Sausage Jumbalaya, revisited

Finally I'm starting to get back into a routine with the little one! Even though I still love to cook (bake, mostly) I seem to find little time for myself. Easy, week night dinners are high on my priority list. That and low-ingredient meals since going to the grocery is now a race to see whether I can make it home before bubba wakes up. ;) This meal has both few ingredients, is inexpensive, and utilizes the crock pot. It really couldn't get any easier unless you had a live-in cook! I have made (and posted) this recipe in the past, but now that I have a dslr camera, I'm motivated to repost old recipes that are hidden in the archives and give new life the previously dull pictures. Enjoy!

Sausage Jumbalaya
Adapted from: Easy Slowcooker Cookbook
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 lb cooked, smoked sausage links, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 lg can diced tomatoes (28 oz), undrained
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Directions

Spray slow cooker (or use liner) and combine all ingredients except rice. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the rice, mix well, and cook an additional 1 hour on low. Serve warm.

Two Bean Turkey Chili

My pictures sure could use some dSlr help. If you want to see a more appetizing photo, click the link below for the original recipe. That picture is what got my attention. Plus I was needing a new crock pot recipe as all of mine have been done over and over again. Even though I had to cook 2 pounds of ground turkey at 6:30 in the morning before leaving for work (GAG!), it was worth the wait at the end of the day. I thought the chili would be dry or bland but it was nothing of the sort. It was actually very delicious and we ate the rest for leftovers. I would probably use a little less juices next time (maybe drain some of the cans) and cut the recipe down. We had 5 servings and I ended up throwing a good portion down the drain afterwards. It just makes way too much, even for leftovers, with only two people in this house. I've reflected a few of the changes below. I also had to rename it since next time I will only use two types of beans. ;)

Two Bean Turkey Chili

Adapted from: Smells Like Home, originally Gina's WW Recipes

Yields: 8-10 servings

1 ½ lb ground turkey

½ small onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (16 oz)
1 can chopped chilies, drained (4.5 oz)
1 can chickpeas, drained (15 oz)
1 can black beans, drained (15 oz)
2-4 tbsp chili powder, depending on preference
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet on medium heat, cook the ground turkey until cooked thoroughly. Drain and place in the crockpot with all other ingredients. Mix well and cook in crock pot on medium to low for 6-8 hours.

Pot Roast

Welcome to Black Friday 2010! While out shopping, why not throw something in the crock pot for when you come crawling in the door late afternoon, exhausted from fighting other people to get that $40 Tom Tom. Getting your toes stepped on 50 times, getting pushed so many times that you become numb to it, and standing out in the blistering cold with nothing to do; now that's Black Friday. You should come home to a wonderful (and warm) dinner that you "slaved over" all day to make. ;)

Pot roast has always been a staple in our house growing up and still is today! This is by far the easiest recipe (thank you, mr. crock pot) and one of the first that I ever learned how to make. The beef comes out so juicy but tender (I've tasted some dry roasts before, yuck) and the veggies complement it very well. My husband also requested some bread and butter on the side this time. We had some on hand and the loaf must've caught his eye. This would also work well with just about any dinner roll, too.

Pot Roast

Kelly's Kitch Original

Serves: 4

2-4 pound boneless pork rump

3 large potatoes, peeled diced into 1-inch pieces

4-5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-inch-long pieces

1 can mushroom soup

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Place all ingredients into crock pot and fill it with enough water to just cover the roast. Mix the soup and spices in well. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Use a slotted spoon to dish out the meat and place on a separate plate, dividing into equal-sized portions. Using the slotted spoon, scoop out potatoes and carrots and place on serving dishes with the meat. Enjoy!

If you want to save the roast for leftovers/lunch the next day, place into airtight tupperware container and spoon in some of the crock pot liquid to preserve the moisture.

Homemade Applesauce

I scoured the internet and some of my favorite blogs for an applesauce recipe that I could do in the crock pot, but there were none that I could find. Luckily I felt confident enough to make my own recipe based off of the recipes I did find. All the recipes used cinnamon and I knew I wanted that in it. A lot of them also used extra water to allow for a certain consistency. Some of the recipes called for cloves but I omitted just to keep this recipe simple and easy.

