Slow-cooked Turkey Breast with Gravy

When it comes to holiday cooking -- or entertaining in general -- I typically find the logistical side of things much more daunting than the actual cooking. Figuring out when to make everything so it's all done at the same time is challenging, but finding space to cook it all can be almost impossible.

This fall, I tested various cooking methods with turkeys in an attempt to get them out of the often. This slow cooker recipe ended up becoming such a favorite that the hubby requested it three times within the span of about six weeks. That's a lot of turkey.

The downsides to this recipe include the fact that this makes a turkey breast, not a whole turkey. And the skin doesn't crisp up, so you lose that wow factor (and the flavor of the toasty skin).

But this recipe is so easy, and the meat is so tender and delicious that I don't even miss the skin, which I shouldn't be eating, anyway. And the drippings make fabulous gravy, which I doctor up using my dad's tried-and-true cream of chicken soup method.

Slow-cooked Turkey Breast with Gravy
Makes 8-10 servings

1 bone-in turkey breast (about 6-7 pounds)

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 14.5-ounce can chicken broth

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can water

4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

1. Put turkey in 6-quart slow cooker. Rub with butter. Combine the salt, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder and pepper; sprinkle over turkey. Pour broth over turkey. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours, or until tender.
2. Remove turkey from slow cooker. Cover with foil and set aside.
3. Pour turkey drippings into a pan on the stove top; skim fat from drippings.
4. Add cream of chicken soup and 1 can water and combine. Bring gravy to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer about 10 minutes.
5. Combine cornstarch and water. Return gravy to a boil and add cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. When gravy reduced desired thickness, reduce heat to low. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Carve turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with gravy.

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

I've been a bit under the weather lately, and what better cure for what ails you than a hearty, homemade soup?

Beef and barley soup is a longtime favorite of mine, although I've never found quite the right formula at home. My attempts have either tasted too strongly of wine, tomatoes, or salty beef broth, rather than a complimentary balance of all three. Enter Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips, which has about the most perfect beef and barley soup broth I've tasted. (This cookbook also gave me my favorite chili recipe.)

My mom stopped by while I was packing up the leftovers. She thought the soup was so terrific that after one taste, she took me up on my offer to send a few bowls back with her. And rumor has it, she ate it all in one sitting.

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
Makes 10-12 servings

2-2 1/2 pounds beef, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces baby portabello mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
6 cups beef broth (preferably low-sodium)
1/2 cup pearl barley
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the beef in batches, and season with salt and pepper before browning on all sides before transferring to slow cooker.

You want to get it a bit more brown than I did here. I nearly started my stovetop on fire shortly before this, so I was playing it safe.

3. Add the garlic, onions, mushrooms, and thyme to the skillet. Saute until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated before transferring to slow cooker.

4. Deglaze the skillet with the tomato paste and red wine. Allow wine to reduce by about 1/4 cup before transferring to the slow cooker.

5. Add carrots and celery to slow cooker, and then add broth and barley. Stir to combine.

6. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Open-Faced Italian Chicken Sandwiches

This super-quick, super-cheap, super-yummy dish shouldn't really count as a recipe, because it's so simple. And yet, it totally hits the spot. I saw the idea in a Betty Crocker cookbook, using turkey legs instead of chicken breasts, but I'm a white-meat kind of gal.

This chicken would make a great panini sandwich filling, as well. I think the key is garlic bread or Texas toast -- the garlicky flavor totally compliments the tomato sauce on the chicken.

And did I mention that you don't even have to thaw the chicken first? I throw my chicken breasts in straight from the freezer. The chicken is supposed to cook for eight hours, but who's gone for work for exactly eight hours? I figure that using frozen chicken helps keep it from overcooking while I'm gone. It's not that I'm lazy. Really.

Open-Faced Italian Chicken Sandwiches
Serves 4-6

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 6-oz. can Italian-style tomato paste
2 8-oz. cans Italian-style tomato sauce
½ c. water (more if needed)
½ tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices Texas toast, cooked according to package directions
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Combine chicken, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and Italian seasoning in slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours.

2. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred meat with two forks. Return to slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. You can also add more water to keep the chicken saucy. (I like a saucy chicken.)

3. Serve chicken on hot Texas toast and top with cheese.

The Chili I've Been Dreaming Of

It’s official; I’m a delinquent blogger.

