#2,796 and #2,797: Pork Carnita Enchiladas and Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This is a terrible picture b/c it doesn't do it justice. Yes these are enchiladas, but they are filled with pork carnita shredded meat, black beans, corn, and cheese. Chloe (my kid who isn't a big meat eater), was eating the pork filling directly out of the pan on the stove. Yep, it's that good.  The next time pork butt is on sale go grab one (or two!).  This filling freezes well, but the best way to eat this is to pan fry it in its juices after it's done cooking because it gets this nice little cripsy crust on it.  Oh my gosh, so good.  So I cooked it in the crockpot, then sauteed it in a pan to crisp it up, THEN I added it to the tortillas with beans, corn, and cheese and turned it into enchiladas.  HUGE hit at my house!  Only some of us like enchilada sauce so I usually don't have it on hand, so I found this easy recipe to make it from scratch.  So today you get both recipes here. Did you know how easy it is to make enchilada sauce?!  SOOO easy.  

4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt) , skinless, boneless 

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 onion , chopped

1 jalapeno , de-seeded, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 oranges , juice only (or 3/4 cup juice)

Rub

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.

Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.

Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic, and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.

Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.

Set the cooking liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

To Crisp:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.

Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches, don't crowd the pan.

Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot.

Note: Best way to store/freeze: Shred pork but don't pan fry. Keep pork and juice separate, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Enchilada Sauce:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over med/low heat. Add the flour and whisk for approx. 1 minute.  Add all the spices and stir.  Gradually and slowly add the broth, whisking to prevent any lumps.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until enchilada sauce thickens.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

#2,788: Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

Sometimes it's hard to make chicken in the crockpot if you are going to be gone ALL day because it doesn't need as much time to cook all the way through.  This is a great recipe you can make on the weekend (or even after work if you cook it on high) and reheat it the next day for dinner.  We ate these on toasted Hawaiian rolls with some cheese (as you can sort of tell from the picture), but you could eat this over rice or cauliflower rice as well!  If you do eat this as a sandwich, I strongly suggest toasting your rolls or getting crusty bread because the sauce on this chicken soaks into the bread a bit and can make your rolls a bit soggy if not toasted.  

My kids loved this recipe and we've already eaten it twice already.  I'm sure this will be part of our regular rotation.  

3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. chopped onion

2 c. pineapple juice

1/2 c. brown sugar *edited from the original recipe, which called for 1 cup

3/4 c. ketchup

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

4 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and spices in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, then set aside.

Place chicken in slow cooker and add diced onion.  Pour pineapple juice mixture over the chicken to cover completely.  Cook on low heat 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. 

*If sauce is not as thick as you'd like it to be, you can prop open the lid and let some additional liquid evaporate before shredding and serving.

Shred chicken and then add it back to the sauce. 
See note above on how to serve this.

#2,685: Texas Roadhouse Pot Roast

We don't eat at Texas Roadhouse, so I can't vouch for the comparison to what they serve, but I can tell you that we loved this recipe!  I also highly doubt that Texas Roadhouse serves this as sandwiches, but that's how my family enjoys roasts the most.  

We eat some form of a roast fairly regularly and it's always hit or miss if my kids enjoy it or not.  I wasn't sure if they were going to be fans of this one, and in fact, would have bet they did not.  They completely proved me wrong!  We had 3 different meals leftover this week so we had a leftovers night, and both of the girls chose this meal over the other choices.  I'd say that's a good sign.  I too ate the leftovers but ended up making these as sort of nachos (chips, leftover meat, and some cheese) , which was also absolutely delicious!  We loved this recipe and I'd definitely make it again!

As I mentioned above, I served this as shredded beef sandwiches.  I just shredded the meat with 2 forks, and then put it back into the sauce to soak up more flavor.   

2 - 2.5 lb chuck roast

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper (any color), chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup water

Place roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Top with vegetables, BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, water and spices.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  

#2,675: Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Mmmmm.....look at how good that sandwich looks!  The only thing missing from this sandwich was more cheese.  LOL  You probably should put cheese on both sides of the bread AND maybe some on top of the meat too.  But I only put cheese on half of the bread to make it just a tiny bit healthier.  This recipe was super, super easy.  The hardest part (which wasn't hard at all) was cutting the meat into small strips.  After that, I threw this into my Instant Pot in 5 minutes!  

