Buffalo Chicken Chili

Winter is quickly approaching here in Iowa, I'm afraid. We've got some pretty low temperatures forecasted this week with a little snow mixed in, and I'm not happy one bit. Hopefully that will change around though and we can continue to enjoy a little more fall like weather.

In the meantime though, I'm diving right into the warmer dishes of the season. Our bodies crave warm foods this time of year. Although we want comfort, our meals don't have to be filled with empty calories. I made this for the family this past week and I'm quite pleased with not only how it turned out and tastes, but with the nourishment it provides for our bodies.

Incorporating foods like garlic, broth and various veggies are so good for our immune systems in the fall and winter months when we're not being exposed to as much sunlight.

If your family enjoys buffalo wings and the hot sauce flavor in general, then they will like this! It's slightly spicy, but not too much. I am providing you with measurements, but certainly feel free to use less or more of the sauce. It's officially time to start adding more soups, stews and chilis to our menus; I hope you love this one as much as I do!


Buffalo Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 cups chicken broth (depends on how thick you'd like it)
14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
14 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or about 3 cups shredded chicken meat)
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 tbsp chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large sauce pan; saute avocado oil and onion for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and let cook for an additional minute. Then add in all remaining ingredients, stir to combine well and let cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes or until heated through. You may add in more buffalo sauce or chicken broth to adjust heat and/or consistency of the chili.

Serve with various toppings such as: cheese, cilantro (for a nice cooling balance) or even a little bit of your favorite ranch dressing. We did add a few crushed up grain free tortilla chips to ours and that was a nice touch!

You may also let this cook in a slow cooker all day on low.

Beef Tostadas

I know, some of you have probably been muttering under your breath, where's the beef lady? I realized, unintentionally of course, I failed to plan any beef dishes lately.  You'll have to forgive me and I think this dish should make up for it. Plus it's another slow cooker meal!

We have some roasts in our deep freeze from our beef purchase and I'm always trying to come up with new ways in which to prepare them. The hubby doesn't like a traditional pot roast meal much and to be honest, I would tire of that quickly too.

But tacos, and Mexican food in general, everyone loves that! Tostadas are so similar to tacos and let's face it, a fun way to change up the meal plan. By letting the meat slow cook all day, you're left with the most tender and flavorful filling for your shells.

I used some of my favorite enchilada sauce from the freezer to cook the beef in, but any store brand will do the trick. And now that peppers and tomatoes are popping out of the garden, they deserve a chance to be piled high on top of these tostadas!

Beef Tostadas

Ingredients:
2 lb. beef roast
2 cups enchilada sauce
1/2 cup salsa
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Corn tortillas
desired toppings

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together enchilada sauce and salsa and set aside. Season roast with garlic powder, cumin and chili powder.

Place roast in a crock pot. Pour sauce mixture over top. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and shred meat using two forks.

Serve meat over corn tortillas. Top with desired tostada toppings such as: lettuce, tomato, peppers, avocado, cheese, sour cream and additional salsa.

Crock Pot Beer Brats

Yesterday it was too hot to cook, even for the grill. It would have been cruel and unusual punishment to make the hubby stand outside in this heat and humidity.  So the crock pot it was, even for brats.

This was our first experience using the slow cook method for brats. But it worked pretty well. I loved being able to leave dinner to cook all day and not have to worry about any prep work. For more of an authentic grill look, you could definitely brown them a bit before or after cooking, in a skillet or indoor grill pan.

Since I have onion haters in my family, I left those out. Otherwise, they would be a great flavor enhancer to the dish. Same with sauerkraut.

Oh and do you see that bright colored piece of sweet corn on my plate? Yeah, it's a pretty big deal around these parts. I think we all look forward to those first ears of corn, fresh from the farm. I'll be busy soon adding some bags of corn fresh off the cob to our freezer. It's what summer is all about!


Crock Pot Beer Brats

Ingredients:
8 fresh brats
12 oz. beer of your choice
Buns, to serve on
Desired toppings

Directions:
Place brats in crock pot and pour beer over top. Cover and let cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove brats from crock pot and place onto a large plate. Serve on buns with desired toppings.


Ideas for side dishes to serve alongside:
Grilled veggies
Kale-broccoli slaw
Potato salad
Twice-baked potatoes

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is one of my favorite meals. It's one I like to make at home and also order from a restaurant when we get the chance to go out. During the winter when I am looking to warm up the house, and have several hours where we'll be at home; I don't mind cooking in the dutch oven. But for the summer and busy evenings, the crock pot it is.