Moving, kitchen packed up, blah, blah, blah. Had to unpack, couldn’t find the camera, yadda, yadda, yadda.

What it boils down to is that I’ve been neglecting my blog. But that’s done with, I assure you. We’ve only been the house for a few weeks, so we’re not exactly unpacked yet. (We might never be unpacked.) But the kitchen is fairly put together. I’m still missing various pots and pans and a half-dozen or so small appliances, but I can get by. I’ve actually cooked more in the past few weeks than the past several months, combined. (And we’ve probably had more dinner guests than in the past few years, combined.)

I really like my new kitchen. It’s very spacious and has a ton of counter space and double ovens.* And it’s YELLOW.**

Anyway, the chili. I’ve been on a quest for my perfect chili for quite some time now, because I like a thicker, meatier, more cumin-y chili that has lots of flavor but not a ton of heat. But everything I tried was too something. Too salty. Too thick. Too thin. Too chili powderish.

And then, I tried this. This is a recipe from Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips, and it’s perfect. And you can’t mess it up. I’ve followed the recipe to the letter. I’ve halved it. I’ve cooked it on the stovetop. I’ve forgotten to toast the spices. I’ve added beans. I’ve forgotten half the tomato sauce. And it always tastes amazing.

You can serve this chili with your choice of toppings. The little man likes his topped with plenty o’ black beans. I like mine with cheese. My brother likes cheese and jalapenos. We all like to use tortilla chips in place of a spoon.

You must try this chili.

*One oven is about the same as age me.
**Yes, the yellow paint was my decision. It’s a happy kitchen.

The Chili I've Been Dreaming Of (a.k.a. Ryan's Chili)
Serves 6-8

2 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. 85% lean ground beef
2 tsp. ancho chile powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tsp. cornmeal
2 c. beef broth
4 c. tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, beans, jalapenos, etc. for topping

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and crumble, and cook until brown. Transfer meat to slow cooker.

2. Add chile powder, oregano, cumin, 2 tsp. salt, and cayenne to the skillet and cook until spices are fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add cornmeal and stir until mixture thickens. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Transfer to slow cooker and stir in tomato sauce.

3. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours, or until chili is thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with toppings.

Shredded Pork Gyros

I'm a big fan of my slow cooker. And a big fan of shredded meat. And a big fan of any recipe that requires 5 minutes or less of preparation. This is a good recipe for me.

I recently saw a recipe for some Greek-style shredded pork, and while the recipe itself didn't speak to me, the idea did. So I threw together a few ingredients in the slow cooker one morning, and voila! Instant gyros. Well, after you toast the pita bread and chop a few veggies and slather on some hummus and yogurt. But really, those steps are optional.

On a side note, I don't typically put hummus on my gyros, but I had some in the fridge and decided to give it a try. I really, really liked it. The hummus and yogurt kind of combine to make a thicker, tangy, slightly more flavorful sauce. And to think, I might never have discovered this otherwise.

Texture-wise, this sort of reminded me of a soft taco. The hummus is kind of like the refried beans, the meat is tender and shredded, and it's topped with fresh veggies and yogurt (instead of sour cream.) In fact, if I handed expended all that energy with my 5 minutes of prep work in the morning, I'd have toasted up some homemade pita chips and served these up nacho style.

Shredded Pork Gyros
Serves 8-10

Pork
1 pork shoulder roast (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/s Tbsp. Greek seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Other
8-10 good-quality pita breads
Plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style
Hummus (I prefer roasted red pepper)
Chopped cucumber
Chopped tomato

1. Place pork shoulder in slow cooker and top with lemon juice, Greek seasoning, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes.

2. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or until pork is tender.

3. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return meat to slow cooker and combine with juices.

4. Toast pita breads in a hot pan quickly on both sides. Add a layer of hummus, and top with pork, cucumber, tomato, and yogurt.

Slow-Cooked Chili con Carne

The NFC and AFC championship games are today. For those of you who could care less about football, these games determine who will be playing in the Superbowl in a few weeks. This is a bigger deal than usual 'round these parts, because we're in Vikings country. Big-time. I think that 90% of the Facebook posts I read today were "Skol, Vikings!" ("Skol" being the Scandinavian salute, as opposed to Skoal, the chewing tobacco.)

