Tag Archives: crock-pot

Pork

Homemade Sausage with Cayenne and Cloves

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of ground pork (or two pounds of Boston Butt, finely ground)
  • 1 tablespoon Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt (I like this brand)
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon of dried ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried fennel, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • Optional: A dash of cayenne pepper and cloves (about ⅛ tsp of each)

Instructions

  1. Grind meat with the finest blade of the grinder (if grinding yourself).
  2. Combine ground pork with other ingredients and mix well.
  3. Form in to 16 one-inch patties.
  4. Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
  5. To cook: Heat in skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side until cooked through.
Soup

French Onion Soup

4 large onions, sliced
1/4 cup butter1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
6 cups (48 oz) beef broth
a few drops hot pepper sauce
6 slices French bread, toasted, or croutons

Cook onions in butter until transparent. Add flour; cook, stirring, until flour is well blended into the butter. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker. Add beef broth and hot sauce. Cook on low for 6 to 8  hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Top with bread and some of the shredded cheese. Broil until cheese melts.

Serves 6.

 

Beef

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes, with juice
6-oz can tomato paste
8-oz can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp dried thyme

Brown meat and onion in sauce pan. Drain well. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cover. Cook on low 7 hours. If the sauce seems too runny, remove lid during last hour of cooking.

Serves 6-8.

 

Fish

Citrus Fish

1 1/2 lb. fish fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 med. onion, chopped
5 tbsp. chopped parsley
4 tsp. oil
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tsp. grated orange rind
Orange and lemon slices

Butter slow cooker. Put salt and pepper on fish to taste. Place fish in pot. Put onion, parsley and grated rinds and oil over fish. Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours.

Serve garnished with orange and lemon slices.

 

Side dishes

Macaroni and Cheese

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
4 cups(16 ounces) shredded sharp Chedder Cheese
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the cooked macaroni in crockpot that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Add the remaining ingredents, all except 1 cup of the cheese, mix well. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and then cover and cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours or until the mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir until it has finished cooking.

 

Chicken

Sweet and Tangy Chicken

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, divided
2 (18 ounce) bottles prepared barbecue sauce
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Place 4 of the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, pineapple, green bell pepper, onion and garlic. Mix well and pour half of this mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Place the remaining chicken in the slow cooker and top with the remaining sauce. Cook on low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

 

Chicken

Honey Barbecue Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
18 oz bottle Honey Barbecue Sauce
1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Combine the barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken and shred using two forks. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and coat with sauce. Serve on rolls for sandwiches.

 

Beef, With Beer

Beer Meatballs

1 can of beer
1 6 oz can spicy V-8 juice
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 c. onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lg. bottle ketchup
1 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 lbs. ground beef
2 to 3 eggs

Combine ground beef, 1/2 cup onions, Italian bread crumbs, eggs. Make the mixture into small meatballs. Then fry or bake the meat. In saucepan combine remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes. Put meatballs and sauce into slow cooker/Crock Pot. The sauce should cover the meat. Allow to simmer in slow cooker/Crock Pot for at least 3 hours, however, the longer you let them simmer, the better they are! 6 to 10 hours on low temperature is great. Stir them occasionally. You may wish to add more ketchup, or V-8 juice – spice them up if you like them hot.

 

Chicken, With Beer

BBQ Beer Chicken

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces of beer (I used a classic amber)
32 ounces of barbecue sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crock-pot, then add beer and 24 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. Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

Notes from original chef:

1. I’ve found that *thinner* barbecue sauce works better (such as Bone Suckin’ Sauce) than thicker sauce (like Sweet Baby Ray’s). If you choose to use a thicker sauce, you may want to add a little more beer (or liquid) in order for the sauce not to burn and thicken on the edges of the pot. This is also the reason I don’t use my homemade barbecue sauce.

2. If you don’t want to use beer, you can try a ginger ale, chicken stock, or even water.

3. This makes a ton of chicken and I usually immediately freeze a container for later.