My family (including my mom and sister) loved this recipe!  The meat was so tender and I wasn't sure I was going to like the peppers but as soft as they were, they were still so good.  Everyone but Matthew was a big fan, and even he at least ate the meat (who doesn't want/like the bread part of a sandwich!?).

This is a huge keeper recipe and I will definitely be making this again...soon.

The original recipe I found said to put this in the instant pot for 40 minutes...yeah I knew that was too long for the steak to cook, so I decided to take a chance and cook it for 23 minutes.  After the 23 minutes I did a natural release for 10 minutes.  It was perfect!  

2 sliced green peppers

1 sliced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 - 2½ lbs. thinly sliced steak (I used sirloin steak cut into thin strips against the grain)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix

1 cup beef broth

6 slices of provolone cheese, sliced in half

6 hoagie rolls

Add the vegetables, steak, seasonings and beef broth to the instant pot.  

Seal and cook on high pressure for 23 minutes.  Allow the instant pot to depressurize naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the steam manually the rest of the way.

In the meantime, slice the hoagie rolls open and place on a baking sheet. Top each with with two slice cheese halves.

Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

Top each roll with the meat and veggies. You can also used the juices in the pot with the meat to dip the sandwiches in if desired. 

#2,673: Crock Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup

This is another recipe that I made this recipe right after I had my gallbladder surgery because it took such little time to throw together in the crockpot.  You basically cook the veggies and broth (and chicken if you're using it) and then add in the tortellini at the very end.  As you can see in the original recipe below, you are supposed to cook (and shred) chicken into this soup.  That had no appeal to me whatsoever, so I decided to omit it and use chicken tortellini instead.  I still got the chicken flavor, but didn't have chicken pieces floating throughout my soup.  Although I really enjoyed this healthy, easy soup, next time I will make one change.  I'll cook the tortellini in a pot on the stove, let it cool, and then add it to my soup so it stops cooking and soaking up so much liquid. 

If you are making this an plan to serve/eat it all in one sitting, you definitely don't have to do that.  But since I was the only one eating this, and eating it as leftovers, the tortellini got a little soft (still good, but not as good as it could have been). 

3 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 celery stalks, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cups shredded chicken 

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper, to taste

16 ounces three-cheese tortellini (I used refrigerated chicken flavored tortellini)

fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)

Place the carrots, celery, garlic, onion, chicken, chicken stock, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary into a 6-quart slow cooker. Mix until combined.

Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Place the three-cheese tortellini into the soup and mix. Cook on high for another 15 minutes.

Serve and garnish with parsley.

#2,064: Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

It was one of those days where I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to make for dinner because I didn't have any definite plans (a lot of times I do).  I knew I wanted to make something ridiculously easy, and I had some chicken thighs in my freezer, so I figured I'd do a quick search for something...and something that would go well with pasta as a side dish. Enter this recipe!  It was so simple, and I literally had all of the ingredients on hand.  Well I didn't have any mushrooms on hand, but my husband wouldn't want them in this dish anyways.  

I love recipes when dinner is in the crockpot and cooking within minutes!  That was definitely this recipe! 

Overall, my family really did enjoy this meal...there weren't any leftovers, so that's always a great sign!  The chicken was tender and moist, and I'd make this again. Although I was the only one who ate it on top of pasta...everyone else ate it on the side, and Allison put it into a little roll to make a chicken sandwich.  To each his own!  

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 pound sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced (I didn't have green on hand, so I used red bell pepper)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 

Place chicken in a slow cooker; stir in spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cover. Cook on Low until chicken is tender, 6 to 8 hours.

#2,059: Crockpot Cube Steak

A lot of cube steak recipes I've found either have you browning on the stovetop (too much work and clean up) and/or use cream of mushroom soup.  My husband has an apparent "allergy" to mushrooms (I don't believe it), so I was looking for a recipe that used different ingredients.  Happily, I came across this recipe that just dumps everything into the crockpot (no mushroom soup included either) and cooks all day.  We were big fans of this recipe and I would certainly make this one again!  The recipe calls for cornstarch and water to thicken up the liquid, but I did not need to do this.  Our gravy was thick enough for us!  

1 packet of au jus gravy mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can French onion soup

1/2 cup water

1 ½-2 pounds cube steak

to thicken gravy:

3 tbsp cornstarch (I omitted)

3 tbsp cold water (I omitted)

In the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, combine cream of chicken soup, French Onion soup, packet of au jus and water.  Stir well.  Put cubed steak in slow cooker with gravy mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook steak on low for 6-8 hours.