Everyone is wearing their purple and gold. Even the snowman across the street. (Seriously.)

I grew up rooting for the Vikes. The hubby is a Bears fan first, and a Vikes fan second. So we're definitely cheering for our ... well, not hometown team, but the closest team we've got. Although we're pretty low-key about it. I don't even own a Vikings shirt.

I DO own a Vikings helmet, complete with blonde braids, but I have no idea where it went. The last time I saw it, the cat was wearing it. (Again, seriously.)

In any case, it's a day for good football food. Like chili. The hubby and I have several favorite chili recipes, but I have yet to try traditional chili con carne -- chili with meat, but no beans, tomatoes, or onions. It's just slow-cooked meat simmered with spices and water, and then thickened with masa harina. This recipe is from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker: Recipes for Entertaining by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. I followed the recipe almost to the letter, except that I halved it, as I often do when trying a new recipe that can feed a crowd. (No use making 10 servings of something you don't like, right?)

The chili was quite spicy -- much more so than I'm used to. But very good. I think it would be even better rolled up in a tortilla with some cheese (which is how the hubby plans to eat his).

Slow-Cooked Chili con Carne
8-10 servings

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 lbs. boneless beef round steak, trimmed and cut in 1/4" cubes, or chili-grind beef (I used sirloin tip, cut in cubes)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper or 2 Tbsp. New Mexican red chile powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. dried oregano (I used Mexican oregano)
1 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce
6 c. water or more, to cover (might depend on the size of your slow cooker)
Salt, to taste
3 Tbsp. masa harina
Recommended accompaniments: Crumbled saltines, shredded cheese, diced onion, diced jalapenos

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef until no longer pink (about 6-8 minutes).

2. Drain fat off beef and add to slow cooker.

3. Add the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, oregano, hot pepper sauce, and enough water to cover the mixture by 1 inch. Stir to combine.

4. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. During the last hour, season with salt. Mix the masa harina with enough cold water to make a paste. Stir it in, cover, and cook until chili is thick.

Slow Cooker Pork Stew

So I went back to work a few weeks ago, and the little man went to daycare, and everyone was sleeping well and getting into a routine. Life was good. And then ... the little man got his first cold.
It's weird how something as simple as a cold can wreak such havoc. The little man was born with some upper respiratory issues that he'll hopefully grow out of, but for now, he sounds miserable. He can't breathe well anough to eat, he can't breathe well enough to sleep, his eyes are watery, and he's got a heavy cough. And yet, he's such a trouper. He takes his nose drops every few hours, smiles at the doctor, and giggles at the funny noises that his nose makes. He's still been our happy little camper, for the most part.

He has required a lot of attention, though. He's extra cuddly right now. And he needs to be sitting up to breathe and swallow. So the hubby and I have spent dozens of sleepless hours in the recliner, where the little man tosses and turns and coughs and snorts. And kicks. He really likes to kick.

So we were quite lazy this week. We ate a lot of leftovers. We picked up takeout. Some nights we even forgot to eat.

Hopefully the little man will start feeling better soon. His jumparoo misses him. In the meantime, we're going to rely on the slow cooker this weekend, in the hopes that we can all take some quality naps.

Today I made a pork stew, which is almost identical to my beef stew recipe, but with pork and chicken broth. I used some beautifully lean country-style ribs (one of my favorite cuts of meat) for this recipe. I just used regular old potatoes and carrots, but I think using some sweet potatoes would be lovely, as would using some parsnips for some of the carrots.

Slow Cooker Pork Stew
Serves 4-6

4 medium carrots, cut in chunks
2 lb. potatoes, cut in chunks
2 tsp. canola oil
1½ lbs. boneless lean pork, cut in chunks
Flour, for dusting pork
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, for sprinkling on pork
32 oz. chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. onion powder
1½ tsp. seasoned salt
¼ c. cornstarch
½ c. water
Additional salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, to taste

1. Put potatoes and carrots in slow cooker.

2. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Dredge half the pork with flour and add to pan, seasoning with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Cook until pork starts to brown a bit.

3. Add pork to slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil and pork.

4. Add some of the broth to the pan -- just enough to loosen up the bits on the bottom -- and pour into slow cooker. Add remaining broth, bay leaf, onion powder, and seasoned salt.

5. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or until pork is cooked and vegetables are tender.

6. Combine cornstarch and water, and stir into stew. If stew thickens immediately, season to taste and serve anytime. Otherwise, turn heat to high and cook stew an additional 30 minutes.

7. Serve in bowls. Unless you're like the hubby. Then you'll need these additional instructions -- and I conveniently found the pictures already on the camera for me.

7a. Take two pieces of bread.

7b. Put bread in toaster. Push down button.

7c. Remove toast from toaster.

7d. Serve stew on toast. Drink with Coke.

Cheeseburger Soup

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is finally shoveled out from the Christmas blizzard. It was a pretty awesome task. (Almost as awesome as uploading anything to Blogger this weekend. Am I the only person having issues?)

That was my brother's car. And this was my parents' backyard.

I don't think they'll be grilling anytime soon. We got just slightly less snow in Fargo, so when the interstate opened and the hubby and I made it home, we had to hike through the snow drifts in the driveway with the baby and the pups, because the SUV couldn't make it through. The hubby spent more than three hours of quality time with the snowblower -- and we have a small driveway.

The little man and I have both been sick this week, so we've been lying low. We stayed in our jammies and watched movies. And I spent hours teaching him how to stick out his tongue. He starts daycare on Monday. I thought this would be an important skill when he meets the other kids.

I still have a raging cold this weekend, and woke up to this on my friendly neighborhood WeatherBug this morning.

I have three words for you: "Soup." And "grocery delivery."

This is a recipe from Cuisine at Home, made with a few omissions and substitutions because said soup will be made before said grocery delivery. This is a half-day slow cooker recipe, and I'm sure it could be easily adapted for the stovetop -- just simmer until the veggies are tender.

Cheeseburger Soup
Serves 6

4 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 c. diced onion
3/4 c. diced celery
1/2 c. diced carrot
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk (I used skim)
3 c. chicken broth
2 c. peeled, diced potatoes
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used 75% reduced fat, which was much better in the soup than it was by itself)
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add ground beef, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until meat begins to brown.

2. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and basil. Cook 5 minutes.

P.S. I did not have any celery.

3. Add flour and stir. Cook 1 minute.

4. Stir in milk until mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil, and then cook 2 minutes. The mixture will be thick, kind of like milk gravy.

5. Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in broth and potatoes.

6. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cheese before serving.

San Francisco Pork Chops

For about a year, the hubby and I worked in towns two hours apart, so we lived in the middle and split the driving difference each day. We had a horrid winter that year; the snow in our yard was more than waist high, and it we were pummeled with snowstorm after snowstorm.

I ended up working from home a lot that winter, and used my slow cooker every day that I did. I'd throw something in during my morning coffee break or my lunch break, and the hubby and I had supper ready as soon as he got home.

This is one of the recipes that I discovered during that stretch, and it's been a favorite ever since. It's incredibly quick and easy, and the result is some very tender pork chops in a spicy teriyaki-type sauce.

I usually serve this with rice or mashed potatoes so the yummy sauce isn't wasted, but tonight I stir-fried some veggies and noodles, and used some of the sauce as a basis for some stir-fry sauce.

A note of caution that this dish can easily become overcooked; if you're not familiar with whether your slow cooker runs hotter or cooler, you might want to try this on a day when you're home. (When I got a new slow cooker that ran significantly warmer than my last, I came home to some lovely charred chops stuck to the bottom of my crockpot in what appeared to be tar. Yum!)

As always, be sure to check out Crockpot Wednesdays on Dining with Debbie!

San Francisco Pork Chops
Serves 4

4 boneless pork loin chops (not thin-cut)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. soy sauce, preferably a thick variety (I'd recommend my favorite brand, but it's been discontinued)
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. water

1. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and brown chops on both sides.

2. Remove chops from pan and add to slow cooker.

3. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic to pan. Cook about 30 seconds, until garlic starts to turn golden.

4. Combine soy sauce, broth, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper. Add to pan and cook until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.

5. Pour mixture over chops.

6. Cover and cook on low about 6 hours.

7. Remove chops. Combine cornstarch and water, and add to sauce. Return pork chops to slow cooker. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Slow Cooker Italian Pork Chops

First off, an award! I received the following from Sophie at Sophies Foodiefiles. Her blog is so fun and interesting, and I learn so much about new ingredients from her.

