• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me!
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosures
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Exploring
    • Exploring- Florida
    • Exploring- Boston
    • Exploring- Cruises
    • Exploring- New England
    • Exploring- New York City
  • Resources
  • Disney Fun!

slow cooker

Slow Cooker Short Rib Tacos

October 4, 2016

Taco Tuesday won’t be average when you make these Slow Cooker Short Rib Tacos. These meat is incredibly tender and flavorful since it is cooked all day in beer.

You’ll be excited to get home when you open the door to a house that is fill with the aromas of these short ribs that have been cooking all day. I promise that enjoying these tacos will be the highlight of your day! 

…

Read More

Filed Under: Cinco De Mayo, Meat, Recipes, Slow Cooker Tagged With: short ribs, slow cooker, slow cooker tacos, taco tuesday, tacos short ribs

Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor

August 30, 2016

Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor_

So I did my first Facebook Live cooking demo this weekend!!!!

Gah I was so nervous! But it was fun.

…

Read More

Filed Under: Meat, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Whole 30 Tagged With: pork, slow cooker, taco tuesday, tacos, Tacos Al Pastor

Red Chili Beef

May 31, 2016

Red Chili Beef

So I can’t find my beloved sunglasses. I have looked all over. ALL OVER. For 2 weeks. And I can’t find them. So annoying.

Red Chili Beef-1

First of all, I need them driving to and from work every day so that’s annoying to deal with.

Second of all, I just loved the frames.

Red Chili Beef-2

I just ordered 2 new pairs from Firmoo. (Totally not sponsored!) I figure that since I ordered new ones I will now find the ones I can’t find. And if not, then I have 2 new pairs.

Plus, I mean, how could I resist?!?! They are having a BOGO sale now so I got 2 prescription sunglasses for $71, and that included expedited shipping. That $12 is so worth is since they just take 3-5 business days that way vs 2 weeks since they are from China. So worth it.

Red Chili Beef-5 Red Chili Beef-6

I can’t wait to get them and wear them 24/7, or at least when it’s sunny out!

Any who, I purchased a package of New Mexico chilies on a whim and they have been taunting me since then. I had no idea what to do with them, I just picked them up.

Red Chili Beef-7 Red Chili Beef-8 Red Chili Beef-9 Red Chili Beef-10 Red Chili Beef-11 Red Chili Beef-12

Well, I dove into the interwebs and found this awesome recipe for Red Chile Beef.

Now, don’t stress if you can’t get your hands on New Mexico Chilies, you can substitute California or ancho chilies. New Mexico chilies have a bit more heat but you’ll still have great results.

Red Chili Beef-3

I seriously can’t get over how much I love this sauce. It gives the tender beef so much flavor and a subtle richness. And the kicker is that it wasn’t hard to make at all. Just don’t touch your eyes… lesson learned! (duh!)

Be sure to give this a try so that you can enjoy it in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, and much more!

Red Chili Beef-4

Red Chili Beef

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients

For the pork

  • 3 pound boneless pork roast/shoulder (or 3 1/2 pound bone-in)
  • 1/2 Cup beef stock
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons oil

For the sauce

  • 3 ounces (about 12) dried new mexico chilies
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Process

  1. Prepare the roast by sprinkling salt and pepper on all sides.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown all sides of the roast.
  3. Place the roast and beef stock in a slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours, until tender and falling apart.
  4. While the beef is cooking, prepare the red chili sauce. Begin by removing the stems and seeds from the dried chilies.
  5. Fill a medium-sized pot 2/3 full with water. Add the chilies to the water, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and place a small plate on the chilies to keep them under the water. Cover the pot and let sit for 30 minutes.
  6. Place the chilies with 1/2 Cup of the soaking water in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
  7. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any seeds and remaining tough skins.
  8. In the pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until it just starts to brown, about one minute. Add the chili puree, cumin, and salt. Stir continuously while cooking for one minute or two. Remove from heat.
  9. When the roast is done cooking, remove the roast to a rimmed cutting board. Pull apart the beef with 2 forks, or by hand. Remove any big chunks of fat or gristle.
  10. Mix 1/4 cup of the slow cooker liquid juices from the beef into the (warm) red chili sauce. Discard the excess liquid.
  11. Place the pulled beef back in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the beef, stirring to coat. Serve or keep on “warm” or “low” setting until ready to serve.

