Category: Slow Cooker

Turkey-White Bean Chili

It has been really cold and windy here the past couple of days and this turkey chili has been just what we’ve needed to warm up from the frost! My kiddos love this and it is a healthy recipe too that is thrown together easily in the crock pot. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping. This recipe is adapted from Amy C.’s out of Phyllis Good’s Stock the Crock cookbook.

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder, depending on how much heat you like
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground oregano
2 (15 oz.) cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (I skip this step.)
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
2 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
salt and black pepper, to taste
Garnish: 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, black pepper, lime wedges, shredded mozzarella cheese
Tortilla chips, for dipping

Grease the interior of the slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Brown the turkey in 1 to 2 T. vegetable oil in a skillet over medium, breaking up with a wooden spoon. I always think it is best to season the meat with a little salt and pepper before browning, to really make sure it has good flavor from the start. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the turkey to the prepared crock.

Add the remaining ingredients, excluding the garnishes, and stir well.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.

Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Top individual servings with cilantro, sour cream, black pepper, cheese, and lime wedges. And don’t forget the chips!

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

Today, I needed something simple to throw together for supper. It was a day of playing “catch up” and a day that we all needed to have a home cooked meal. We’ve been running every which way preparing for the holiday, so we’ve been grabbing takeout and nothing sounded better to me than ribs. Meaty ribs and mac and cheese. And it was one of those days, that who has time for ribs and mac and cheese?? Well, thanks to the good old crock pot, elbow macaroni, velveeta, and a bag salad, all of my dreams ended up coming true. I need to follow my dreams more often…. cook more ribs in a slow cooker! They tasted great and nothing could have been easier!

2 T. brown sugar
1 T. paprika
1 T. table salt
5 lb. baby back ribs
3 cups BBQ sauce, like Sweet Baby Rays

Mix the dry ingredients together and rub them on the meaty side of the ribs. Place the ribs in the slow cooker. Cover all sides of the ribs with the BBQ sauce.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Wallah. Dinner is done.

COOKING THE BOOKS YA’LL!

Slow-Cooker Beef Brisket

Brisket is one of my favorite cuts of beef. The flavor is… well, just so beefy! …I’m cracking myself up here! Anyway, what could be better than a nice cut of beef simmering away all day while you decorate for Christmas or are out shopping and know you have this to come home to? When it’s done, serve with simple ingredients like tortillas, shredded cheese and salsa. While this is easy to serve, it’s easy to pile on the couch with. My gift to you…Merry Christmas! Ps. Don’t be afraid of the cilantro here. My kids love this meat and they can sniff out cilantro with the best of them!

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (2-3 lb.) beef brisket
2 tsp. table salt + an extra sprinkling of kosher salt if you have it
1 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper chile flakes or ground chipotle chile powder (original recipe calls for the chile powder)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) fajita-size flour tortillas

Toppings: Shredded Pepper Jack cheese (I use Mozzarella), sour cream, salsa, additional chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Place first 3 ingredients in a 6-qt. slow cooker.

Trim fat from brisket; cut brisket into 3-inch pieces. Rub brisket pieces evenly with salt and chipotle chile powder or the red pepper flakes, and place on top of vegetables in the slow cooker. Top with 1 cup cilantro.

Cover and cook on HIGH 6 to 8 hours or until brisket pieces shred easily with a fork.

Remove brisket from slow cooker, and cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred meat into bite-size pieces. Return mixture to slow cooker. Serve in flour-tortillas with desired toppings and lime wedges.

Note: I used red pepper flakes because it was what I had on hand and I loved how it turned out! Not too spicy and good flavor, but follow your gut on this. Use less pepper flakes or follow the original recipe. You can’t go wrong! Also, the book says to select a brisket that is uniform in thickness to make shredding the meat easier. (Somehow, I always forget that part, but I’ve never had a problem. Although, I’m sure it really would be helpful!)
Serves 6
Hands-On Time 15 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Chorizo Queso

My kiddos are really into chorizo right now. They think chorizo and egg burritos are the best things going, so these days, I have had a little of it stashed in the fridge for their cravings. Between having some on hand and being inspired by the Pioneer Woman’s recipe out of her new book, Come and Get It!, we enjoyed a nice warm bowl of queso on a chilly fall Sunday night. Pretty yummy and pretty good timing, if I do say so myself! Thanks Ree!

1 (9 oz.) pkg. fresh chorizo
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 packet Sazon Goya seasoning mix
2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 fresh tomatoes, diced

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the fresh chorizo, crumbling the sausage with a spoon as you go, about 5 minutes.

Add the diced onion, garlic, and Sazon seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally another 3 to 4 minutes by Ree’s directions…. (I went longer because sometimes, er, most times…. chorizo puzzles me.) until the onion is starting to soften and the sausage is totally cooked.

Drain on paper towels, blotting the top as well. Add the chorizo mixture, Velveeta, Rotel, and milk back to your large skillet and melt on low stirring often.

When melted, add the fresh tomatoes before serving.

This can also be made in the slow cooker after you cook your meat. PW says to cook this on high in your crockpot for 45 minutes, stir, and cook another 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Chicken Spaghetti

Being an easy slow-cooker recipe, this meal ensures that I get that last load of towels folded. Oops, er…… that is so not true! What I meant to say, was that I get to start or finish that glorious novel that awaits me. Now, that is more like it! Happy reading!

1 (16 oz. pkg.) spaghetti, prepared
2 (10 1/2 oz. ) cans Campbell’s chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
4-6 green onions, chopped
1 (16 oz.) pkg. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off the bone and shredded or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

While you are preparing your spaghetti, stir all of the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. (For ease in cleaning and combining recipe ingredients, I like to use a slow cooker liner here.) Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring in between chapters of your book, until warmed through.
Serves 8 to 10