingredients. 

I had BAD jet lag a couple of days ago. I didn't want to go anywhere. I had been gone for almost two weeks and hubby stayed home. Did a quick inventory of the fridge. Not much in there...cheese, bread, BEER, 1/2 pineapple. I don't know how he survived without me :) I thought about a recipe I had saved. Frozen meatballs (that's the Sandra Lee part) pineapple and bell pepper. I had the meatballs in the freezer, bell peppers still growing in the garden and that 1/2 pineapple in the fridge. So I put the ingredients in the slow cooker for 4 hours and it was really good! Served it over rice. Yum! I'll make this again soon.

SLOW COOKER HAWAIIAN MEATBALLS

32 oz. package of precooked, frozen meatballs. ( I used Trader Joe's)

13.5 oz. can of unsweetened pineapple chunks (I used fresh and a small can of pineapple juice)

1 large green pepper, diced (I used what was in the garden, a yellow one but red or green would look better)

1 cup of brown sugar

2 TBSP. cornstarch

2/3 cup of white vinegar

2 TBSP. soy sauce

Place meatballs in slow cooker and top with green pepper and drained pineapple chunks. In a separate bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour sauce over meatballs, pineapple and green peppers. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through

Serve over rice. 

KALUA PIG IN A SLOW COOKER

If you have been to Hawaii no doubt you have been to a traditional luau. I have been to many in my life and most of them are quite touristy except for the Smith Family Garden Luau on the island of Kaui. It is the best and most beautiful of them all. You actually get to see the pig wrapped in ti leaves and cooked in an earthen imu oven. There is a ceremony before they bury the pig, great meal, and dancing and entertainment after dinner. We loved it.

One day I was thinking about digging a hole and cooking a pig in our back yard. I did some research on it and found a recipe that said you can get the same taste of the traditional Kahlua pig right in your crock pot with only three ingredients. I was skeptical but thought I had nothing to lose by giving it a try. Oh yes, it was good and we think it tastes just as good as we remembered. Only three ingredients....pork butt or shoulder, salt, and liquid smoke.

My secret ingredient is Danish Viking Smoked Salt. This salt is great, not just for this pork but as a finishing salt on grilled meats and vegetables.

I buy it from http://www.salttraders.com/ . Liquid smoke (that you can buy in any grocery store) is sprinkled on the pork along with the salt. Turn the crock pot to low and cook 13 to 18 hours.

                                                             KALUA PIG IN A CROCK POT

1-  6 pound pork butt of shoulder roast

1 1/2 TBSP. smoked salt or Hawaiian sea salt

1 TBSP. liquid smoke flavoring

Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt over pork and then liquid smoke over the meat.

Place roast in a crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 13 to 18 hours, turning once during cooking time.

Remove meat from crock pot and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten.

Use leftovers for tacos or burritos.

Add barbecue sauce to leftovers and serve in hamburger buns.

CROCK POT LASAGNA

 I was curious if lasagna would work in the crock pot. It did and it was great! You can do this in the oven if you want but I like the crock pot. I cleaned out the pantry with this lasagna, using some jarred pasta sauce and some no-boil pasta noodles that have been hanging around. You can make your own pasta sauce and it might be even better. This is one of those make it your own recipes. Throw it all together, turn on the crock pot and go have some fun.

This was gooey, cheesy goodness.

                                                            SLOW COOKER LASAGNA

1 pound Italian Sausage

15 pieces No-Boil Lasagna noodles

12 ounces ricotta cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 (26oz.) jars pasta sauce (or home made)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 TBSP. fresh parsley

In a medium skillet over medium heat, crumble and cook sausage and onion until sausage is brown. Mix in pasta sauce.

Mix ricotta and 2 cups mozzarella cheese together.

Spoon 1/4 of the sausage and pasta sauce mixture into crock pot. Top with 5 pasta noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture on top. Add 1/4 more of the sausage/sauce mixture. Top with 5 noodles and the rest of the cheese mixture. Spoon 1/4 of the sausage/sauce mixture on top, 5 noodles and remaining sausage/sauce mixture.

Cook on high for 2 hours and low for 1-2 hours, until pasta noodles are cooked but not too long or they turn mushy. You can also cook o low for 4 hours.

Fifteen minutes before serving top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cover to melt cheese.