I'd like to pass this on to three of my favorite blogs:

• Bunny's Warm Oven: Full of fantastic recipes and gorgeous food pics.
• Spryte's Place: Just a beautiful blog; as fun to look at as it is to read.
• Tami's Kitchen Table Talk: I recently discovered this blog, and am loving it. It's full of recipes for food that I would love to eat.

And a big thanks to everyone who sent me recipe suggestions for my exotic Australian ingredients. There are a few that I can't wait to try! I just didn't get a chance to look at the recipes before last week's grocery list deadline. Yes, I had a deadline. "You must submit your online order before blah, blah, blah, or you'll have to go to the store and get your groceries yourself, like a normal person." It's a bit hectic around here these days. We need all the help we can get.

Take today, for instance. The little man didn't go down for his first real nap until 3 p.m., and then he was crabby. I've been drenched in spitup twice. One of the dogs is sick. The cat ripped open a bag of catnip and got it all over the basement, and then slept off her high in the baby's crib. And so on.

Slow cookers were designed for days like these. This is a recipe that I threw together during a lunch break one day. It's simple and tasty, and the pork chops are incredibly tender. I like to serve it over pasta as is, but you can easily thicken up the sauce with a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken it up.

Slow Cooker Italian Pork Chops
Serves 4

4 boneless pork loin chops
1 tsp. oil
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/3 c. dry white wine
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
Cooked pasta, for serving

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper, and brown in oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chops to slow cooker.

2. Add garlic, onion, and mushrooms to pan and cook until vegetables are just slightly soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add vegetables to slow cooker.

3. Pour wine in pan and scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour into slow cooker.

4. In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, lemon juice, and seasonings. Pour over chops and vegetables in slow cooker.

5. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or until chops are cooked through. Serve with pasta.

Slow Cooker Short Ribs

I'm so excited. I finally discovered that I CAN get bone-in beef short ribs from my local supermarket. Apparently they're available if you use online shopping/grocery delivery. (Yes, I suppose I could've asked for them at the store. We North Dakotans don't like to make waves.)

The hubby and I had our groceries delivered for four weeks after the little man was born, because we weren't yet confident enough to take him out and about. Also, with flu season, we were trying to let the Jack-baby's immune system build up a bit, and hopefully not expose him to the H1n1 flu.

Plus, we're lazy. (Last weekend, the pizza man and grocery man bumped into each other at our front door. Along with my little brother, Cory. How embarrassing.) The pizza man brought pizza. The grocery man brought (you guessed it) groceries. And Cory? He brought .... H1N1.

Yes, he got sick with it while staying with us. That was a week ago, and so far, so good as far as the hubby, Jack, and I are concerned. (Cory didn't fare as well. He had complications. Although he WAS released from the hospital yesterday.)

It's a scary, scary flu season out there, especially for the little ones. Especially when H1N1 vaccines are in such low supply. Especially when the first batch that reached your state froze and no longer worked. But I digress.

I was going to make some sort of Moroccan short ribs in the slow cooker today, but when it came down to it, I just wasn't hungry for Moroccan short ribs. I decided to introduce us to the wonderful world of bone-in short ribs using just a basic meat 'n' potatoes recipe. I was in a hurry and just randomly threw a bunch of things in. Overall, the ribs were incredibly tasty, and the meat was very buttery and tender. Almost too rich. Dare I say that I might avoid bone-in short ribs in the future, just because I'm more used to leaner cuts of meat?

In other news, awards! I'd like to thank Palidor at Crazy Asian Gal for the following award.

Palidor is so kind and sweet. She lives in The Land Without Symphony Bars (also called "Canada"*), and her blog is among my favorites to read. How she comes up with such yummy recipes while eating gluten-free, I'll never know.

I'd like to pass this award on (see, I'm getting the hang of this!) to the following bloggers:

• girlichef: Her derring-do in the kitchen tops all others. (She makes her own fresh mozzarella and cream cheese!) Plus, she lets me private e-mail her with all kinds of annoying questions. She should be sainted. If I could bottle her energy, I'd ... keep it all for myself.
• Accountants can cook?: Accountants apparently can write, as well. Aside from the yummy recipes, I just love the narrative style. And she puts her meal plans on her Blackberry. I think that makes her my hero.
• My Tasty Treasures: I salivate, giggle, and blush every time I read her blog.
• My Year on the Grill: He grills anything. He says anything. Today, while catching up on his posts, I laughed so hard that I sprayed juice out of my nose. Now THAT's an endorsement.