This is the absolute perfect meal for days when you are gone for a long time. The longer you can slow cook the meat, the better. Ten hours and it's so tender.

I generally prepare my pork with a few seasonings and that's it. Liquid is not necessary, because as it cooks there will be plenty of juices from the meat. Not everyone likes barbecue sauce, so I like to mix that in separately as we're preparing sandwiches.  Plus if there's leftovers,  and there almost always are, you have more versatility with plain meat.

And of course, these are perfect for feeding a crowd. That family reunion coming up, go ahead and add pulled pork to your menu. It's a definite crowd pleaser!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs. pork roast
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme

Directions:
Place pork roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle all seasonings over top of meat. Cover with lid and let cook on low for 8-10 hours.

When ready to serve, remove pork from slow cooker and set on a large plate or platter. Shred using two forks.  Serve with desired sauces on buns.

Buffalo Chicken Flautas

We're big buffalo chicken fans in our house, kids included. Anything from wings, dip, sliders, pizza and now these easy tortilla roll ups. My husband drizzles his favorite buffalo sauce over just about everything, especially when I serve up grilled veggies. But I don't mind. Whatever it takes.

These start off by cooking throughout the day in the crock pot. Perfect for these hot days! Then finished off in the oven for just a tad bit; to make them crunchy. But if you really don't want to turn on the oven at all, they'd be just as tasty without the extra step. More of a wrap if you will.

If you're afraid of the heat, don't be. While my own children tend to like spicier foods, these are not overpowering. You can always decrease the amount of buffalo sauce to be on the safe side and maybe add a little bit of ranch dressing instead to the mixture.

Let the slow cooker do most of the work for you and enjoy this delightful meal!

Buffalo Chicken Flautas

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buffalo wing sauce (we use Cookie's brand)
pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. butter
flour tortilla shells
grated cheddar cheese


Directions:
To a crock pot, add chicken breasts, buffalo sauce, pepper, cornstarch and butter. Using a fork, whisk the cornstarch in well so that it's not clumpy. Cover with lid and let cook on low for six hours.

After six hours, remove lid and shred chicken using two forks.

To make flautas: spoon chicken down the middle of flour tortillas.  Top with cheddar cheese and roll up each shell. Place prepared roll ups onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Flautas should be lightly browned.

Serve immediately with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, if desired. Makes 10

Slow Cooker Beef Tips

Well our first week back at school was surely a crazy one. Winter decided to grace its presence over Iowa and we had our first big snowfall, extremely cold temps and a blizzard warning all in a matter of days. The girls and I were able to enjoy our first snow day together. Other than that, the week felt chaotic having to drag them out early in those cold temps. That's probably the main thing I miss about working from home. Here's to hoping for a much calmer week.

I prepared these beef tips on Thursday for dinner. I still have to be to work at regular time when the schools delay and I knew we wanted something comforting and warm to eat that night. I quickly threw everything into the crock pot before we left the house that morning and let it cook all day long.

Now I realize I am one of the few lucky ones that am generally home by 4:30 or so in the afternoon, but this can work even if you're gone longer than eight hours during the day. The meat is so incredibly tender after roasting all day long. We served our portions over egg noodles but mashed potatoes would be great as well.

Oh and you won't have to worry about using any cream of mushroom soup in here. It's one ingredient I really try to avoid cooking with. Not just because it's so bad for you, but I have really never liked the way those soups taste. By adding a bit of flour and making your own gravy, the dish tastes much better I promise. Add this to your menu soon and take the night off from cooking!

Slow Cooker Beef Tips

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. stew beef
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups beef broth
2-3 tbsp flour

Directions:

Place beef into the slow cooker and season well with pepper, salt, thyme and brown sugar.  Add in minced garlic. Pour in liquids and cover with lid. Let cook on low for at least 8 hours. If not serving right away, you may turn to warm setting after 8 hours.

Before serving, whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of flour to thicken into a gravy. Serve beef over cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Veggie Fried Rice

I really do enjoy using my crock pot year round, but especially during the fall and winter months. Nothing compares to warm, comfort food that has been cooking away while leaving you with minimal dishes to wash.