(I didn't have to do these last steps). After cooking, it's time to thicken gravy. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Stir mixture into crock pot.

Turn the setting to high and cook for 30 minutes (until gravy is thickened.)

#2,057: Crockpot Sweet Potatoes

I have been following the Six Sister's Stuff website/blog/facebook group for a long time now.  The other day I saw a video they posted to make sweet potatoes in the crockpot.  It was so stupidly easy, and I happened to have 2 sweet potatotes needing to be cooked on my counter.  They turned out perfectly soft!  I could have cut them up and eaten them as shown above, but I slipped the skins off and mashed mine up to make a healthy sweet potato casserole.  SOOOO simple.  Better yet, I used my Smart Wifi Light Switch and turned my crockpot on from the doctor's office! 

All you have to do is wash 2-4 sweet potatoes as you normally would, then stick them into the crockpot still damp (don't dry them off after washing).  I also added about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom just in case.  :)  Cover and turn on low for 5-6 hours.  You don't have to poke the sweet potatoes with a fork before cooking either! 

That's it!  They were perfectly cooked!  

#2,052: Slow Cook Mongolian Beef

I am very picky beef eater.  LOL  It has to be perfectly cooked (i.e. totally well-done), and it can't be fatty or chewy, and it can't be too thick.  Friends of ours gave us some flank steak and I was honestly scared to cook it.  So I let it almost thaw, and then (when still a bit frozen) I cut it into thin strips. 

Let me say, I LOVED this recipe.  I threw some frozen broccoli in about an hour before I was going to serve it (much to the displeasure of my husband LOL).  We served this over rice, and I added some crispy chinese noodles...fantastic! 

1 ½ pounds Flank Steak

¼ cups cornstarch

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

½ teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves

¾ cups Soy Sauce

¾ cups Water

¾ cups Brown Sugar

1 cup grated Carrots

green onions, for garnish

Cut flank steak into thin strips. In a ziplock bag add flank steak pieces and cornstarch. Shake to coat.

Add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and carrots to slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir again until coated in the sauce.

Cook for high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours until cooked throughout and tender (I think I cooked mine on high for closer to 4-5 hours). Can serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

#2,049: Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this recipe, but I ended up loving it!  Although I will admit it was a tad bit salty, so make sure to use low sodium chicken broth AND soy sauce (I used coconut aminos which are lighter on the sodium). I loved this.  I only used half a can of the coconut milk so I froze the rest to make this again!  

1 1/2- 2lbs lean ground turkey or ground beef

2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 large orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces about 1 inch 

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used coconut aminos)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup Stevia-in-the-Raw granulated sweetener (I used 2 packets of stevia)

2 T granulated Monk fruit sweetener (I omitted)

2-3 T Chili Garlic Sauce 

2 tsp. minced ginger 

2 tsp. minced garlic 

1 can coconut milk 

1/2 cup green onions sliced in 1 inch pieces

cooked cauliflower rice (I threw mine in frozen and just cooked it until it was heated through)

In a pan cook the ground beef or turkey and the onions, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. When cooked through, add it to the crockpot.  

Add the sweet potatoes to the crockpot.

Mix together the soy sauce, chicken stock, sweeteners of your choice, Chili Garlic Sauce, minced ginger, and minced garlic and pour over ingredients.  Cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until sweet potatoes are done and starting to fall apart just a little.  

When the sweet potatoes are done, add the riced cauliflower, can of coconut milk and the green onion pieces, turn heat to low, and cook 30 minutes more.  

Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, and crispy noodles if desired.

#2,045: Slow Cook Zuppa Toscana

It is cold here.  Like barely above zero temps, and staying below zero a lot of the time.  This time of year I definitely start craving the comfort and coziness of soups, and when I saw this soup on Pinterest it was calling my name.  It was really good!  I don't know how it compares to Olive Garden (pretty sure this is a knock-off recipe), but it was still really good.  I tried to make it a tiny bit healthier by adding in fat-free evaporated milk instead of the heavy cream, but I'm sure it would have been even better with the heavy cream.  Also, like a previous post, I think the kale should have gone in a bit sooner so that it cooked down more, but that's a personal preference with cooked kale. 