Adapted from From Scratch to Plate

Filed Under: Meat, Recipes Tagged With: beef, red chile, red chili, slow cooker, taco tuesday, tacos

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches- SRC

January 25, 2016

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches

Get ready to sink your teeth into these babies!!!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-01

But first let’s recap this weekend!

Since Price was gone this weekend in FL for interviews and to set up my dad’s house for our arrival in less than 3 weeks, it was just me and Autumn. I ditched the dog at the dog walker’s house so that I didn’t have to juggle him, Autumn, and the snow that really wasn’t here in Boston. So Autumn asked for the dog the whole weekend, which was heart breaking, but I’m sure that if she knew that having him around would have meant long walks in the cold in the baby carrier she wouldn’t have minded his little vacation.

Autumn and I did a whole lot of nothing. It was great. It was a live in your PJ’s and not wear a bra sort of weekend. Plus, we baked some brownies and a cake. And played with play-doh, thankfully we did not eat that. I had a friend over for dinner on Saturday after she went to bed and I’m just thankful that our constant laughter didn’t wake up Autumn.

As well, did a lot of snapping and chatting with a friend who is going through so tough times. Which, reminds me, hey dudes, how about not beating the shit out of your wives so you don’t get arrested? Good idea, right?! RIGHT!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-02

Okay, now that that’s over, let’s get back to these awesome Cuban Sandwiches.

I picked this recipe out for this month’s Secret Recipe Club post because it sounded to easy and delicious. I mean, Rebecca had so many great recipes on her site, Making Miracles, so it was not a quick decision. I poured over a lot of recipes on her site, like her Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins, Reese’s Krispie Popcorn, and Pizza Quesadillas. But I just had to try making my own Cuban Sandwiches.

Cubans Sandwiches are such great sandwiches!! I’ve had some really great ones but my most memorable one was when Price and I were on our Babymoon in the Florida Keys and we had one from Cuban Coffee Queen, shack like stand in Key West. It was totally awesome! We sat on benches in the sun while some random chickens ran around at our feet as we ate our sandwiches. ha!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-05 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-06 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-07 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-08

I never considered making Cubans before seeing this recipe on Rebecca’s blog, but it seemed easy so I just figured I’d give it a try. Plus, I’m so glad I tried it since I love trying something new. It makes me feel great to learn something new.

There are just 3 basic processes to the make this sandwich- make pulled pork in the slow cooker (simple!), assemble sandwich (simple!), and press & cook sandwich (simple!).

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-09 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-10 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-11 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-12 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-13 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-14

So, I totally forgot pickles at the grocery store and I just couldn’t go back when I realized it while I was unpacking the stuff. I really just couldn’t go back, it would have been my 3rd trip to the grocery store in that Sunday. But I improvised the next day even before having to make another trip to the store, I went to the cafe in my office building and hit up the salad bar to get pickles. ha!!!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-03

Once you’ve made these Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches you will be hooked. So, now whenever you have a major craving for a Cuban Sandwich you will be able to satisfy it yourself!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches-04

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches

Makes 10-12 sandwiches

Ingredients

For the roast

  • 1 2-pound pork shoulder or butt
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano or marjoram
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the sandwiches

  • Sliced Swiss cheese (1-2 slices per sandwich, depending on thickness of cheese)
  • Sliced ham (3 slices per sandwich)
  • Sliced dill pickles
  • Rolls (hoagie rolls or something oblong works best)
  • Yellow Mustard
  • Mayonnaise
  • Butter

Directions

  1. For the roast, combine garlic, oil, vinegar salt, oregano, and pepper. Rub the pork with the spice mixture and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Cook in a crock pot on low for 8-12 hours with 1/2 Cup of water. Shred when
  3. To assemble the sandwiches, spread a thin layer of both mustard and mayo on the insides of the sliced roll. Layer cheese, ham, pickles, roast, and another slice of cheese on the bottom of a roll; top with other half of roll.
  4. Press sandwiches in a buttered panini press or under a heavy cast iron skillet until bread is crispy and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat. Cut on an angle and enjoy.