PORK WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Ron made this delicious pork the other night. No recipe but he told me he put two small pork roasts in the crock pot with a can of cream of mushroom soup, some water, and some garlic salt. It cooked on low for 8 hours. Then he made a sauce using  more cream of mushroom soup, chicken stock, some roasted baby bella mushrooms, and some truffle oil. Salt and Pepper.

Served it with egg noodles sprinkled with chopped parsley.

It was really good. Thanks Ron!

SPICED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATOES

I've been craving comfort food lately. I think it might be the changing of the season. Spring is here, yet it still feels like winter is trying to hang on. Maybe it's because in a few weeks the crock pot will return to the closet and my plate will be filled with all the loveliness of spring. In winter I crave stews, soups, roasts, casseroles, and Indian food. The fragrant Indian spices always warm me up.

Aloo Gobi is a hearty dish of cauliflower, potatoes and aromatic spices. When I saw this recipe from "The Indian Slow Cooker" book I knew it was written for me. I have two more crock pot recipes (or I guess they call them slow cookers now) to make and then I'm jumping into Spring!

                                         SPICED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATOES

2 large cauliflowers, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces (about 8 cups)

2 large potatoes (russet or yellow), peeled and diced

1 medium yellow or red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 medium tomato, diced

2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or grated

3-4 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chilies, cored and chopped

1 TBSP. whole cumin seeds

1 TBSP. red chili powder

1 TBSP. garam masala

1 TBSP. salt

1 tsp. turmeric powder

3 TBSP. vegetable oil or canola oil

1 heaping TBSP. chopped fresh cilantro

In a 4-5 quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients except the cilantro. Mix well.

Cook on low for 3 hours (mine was not done at 3 hours, I recommend 5-6 hours but it might be my crock pot). Mix once or twice during cooking, especially in the beginning. Eventually the cauliflower will release enough liquid to prevent anything from sticking to the sides of the cooker.

 Add the cilantro (I sprinkled mine on top) and mix well but gently so as not to break up the cauliflower.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from Anupy Singla's "The Indian Slow Cooker"

FRENCH ONION SOUP

 French onion soup with an Irish twist? You bet, and this is really good.

I don't know about you, but what I do know about me is that I cook a Corned Beef once or twice a year because:

1. It's St. Patrick's Day and Corned Beef and Cabbage is traditional ( at least in the U.S.)

2. It goes on sale in March for 99 cents a pound. I usually buy two, one goes in the freezer.

3. My REAL reason...Reuben sandwiches.

Not any more..... Check out my Corned Beef in the crock pot recipe. The broth that was left over was awesome. It made the best onion soup. All I did to the broth was to remove any leftover carrots and add some fresh thyme leaves.

Warmed the soup, toasted some French bread, topped the soup with the bread and put some grated Gruyere cheese on top. Broil until brown.  The broth had Guinness Extra Stout Beer in it and the Corned Beef spices along with Creole mustard gave it just the right tang and crunch.

Thanks O'Ronald for the idea :)

We had 3 great meals from one Corned Beef.

Tomorrow night....THE REUBEN!!

CORNED BEEF IN THE CROCK POT

I made a crock pot Corned Beef for St. Patrick's Day. I liked the fact that I could throw it in the pot in the morning and leave for the day.The Guinness really gave it a great flavor. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and some cabbage that I sauteed in some bacon fat.

O'Ronald really liked this dinner. He suggested that I use the left over broth for French Onion Soup. I'm going to make that tonight and THEN....Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese on Rye Paninis for dinner tomorrow night. Woo Hoo!

Oh, O'Ronald's dish looks a little messy. Here is mine.

                                                    CROCK POT CORNED BEEF

6 carrots, cut into chunks
2 onions, chopped
2-3 pound Corned Beef Brisket with seasoning packet
12 oz. can beer (I used Guinness Stout)
2 TBSP. yellow mustard (I used Creole Mustard)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water

In a 4-6 quart crock pot, combine carrots and onions. Rinse corned beef under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in crock pot and sprinkle with contents of seasoning mix. Pour beer over brisket and spread mustard on brisket. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar with water and pour over brisket. Cover crock pot and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours.

To serve, cut corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove the carrots and serve, spooning cooking juices over the food. Offer additional mustard on the side.

Save the liquid. It makes the best French Onion Soup.