This dish is based off a favorite recipe I've shared before; chicken fried rice. I've been working hard to not waste any of our CSA veggies and it's hard when we're gone all day and a few nights a week I'm not home due to working a second job. The hubby is doing great preparing meals for our girls, but let's face it. He could care less about these darn vegetables, let alone know how to prepare many of them in a delicious way.

It turned out to be a great way for me to use up some broccoli, carrots and corn kernels plus it made for a nice lunch for me and the girls to take with us during the day. I love when that happens. You can easily prepare this on a weekend afternoon and then dish out small portions for the upcoming week. Stack the containers in your fridge and grab one as you're going out the door in the morning. It reheats nicely in the microwave or could be enjoyed cold.

Of course if you can't live without your meat, add some in there. Whether it's chicken, pork or beef; they all taste great. But I really do love this meatless version, I know we can all use that extra serving of veggies in our day. This is one painless way to do so!


Veggie Fried Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup chopped broccoli
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup corn kernels
4 tbsp butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
pepper, to taste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
drizzle of honey

Directions:
Add all ingredients into a crock pot that has been lightly oiled. Stir well to combine. Cover with lid and cook on low for three hours. Make sure to stir a couple times while cooking. Season with additional soy sauce if needed when ready to serve.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

These have become a favorite in our house recently. Tacos are always a welcomed dish but it's even better when you can throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook all day long. Without heating up the kitchen, that's just a bonus.

Today I prepared a couple bags for the freezer, they'll come in handy when we're craving a little Mexican food. This is another one of those dump and go recipes, you might spend five minutes tops. It's really that simple!

Start off liberally seasoning the chicken breasts with spices. That way they'll have good flavor. Nothing is more disappointing than bland chicken breasts.

Then you can simply put the other two ingredients into a large freezer bag, along with the chicken and you're done. How easy is that? Now go make yourself at least a couple bags for future meals. You'll thank me later!


Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 oz. petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp chili powder
small handful chopped cilantro

Directions:
On a cutting board or plate, season chicken breasts well with spices. Place into a large freezer bag. Pour tomatoes along with juices into bag. Add in cilantro. Seal the bag and try to remove as much air as possible to eliminate freezer burn. Place into the freezer until ready to use.

When ready to prepare: thaw in fridge overnight. Dump contents into a crock pot and let cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken using a fork and let cook for one more hour in the sauce. Serve with desired toppings over tortilla shells or large leaf lettuce.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Thank you so much for all of your encouraging words regarding Friday's post. I'm already enjoying my time off, the girls still have school until next Monday, but the little miss and I have plenty to keep us busy. We were able to grocery shop early this morning, go for a nice walk and watch our first grader and her class perform a cute little play at school this afternoon.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with busy evenings now that summer's starting. We don't have the usual softball schedule this year but we're still finishing up dance lessons right now and rehearsing for the girls' big performance that will take place next weekend. That means multiple trips to the dance studio each night and quick dinners.

That's when I especially love to make use of my crock pot. I threw together this chicken taco mixture last week and it turned out fabulous! The meat was so flavorful, I almost thought it had sort of an enchilada flavor going on. The rest of the family had theirs with flour tortilla shells but I really liked my serving on these large lettuce leaves I've been picking up at our farmers' market. We'll be sick of salads soon but I love taking advantage of all the fresh greens available right now.

Go ahead and use this chicken mixture for tacos, taco salads, nachos, enchiladas, even a Mexican style pizza. I love how versatile it can be and I bet it would be great to freeze. Make up a double batch and store half in the freezer for another meal. I love when I'm able to do that.



Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes w/garlic & olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp chili powder
small handful chopped cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh tomato, bell pepper, lettuce and avocado for topping
salsa
tortillas, if desired

Directions:
Place chicken breasts in bottom of crock pot. Pour all ingredients over top (do not drain tomatoes). Cover and let cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken and let cook one more hour in the sauce.

When ready to serve, you'll want to drain the chicken a bit. Serve over tortilla shells or using large lettuce leaves like I did. Top with desired toppings.

Pulled Buffalo Chicken Sliders

I admit, I'm probably the last person to try making these sliders. Now that I finally have, they've become a new favorite.

We had these for dinner over the weekend and had just enough meat leftover to use in quesadillas and a couple mini pizzas for my lunch one day. So besides making great little sliders, the meat is awesome to use in other dishes. I'm thinking it would be great to keep on hand in the freezer, easy to thaw and use for various meals.