Adapted from Making Miracles

____________________

newsrcbanner

Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts HERE this month!

And be sure to check out my 4+ years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Filed Under: Meat, Recipes Tagged With: cuban sandwich, slow cooker

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas – SRC

February 23, 2015

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

I have major Wanderlust right now.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-2

I don’t have the kind of life style that lets me travel as much as I would like, but I love to daydream that I could. I think that scrapbooker & designer Kelly Purkey leads such an adventurous life with all of her travels. I love to read her blog and check out what she is up to. You know when you type in the address bar and Google provides you with suggestions from previous seraches? Well, when I type in ‘K’ her blog comes up. Yeah, I guess I go there often…

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-3

Thankfully, I have a trip planned just next month to visit my best friend in Seattle. I seriously can’t wait to go. I haven’t seen her since she visited at Christmas a few weeks after Autumn was born. I miss her terribly ever since she moved away to Seattle, but knowing that she loves it there at least helps lessen the blow. Plus, it means I get to travel to see her!! We are going to cram so much damn stuff in that long weekend. Oh, and the food! And the drinks. I can’t even…

Anyway, back to reality…

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-6 Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-7

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-8 Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-9

I’m sharing such a wonderful, simple recipe today as it is my monthly Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day. I just love SRC as it gives me a little bit of an adventure to check out someone’s blog to make a recipe. Searching their blog for a recipe is like searching yelp for a great restaurant. It’s just a blast, I ask myself “I am in the mood for chicken? a dessert? a dip? should I make osmething with a slow cooker?” just like how you ask yourself ‘hmm, Chinese or pizza tonight.”

This month I took the slow cooker route with these Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from Fantastical Sharing.

I was given Sarah’s blog this month. Sara is such a rock star with her role in Secret Recipe Club as a group organizer. She is so well organized, friendly, and just all around amazing. Sarah also has a blog full of recipes. FULL of recipes.

Plus, Sarah is due any day now!! I am so freaking excited for her. Her son Mason will be here soon enough.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-4

I bookmarked so many recipes to consider, such as these Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bars, Kahlua Cake, and Buffalo Chicken Chili. I’m still determined to make those Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bars!!

Ultimately, I picked this recipe because it was a Whole30 recipe! YAY! It made such great tacos. Plus, it was super simple. Which is fantastic all around, but made for such a great ‘cooking’ experience. I am getting burned out from all this Whole30 cooking. It just never ends! I want take out!! But this was refreshing as it took about 2 minutes to throw together. For real. Chop an onion, open cans, combine it all in a slow cooker.

This recipe is perfect when you know are gonna have a crazy day and need to get dinner on the table quickly. It will have everyone asking for more too!!

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas-5

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

  • 2 pork tenderloins (1 lb. each)
  • 1 jar salsa verde
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can diced green chilies
  • 1 white onion, chopped into

Process

  1. Place all of the ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for 8-10 hours on LOW.
  2. Shred with two forks. Drain off excess juices if you would like. Enjoy in tacos, with rice, or on baked potatoes.

Sourced from Fantastical Sharing

____________________

Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts this month!

And be sure to check out my 3 years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Filed Under: Meat, Recipes Tagged With: carnitas, crock pot, pork, pork tenderloin, slow cooker, slow cooker pork tenderloin, tacos, Whole30, whole30 recipe, whole30 slow cooker

Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

November 6, 2014

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-1

It snowed this past Sunday. #snovember

It’s the first week of November and I’m already over the winter. Done with it. But sadly it is not done tormenting me.

