I'm fairly certain the benefits of the crock pot have been loudly heralded here before. Nothings better- put your meal in a pot, add some seasoning, turn a dial, come back later and eat. Brilliant! This recipe is SO simple and it makes great tacos. Not to mention it can feed a small army. My kids are currently on a quesadilla kick, so when I made the tacos we had plenty of leftovers for quesadillas the next day.
I am never a fan of using water in the crock pot. No matter what seasonings I use, it always comes out tasting well...watery. So I used beef broth in this recipe and had great results. I'm sure you can use water and beef bullion cubes, or probably even just water to add the needed moisture. Add whatever you love to finish off your tacos, but I think these are GREAT with just cilantro, onion and some cheese. (I cannot have tacos without cheese, its against my religion.)
Give yourself a break next week and make these for dinner!
~Wendy
Crock Pot Beef Tacos
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Wendy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
1 1/2-2lb Sirloin Roast
2 1/2 c. beef broth
1 large onion, cut into 3 pieces
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
Instructions
Remove the roast from the refrigerator and unwrap. Let rest on the counter for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile mix all of the seasonings together in a small bowl. Place the onion pieces on the bottom of the crock pot.
Rub the seasonings into the roast, be sure to cover the entire roast.
Place the roast in the crock pot on top of the onions. Pour 2 cups of the beef broth into the crock pot AROUND the roast (not on top of).
Cook on low for 8 hours, check every few hours, add more broth if necessary.
Remove roast and shred the meat with two forks, put into a bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth.
Serve with warm taco shells, cilantro, chopped onions, and cheese.
Notes
I used a Sirloin Roast, you could likely use any type of non-fatty beef roast.
If you ask my mother-in-law Shirlene, she'll tell you she's not a great cook. I however respectfully disagree. She's one of those people who have found a few recipes that are really good and sticks with them. That doesn't make you a bad cook, it makes you a smart one! I on the other hand, am an ADD cook. I can't ever focus on one thing and try new recipes all the time. The problem with my method is that there are LOTS of epic fails! This recipe comes from my mother-in-laws consistently awesome arsenal, with only a few small changes. Interestingly enough the changes weren't made by me- they were made by my husband. Considering the last meal my husband made me was pork chops, french fries & rice (whoa carbs) I was SUPER impressed!
I LOVE these BBQs. Before I tasted them I was solidly on the Manwich train. Its probably the only type of sloppy joe I'd ever eaten. After I tried this version I've not made any other recipe. These are very sweet so your kids will love them. You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe and throw it in a crock pot for a party. My wonderful mother-in-law will make a batch of the meat for me and I'll freeze it for later meals. Put it on your weeknight menu for the fall and be sure to thank her!
~Wendy
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Wendy (from Shirlene Peterson)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. ketchup
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
Instructions
Brown the ground beef (or ground turkey) in a skillet over medium high heat until slightly cooked but still pink, 2-3 minutes. Add in the celery and onion, continue cooking until the meat is cooked through
Drain any grease
Add the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder to the skillet and turn the heat down to medium-low, stir until fully combined
Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently letting the flavors combine.
I almost never make a full sized ham or turkey during a "normal" week. I always associate them with holidays and for some reason it never crosses my mind to make them for any other reason. That thought process might have just changed though. When I was shopping at Aldi last week they had a special for $5 off any ham. That meant I could buy this gimonsterous ham for $6! So being the sucker-for-any-sale girl that I am, I bought one. We not only used the ham for dinner that night, but also for dinner two other nights that week (in a frittata and with some mac n cheese). Not to mention the lunches that it was worked into. I swear I got 4-5 meals out of my $6 ham!!
Cooking ham always confuses me. Most of the hams you buy at a grocery store all say "fully cooked". So why do I need to cook it again?? I still don't have an answer to that question, but my second round of cooking for this ham turned out well. I had to be a little creative with the recipe. I recently gave up refined sugars for Lent. No I'm not Catholic and yes I am crazy. I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm still trying to stick to it. Most ham recipes call for at least a little brown sugar so I needed to come up with a sweet alternative. The great news is that maple and ham go together very well, so I used pure maple syrup as the sweetener and combined it with some sweet pineapple chunks. If you don't have pure maple syrup at home, use brown sugar instead. Don't use the corn syrup-filled version of maple syrup, its too sticky and watery. This recipe really could not be easier, perfect for your Easter dinner!