My husband doesn't always love slow cooker meals, he tends to think chicken especially tastes funny and sometimes dry. Even he was quite surprised at how juicy the chicken stayed, and how flavorful it really was.

With the Super Bowl coming up shortly, I'm sure these would be an awesome addition to your spread. You get all the great flavors of buffalo wings, but without the mess!


Pulled Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup buffalo wing sauce {I love Cookie's Wings n' Things}
Small cocktail buns
Ranch dressing, if desired

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in slow cooker, add garlic clove on top. Pour buffalo wing sauce over chicken breasts. Cover and let cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred with forks and return to pot so it can soak up all of those juices.

When ready to serve, place shredded chicken on buns, drizzle ranch dressing {or blue cheese} on top if desired.

Crock Pot Pizza Dip

We enjoyed a really nice weekend celebrating our oldest daughter's 14th birthday. I mentioned on Friday that I had a busy day ahead preparing for her sleepover that night.

This was her cake I made, she requested a chocolate chip cookie cake decorated like a pizza. It was a lot of fun to make and a huge hit with the kids!

Keeping up with our pizza theme, she wanted "bagel bites". If you know me well enough, I nicely told her I would not purchase the store bought version but I was more than happy to make them homemade. We topped mini bagels with pizza sauce and a variety of toppings such as: sausage, ham and cheese. These went over very well and were so easy, even my 6 and 3-year-old helped.

I also wanted to try out a new dip I've had on my mind for awhile. They were more than willing to be my taste testers along with my parents who stopped over. Essentially I wanted to combine my love for pizza into an appetizer, a simple dip that I could toss into a crock pot and go on with my evening.

Good is an understatement, this dip is really amazing! Slathered on little garlic toasts, these are certainly addicting little appetizers. Or in my case, maybe even a meal. I stuck with a combination of hamburger and mild pork sausage for my choice of meat; but I'm sure maybe some tiny or chopped pepperonis would be great. Add in mushrooms if that's your thing.  I'm thinking this new dip will be perfect for some holiday parties coming up!


Crock Pot Pizza Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. mild pork sausage
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Garlic toasts:
sliced french baguette
melted butter or olive oil, for brushing on
garlic clove, for rubbing

Directions:
In a large skillet brown hamburger and sausage until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain and dump into crock pot. Add in crushed tomatoes, diced pepper, garlic clove, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and Parmesan cheese. Stir together well. Cover and let cook on low for 2 hours or just until warmed through.

To make garlic toasts, lay french baguette slices on a large cookie sheet. Brush each slice with either melted butter or olive oil. Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes, just until a little crunchy. Remove from oven and immediately rub each toast with a peeled, whole garlic clove.

Serve dip with warm garlic toasts.

Ham and Bean Soup

I had every intention of sharing this recipe on Friday with you but things got a little busy over the weekend and it slipped my mind. The girls had Thursday and Friday off from school due to conferences. From Thursday night to Sunday it seemed like we were on the go, but it was a wonderful weekend indeed.

Thursday evening was spent driving all over {at least it felt like it} In between conferences we picked up our very last farm share plus some poultry I ordered from our farmers. The girls were so excited to see our turkey and pick which one we'd take home. They had so many questions and I love their interest in where our food comes from. They've even asked if we can go help work on the farm sometime next summer.

Friday night we picked out our pumpkins at a local patch. Only our youngest would stop to pose for me. I tried to get her to hold her pumpkin but it was too heavy of course so we settled for her mini pumpkin she picked out.

Saturday morning we headed down to the last farmers market of the season, I was particularly happy to find spaghetti squash. Later that morning we participated in our church's trunk or treat, I managed to get one pic of the girls before. Unfortunately it was so cold and windy that day, they didn't want to stand still for long. We'll have to try that again.

Last picture I promise. Sunday night we carved pumpkins at my parent's house, it's been their tradition since our oldest was little. They take the kids to pick their pumpkins out and then my dad carves them with the girls. It's their little thing to do and they all love it!

Okay, back on track now. Growing up my dad made ham and bean soup from time to time, especially after having a nice ham dinner. He'd take the leftover ham and the bone and make soup. My mother-in-law also makes this soup, but she adds potatoes to hers. Which I always thought was interesting. We love this hearty meal in our house, it's not something I make very often but every once in a while we crave it.