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-2

While I’ve written about how we are trying to eat more Paleo meals- meaning no pasta- I couldn’t resist making a big batch of sauce and some meatballs to enjoy with some – gasp- pasta!!! Sure, we could have had some spaghetti squash but I just couldn’t resist some stick to your bones food on the first day of snow.

And you know, what… it was damn good!!!

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-6 Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-7

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-8 Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-9

Maybe it’s my Italian half shouting from the roof tops but nothing beats homemade marinara sauce and meatballs. Seriously. Oh man, and to dip pieces of Italian bread into the pot of sauce… bliss. I think I just caught myself drooling a bit.

Side note- Autumn loves pasta and sauce. But I was working on making some garlic bread and gave her some bread that I dipped into the sauce for her. I turned back to my task at hand and .2 seconds later I hear her babbling away. The bread was gone! She just inhaled it and wanted more fast. In the end she ate a decent amount of bread with marinara sauce. Makes a mama proud!

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-10 Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-11

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-12 Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-13

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-14 Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-15

Well, look no further than this recipe the next time you are craving some spaghetti with meatballs. Grab some Red Pack and get ready for an awesome meal. The marinara takes about 10 minutes of active cooking time and then you get to forget about it for the rest of the time.

The recipe below says to cook it for 6-7 hours total but if you can adjust your slow cooker to go at a lower temperature then you can extend that cooking time to 8+ so that you can prepare it and set it up right before going to work and then it will be ready for you when you get home.

And the meatballs are the coolest! They are stuffed with a mozzarella ball so when you cut them open you get some warm ooey gooey cheese that comes flowing out. Like lava, but you’d like this kind of lava. They might look intimidating to make but they take about an extra 15-20 seconds to make each one compared to regular meatballs. That tiny bit extra effort is so worth it.

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-5

I might just be able to survive this winter.

At least I’ll have some more marinara that I can easily prepare in the morning and it will be all ready when I get home. It will be so delightful to come up to a great smelling house and freshly made marinara.

Slow Cooker Marinara w Mozzarella Meatballs-4

 Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

For the marinara sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • (28 ounce) can Redpack® Crushed Tomatoes In Thick Puree
  • (28 ounce) can Redpack® Tomato Sauce
  • (6 ounce) can Redpack® Tomato Paste
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 Cup water

For the meatballs

  • 2 pounds turkey or lean ground beef (I used a blend)
  • 1/2 Cup instant oatmeal
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 8 ounces small fresh mozzarella balls
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Process

  1. To make the sauce, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute the onion and garlic until tender and translucent.  Add all of the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker vessel that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
  2. When your sauce has 1 hour of cooking remaining, begin to prepare your meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients besides the mozzarella balls and the olive oil. Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions, then take each of those potions and divide into 2 to create 16 equal portions. Scoop up 1 portion, flatten out the ball to form a patty in the palm of your hand, place a mozzarella ball in the center and then evenly close up the meatball mixture around the cheese. Aside and repeat for all the meatballs.
  3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. In small batches brown all the sides of the meatballs. Be very gentle when flipping as you don’t want to break up the meatballs. Once the meatballs are evenly browned, add them to the slow cooker and continue to cook until the sauce is done.
  4. Serve with 1 pound of the pasta of your choice.

Adapted from Red Pack

This post is sponsored by Red Pack. I received product from Red Pack to make a recipe of my choosing. All opinions are my own.

____________________

And now the GIVEAWAY!!

You can win a Red Pack gift pack that contains (2) 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes and (1) 28oz can of Red Pack sauce, wooden spoon, tote bag and recipe cards.

*You just have to leave a comment to the blog post. Write whatever you want. Simple as that!

To get an extra entry then tweet the following & come back here and leave another comment telling me you did.

