Crock Pot Corn Beef and Cabbage

This is my go-to recipe for Saint Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch pieces
3-4 pound corn beef brisket
2 - 3 medium onions, quartered
1 cabbage, cut into wedges
1 - 2 cups water
A variety of mustard.

Instructions

Put ingredients in crock pot in order listed. Cover and set to low for 12 - 15 hours or high for 7 - 10 hours. Push cabbage wedges into the liquid after about 5 hours of cooking.
When done, remove the brisket and slice. Place meat and vegetables on serving platter.
Serve with a variety of mustard.

Beef Bourguignon

This is a crockpot version of the dish that made Julia famous!
Perfect for a winter evening.

Ingredients

6 strips bacon
3 pounds stew meat
1 large carrot - peeled and sliced
1 medium onion - sliced
3 Tablespoons flour
1 (10 ounce) can beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound small white onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms
2 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

Cook bacon until crisp in large skillet. Remove from pan and allow to drain on paper towels. Add beef to same pan and brown well. Place browned beef in crock pot. Brown sliced onion and carrot pieces in same skillet. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in flour.
Add beef broth. Mix well and add to crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients expect mushrooms. Cover and cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.
Saute mushrooms in butter. Add to crockpot one hour before serving.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

Everyone contributes to the Thanksgiving feast at our house. Many of the dishes that we enjoy are traditional recipes made year after year. But, sometimes, someone brings something new. This year, our friend, Jamie, made this dish. It was delicious and might turn out to be a new tradition.


Ingredients

4 pounds slender sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

Place sweet potatoes in a 5 - 6 quart slow cooker. Stir together orange juice concentrate with butter, brown sugar, salt and rosemary. Pour over the potatoes and stir to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 5.5 to 6 hours or until potatoes are tender.
Transfer potatoes to a serving dish, using a slotted spoon. Increase slow cooker to high. Whisk together cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon cold water until smooth. Whisk cornstarch mixture into cooking liquid in slow cooker. Cook, whisking constantly, 3 - 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Spoon sauce over potatoes.
Stir together parsley, orange zest and garlic. Sprinkle potatoes with parsley mixture and crumbled bacon.

Favorite Crock Pot Chili

Nothing fancy or creative here, just my favorite go-to chili that cooks all day in the crock pot. Finish it with your favorite toppings.

Ingredients

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chili beans
2  (16 ounce) fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
Topping options: Shredded cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, diced onions, sour cream


Instructions

Brown the ground beef in skillet. Drain off any liquid and fat.
Place ground beef in crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients to crock pot. Stir until well combined.
Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.
Ladle into bowl and top with your favorite toppings.

Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix

The Fall Festival at my granddaughter's school includes an annual bake sale.  I always like to contribute something with the flavors of the fall season. This year I made this chex mix. It smelled so good while it was cooking! I packaged one-cup servings in small seasonal bags that I found at the Dollar Store. Now I might made another batch just for me!!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
3 1/2 cups Vanilla Chex cereal
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 cups cinnamon Teddy Graham crackers
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

In a 5 - 6 quart slow cooker, stir together the cereals, pecans, Teddy Grahams and cranberries.
Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Stir to thoroughly combine.
Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
Cook, uncovered, on high heat setting for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every `15 - 20 minutes to prevent mixture on the bottom of the crock pot from burning.
Spread cereal mixture on ungreased cookie sheet to cool. Store in airtight containers.

Alsatian Smoked Sausage with Cabbage and Apples

Perhaps it is my roots from the French-German region of Alsace that makes me love anything with sauerkraut and sausage.  I love this slow-cooked version with apples added to add a touch of sweetness. This dish is also a great alternative to corned beef and cabbage.

Ingredients

1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon bacon grease (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
4 juniper berries, lightly crushed
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
Generous pinch of caraway seeds
1 pound smoked sausage links,cut in half (or more if you want a meatier dish)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray.
Add all ingredients except sausage.
Stir well to combine. Nestle the sausage pieces into the cabbage mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours, stirring occastionally.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.


This recipe comes from The Southern Slow Cooker by Kendra Bailey Morris.

Korean Tacos

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Jamie.  These tacos are filled with sweet, spicy tender Korean-style beef and tangy cucumber slaw. It makes a big batch, so I usually make half a recipe. The meat is cooked in a crock pot, so it can easily be made a day ahead and then rewarmed and served in the tacos with the other ingredients.

Ingredients for the Korean beef

5 pounds beef short ribs (or chuck roast)
1 (10 ounce) bottle low sodium soy sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 minced cloves of garlic
4 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon sriracha sauce
1 cup water

Ingredients for the Cucumber slaw

1 seedless cucumber
Thinly sliced red onion (1/2 to one onion according to your taste preference)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
Crushed red pepper to taste

For the tacos

16 small whole wheat tacos
Cilantro
Bean sprouts
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Sriracha sauce

Instructions

To make the cucumber slaw, slice the cucumber very thinly and sprinkle with salt. Place in a colander and let sit for up to an hour over a bowl.
Shake additional water from the colander and pat cucumbers with paper towels.
Transfer to a bowl and toss with red onions, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Note that the cucumbers get less and less crunchy as they sit. Drain off any accumulated liquid before serving.

To make the Korean beef, spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk together all remaining ingredients. Pour over the ribs.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid and skim the fat from the top. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and reduce liquid by about half.
Remove meat from bones and shred.
Pour reduced liquid over meat.

To assemble, served shredded meat on warmed tortillas topped with a spoon of cucumber slaw, cilantro, bean sprouts, sriracha and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

Colorado Green Chili

We love to buy roasted peppers in the summer, freeze them and then use them in this green chili.You can buy peppers from mild to hot and the heat of this chili depends on the type of pepper that you use. We usually choose medium because we like a little spicy flavor.


Ingredients

2 pounds cubed pork
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons flour
1 14-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups diced roasted green chilies - about 20, peeled and seeded
2 cups chopped onions
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour Cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Corn tortillas (optional)

Instructions

Brown pork, garlic and onions in large skillet.
Add flour and cook for two  more minutes.
Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for about 4 hours.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream. Serve with corn tortillas, if desired.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts - drained and coarsely chopped
1 package frozen chopped spinach - thawed and drained
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup grated Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella cheese
Toasted baguettes and crackers

Instructions

Spray inside of a small crock pot with cooking oil spray.
Mix mayonnaise and parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Stir in artichokes, spinach, and bell pepper. Spoon into crockpot.
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Cover and cook on low for one hour or until cheese is melted.
Serve warm with baguette or crackers.

Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna

October 28, 2014

When our garden produced an overabundance of kale and the season began to change to fall, I began craving fall flavors. Butternut squash is one of those fall flavors I just have to have.  This recipe came from the Dash insert to The Denver Post.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk (whole milk will make a richer tasting lasagna, but also more calories)
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped (6 packed cups)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cup grated pecorino (get the good stuff - it makes a big difference)
8 ounce lasagna noodles (NOT the no-boil type)
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and sliced thin ( I use a mandolin to get very thin even slices)

Instructions

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring occasionally for about 1 minute. Pour in milk, whisking, and bring to a simmer. Whisk until slightly thickened. Stir in kale, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Add nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine cheeses in bowl.

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange 1/3 of uncooked lasagna cooked on bottom of slow cooker, breaking to fit if needed. Top with 1/3 of kale mixture; 1/3 cheese; 1/2 of butternut squash. Repeat layers;  repeat again with lasagna, kale mixture and ending with cheese.

Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, until squash is tender and lasagna is starting to brown around edges. Turn slow cooker off and allow to stand for 15 minute before serving.

Serves: 8