The hardest part of this recipe (and most time-consuming) is peeling, coring and chopping up the apples. I actually used a Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer so that made the process a hundred times easier. I'm not trying to sell the product but I almost chopped the apples by hand because so many people had negative reviews on the product. I have heard that it doesn't work well unless the apples are rock hard, or that it doesn't work well if the apples aren't perfectly round. Despite all the negativity surrounding the product, I still hadn't used it before so I didn't want to misjudge it. Trust me when I say that the size, shape or consistency of the apple DO NOT MATTER! I absolutely loved the product and although at times it can be a little monotonous, it really helped with this recipe (and I will now use it for when I make my Apple Pie).

Homemade Applesauce

Kelly's Kitch Original
Yields: 4 cups

6 large Braeburn (or sweet) apples, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

3/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot on low for at least 5 hours. Place contents in a blender or food processor and mix, pulsing until desired consistency. I chose to pulse mine briefly so it's a little smooth and a little chunky, too. Serve warm or cold as a snack or dessert.

All-In-One Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I am not a big fan of pulled pork. Recently, however my taste buds have been quite intrigued watching Man vs Food and seeing Adam eat all those pulled pork sandwiches! My husband said that Chicago has some of the best pulled pork places ever .. and therefore is inspiring us to make a weekend trip soon. Well based on a previous recipe I have made (oh please ignore the awful picture) and some new inspiration from the TV show, I have decided to make my own version of a one-sandwich meal that is sure to please any hungry husband. How did I come up with it? I just figured that instead of having the fries on the side we could stuff them onto the sandwiches. Saves time right?! ;) Also, I threw on some mayo and tomato for good measure. Well, this is by far the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever tasted and is 110% better than my first attempt because there are so many new flavors that it just absolutely does not compare!

Also please note that a lot of the ingredients are "as needed" which is because we tend to do a lot of leftovers. I am not sure how many sandwiches this recipe yields; it depends on the size of the pork tenderloin you get. Ours are pretty small since it's just the two of us so we don't use the entire bottles of BBQ or root beer.

All-In-One Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch Original

2-4lb pork tenderloin (if it has a bone you can cut out before or after cooking, after is easiest)

2 liters root beer, as needed

1 bottle BBQ sauce, as needed

tomato slices, as needed

hamburger buns, as needed

mayonnaise, to taste

frozen, seasoned french fries (just enough to layer one cookie sheet)

Immerse the pork tenderloin in root beer and cook in crock pot on low heat for 6-8 hours. When completely cooked, remove pork and allow to cool slightly on a plate. Dump contents of the crock pot out and wipe with a paper towel (doesn't have to be perfectly clean). Shred the pork with a fork and return to empty crock pot and add enough BBQ sauce for preferred texture/taste. We probably added about 3-4 oz for a 2lb bone-in pork tenderloin. Keep crockpot on warm.

Cook frozen french fries according to package directions (usually turning halfway) and during last minute of cooking, place hamburger buns on top of fries to warm. Meanwhile, slice enough tomatoes for each sandwich. Once fries are cooked, remove from oven and make your sandwich: pulled pork, fries, tomato, mayo. Serve immediately.

Sausage Jumbalaya

I have always been a huge fan of anything cajun. It is really hard for me to recreate it at home but this is so easy and is so declicious it's really almost impossible to mess up. That is my kind of dish! The spices don't overpower the vegetables and sausage; it's just right. It has taken me a few trials until I found one that I really felt was blog-worthy and that was just .. perfection. Here it is!!! Enjoy.

Sausage Jumbalaya

Adapted from: Easy Slowcooker Cookbook

1 lb cooked, smoked sausage links, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1 lg can diced tomatoes (28 oz), undrained

1 tbsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Spray slow cooker and combine all ingredients except rice. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the rice, mix well, and cook an additional 1 hour on low. Serve warm.

Taco Soup

If you are as sick of this snow as I am, you will love this recipe. It will give you plenty of time to snuggle up on the couch after eating it with very few dishes to do afterwards. My kind of recipe. I have an all-crock pot recipe book that I absolutely love and it was so inexpensive but it has produced some tasty results over these months that I have had it. This was one of them. Especially in the winter I love dinners that I don't have to slave over the stove for hours making. At least if I end up not liking a crock pot recipe, we still have time to order some take-out. ;) This week's theme seems to be thick, hearty soups for winter. Old man winter .. I love you, but can only stand you for a certain period of time. Your departure is long overdue. If you like Mexican (as we do in this household) and easy recipes, then you must try this!