“Enjoy!!! Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs & WIN @RedGoldTomatoes prize pack! http://wp.me/pzEAP-4Wh #giveaway”

Also, check out their Facebook page because they are giving away 2 slow cookers every day until Nov 12th. EVERY DAY!!! Plus there is a grand prize at the end too! One lucky winner will win a Slow Cooker grand prize package that includes a state-of-the-art slow cooker, a serving and braising tongs (total prize value estimated at $330).

See, they just really want to have everyone have a slow cooker so people can have a hot meal waiting after a busy school/work day. There are so many great soups, stews and casserole recipes they have on their site that you can enjoy too!

Filed Under: Recipes, Rice, Pasta, and Grains Tagged With: crock pot, Red Pack, Red Pack Tomatoes, slow cooker, slow cooker marinara sauce

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

February 20, 2014

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin – a sugary tangy twist on a classic piece of pork that you can start after lunch and enjoy for dinner

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

This has become one of my favorite slow cooker recipes.

And I use my slow cooker a lot. Umm, a lot a lot. Like I’m posting 2 back-to-back slow cooker recipes because my slow cooker is my new best friend.

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin_01

Well that is life now, lots of freezer meals and using my slow cooker all the time. Hey, it works and it keeps things sane at night as we are settling into the schedule of things starting when I pick Autumn up by 5, Price getting home around 6.15 and a whole mess of things like taking care of the dog and baby, eating, pumping, cleaning, showers, and next day prep before going to bed before 10-10.30.

So this recipe was great before but now it’s even better because of how it makes things easy for dinner on the weekend and how we get to enjoy the leftovers during the week.

Plus, once you make something that is so good it’s hard to shake. It’s just that the layers of flavor on the pork tenderloin is so dang good. The combination of the spicy, savory, sweet, and salty flavors just work so well. Well, I’ve tweaked it enough to find the perfect combination at this point.

This pork tenderloin recipe is the 2nd to last post missing from my Sprint Cup Snacks series. When I was trying to think of yet another recipe to signify Virginia for the last race held there I was starting to get stumped. Seriously NASCAR, 4 races in Virgina?!?! Trying to kill me?!?! ha! Well, the Ham and Cheese Sliders I shared for the first race held at Martinsville Speedway were a HUGE hit. One of the most popular posts from last year. So I was thinking along those lines and ended up with another pork recipe to share.

I hope that you’ll try this recipe and fall in love with it as much as I have.

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin_02

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 1/2- 3 lbs of pork tenderloins

Process

  1. Combine the garlic, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, balsamic vinegar, water, and pepper together.
  2. Place the pork tenderloins into a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Then pour the mixture over the pork tenderloins.
  3. Cook on high for 4 hours. Flip the pork half way through the cooking process (but if you’re not around it’s not a big deal). Remove from slow cooker and enjoy!

Filed Under: Meat, Recipes Tagged With: balsamic vinegar, NASCAR, pork tenderloin, pork tenderloins, slow cooker, slow cooker pork, slow cooker pork tenderloin, sprint cup snacks

Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy Stew

February 5, 2014

Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy Stew is a hearty, healthy dinner that will comfort you throughout the cold winter months. It’s coziness in a bowl.

Post from 2/5/14, Pictures updated 12/30/18

Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE

We’re getting snow again in Boston today. Big surprise! It’s the year of snow!

Well, it’s the year of the horse but whatever.

…

Read More

Filed Under: Recipes, Soups, Stews, Chili Tagged With: bacon, beef, Beef Burgundy Stew, Beef Stew, crock pot, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy Stew, stew

Crock Pot Baked Apples- SRC

January 27, 2014

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Every night Price and I are up between 2 am-4am, depending on when Autumn has fallen asleep. Ideally, we get her down between 9-10.30 and then we immediately brush our teeth and drive into bed as well. Gotta maximize on our sleep! Anyway, there are some pretty interesting things on TV in the middle of the night.

Sometimes we watch something we’ve DVR’d but other times we’ll find some random thing to watch while I’m pumping and he’s feeding Autumn. Lately, we’ve been watching the Australian Open. So weird to be watching live tennis in the middle of the night. But to change it up, the other night we watched the first episode of Wahlburgers, a reality show about the burger joint run by the Wahlberg family. Made me want a burger in the middle of the night. Hello… always hungry now!