*Let it be known that I harbor no grudge against Canada. I love Canada. I visit frequently. I honeymooned there. They have great concerts. Although I do notice a huge difference in Old Dutch potato chips across our northern border. Is this because of some difference in Dutch heritage in Canada versus the U.S.? Just wondering.

Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Serves 4

2 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs
Salt, pepper, and steak seasoning (recommend Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. dry red wine
3 c. beef broth, divided
2 c. halved baby carrots
3 c. chopped potatoes
1/2 onion, peeled, root intact
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 c. cornstarch

1. Sprinkle short ribs on all sides with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning.

2. Preheat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.

Tip: Don't forget about the oil while you're facing the other way, chopping carrots, or you'll smoke up the entire room. And if you have an open floor plan, this means the entire main floor of the house. And then you'll have to wake up the hubby to go take the baby downstairs so they can both breathe, and you can open the windows to the 44-degree air and attempt to clear out the smoke over the course of the next hour.

3. Brown the ribs on all sides in the oil, about 8-10 minutes total.

4. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour off any remaining oil in the pan.

5. Pour wine and 2 1/2 c. broth in pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom. Pour wine and broth into slow cooker.

6. Add carrots, potatoes, onion, and seasonings.

7. Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours, or on low for 7 1/2 hours.

8. Combine 1/2 c. beef broth and cornstarch, and stir into beef mixture. Cook an additional 30 minutes, or until gravy is thickened. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. (I used a lot of salt, something like 2-3 teaspoons.)

9. Remove onion and bay leaf before serving.

Beef Daube Provençal

It feels like fall is here to stay in North Dakota -- all two weeks of it, anyway -- and I couldn't be happier. I'm a cool and gloomy weather kind of gal. Sunshine makes me frown. Plus, fall and winter are my favorite seasons for cooking.

Today is Sunday. I feel compelled to mention that because I'm not sure when I'll finish this post. The hubby and the little man are watching football together today, both dressed in Bears shirts, giving me time to run errands, take a nap, and cook some supper. I'm trying to make use of some of my fresh herbs before they're gone for the season (I give them maybe another week), and I couldn't resist trying this recipe, which is a modified version of a Cooking Light recipe.

You can either bake this recipe in the oven or use a slow cooker, so I'll include both methods in the instructions. The recipe does call for a bit of prep work -- it's not my favorite kind of dump-and-go slow cooker recipe -- but it's perfect for a weekend when you might have some extra time.

Beef Daube Provençal
Serves 4-6

2 tsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lbs. boneless beef roast or steak, cut in 2" cubes
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
1 c. red wine
2 c. chopped carrot
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. beef broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 bay leaf
Cooked egg noodles

1. Heat oil over low heat in a Dutch oven. Add cloves and garlic and cook about 5 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Remove garlic and set aside.

2. Turn heat to medium-high. Add beef, and sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Brown on all sides, and remove from pan.

3. Pour wine into pan and deglaze pan, scraping up bits from bottom of pan. Bring wine to a boil and return beef to pan.

4. Add remaining ingredients except egg noodles, and bring mixture to a boil.

5. If baking in the oven, cover and bake for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. If using a slow cooker, pour mixture into slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.

6. Discard bay leaf, and serve over noodles.

Mahogany-Glazed Pork

I got a comment last week from Debbie at Dining With Debbie about joining in on Crock Pot Wednesdays. What a great idea!

I love my crockpots, a.k.a. slow cookers. (I'm Midwestern. I call tissues Kleenex. Lip balm is Chapstick. Bandages are Band-aids. I'm a sucker for branding.) Anyway, I believe I've discussed my love for my three slow cookers in the past, and although I didn't use them as much over the summer, that love remains strong.

And I suspect that I will use them even more this fall when the little bundle of joy arrives and usurps all my free time. (Note: We are now accepting recipe suggestions.) I will definitely be checking out Debbie's blog each for new ideas, and contributing when possible.

