5 alarm slow cooker chili

i'm obsessed with thanksgiving dinner.

i often tell people it's my favorite kind of food.

but after a couple days of the amazing turkey, 

pumpkin pie, and piles of stuffing and mashers...

you gotta switch it up.

this recipe is PERFECT for the rest of your holiday weekend.

first of all, it's a slow cooker recipe... 

so pretty much you do nothing all day 

and have this awesome meal to show for it.

second of all, it's flavors are far away 

from the home style cooking of a thanksgiving meal.

i like spicy, so when i saw the '5 alarm' warning i didn't sweat it.

that is, until i actually ate this chili.

(then i was literally sweating)

5 alarm is right.

this is like 5 stars spicy at a thai restaurant.

so feel free to dial back the heat in the ingredients below to your liking

(i've starred*** them for your reference)

this was delicious.

serve with the cornbread.

recipe via america's test kitchen

ingredients

1 slice high quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 pound lean ground beef

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, minced

2 habanero chiles, minced*

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes*

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 14.5 can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce*

directions

1. mash bread and milk into paste in a large bowl using a fork 

mix in ground beef, 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper, using hands.

2. heat oil in large skillet over medium/high heat until shimmering. 

add onions, hanaberos, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 

and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened 

and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. stir in beef mixture and cook, breaking up any large pieces 

with wooden spoon, until no longer pink. 

stir in tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits, 

transfer to a slow cooker.

4. stir diced tomatoes with juice, beans, soy sauce, sugar, 

and chipotles into slow cooker. cover and cook until beef is tender, 

6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.

5. let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. 

break up any remaining large pieces of beef with spoon. 

sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

pulled pork sandwiches

this is a fan favorite, and great for your upcoming tailgate parties :)

i've made this recipe a few times, and every single time people LOVE it.

the first time i made a single recipe,

the second time i doubled the recipe,

and this last time, i quadrupled it in two crock pots!

it's that good. promise.

recipe via all recipes

ingredients

2 pound pork shoulder

1 bottle of root beer

1 bottle BBQ sauce with a kick

salt

16 slider buns

directions

1. place pork in slow cooker,

pour root beer on top of the meat.

cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

2. drain well and shred the pork with two forks.

mix in your fave BBQ sauce. salt to taste.

3. enjoy on your slider bun :)

cilantro lime pulled chicken tacos

guess where i'm going today??

one of my favorite places... the oregon coast!!

(photos from our 2011 trip)

because i love summer so very much,

it's important to make summer cooking easy and enjoyable.

(think: shorter time in the kitchen, means longer time in the sunshine!)

two words: slow cooker! :)

ingredients

1 16oz jar salsa

1 package dry taco seasoning mix

1 lime, juiced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

 recipe via all recipes

directions

1. add salsa, taco mix, lime and cilantro to slow cooker. stir.

2. add chicken and coat with salsa mixture

3. cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for about 6 hours,

or until chicken is tender and pulls apart easily.

4. shred chicken with two forks and mix with remaining salsa mixture.

5. serve in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings :)

slow cooker chipotle pork

i recently ate this:

ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion

Click to see savings

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 large garlic cloves, peeled

3 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce

1 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 (1 1/4-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

original recipe via cooking light.

tweaks by me :)

directions

1. combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.

peel and section lime over a bowl, catching juices; discard peel.

add lime juice, lime sections, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to food processor; process until smooth.

2. add pork and ingredients to slow cooker, covering meat.

3. cook on low or high... until pork is tender.

shred pork with two forks and mix with remaining sauce.

4. we ate this in tacos, and it was DELICIOUS!!!

chicken & dumplings

i love my grandma.

one of my favorite childhood memories was traveling

to black butte ranch in central oregon each summer for 'cousin's week'.

cousin's week was basically a free-for-all,

where all 9 little cousins from our family were invited

to spend a week with grandpa and grandma.

no parents allowed.

i supposed there were some rules...

but i don't remember any of them.

all i remember was that each cousin was assigned one breakfast, lunch or dinner

where we were allowed to pick anything we wanted to eat.

our choice!

i distinctly remember one time when someone requested ice cream for dinner

and probably to all of our surprise, they obliged.

we sat at the counter as they served us each a bowl of ice cream

our eyes were wide with excitement,

wondering what our parents would think or say.

and although the options abounded, i always choose the exact same thing...

chicken and dumplings

it's comfort food at it's finest,

and grandma's is the best!

and so, i recreated this meal,

sans black butte, grandma, or the cousins

(although that would have been fun!) :)

ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons butter

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 onion

2 packages refrigerated biscuit dough

(i think mine was pillsbury)

directions

1. place all ingredients in a slow cooker

fill with water until chicken is covered

2. cover & cook for 5-6 hours on high

about 30 minutes before serving, tear biscuit dough

into little pieces and stir into the mixture.

cook until dough is no longer raw in the center.

3. serve. enjoy. feel stuffed.

i'm not going to lie... this was amazing!

although i felt full for like 24 hours strait.

it was crazy easy and made a ton of leftovers.

try it!

x

LOL pot roast

why did i decided to make pot roast? i have no idea.

i saw a super easy recipe on all recipes, and i figured i needed to try it.

i am hilarious.

i don't even know what pot roast is. i've never had it in my entire life!

i think i thought i was the mom from leave it to beaver for a minute!

ingredients

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 1/4 cups water

5lbs pot roast

so, i go to whole foods and have to ask the man at the meat counter

what cut of meat i'm supposed to buy if i'm making pot roast.

LOL! i have no idea what i'm doing.

but, i'm LEARNING! :)

directions

1. rub meat with salt, pepper, lawry seasoning salt

2. brown slightly on both sides in pan with olive oil

3. place all ingredients in slow cooker.

4. cook on high for 3-4 hours.

once about 3.5 hours had passed, i decided i have no idea

what a finished pot roast was even supposed to look like.

hmmm. that's when i decided to look up a youtube video. HA!

i served it with mashed potatoes and green beans.

it was actually pretty delicious.

and the crock pot makes perfect gravy to compliment the dish.

bottom line: it was easy!

x