~Wendy
Slow Cooker Ham
Recipe Type: Dinner
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
1 7-8lb ham, bone-in, spiral cut
1 16 oz can pineapple tidbits
1 c. pure maple syrup
Instructions
Empty the can of pineapple tidbits on the bottom of a slow cooker.
Add 1/2 cup of the maple syrup to the pineapple and stir to combine.
Unwrap the ham and discard any flavor or glazing packets.
Place the ham in the slow cooker on top of the pineapple/maple syrup combination and pour the remaining 1/2 cup of maple syrup over the top of the ham.
Cook on low for 5-6 hours, occasionally basting with the pineapple juice from the bottom of the crock pot.
While it does look beautiful outside with all of the snow we had fall on us today, inside our house it was a different story. My little munchkin was not in the best of moods (that's putting it VERRRY nicely) and she also woke me up early on the day I decided I was going back to my strict, low-carb, low-cal way of life which made mommy not in the best of moods either. (Not to mention I'm at that wonderful week where I want to eat everything in sight -- you ladies know what I'm talkin' about -- maybe not the best planning on my part). So....today...rough.
I am proud to say that I did make it through today eating very well (I know the day's not completely over yet, but I think I'm good) but looking at the awesome photo Erin took of my yummy beef on delicious, soft bread and those potato chips is NOT helping matters! :)
This is one of those recipes that has been around my whole life. I have NO IDEA where it originally came from, all I know is it's darn good! It definitely has a kick to it so you can be the judge as far as if it's "kid appropriate" or not. It's too spicy for my 7 year old who does tolerate some heat, but my nieces and nephew who are 9, 10, and 13 gobble it up.
~Leah
Peppered Beef
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Leah
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 3-4 lb. chuck roast
1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. each of garlic salt and oregano
1 12-16 oz. jar sliced pepperoncini peppers
1 can beer
1 can beef consomme
Provolone or mozzarella cheese (optional)
buns/rolls
Instructions
Place the roast in crock pot. Sprinkle each side with garlic salt and oregano (to your taste).
Drain jar of peppers and pour peppers, beer, and consomme over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-6.
Remove beef from crock pot and trim off any fat and shred the meat. Return meat to crock and stir into juices.
Serve on rolls with provolone or mozzarella cheese.
Notes
The original recipe does NOT call for draining the juice from the peppers. I would recommend draining the first time you make it and then going from there. Also, the recipe as written here is actually halved so if you want to make more for a bigger crowd, it doubles well. If you do want to make this for a get together but don't want to have to shred the meat during the event, you can make it the day before and refrigerate then simply return it to the crock pot or oven to reheat. If you do refrigerate it, you will probably see some hardened fat at the top. It is up to you if you want to leave that in or spoon it out before reheating to reduce some fat and calories. This can also be made in the oven. Simply put everything in a big pot with a lid and cook at 350 for 4 hours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- and I'm sure every year for the rest of my life because I can admittedly be annoying that way -- I will NEVER understand why the Super Bowl game starts so late in the evening on a Sunday! Now (and hopefully we don't lose readers from what I'm about to say) I could really care LESS about football. There I said it...take away my "American citizen" card but it just is what it is. I did enjoy going to games in high school and college and even a Bears game here or there, but I've never enjoyed sitting and watching on tv.
Ok, all that being said, I DO enjoy hanging out with friends and eating a ton of food so it irks me to no end that the game is when it is! Why can't it be moved earlier? Or to Saturday? Or (considering the way this country is with this game) declared a national holiday and have off on Monday? I feel like there are a lot of families who kind of get the shaft unless they a. host, b. have older or no kids, c. don't mind missing bedtime on a school night (which is pretty much a cardinal sin in my mind -- I know, I might need to loosen up a little bit).