This recipe is an adaptation of a Beth Hensperger recipe from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I used the spicy adaptation of her sauce, but threw in zucchini instead of snap peas (the hubby DOES NOT EAT PEAS), and I used boneless country-style pork ribs instead of spareribs or pork shoulder. Because while I was digging in the freezer for a pork shoulder, I accidentally poked open the package of ribs. Oops. I also thickened up the sauce a bit (I wanted it more like a stir-fry).

Speaking of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, I was actually reading the cookbook at my mother-in-law's one weekend. And I'm hard on my cookbooks -- I flag pages, I fold them, I scribble in changes and notes, etc. So I was sitting on the couch beating up this lovely cookbook when the hubby walked in, looked at what I was doing, and said, "Is that my mom's cookbook?" Oh, the irony. I held up the cover for him and had a good chuckle.

Yes, I'm easily amused.

Mahogany-Glazed Pork
Serves 6

1/3 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. orange marmalade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. ketchup
3 lbs. pork shoulder, pork spareribs, or boneless country-style pork ribs
1/2 red pepper, chopped
8 oz. sugar snap peas or 1/2 zucchini, chopped
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. water
Rice, for serving

1. Combine soy sauce, marmalade, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ketchup in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. (It should have a consistency like a thinner barbecue sauce.)


2. If using pork shoulder, cut in large chunks. Brush meat on both sides with sauce, and place in slow cooker.

3. Pour remaining sauce over meat in slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or until pork is cooked and tender.

5. In the last half-hour of cooking time, combine cornstarch and water and add to sauce. Add vegetables, cover, and continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and vegetables are crisp-tender.

6. Serve with rice.

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Almost everything in the area was shut down today for the blizzard, so the hubby and I were both at home. One of us was still able to work, while the other played DragonQuest on the Nintendo DS. I’ll let you guess who did what.

I was hungry for lasagna today but didn’t have much time for assembly, nor did I have any fresh mozzarella on hand. And I NEED fresh mozzarella in my lasagna. Like a fish needs water.

So I decided to assemble my lasagna in the slow cooker. It’s a bit easier to throw together, and it could just cook away all day while the hubby and I worked and completed heroic missions.

All in all, the lasagna was quite good. It didn’t have the same texture as traditional lasagna – and was decidedly less structured – but still had the same flavor. Although the next time I make this, I’m still using the fresh mozzarella.

My life was so empty before I discovered fresh mozzarella.

Slow-Cooker Lasagna
Serves 8-10

1 lb. hamburger
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
2 26-oz. jars spaghetti sauce
1 22-oz. container cottage cheese
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
½ tsp. dried oregano
8-10 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
2 c. shredded mozzarella or 8 oz. sliced fresh mozzarella

1. Brown hamburger over medium-high heat, seasoning with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Add spaghetti sauce and heat through.

2. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, and dried oregano.

Speaking of my favorite red bowls, here’s a nice little feel-good tidbit. So I got these Zak bowls for Christmas from my dear mom, and I love them. Plus, they’re eco-friendly. About a month ago, a freak accident occurred. I was getting a cookie container out of the pantry cupboard, and a Rubbermaid cake container fell off the top shelf, bounced off my head, and knocked my nested bowls off the counter. (Yes, that old excuse.) And one of the bowls shattered on the floor.

I bawled. For like an hour. And attempted to find a replacement bowl online. No dice, you can only buy the set. So I contacted the company and asked if I could purchase a single replacement bowl, as mine was lying on the ceramic tile in several pieces.

The representative asked for my address, and sent me a brand-new replacement SET of bowls. Free of charge. Because she felt bad. Isn’t that the nicest thing ever?

But I digress. Where was I? Ah, right. Lasagna.

3. Ladle about a cup of sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker, and top with 1/3 the noodles. (You’ll probably have to break them and arrange them awkwardly; it’s freeform art.) Top with 1/3 the remaining sauce, ½ the cottage cheese, and 1 c. mozzarella.

4. Top with another 1/3 of the noodles and sauce, and the remaining cottage cheese and mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles, and pour remaining sauce over the top.

5. Cover and cook on low about 6 hours, or until noodles are tender. (You can top with some additional mozzarella shortly before it’s done, as well.)

6. Let cool slightly before serving.

See what I mean by free-form? Like a regular lasagna tipped. But it still tastes the same.