We had some extra carrots in the fridge from our produce box so I threw those in as well, they were a perfect addition. Like a lot of meals, I always make this in the crock pot. Let it cook all day, my house smells wonderful and then come dinner time it's all done. I love nights like that.

Ham and Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb. white northern beans
1 ham shank (mine was 1.5 lbs.)
3 potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water


Directions:
Pour bag of dry beans into slow cooker, cover with water and let soak overnight. In the morning, remove any beans that are broken and drain water. Return beans to slow cooker. Add in ham, potatoes, carrots, broth and water. Stir to combine, then cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove ham and shred meat. Return meat to slow cooker and stir to combine everything. Beans should be tender at this point and ready to serve. Season with salt if needed, but I didn't need to season mine at all.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

One of my favorite parts of fall is apple season, I love baking with apples! Unfortunately we don't have much in our area for apple orchards, at least that I know of. Unless I want to go for a drive, I usually head down to my farmers market on Saturday mornings and grab some there from an orchard two hours away. I'm thankful they drive that far to supply our area with their delicious apples.

You can imagine how happy I was when one of my daycare parents told me about her parent's neighbor having some apple trees I could go pick from if I wanted last week. I took the hubby with me Friday morning, it was pretty chilly but they had some of the best looking apple trees I've ever seen. And so many apples! I think I'm officially set with apples now for the rest of the season.

Saturday morning after the girls were done with their bowling league I got started on a batch of homemade apple butter. I made some a couple years ago and haven't made it since. It's so good on toasted bagels in the morning for breakfast or even just plain toast. I bet it would be good mixed in some hot oatmeal as well.

I like making mine in the slow cooker, again it frees me up to work on other things and I'm not stuck at the stove. It needs to cook pretty much all day long, at least 12 hours so plan accordingly. You could even do it overnight while you're sleeping if you prefer that route. Whichever you decide, get yourself some good, local apples while they're still available and make up a batch of apple butter. Stash the extra jars in the freezer so you can enjoy it year round or even add a jar to Christmas baskets. Your friends and family will appreciate a little homemade gift!


Apple Butter

Ingredients:
15-20 apples  (I'm estimating a bit, I filled my 3-qt slow cooker with diced apples)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1-1/2 tbsp cinnamon


Directions:
Peel, core and chop apples and add into slow cooker. Sprinkle sugar and spices over top, stir to combine. Cover and let cook on low, stirring the apples every few hours or so.  Let cook for at least 12 hours, apples will be very tender, mash with a potato masher until smooth. I even put the mixture into a blender and pureed  in there until completely smooth. Mixture will be pretty thick.

Once cooled, divide among canning jars or containers. I ended up with 4 half pint jars plus a little extra that I put into a small container in the fridge. Store in the freezer for several months or will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

Crock Pot Chicken Fried Rice

I'm really excited to share this recipe with you today, Who doesn't love a good fried rice, especially homemade and cooked in the crock pot? I discovered this recipe through Ally over at Sweet and Savory Food. Let me assure you, it's definitely a keeper!

Every so often the girls and I will order Chinese and while it's good, this is so much better. I promise. Best part, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand, whether it's that half bag of peas in the freezer or those carrots that are going limp in the fridge. I had some broccoli and carrots from our CSA share last week that I threw in.

I didn't change much of the original recipe except I only had some white rice on hand instead of brown. We added just a tiny bit of soy sauce to taste when we served up our plates, the flavor was fantastic. Unfortunately this isn't a meal you'd want to leave in the crock pot all day while you're at work, it really only takes a few hours to come together on low. Maybe instead it would be perfect on the weekend when you're around more. Or how about those weeknights when you've got tons going on, start this as soon as you get home and let cook until you're ready for supper. If you set your settings to high, it will be done in just 1-1/2 hours.

Regardless it's a new favorite in our house. There will be plenty leftover for lunches the next day, which is always a bonus!


Crock Pot Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced/shredded
2 cups cooked rice
2-1/2 cups veggies {use whatever you have on hand, fresh or frozen}
4 tbsp butter
1 egg {slightly beaten}
Pepper to taste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
drizzle of honey

Directions:
Throw all ingredients into a lightly greased crock pot, stir to combine everything. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, stirring every so often. Season with additional soy sauce if needed when serving. Enjoy!