MINESTRONE SOUP WITH PASTA, BEANS AND VEGETABLES



This is a very good and easy soup. You can use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian or add crumbled sausage to make it hearty. I made it with chicken broth and vegetables.

                          MINESTRONE SOUP WITH PASTA, BEANS AND VEGETABLES

32 ounces reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (15-ounce) cans white (cannellini or navy) beans

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

1 TBSP. fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp. dried sage

2 bay leaves

salt and ground black pepper

2 cups cooked pasta (I used whole wheat rotelle) but use whatever small pasta you like

1 medium zucchini, chopped

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted

4 TBSP. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Basil springs for garnish, optional

Parmesan rinds for soup, optional

In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 tsp. each, salt and pepper. Add Parmesan rinds if using.

 Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

One hour before the soup is done cooking, add the zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 1 hour.

Cook the pasta and set aside.

Remove bay leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put some pasta in a bowl and ladle the soup on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped basil if desired.

Recipe adapted from Robin Miller

P.S. Save your Parmesan rinds! Put them in a bag and toss them in the freezer. Add them to your soups and stews for an incredible flavor.

CROCK POT BEEF STEW

I found this recipe while surfing the net. The poster claimed that this was "THE BEST" stew recipe. She (or he) got me on THE BEST comment. I had to try this.

It was interesting that the recipe calls for wrapping the veggies in foil and cooking them on top of the meat in the crock pot. It also uses tapioca for the thickening agent.  The result was great. THE BEST...well I don't think so, but really good. The foil technique worked out well. The potatoes and carrots had a nice texture and quickly absorbed the flavors of the broth. I will make this again but next time I will add some minced garlic to the broth. 

 

CROCK POT BEEF STEW

*Serves 6-8

5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 cups frozen peas

After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. No need to cook it all the way through – just get some great brown color all around.

 Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat (you may need to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks a little dry). 

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer it to the slow cooker, pouring it over the meat.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (use two sheets of regular foil on top of each other if you don’t have heavy-duty). Place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker.

 Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.

When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that may escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Stir in the frozen peas and let them rest in the stew for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve.

Recipe adapted from Melskitchencafe.com



SPLIT PEA SOUP IN THE CROCKPOT

This is a great crockpot recipe for split pea soup. Sharon gave me the recipe and it's my go to recipe every time.

It also freezes well.

                                               SLOW COOKER SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 (16oz.) package dried green split peas, rinsed
1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 TBSP. seasoned salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
1 1/2 quarts hot water

Layer ingredients in crockpot in the order given. Pour in water. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hour until peas are very soft and ham falls off the bone. Remove bones and bay leaf. Mash peas if desired to thicken soup.

Serve garnished with croutons.

Serves 8

Recipe by Diana Rattray.

CROCKPOT RIBS

These are fall off the bone, lick your fingers good. The trick is to find good beef ribs. Most of the time they have been previously frozen. I found some fresh ribs at the store and I grabbed them. One fresh  package amongst ten frozen. JACK POT!!

Many years ago I became a friend with the butcher at Von's. When I would shop the meat department and he would see me, he would bolt out of the back, put his arm around me and walk me through the meat section. He would tell me what was on sale, and then go in the back and cut me a custom cut. What a guy. What I really loved about him was our rib relationship. We had an agreement. I got the Prime Rib bones. When he would cut Prime Rib Roasts he would cut extra thick ribs for me, meaning killer, thick, meaty, Prime meat bones. Woo hoo. I gave him my home phone number and he would call me once a week with something special, usually ribs.

He was an old guy, but he was passionate about his job and his customers. That's what I loved about him.

 He retired and I moved. My woo hoo became my boo hoo. But so it goes.....

This was so easy. I used a store purchased bbq sauce, added some liquid smoke, some smoked salt and some Sriracha sauce. Layered the ribs in the crockpot and cooked for 8 hours on low. I would say a bottle of BBQ sauce, a TBSP. of liquid smoke, 1 tsp. of smoked salt, and a small squirt of Sriracha.

I love Sriracha. It is a sauce made from sun ripened chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic. It is very hot so you just need a tiny bit to add some zip to your meal. I like it mixed with mayonnaise, or added to soups. You can do so much with this sauce.

I have been using it for many years. I used to have to drive to Indo China Market to buy it, but now it is on the shelves of most grocery stores.

This was Ron's plate after 10 hours in the crockpot.
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