Taco Soup

Adapted from: Easy Slow Cooker Cookbook

1-1.5 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning (1 oz)

2 cans mexi-stewed tomatoes (28 oz)

1 can chili beans, with liquid

1 can whole kernel corn, frozen (I just used a leftover can from beans and measure the corn in that)

For topping:

crushed tortilla chips

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef on medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain and add to crock pot. Add seasoning, tomatoes, beans, corn and 1 can of water. Mix well. Cover and cook on low 4 hours or high 1-2 hours. I put this in at lunch time and came out perfectly for dinner.

Serve over crushed tortilla chips and sprinkle cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired on top.

Potato Soup Plus II

Remember this soup? I made this soup this past fall and my husband wanted to learn to start cooking and how to chop things and such so I figured this would be a great recipe to try again. He thought there were too many potatoes in the last one so we used less. Then we adjusted it as we saw fit for the recipe. The second try was a complete success and totally different from the first trial. I think the Potato Soup Plus II is a definite upgrade!!

Look at my awesome husband learning to peel potatoes!

Then I showed him an easy chopping method .. while I taste-tested a few slices. =)

This version of the soup takes less time than the first and uses less dishes. I followed the original recipe which called to heat the soups and milk on the stove top and then add it to the mixture originally, but this turned out even better. The paprika did come out in small chunks. I didn't realize it was just to taste and for seasoning until it was too late. Oh well. Maybe there will one day be a third trial.

Here is the original photo from the first trial. I think you can tell it's definitely got more potatoes in it.

Potato Soup Plus II

Adapted from: Originally from Easy Slow Cooker Cookbook

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed small

1 cup cubed ham

1 cup broccoli florets, cut very fine

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup

3/4 can chicken broth

2.5 soup cans milk

paprika, to taste

Place all prepped ingredients into crockpot and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 6-8 hours. Sprinkle paprika to taste before serving.

Potato Soup

BBQ Pulled Pork

A few weeks ago I decided against my better judgement (and personal taste) to make one of my husband's favorite dishes. He loves BBQ pulled pork. I emailed a recipe to myself from a well-known website but was disappointed to find out that it was no longer a working link so I just winged it. I couldn't remember everything that it included but I did remember a recipe I passed on that sounded gross where you immerse the pork in root beer. Well, it was the only thing I had to go on. Turned out great and the husband loved it too!

BBQ Pulled Pork

2-4 lb boneless pork tenderloin (I just cut the bone off before cooking)
2 liters root beer, as needed
1 bottle BBQ sauce, as needed

Cook pork tenderloin completely immersed in root beer for 6-8 hours on low to medium heat in crock pot. When done cooking, shred pork with a fork removing all fat. Return to the warm crock pot and add the BBQ sauce and serve.

French Onion Soup

Do you ever go to a restaurant and think, "Man. Nobody could ever top this!" That's what I used to think about Applebee's french onion soup. Until now.

The recipe I found was in my Easy Crockpot Recipes cookbook from Borders and was easy enough. I adapted it a bit as well. I made it a little skeptical of how few ingredients it had in it thinking that something so simple couldn't be so tasty. Oh how I was wrong! This is the easiest, most low-maintenance recipe with the best results I have ever blogged! Cooks across the nation, prepare to get to know your crock pot intimately.

I served this with a side spring mix salad which is my all-time favorite salad because it has wonderful texture and taste. Soup and salad is the ultimate late-night dinner meal on a wintery night. This goes on my must make again list. My husband also agrees.

French Onion Soup

5 small sweet onions, diced

1-2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp worchestire sauce
2 cans beef broth
1 cup water
swiss cheese slices
french bread loaf, sliced about 1 inch thick

In a large skillet on low heat, warm the onions in hot butter for 20 minutes (DO NOT BROWN). Transfer onions to crock pot. Add in water, broth, sauce and mix well. Cook on high 6 hours.

When crock pot is finished, scoop out and discard 2/3 of the onion pieces and leave the rest in the broth. Scoop into serving dishes.

For the bread, if your dishes are broiler safe (most general household dishes are not) then you can place the bread right on top of the soup and cheese on top of that and broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

If your dishes are not broiler safe, then you can use a cookie sheet and place the bread on it with cheese on top. Then broil for 2-3 minutes on top shelf of oven. When finished, simply place on top of soup bowls and serve!

Potato Soup Plus

It barely gets into the 50's and I have already gotten out of all of the winter gear, including my boots. Oh how I love my boots! Another love of mine is my crock pot. Well, we did have a bit of a spout a few weeks ago when the glass lid came flying into my face and cracked me in between the eyes. Other than that, however, it is a very frequently used cooking device in this household.