Slightly adapted from: Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

As I sit here typing this post, it's barely 8:00 at night and the kiddos are already in bed, well the little ones at least. The oldest is at a friend's house. I've got a nice drink by me, and I'm excited to keep reading this book. It's the little things I tell ya.

You know what else makes me happy? These homemade refried beans that I made in the crock pot the other day. I've had them on my to-make list forever and kept putting them off. Then after seeing them on a couple of my favorite blogs I really became anxious to try it out.

I dumped everything into the crock pot early one morning then covered with water and let the beans cook throughout the day. At first the onion smell was strong along with some of the spices, I was afraid I might have seasoned them a little too much. But as the morning went on, the smell mellowed and my house had this wonderful aroma of Mexican cuisine.

I didn't make a whole lot just because not everyone in our family likes refried beans. I did however get enough to use in our burritos for dinner that night along with two small containers for the freezer. For a one pound bag of beans that cost me around $1, that's quite a bit of beans for my money.

These were delicious in our burritos that night! My mom used to make these for us growing up, she'd even make extras for the freezer so we could heat one up in the microwave or oven for lunches. I simply mixed one pound of cooked ground beef with 1 cup of the beans and 1/2 cup of salsa. Just heat that together over the stove, add more beans or salsa if needed. Then scoop mixture onto tortilla shells, top with cheddar cheese and roll up. Heat on a skillet or even in the oven just until warmed. Pretty easy meal right there folks.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Ingredients:
1 pound bag dried pinto beans
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 cups water

Directions:
Dump beans into a large bowl, fill with water and let soak overnight. In the morning remove any beans that have floated to the top. Rinse beans and remove any ones that are broken.

Add beans to slow cooker along with onion and spices. Cover with 4 cups of water and stir to combine everything. Cover with lid and let cook on low for 8 hours. Make sure to check on beans periodically to make sure there's enough water, add a little more if needed. I never did have a problem with mine though.

After 8 hours beans should be done and will mash easily if pressed with the back of a spoon. Use a potato masher to mash beans to your desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.  You may then use them right away or let then cool completely to freeze. Either store in freezer bags or small containers, make sure to label!

Sweet and Sour Short Ribs

Tis' the season for crock pots! Well technically it's one appliance we use year round, but fall seems to be one season we look forward to serving up that first cozy bowl of soup or maybe even these ribs. We're back to busy nights and my crock pot gets a little more use during that time.

I tried out this recipe last week, not knowing how it might turn out, just crossing my fingers it'd be really tasty. It was, the kids ate really well that night and I was one happy mama! I've learned it's the little things. Agree?

We all love meals that you can literally just dump into the crock pot and go off to work or about your day. This is another one of those. You'll taste just enough sweetness from the cola and brown sugar but it's not overwhelming. I loved adding my baked beans to the pot, that takes care of one side dish right there. Oh and the meat itself is so tender and falls right off the bone. I love that!  I used short ribs but I'm sure boneless beef or pork ribs would work just as well. The whole family is sure to love these.

Sweet and Sour Short Ribs

Ingredients:
3 lbs. short ribs
12 oz. can Pepsi (coke or dr. pepper would work too)
28 oz. can baked beans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:
Place ribs in crock pot. In a bowl, combine baked beans with cola, brown sugar and spices. Pour over ribs, cover and cook on low for 7 hours. When ready to serve drain liquid and serve ribs with beans.

Pear Sauce

Anybody else relieved it's Friday? It's been a particularly long week here and I'm ready for some relaxation. We had something going on almost every single day this week so I'm feeling a little more tired than usual. I also finally got the last of the pears used up yesterday. I've been making batch after batch of this delicious pear sauce.

I make it just the same as my applesauce, but with pears. I literally throw chunks of peeled, diced pears in a crock pot with a tiny bit of water, a little sugar and heaping amount of cinnamon and let it do it's thing all day long.

About 6 hours or so. Then mash it all up with my potato masher, we like it chunky still. Let it cool and divide among small containers to stash in the freezer. It will keep all winter long and will be one tasty treat come January and February.

I think I've got a total of nine 2-cup containers of this stuff in the freezer now, plenty for our family. I even made a batch without any cinnamon or sugar, just plain pears for the hubby as he doesn't like cinnamon much. I forgot to try it though, but it will be easy to sweeten up if needed or I can even use it to bake with. Maybe some muffins or bread.