1 lb ground Hot Italian sausage (I used bulk pork sausage)

1 bag Simply Potatoes diced potatoes and onions 

2 cloves large garlic minced

32 oz chicken stock

1/2 bunch kale (a couple of handfuls) de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup heavy cream (I used fat-free evaporated milk)

2 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes optional

Heat large saute pan over medium-high heat and brown sausage.  Add minced garlic and stir to combine.  Drain off the grease and then add sausage and garlic to the bottom of slow cooker.

Add a bag of diced potatoes and onion, cover with chicken stock and water (if necessary) to completely cover potatoes and sausage.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft)

BEFORE SERVING:

Whisk together heavy cream and flour until well mixed. Pour into slow cooker, add kale and stir to combine.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly.

Taste, season according to your tastes, and serve.

#2,042: Slow Cooker Asian-BBQ Fusion Chicken

I am trying to use chicken thighs more because I know they are a bit easier on the grocery budget, but they aren't my favorite type of meat.  I made this because it looked SO good to me, but I didn't know if my boys would enjoy it as much (the girls were out of town).  No surprise, the littlest boy (5) wasn't a big fan and we had to coerce him to eat it.  The big boy (40) actually surprised me by liking this.  He did, however, prefer to eat the leftover chicken in a roll (more like a BBQ chicken sandwich) instead. 

6 chicken thighs, skin removed.

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp minced jarred garlic)

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried ground ginger)

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

Juice from 1 lemon (or 3 Tbsp lemon juice)

Lemon zest (if using a fresh lemon)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Season chicken with the spices.

Add all of the ingredients on top except for the water and cornstarch. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.

In a small saucepan, whisk the cold water with the cornstarch until well blended.

Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker to the saucepan and whisk.

Heat over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens.

Mix the thickened liquid back into the slow cooker and stir. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve chicken over rice. Top with some of the sauce and then some sesame seeds.

#2,041: Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

I made this soup for my neighbor, and selfishly, saved a bowl for myself because the meatballs and noodles were calling my name!  Although I really liked this recipe, it had a bit too much kale in it for my liking.  Also, you add the kale in towards the end, and I think I would have liked it more if I would have added the kale in at the beginning and it had a chance to get even softer.  I would definitely make this recipe again though, it was so good.  And the hardest part was cooking the meatballs ahead of time (I do love when everything gets dumped into the crockpot at one time!).  Also, I made my noodles ahead of time and let them completely cool before adding them in at the end.  I didn't want them to cook in the liquid and continue cooking, and get too soft/mushy. 

8 cups chicken broth

3 large carrots peeled and chopped

1 small onion diced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic minced

1 slice bread torn into very small pieces (I used a bit of breadcrumbs)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (if sauteing)

Soup Add-ins

8 ounces endive or escarole trimmed and torn into 1/2 inch strips (I used kale)

1 cup acini di pepe pasta or other small pasta, uncooked

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a slow cooker combine the following: chicken broth, carrots, onion, parsley, oregano, and garlic. Turn on low heat for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

For the meatballs:

In a medium bowl combine, egg, ground beef, onion, parsley, garlic, bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake meatballs for 15 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through.  Place the meatballs in slow cooker with chicken broth, vegetables, and seasonings.

20 minutes prior to mealtime, add the pasta and torn endive or escarole to slow cooker. Cover again and cook until pasta and greens are tender. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

#2,034: Easy Crockpot Orange Chicken

I had 2 large frozen chicken breasts that I wanted to use up in a very easy way, so I figured I'd give this recipe a try.  I knew I was pushing my luck because my family typically doesn't eat a ton of meat that's served over rice (if I throw it in a roll, that's usually a better outcome for us), and asking my husband to eat something with "marmalade" would have been a flat out no.  So I had to sneak this one past them and hope for the best.  I figured the addition of the BBQ sauce was a good starting point for sneaking this one by them. 

The original recipe says to cook the chicken first by itself, and then drain the natural liquid released from the chicken before adding in the sauce ingredients, but I was not about extra steps.  So I cooked it all together and and it turned out just fine. 

My family wasn't big fans of this recipe.  It was too "citrusy" for their liking.  I liked it, but I didn't love it.  I would certainly eat this again, but it's not something that will be on my menu again any time soon. 

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp soy sauce
Rice (white, brown, jasmine, etc) for serving
Optional toppings: sesame seeds, sliced green onion, crispy Chinese noodles, etc. 

Cut 3-4 chicken breasts into small chunks.  Place them in a crockpot.
In a medium bowl, combine the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and orange marmalade.  Mix to combine, and pour over the chicken.  Stir to coat the chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  

Serve with rice and additional toppings (if desired).