Crock Pot Baked Apples-2 Crock Pot Baked Apples-3

Other nights we turn on Weatherscan and just so happen to leave it on for like an hour as we sometimes are zombies in the middle of the night. There is just something so relaxing about their music in the middle of the night. no?

Crock Pot Baked Apples-4 Crock Pot Baked Apples-5

Anyway, besides the TV we watch in the middle of the night, I often end up browsing Pinterest. My pins are pretty varied but lately I’ve been thinking about slow cooker recipes. I have fallen deep in love with my slow cooker. It just makes things so much easier now with a new baby. Between feeding her, changing her, snuggling with her my time gets sucked up pretty quickly. And it’s not like I have any problem with that but that is the way things go. Basically it just means it’s time to reinvent how we typically get meals on the table.

Crock Pot Baked Apples-6 Crock Pot Baked Apples-7

Since slow cooker recipes are a big part of our life now, it made perfect sense that Price picked out these Crock Pot Baked Apples for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. This month I had Emily’s blog called Life on Food. Emily has lived all over, including Iowa, Maine, and Connecticut, and her travels are reflected in the recipes she features on her blog. Totally jealous she gets to Disney every year too!!

Crock Pot Baked Apples-1

These Crock Pot Baked Apples are killer. Well, actually, I don’t like baked apples. So I took Price’s word for it when he said they were really, really good. I know, how can I not like baked apples?!?! It’s a texture thing that has to do with the skin. But Price wanted them so I made them. That’s what happens when you love someone… you make them baked apples! And then your house smells amazing!!

Make these for yourself, or at the least for someone you love!

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Makes 6 apples

Ingredients

  • 6 Gala or Macintosh apples
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup diced walnuts
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Process

  1. Remove the stem, core, and seeds from the center of each apple while keeping the bottom of the apple. This basically creates a bowl shape.
  2. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the liquids into the bottom of the crock pot.
  3. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Adapted from Life on Food

_____________________

Secret Recipe Club

Check out my 2 years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Filed Under: Fruit Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: apples, baked apples, crock pot, crock pot baked apples, dessert, recipe, Secret Recipe Club, slow cooker, slow cooker baked apples

Beef and Mushroom Hot Pot

April 24, 2012

I love my slow cooker. It has been there to pull me out of some tough weeks when I don’t have the time to cook but don’t want to get take out. I realized that I was neglecting it this year so I pulled out the Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes 2 and went right to a recipe I had bookmarked for a while now. I was always drawn to it because it was affordable, quick, and flavorful… sign me up!

 

I really enjoyed this slow cooker meal. I know I’ll make it again because it was so flavorful and was so simple. I made some changes to the recipe to suit out palate and what we had on hand. For example, since we always have carrots around I used fresh instead of the frozen as specified. My advice for the recipe to come out well is use low-sodium beef broth and to not cook it for too long.  The broth concentrates so it would be way too salty if you use regular broth. Because of my schedule I actually had to cook it for 10 hours. I wish I could simply tell work I need to leave early to manage me slow cooker… imagine! ha! The rice was a bit gummy/mushy at the bottom. It didn’t ruin the meal at all but just something I noticed comparing the rice at the top verse the rice at the bottom.

 

Beef and Mushroom Hot Pot

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 pounds stew meat, cut into small pieces
  • 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced (2 80z packages)
  • 4 carrots, cleaned and sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds
  • 1 box (6 oz) of wild rice blend
  • 2 14 oz cans of low sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Process

  1. In a small bowl combine the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Mix together well and set aside.
  2. In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, combine all of the ingredients together.
  3. Set slow cooker for 6-8 hours.
  4. Mix halfway through, if the mixtures looks like it is drying out or too soft in areas.
  5. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Meat, Recipes Tagged With: beef, carrot, crock pot, dijon mustard, dinner, food, hot pot, low sodium, mushrooms, Sandra Lee, slow cooker, slow cooker recipes, stew, stew meat, wild rice

Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Chicken

April 13, 2012

You know when you have one of those moments of “well, like, duh!” because something you never considered before made perfect sense. Why didn’t I think of that moment. Well, that happened to me when I was hopping around on Julie of The Little Kitchen and I saw in her sidebar a recipe for ‘Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker‘. I kept going “that makes sense! Why haven’t I thought of this? It has to be so good! I have to make it!!”