So, for those of you who are hosting a Super Bowl party, or are signed up to bring something to a Super Bowl party, or are like me and will be hanging out at home (umm, I guess that covers everyone unless you're going to dinner and a movie or something), this is a great, easy recipe. I originally had it at one of my afore-posted-about sister-in-law's get togethers and immediately asked for the recipe. I've made it more than a few times for dinner and I cannot say enough about feeling like some domestic goddess when dinner is "made" at 9 am (I may have mentioned this before -- or maybe not -- or maybe it was Erin -- anyway I'm too lazy to go back and read all of our posts right now but I think I'm safe to say that on this blog, dinner in the slow cooker in the morning = domestic goddess). Enjoy! ~Leah
Crock Pot Beef Sliders
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Leah
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
3-4 lb sirloin tip roast
1 pkg instant onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 beef bullion cubes (I like to use the low sodium)
1 cup water
Hawaiian bread buns (the small ones)
Kraft horseradish sauce (optional)
Instructions
Place the meat in crock pot.
Mix all the ingredients up through the water and pour over the meat.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours then shred with forks in the crock and stir with the juice.
Keep crock on warm for serving.
Serve on rolls and top with horseradish sauce (optional).
Just a fun fact about me... I move a lot. Not "run in circles, shake my foot, wave my arms" move a lot. I mean "pack up my house and move to a new one" move a lot. We're up to six different homes in the past five years. It drives my family and friends crazy. How many corrections/updates their address books have is a running joke in my family. I really don't know why we move so much. Every move has had its reasons, all of which made sense at the time. Looking back I understand that from the outside it seems ridiculous. I guess we could dissect my ridiculous life choices all day, but I really am getting to a point here. :)
My most recent move brought us to a great subdivision in a small town west of Chicago. We're close to our hometown and our parents, which works out great. Even though we grew up in the area, a lot of our friends have moved away or we've disconnected for some reason over the years. Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom it was really important to me to meet other moms in the area. Lord knows you can go absolutely insane staying home all day with no adult conversation!! Luckily I met another stay-at-home mom in the neighborhood one day at the park. Janell has lived in the subdivision for a while and has been GREAT at introducing me to other neighbors; not to mention keeping my sanity in check at our weekly play dates! At a recent get together she made this slow cooker dip. It was AWESOME. So being the "constantly-thinking-about-our-blog-readers" girl that I am, I immediately asked for the recipe. The timing couldn't be better. This is perfect for your Superbowl parties! You can serve it with cut up bread, crackers or tortilla chips. It didn't come with an official name so I named it the Crock Pot Cheeseburger Dip; although I'm not sure that adequately sums up its awesomeness. On behalf of all who try and love this recipe (try it, you'll love it)- a BIG thanks to Janell! :)
~Wendy
Crock Pot Cheeseburger Dip
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Wendy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb Velveeta cheese
Instructions
Brown the hamburger and sausage in a skillet. Transfer to a crock pot and then add remaining ingredients, stir until combined. Cook until cheese is melted on low 1-2 hours.
Notes
Janell typically uses the spicy version of the pork sausage and the Rotel tomatoes. I ended up using regular pork sausage that I had in the freezer and the medium Rotel tomatoes. So feel free to dial up or down the heat depending on your crowd. She also mentioned that the ground beef and sausage can be made in advance, but a tip to insure they don't dry out is to mix them with the tomatoes and soup before you refrigerate. Then when you're ready to throw it in the crock pot you simply add the remaining ingredients and cook.
Going a little bit over the top used to be one of my strong suits (if you consider that a good thing...I mean, you may be thinking, "that's not a strong suit -- it's just annoying!") I was all over everything all the time. I'm talkin' 20 minute photo slideshow DVDs we would watch on each birthday for my kids that went from their last birthday right up until the day before the one we were celebrating all set to perfectly chosen songs and multiple copies for grandparents; Spending 10-14 hours baking and decorating birthday cakes for my lucky guy and kids; Braiding and getting tangled (no pun intended) in an obnoxious amount of yellow yarn for my daughter's Rapunzel party, etc., etc. And that's the big stuff. I was all over the little stuff too...thank you notes (uh, yeah, sorry if you're a relative reading this and you haven't received a thank you note for Christmas yet), birthday cards, sending out the last month's pics to family within the first week of the next month, oil changes, showering, pap sm....ok, well, we'll just stop there. You get my drift. I was ON IT.
