It has been a little while since I've posted, but I have been enjoying my summer off by traveling! I've been to the beach and the mountains and took a 10 day trip to California with my husband. We visited LA, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park (where we hiked Half Dome!), and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway. It was an amazing trip, so I posted a few pictures for you to see!
Today's recipe is something I've wanted to try for a long time. It's a slow cooker BBQ recipe that I found online and I've been waiting on a day that I had 12 hours to cook it. It turned out better than I even expected to, so I hope you'll try it out!
Slow Cooker BBQ
4 lb boston butt pork shoulder
2 bottles BBQ sauce of your choice (I used a spicy, sweet sauce)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
Place whole pork in crockpot. Sprinkle 1 tsp of each seasoning over the top of the pork. Pour one bottle of BBQ sauce over pork. Cook on low 8 hours. After 8 hours, remove pork from crockpot and place on broiler pan. Pour out liquid from crockpot, reserving 1/8-1/4 cup. Separate and shred pork, add back into crockpot. Pour second bottle of BBQ sauce over pork. Add 1/8 cup of liquid. Continue to cook on low for at least another hour and up to 3-4 more hours. Stir every 20 minutes or so, adding more liquid if BBQ starts to look dry. (I ended up turning my crockpot to "warm" after about an hour to keep it from drying out.) Serve as a sandwich or eat on its own with slaw and baked beans.
If you have never tried macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker, you are missing out! This is my absolute favorite macaroni and cheese! My parents have been making this for years.
Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 lg can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c butter, melted
2 tsp oil
1 tsp salt
8 oz macaroni, cooked and drained
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Grease crockpot with butter. Pour mixture into crockpot, cover with extra cheese. Cook on low 4 hours. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated, cook 5 hours.
This is another great slow cooker recipe. It is one of my favorites and a great reminder of Thanksgiving that you can make anytime of the year. Serve it with a little cranberry sauce and you'll think it's November!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dressing
4 chicken breasts
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 cup white bread/biscuit
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 tsp sage
2 1/2 c cornbread (1/2 square pan)
1 c chicken broth
pinch of salt and pepper
1. Boil and shred chicken.
2. Mix cornbread, white bread, eggs, sage, butter, pinch of salt and pepper, 1 can cream of chicken soup diluter with chicken broth.
3. Place 1/2 can undiluted soup in bottom of crockpot.
4. Alternate chicken and dressing in crockpot, ending with chicken.
5. Place other 1/2 undiluted soup on top.
6. Cook on low for 3 hours. Can be made 1 day in advance (cook 4 hours).
Today's recipe is for cubed steak. I have to credit my parents with this recipe. They would make this often on Sundays and making it now reminds me of home. I have to warn you, since it cooks all day, it can smell quite strong. I have even placed it in the garage to cook so that the house wouldn't smell. It's worth it though!
Slow Cooker Cubed Steak
2-4 pieces of cubed steak, depending on how many you want to serve
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can full of water
Place meat inside of slow cooker. Top with water, onion soup mix, and cream of mushroom soup. Cook on low 6 hours or high 4 hours. Serve over rice.
I'm already getting sad that football season is almost over! I am a HUGE football fan! Clemson is obviously my favorite team, but I will watch anyone in any league. I actually placed 1st place in my Fantasy Football league this past season...while playing with 9 other men! So, in honor of Super Bowl Sunday quickly approaching, here is a little football appetizer to enjoy:
Spicy Cheese Dip
There are 2 versions of this recipe, I am listing both---
1 16 oz block Velveeta cheese
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 jar Pace Picante sauce (hot or medium depending on what you prefer)
Brown ground beef, drain. Return to skillet, add taco seasoning and water, simmer about 5 minutes. Chop Velveeta into small cubes, place in crockpot. Top with seasoned meat and Picante sauce. Heat in crockpot over high heat, stirring occasionally. When melted, turn crockpot to low. Serve with tortilla chips.
Easier version---
1 16 oz block Velveeta cheese
1 can Hormel chili with beans
1 jar Pace Picante sauce (hot or medium depending on what you prefer)
Chop Velveeta into small cubes. Add all contents to crockpot. Heat over high heat, stirring occasionally. When melted, turn crockpot to low. Serve with tortilla chips.