This was one of the juiciest chickens I have ever had (other was beer can chicken- OMG!). It was so moist, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Any rub on the chicken would work, even just salt and pepper with some lemons in the mix. This is more about technique, not about the ingredients. Don’t want sweet potatoes- fine… just throw some fingerlings in there. I think the biggest thing to consider is how long to cook it. I would not do this on a week day since I am away from home for 10 hours. This would just fall apart too much then. I suggest this on a nice weekend when you want to relax and do nothing or if you have errands up to your eyeballs and you have no time to cook and just have dinner (almost) appear in front of you.

Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 onions
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 4-5 carrots
  • 3 1/2 -4 1/2 pound whole roasting/frying chicken
  • Preferred seasoning blend

Process

  1. Remove giblets bag from chicken to discard and rinse entirely. Pat chicken dry completely with paper towels.
  2. Cut all vegetables in large pieces, such as carrots in 2″ long pieces, and the onion in 8 large wedges.
  3. Rub the chicken with your selected rub to completely coat it.
  4. Place onions, carrots and sweet potatoes inside the slow cooker to create a layer on the bottom. Then put chicken on top of the vegetables.
  5. Set slow cooker for 6 hours. Check the internal temperature of the leg, if it is 160 degrees F then it is done. If you used a chicken with a pop up thermometer then remove the chicken when it has popped.
  6. If you crock pot is broiler safe (consult your product information) then put the entire crock pot into the oven for 4-5 minutes. If your crock pot is not broiler safe then carefully remove the chicken and place on a glass baking dish or a large baking sheet. Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes prior to cutting.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Carrots, chicken, crock pot, dinner, food, frying chicken, Julie The Little Kitchen, Onions, roast chicken, slow cooker, slow cooker chicken, sweet potatoes, The Little Kitchen

Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

October 26, 2009

This Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Chili will keep you warm & cozy all winter long. It’s hearty & healthy, but without all the fuss. The perfect, easy dinner!

Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE

I love our slow cooker. We use it all the time!

Do you have a slow cooker? If not, you need one!!! It’s so awesome.

…

Read More

Filed Under: Recipes, Slow Cooker, Soups, Stews, Chili Tagged With: ground turkey, poultry, slow cooker, turkey chili

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2

Primary Sidebar

EMAIL NEWSLETTER!

Sign up HERE for meal planning suggestions & tips to take a great trip!

Top Posts & Pages

  • Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
    Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
  • Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
    Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
  • Meghan Markle's Zucchini Pasta Sauce
    Meghan Markle's Zucchini Pasta Sauce
  • Room Review: Cars Family Suite in Disney World's Art of Animation Resort
    Room Review: Cars Family Suite in Disney World's Art of Animation Resort
  • Lemony Raspberry Zucchini Bread with a Lemony Glaze
    Lemony Raspberry Zucchini Bread with a Lemony Glaze
  • New Haven Style White Clam Pizza
    New Haven Style White Clam Pizza
  • The Ultimate Weekend Away Packing List for Babies and Toddlers
    The Ultimate Weekend Away Packing List for Babies and Toddlers
  • Easy Pepperoni Pizza Roll Ups
    Easy Pepperoni Pizza Roll Ups
  • How To: Labeling Your Garbage Cans
    How To: Labeling Your Garbage Cans
  • California Chicken Salad
    California Chicken Salad
collage of recipes of common ingredients
collage of soup stew and chilis bowls

Follow Us

Copyright© 2022 · Brunch Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.