If you can get your hands on some good local pears or even grab some on sale from the store; make a batch of this! It's a great fall treat!

Pear Sauce

Ingredients:
20-30 pears, peeled and diced
1/2 cup water
1/2-1 cup sugar
2 heaping tbsp cinnamon

Directions:
Add peeled and diced pears to a large crock pot. Pour in water, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over top. Stir to combine everything. Cover and let cook on low for the day, about 6 hours. When pears are down, take a potato masher and mash until you've reached desired consistency. Let cool completely and then ladle into small containers. Cover, label and stash in freezer.

Makes about 6 cups

{Overnight} Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

This summer our family signed up for our very first farm share (CSA). I've talked briefly about this before but realize I haven't shared too much more on the blog. Each week on my facebook page I post a picture of our weekly share, just like the one above. Every Thursday when daycare is over for the day, the girls and I drive across town to pick up our stash for the week. It's always a nice variety and we've enjoyed trying new things.

Speaking of my facebook page, make sure you're following me on there! I sometimes post things like these pics that I don't normally share on the blog. Plus I've got a good giveaway going on right now, you'll want to make sure to check it out! I'll be drawing a winner Tuesday evening so head over and enter!

A few weeks back we also had the chance to purchase fresh whole broilers from the farmer. I've found it's not so easy to find free-range chicken or grass-fed beef in our community and really wanted to try a couple. Now I've always thought the chicken was good that I purchase from our local grocery store, they seem to have really good quality meat. But as I'm reading more and becoming more knowledgeable about how most chickens are raised; it really disgusts me and I hate the idea of feeding my family something that is full of antibiotics.

We decided as a family to purchase two for the time being. Let me tell you, they aren't cheap! At $3.35 per pound, I spent more than I ever have on two chickens. We've prepared one so far and it was so good! I split up the pieces amongst two pans. One I slathered a homemade barbecue sauce on and the other had a combination of olive oil, garlic and various spices plus some lemon.

I wish I would have taken a pic, I can't believe I forgot. They were so beautiful, well as beautiful as cooked chicken can be. I could totally taste a difference in the meat, because you can bet I surely had some "regular" cooked chicken on hand. The legs and thighs weren't as fatty either we noticed. Now I can't honestly say from here on out we will only be purchasing free-range chicken, our budget simply won't allow for that right now.  But whenever we can we most certainly will.

Since I was spending so much on one chicken, you can be sure I wasn't letting any of that bird go to waste. You should have seen me, patrolling everyone's plates as they were done. Making sure no bones whatsoever were thrown away. I was surely making some more chicken stock for the freezer.

Now I've already posted about homemade chicken stock before. But this time I came across a way to make it in the slow cooker, overnight while we were sleeping or even during the day when you're going about your usual business. If I can save myself some time in the kitchen then I'm game.

I put everything in the slow cooker before bedtime one night and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up to the most amazing smell in our house! I almost thought I had some sort of chicken and noodles or soup going until I remembered it was the stock.

Even look at the difference in color from the first picture to the second. The first one is the stock I made last year with a typical chicken most us purchase from our grocery store. The second one is made from the free-range chicken I purchased from a local farmer. It's so much darker and much more flavorful in my opinion.

Whichever type of chicken you use to make homemade stock, you'll definitely want to give this easy slow cooker version a try! It can't be any easier to make and you'll love being able to pull a container out of your freezer any time you need some for a recipe.

{Overnight} Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Ingredients:
Leftover bones/carcass from one whole chicken
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 whole carrots, chopped (I didn't even peel)
1 bay leaf
sprinkling of parsley and thyme, don't worry about exact measurements
salt to taste
*celery would also be good to add as with any other veggies on hand

Directions:
Add all ingredients to slow cooker, make sure to remove any meat from bones for another use. Fill slow cooker with water, leaving about 1 inch at the top. Cover and turn on low, let cook overnight or for at least 8-9 hours during the day.

When stock is done, ladle soup to pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove all bones, veggies and herbs. You can leave this in the slow cooker or I ladled it into a large bowl to let cool. Let stock cool either on counter or in fridge for 24 hours. At this point the fat will rise to the top, skim this off to remove.

Transfer stock to freezer containers or mason jars. You can also freeze small portions in ice cube trays and transfer to a freezer bag when solid. Store in freezer for future use.

Source: 100 days of real food