Barbecue Meatloaf

Cool weather has arrived and that means it's time for some comfort food from the slow cooker.  It doesn't get more comfort foodish than meatloaf, so Ed went looking for recipes that could be done in the slow cooker, and this one caught his eye.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (we used 2 lbs ground sirloin - why?  it's leaner & it was on sale at Kroger this week)
• 1 can tomato soup, divided
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:

1. Combine ground chuck with half of the tomato soup, egg, crackers, honey, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, onions, salt & pepper.  
2. Mix well and form into a ball/loaf.
3. Place a crinkled length of aluminum foil in the slow cooker so the ends extend an inch or so out of the pot.
4. Place the meatloaf in the pot (the foil will make it easier to lift the meatloaf out & keep it out of the drippings.
5. Combine remaining soup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, water, mustard, and brown sugar.
6. Whisk together and pour over the meatloaf.
7. Cover & cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. (9 hours worked well in our slow cooker.)
8. Serves 4 to 6.

Our thoughts:

The meatloaf turned out moist with a slightly smoky flavor.  Next time we will probably add some more spicy spices, like chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and maybe some chopped adobo chiles just to give it some kick.

Slow-Cooked Meatball Stew

I subscribe to several recipe distribution emails and have gathered quite a few simple but tasty recipes from these groups.  This meatball stew recipe came from pillsbury.com and we were very pleased by our finished product.  

Ingredients:

1 bag (1 lb) ready-to-eat baby carrots

1 lb small red potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 inch), cut into quarters

1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges

1 bag (16 oz) frozen cooked meatballs (about 32)

1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

Freshly ground black pepper, if desired

Directions:

1. In 4 to 5 quart slow cooker, layer all ingredients in order listed.

2. Cover, cook on low setting 8 to 10 hours.  Before serving, gently stir stew.

Note:  In this recipe, it is important to place ingredients in the cooker in the order listed.  Longer cooking vegetables are on the bottom where they cook more quickly.  Already cooked or faster cooking ingredients are layered on top.

What we changed (it's what we do!):

1.  I cut the red potatoes into smaller pieces to make them more bite-sized when served.

2.  Since I didn't have a real onion on hand, I used 2 teaspoons of minced onion.  Couldn't tell the difference in the finished product.

3.  I used turkey meatballs to be a bit healthier.  Kroger has a 2 lb. resealable bag that worked perfectly, leaving us a pound to use for another meal.

4.  The can of diced tomatoes was a can of Hunt's No Salt Added, with Basil, Garlic & Oregano.  I figured extra spice flavor and no sodium was a win-win!

5.  Besides sprinkling black pepper on the top, I also sprinkled some garlic powder and chipotle chili powder, because we like spice.

6.  At the 8 hour mark, I stirred the stew and sampled for doneness.  It was done, but Ed wasn't home yet, so I turned the slow cooker to warm for another 30 minutes until he arrived which worked nicely.

Our thoughts:

This stew definitely fits the definition of comfort food!  Hearty flavors that blend well, not soupy like some recipes get in the slow cooker, but just the right consistency to be called "stew".  Even though it's about to be summer and you might think of stew as more of a winter meal, this dish makes for a great dinner without heating up the house.  We'll be keeping this recipe in our dinner rotation!

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Yeah, I know that we post a lot of chicken recipes here, but there are just so many different ways you can cook a 2.5 lb. bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts! And this recipe may be the simplest one yet...!

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless chicken breasts (this is about one 2.5 lb. bag of frozen chicken breasts - and yes, you can use frozen, no thawing required!)

1 bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)

1-20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray for an easy cleanup (or use one of those handy-dandy liner bags).

2. Place frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cover with sauce.

3. Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.

4. Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.

5. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the slow cooker so the chicken will be well-coated with sauce.

6. Serve over rice.

Our Thoughts:

We were very pleased with how moist and flavorful the chicken turned out. The sweetness in the pineapple along with the orange/mango/pineapple accents in the bottled sauce were nicely balanced by the tangy BBQ flavor. We chose to spoon the chicken-cue over Bisquick drop biscuits (we were out of rice) which gave the dish a Southern feel. Next time I think we will serve the chicken on King's Hawaiian Rolls to bring some additional sweetness to a BBQ chicken sammich.

Possible Additions in the Future:

chopped green/red bell peppers or jalapeno peppers, if you want to be more adventurous & add more kick.

Mexican Lasagna Stack Up

My new guilty pleasure is finding new recipes on Pinterest. The advantage to searching for recipes on boards on Pinterest is that you can see a picture of the finished product and when I see something looking particularly yummy that is also simple to boot, I pin it on my Recipes to Try board. That is how I discovered tonight's tasty dinner for the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

12-14 small corn tortillas

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 tbsp fajita seasoning

28 oz can tomatoes (I used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with red pepper and a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with garlic to add extra seasoning)

15.5 oz can black beans

15.5 oz can corn (or you can use frozen)

2 cups salsa (any variety will work - I used a black bean & corn salsa this time)

2 cups shredded chicken

1 small onion, chopped

Cooking instructions:

1. Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Lay down layer of tortillas. Each crockpot varies in size. I have a 5 quart one and it took 4 small tortillas to cover the bottom.

2. Spread a layer of tomatoes.

3. Sprinkle some chopped onion on top of the tomatoes.

4. Next spread a layer of black beans.

5. Cover beans with a layer of salsa.

6. Apply a generous amount of fajita seasoning.

7. Next layer on some chicken.

8. Cover chicken with a layer of corn.

9. Top corn with a layer of shredded cheese.

10. Keep layering until you are a couple inches from the top. I was able to repeat the layers 3 times. When you do reach the top, for the final layer, do a layer of tortillas, topped with the rest of your tomatoes and cheese.

11. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Top with sour cream or avocado if desired. Makes 6-8 servings.

Our impressions:

1. The recipe did a good job of combining the lasagna concept with the Mexican flavors. You are able to slice & serve it like a regular lasagna!

2. The recipe as written has a good blend of flavors, but there is room for increased heat. I think next time we may add a layer of jalapenos or green chiles in the middle and/or perhaps use a hot salsa. Using some chipotle chili powder has possibilities too.