I. Don't. Know. What. Happened.
Somewhere along the way, I've morphed from mini Martha Stewart to Roseanne. I still PLAN a lot of things, but I'm having a harder and harder time with the EXECUTION.
Planning's easy!
Things I plan to do: Walk the dog! Read with both of my kids every day! Call my sister! Work on that slideshow! Stop biting my nails! Go to church! Clean the house! Take those returns back to the store! Work out! Sew Kiki's flowers on her blanket! Clean out the car! Write that blog post! Get those clothes the kids have outgrown to the resale shop! Look at least halfway decent when Erik walks in from work! Make and/or do SOMETHING I've pinned on Pinterest (besides a recipe)!
See? Planning is easy! Doing? Not so much.
Yes, I do still get some of the big things done and when I do I'm sure to someone who doesn't know me closely, I look like Martha Stewart. I know that I have those "how does she" thoughts about other moms I see (ahem...Wendy), but I've been trying to remind myself that (ohmygoshpleaseIhopeso) they probably have their own Roseanne moments and "plan-to-do's" too. I think what we're trying to do on here is some of the planning for you. If you haven't noticed, most of these recipes are pretty darn simple so that you can execute and cross something off of your list:
Make awesome recipe I found on Three Lucky Husbands!
This recipe definitely falls under the "pretty darn simple" category, if not even the "a monkey could make it" category. I love that I can use my slow cooker for a dessert (how fun is that?) and have this ridiculously good, hot sweet yumminess waiting for us to finish our dinner. (It would be great to bring to a pot luck or Super Bowl party too!)
~Leah
Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Leah (adapted from Taste of Home)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 Tbsp plus 1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. In a small bowl, combine the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thick). Spread batter evenly onto the bottom of a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the salt and remaining flour and sugar; add berries and toss to coat. Spread over batter.
Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into cobbler comes out clean. Serve with ice cream.
Notes
Don't think you read the recipe wrong or get mad at me when you go to spread the batter in the bottom of the crock! It won't look like you have enough, but just be patient and work it to the edges gently. I usually just wet my fingers a little bit and use them to push it to the edges. It will be thin but it bakes up like a cake. You can also use the bags of berry medleys, but if you do, I don't recommend using the ones that have strawberries in them...they are just too big and turn into big mushy blobs in this recipe.
I could go on and on about a crock pot. Does using the term crock pot age me? Or is “slow cooker” just way more glamorous sounding? Whatever you call it, these babies are heaven sent. I feel SO in control of my life on the days when dinner is prepared by noon. And instead of inwardly groaning at about 4:30 when I should be in the kitchen starting dinner, kiddos and I stay out to play just a little bit longer.
This chicken has an awesome smoky flavor and a little bit of kick...not really the sweet and tangy flavors you expect from something called barbeque. The sauce goes together pretty quick and is a little more complex than something you’d get out of a bottle. This has been a big hit at family get-togethers when served with some sour cream, red onion, and jalapeno slices.
Crock Pot Barbeque Pulled Chicken
Author: Erin (adapted from Eatingwell.com)
Ingredients
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
3 T cider vinegar
2 T honey
1 T smoked paprika
1 T tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 t. dry mustard
1 t. ground chipotle chile
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
Whisk together first 10 ingredients.
Pour over chicken, onion, and garlic in crock pot.
Cook on low for 5 hours.
Shred chicken with a couple of forks right in the crock pot. It may look like a lot of liquid after cooking, but it incorporates nicely into the shredded meat.
Serve on rolls with sour cream, red onions, and jalepeno slices.
Notes
I have also made this dish using chicken breasts instead of thighs. It's leaner and just as good in my opinion. My recommendation if you make this substitution is to watch your cooking time. Breasts don't take as long to cook and can start to dry out pretty fast. I would start checking it at about 3-4 hours.