#2,028: Hearty Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

I am a fan of beef stew, but my family is not, so it isn't something I make very often.  But I was totally in the mood for some stew this time of year so I figured I'd give this recipe a try.  I made it fully knowing that all my family would eat was the beef stew meat, and that I'd have to make mashed potatoes for them instead of the sweet potatoes or root vegetables.  I'm totally ok with that though because it means more veggies for me!  My kids thought this was just ok.  My husband enjoyed it, but didn't like it reheated.  I however, enjoy eating my leftover meat cold (weird I know!), so I loved it leftover, and was glad I didn't have to fight him for the last serving.  :)  I would totally make this again, but don't throw the sweet potatoes in right away.  I knew it would be soft because I was going out for the day and had to put them in the crockpot in the beginning, but if you can throw them in a few hours later, the texture will be better and the potatoes will hold up more.   Also, as you will see by the original recipe below, this is supposed to be made on the stove top, but I wanted this even easier, so I threw it in the crockpot!

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided (I used vegetable oil)

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 2 1/2 lbs)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth

1/3 cup dry red wine or additional reduced-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch (I omitted)

3 tablespoons cold water (I omitted)

1-1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, halved (I omitted)

4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 medium parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 medium turnip, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

How I made this in the crockpot:
In a large pan, heat up vegetable oil and brown the meat and onions over high heat, not necessarily cooking the meat all the way though, but so that it is nicely browned on all sides.

Meanwhile, in the crockpot, layer the sweet potatoes, parsnips and turnips.

Once the meat is browned, add the garlic, broth, dry red wine (if using), thyme, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix to combine and pour over the vegetables in the crockpot.

Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low.  

Original recipe directions: 

Preheat oven to 325°. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add onions; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth and wine, stirring to remove browned bits from pan. Stir in thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Return beef to pan; bring to a boil. Bake, covered, 1-1/4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into stew. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips and turnip to pan. Bake, covered, 45-60 minutes longer or until beef and vegetables are tender. If desired, strain cooking juices; skim fat. Return cooking juices to Dutch oven. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts). 

#2,026: Crockpot Bourbon Chicken

I am not a fan of chicken thighs, and often will sub out boneless skinless chicken breasts instead in a recipe.  But I know that chicken thighs are less expensive, so I thought I'd try and give this recipe a try.  We really enjoyed this recipe, and I loved how easy it was to throw together!  I added some water chestnuts and some crispy chinese noodles to give it more texture, which made me enjoy it even more!  I didn't love it reheated as much as I did the first night we ate this, but I'm so picky with chicken.  

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup sliced green onions (or more to taste)
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
Crispy chinese noodles (to top)

Jasmine (or white) rice (to serve over)

SAUCE

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1/3 cup apple juice

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Bourbon (I used wiskey because that's all I had on hand)

1/4 cup soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in slow cooker, pour sauce over top. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 3 hours.

Remove chicken and chop into bite-sized pieces and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine 3 tablespoons water with cornstarch. Turn slow cooker up to high. Whisk cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Cover and allow to thicken, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes). Stir chicken (and water chestnuts) back into the sauce and add in green onions.

Serve over rice.

#2,011: 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Biscuits and Gravy

One of my sweet students shared some recipes with me, and told me that this was the one that I had to make first.  So of course I made sure to get all of the ingredients so I could make it this weekend and have a recipe/chef sharing chat with him on Monday.  This was a ridiculously easy recipe to throw together and although I would probably cut down on the amount of soup used (I like my biscuits a little drier, but that's a personal preference), I'd definitely make this again.  I knew if I had any chance of my family eating this I had to swap out the cream of mushroom for cream of celery.  Brian "claims" to have a mushroom allergy....I think he just doesn't like them...but it's rubbed off on the kids too (they don't like them, they aren't allergic).  I love how easy this recipe is to throw together.  Although it says to cook on high for 2 hours, but I had to cook mine on high for 3 hours for it to be fully cooked in the middle.  

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage 

2 cans refrigerator biscuits (not grands size)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of celery)

Brown and drain the sausage.  Layer 1 can of biscuits in the bottom of a greased slow cooker.  Top with half the sausage and then 1 can of cream of mushroom soup.

Repeat the layers once more.  Cook on high for 2 hours (mine took 3) just before time to serve breakfast.  Or 4-5 hours on low.