I used to make one thing and one thing only: beef tenderloin and veggies. Now I have discovered the wide world of soups, chicken and other marvelous dishes the crock pot can conjure up. I bought a recipe book from Border's a while back that was called Easy Slow Cooker Cookbook. It has a ton of easy recipes. And I love EASY!

The first one I tried this week was a potato soup and it was good, but could use some work. My husband said that it was too "potatoey" whatever that means. I mean .. it's potato soup!? Anyways, I thought it was just fine. I could go with a little more cheese in it (because of course he is used to O'Charleys cheese soup with like 3 pieces of potato). I adjusted the recipe below to what I will make next time. I am only going to use one less potato and see how that goes. I think the level of "cheese was good enough that if I take out one potato it should make a big difference.

I am also entering this marvelous crock pot recipe into Jolene's Culinary Adventures contest for October Tasty Tools! I will update on who won and a link to the recipe because you know it will be amazing!

Potato Soup Plus

4 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed (5 potatoes used in this recipe)
1 cup cooked, cubed ham
1 cup fresh broccoli florets, cut very fine
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
3/4 can chicken broth
2 1/2 soup cans milk
paprika, to taste

Place potatoes, ham and broccoli in sprayed crock pot. In saucepan combine and mix soups, milk and broth until smooth. Stir into crock pot and cook for 7-9 hours on low. Sprinkle paprika when serving to taste.

Chicken San Marco

This past week I worked really late nights because of all the overtime we had to work. I really hate it but somebody's gotta do it. Well, at any rate I really enjoy coming home to dinner already made and allowing my husband to eat at his own convenience. He gets home a few hours before I do so I feel kinda bad that he has to wait hours on end for me to make dinner.

Because of this, I really like making crockpot recipes. I will make anything I can find. I even bought a huge crockpot recipe book from Borders on clearance for around $2.50. It's been pretty amazing so far. Anyways, I found this recipe on TPOX's blog and if you haven't figured it out yet, hers is one of my fav's. I did my own version and used mostly what I had.

Turned out well, but the chicken was really dry so maybe next time I will just put it on for 4 hours instead of 6. Also, I might use more canned tomatoes to allow the chicken to be more moist. Also next time I might keep the chicken frozen like she does in her recipe. That might help as well.

Chicken San Marco

1 head of broccoli florets, cut small
1 medium onion
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chicken bouillon
1 8oz can italian plum tomatoes, with juice, chopped
1/2 can mexican chili-ready tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (left whole or cut into cubes)

Place broccoli, onions, carrots and plum tomatoes in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken on top. Mix together remaining ingredients and spread over chicken. Cook on 4 hour setting.

Apple Pumpkin Chili

Winter. The time for big sweaters, monstrous boots and chili. To me, the most notorious winter dinner is chili. I have been eating my husband's same old chili recipe for years now and although I love him, his chili could use some work. He does the traditional meat, tomatoes, beans, spaghetti, etc. I wanted something different and came across TPOX's blog (a personal favorite of mine) and her Apple Pumpkin Chili looked just amazing!

I made do with what I had and used some of my personal favorites in place of what was on her recipe. I also forgot about the bacon. I think the chili I made was missing something flavorful and the bacon definitely would have added to it so I think next try I will most certainly add it in there.

My husband didn't like the chili. He ate one bowl and said he won't eat any more or the leftovers, which is rare for him. I was so afraid to try it when I got home later this evening, but it smelled so good I didn't care what he thought so I tried it. I really loved it and I think it just all depends on what you like and your acquired taste. I don't like anything pumpkin AT ALL and the pumpkin in this is very subtle and not overbearing. I also couldn't really taste the apple until after eating the chili so I might add another apple next time too.

Edit: After eating a few bowls, I can now say that I will not use coriander for this recipe.. or any other for that matter. What a horrible spice. Blegh! It was too crunchy, especially for chili.

Apple Pumpkin Chili

1 pound ground turkey or chicken
2 cans white beans (Navy & Northern are my personal choices)
1.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
1 medium shallot, diced
1 granny smith apple, diced
1/2 of a 14oz can of pumpkin puree (1 cup)
2.5 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp dry sage
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp thyme
(optional) equal parts cornstarch & chicken broth for thickening
grated cheese (gouda is quite popular but I used what I had, cheddar & mozzarella)

Combine all ingredients except cheese and thickener in a crockpot, stirring well. Cook on high 4 hours or medium 6 hours. If consistency is not as thick as you would like, add the thickener as needed for a few minutes on high. Top chili with cheese and serve warm.