Recipe: Spicy Crockpot Meatballs

This is one of the first recipes I ever made in a crockpot.  I remember it was while I was in Grad School and living in Oakley with Ross.  We decided to have people over one night for a "game night" and I wanted to make something that was a bit more substantial that I could prepare ahead of time.  I searched online and found this recipe for Crockpot Meatballs.  They were a hit!  My cousin Jenny was over along with my brother, sister-in-law and some friends, and they all loved them.  Jenny even took some home in a mug for the car ride :)

I got the recipe here and have used it many times since then and it has always been a favorite of family and friends.  I made them for the Superbowl Party and once again, everyone seemed pleased with them!

Ingredients:
3 to 4 dozen small meatballs, such as 2 packages Aidell's Chicken & Turkey Chipotle Meatballs (I just use the Kroger brand frozen Swedish or Homestyle Meatballs)
1 jar of apple jelly
1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce (really any flavor you would like works)
2 poblano chile peppers, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
dash garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder

These are extremely simple.  All you do is put the meatballs in, add the ingredients and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  That's it!  How easy is that?  AND they are really delicious!

You don't have to use these recipes exact either.  I sometimes use jalapeno peppers if I have them on hand or any other seasoning you would like to add.  I put crushed red pepper, Southwest Chipotle seasoning, and a little more than a dash of garlic powder.

Enjoy!
~Kate

Recipe: Spicy Chicken Tacos

I recently went back through some of my old recipes I had stowed away.  I sometimes forget that I have a lot of recipes written down and easily accessible.  I thought of this recipe because I have been on a big Mexican food kick lately.  It's just so easy to make and is ALWAYS good :)  This recipe is made in a slow cooker which is very convenient.

Ingredients: (Serving 2)

1 large or 2 smaller boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 adobe chiles (in adobe sauce), chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup salsa
1 tbsp. chili powder
salt and pepper
taco shells

Optional Garnish:
shredded cheese
sour cream
cilantro
extra salsa

So this recipe is extremely easy.  You just throw all those ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours. Mix everything together and shred the chicken.   I put more salsa and chiles in because I like it extra spicy.  You could probably add any other ingredients in if you want as well, onion, peppers, etc.  The garnish is pretty much to your liking, I used sour cream, taco sauce, hot sauce, and a bit more salsa. We used corn tortillas because we had them on hand, but you could use hard tacos or flour tortillas as well!  Enjoy and watch out, those chiles can get pretty hot!

~Kate

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork with Green Beans

I love looking up various recipes, either online or in magazines.  I save accounts on some food websites and if I'm looking through magazines, I have started just tearing the recipes out and putting them in a binder.  I recently went to the Newtown Farmer's Market and found some great looking green beans.  So, I wanted to find a recipe for the beans and wanted to make a pork tenderloin to go along with it; I get sick of chicken sometimes, so I wanted to use a different protein.  

I don't really use a slow cooker as much as people recommend.  I know it's really easy, but sometimes with my schedule, it really doesn't fit in. But, after finding this recipe for slow roasted pork tenderloin, I thought I'd give it a try! I should note that after going to the grocery store, and not finding any PLAIN pork tenderloins (only the pre-marinated ones) I decided to use boneless pork chops instead. 
I think it worked out okay, but probably not as juicy. Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine (I used a merlot I had on hand)
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. soy sauce
ground pepper

Place the pork in the slow cooker with the soup mix.  Pour water, wine, and soy sauce in on top.  Carefully spread garlic over the pork and sprinkle with pepper.  Cook on low for 4 hours. 

Some notes: Since I didn't have the tenderloin and I didn't have 4 hours, I cooked mine on high for about an hour and a half, which was fine.  Use the cooking liquid from the slow cooker as a side of au jus, this was delicious!

I also found a great recipe for the green beans on allrecipes.com.  It was for green beans with almonds and caramelized shallots, sounded delicious and easy!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
3 tbsp. butter
5 small shallots
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped

Directions:
1. Put slivered almonds in a skillet over low heat and toast for 6-8 minutes, stirring often.  Once you begin to smell the nuttiness, they are about done.  Take the almonds out of skillet and place aside.
2. Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat and add the shallots and red pepper.  Saute for about 8 minutes or so.  Reduce heat to low and sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for another 5-8 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put a steamer basket in a pot with boiling water just below the steamer.  Once the water is boiling, add the green beans to the steamer and cover.  Steam beans for 7-8 minutes.  Strain the beans, then add to the shallot mixture, then add the almonds.

I really liked this recipe.  I loved the onion flavor from the soup mix for the pork and I thought the au jus was great.  I think the pork tenderloin would have been better though.  The beans were great as well!  Just a bit of sweetness from the sugar and the almonds added a great nutty crunch.  My husband liked everything as well!  We also served it with a side of tomato, mozzarella and basil salad which was also delicious!