Recipe: Pulled BBQ Chicken

My fiance Dave took the day off yesterday and I left him in charge of making this delicious recipe ALL BY HIMSELF! After calling me once to clarify which measuring cups to use (....crickets...), he pulled this one off without a hitch.  I knew he was good for somethin'! Dave ate his portion on an onion roll and I went with a quesadilla topped w/ shredded cheddar and b&b pickles.  This would also be good as a taco or fajita or straight out the Crock! 

I found this once again using All Recipes and pretty much stuck to the recipe as it's written.  

4 boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat

1 c. ketchup 

2. tblsp. mustard (yellow preferably)

cayenne pepper

chili powder

garlic powder

1/2 c. real maple syrup (not to be confused with the EGGO syrup you might have in the fridge...)

a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce

a few splashes of Tabasco sauce

Place chicken in Crock Pot.  Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.  Pour over chicken and cook on LOW for 6 hours.  (If the chicken looks "soupy" at this point, don't worry).  Shred chicken w/ fork and cook another 30 mins. Serve how you like!

 i was literally so hungry that i had to take a bite  of that pickle before i snapped a pic! don't act surprised.

Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce

I took a much-needed and well-deserved day off today and headed to the grocery store to get cookin'.  Now that it's getting colder and I'm getting lazier, I am HIGHLY relying on my biffle, the CrockPot,to get me through the fall and winter. 

This recipe is actually borrowed from AllRecipes.com.  I was in the supermarket and the pork tenderloin was on sale and lookin' good, so I immediately used my AR app on my phone to plug in "pork", "slow cooker" and "main dish".  I had all of the other ingredients at home so this worked perfectly! Here's what you need:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
2 1/2 pounds whole pork tenderloins
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream

 I have only recently started eating pork again after years of shunning 'the other white meat' (except for bacon...which is in its own food group...i mean really).  But i really like boneless pork tenderloin because they're fairly lean and can easily be substituted in a ton of chicken recipes when chicken gets boring.  Start with thin, boneless pork cutlets if you're easing back into pork.  It'll still take me a while to eat a pork chop.

Season pork with S&P and garlic powder.  Add EVOO to skillet and turn to medium heat.  Once hot, sear pork on each side until browned, 5-6 minutes per side.  *THE PORK WILL NOT BE COMPLETELY COOKED THROUGH - but that's OK because it will be in the Crock for 8 hours :)

Once pork is browned, remove from pan.  Add mushrooms and garlic to pan and cook until softened.  Meanwhile, add white wine to your slow cooker, adding mushrooms and onions when cooked.  Place pork on top of onion and mushroom mixture.

In a small bowl, combine mustard, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream.  Mix well and pour on top of pork, completely covering.  Cover the Crock and heat on low 7-8 hours.  

OK, so admittedly not the prettiest meal.  But it tastes SOOOO good! The tenderloin shreds like a pulled pork and the sauce is creamy and delish served over rice.  I'd add a little salt about an hour left in the cooking cycle and maybe a splash of hot sauce to garnish...but otherwise, perfection and SO EASY! 

Recipe: Turkey & Bean Chili

grThe weather outside was pretty frightful this weekend.  Hurricane Irene came in here uninvited and just owned shit.  Although she ruined my initial weekend plans, I can't say I was that upset to have the entire afternoon to myself to lounge around and let the CrockPot do most of the work.

If you haven't used or invested in a CrockPot, you are not living.  Just the best invention ever created.  I love my Crock so much that when I got engaged I squealed at the thought of adding another, new and improved Crock to my collection (thank you, gift registry...).  I make this chili quite often because it's one of those dishes you can leave on LOW for pretty much the entire day, lasts almost a week in the fridge, and is so easy to freeze in small batches for easy defrosting later.   Try my turkey version for all the flavor and less of the fat.  Even the boys will like it!

 not the prettiest meal, but damn tasty :)

the chickpeas give this chili a nice texture.

NOTE: this recipe is VERY "kitchen sink", meaning I make a different version depending on what's on hand.  Feel free to swap turkey for beef, chickpeas for red beans, etc., etc.

1 lb. ground turkey

2-3 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (kidney and black beans work great, too)

1 26 oz. can tomato sauce

1 8 oz can tomato paste

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 can green chiles (optional)

diced red pepper

diced white onion 

mined garlic

Red Hot to taste

chili powder to taste

shredded Mexican-blend or cheddar cheese
light sour cream

Brown turkey meat with onions and garlic.  Drain fat and add to CrockPot.  Add remaining ingredients (except cheese and sour cream) and mix well.  Set Crock to LOW and cook 4-6 hours (or longer).  You can also cook this on HIGH 2-4 hours.

Garnish with cheese and/or sour cream and dig in!

BONUS! This recipe is a GREAT way to clean out your pantry.