Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy BBQ Pot Roast

Another yummy recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

*Serves 8-10

4-7 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed of large areas of fat

1-2 tablespoons saute spice (equal parts garlic powder, salt and black pepper)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can root beer (if you use a brand other than A&W, please don't tell my husband)

1 can red chile enchilada sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I like the Tapatio brand)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup of water or milk

Pat the roast(s) dry with a paper towel; then rub the saute spice all over the roast. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or pot until it is shimmering. Brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil, for about 1 minute on each side. The oil should be hot enough to get the roast nicely browned without burning it.

Transfer the roast to a 4-8 quart slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the root beer, enchilada sauce, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Remove the roast, reserving juices in the slow cooker. Tent the roast with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water/milk, stirring well until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the juices in the slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, on high for 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce over roast with mashed potatoes or any other sides that float your boat.

* Emily's note: I shredded and reheated the leftovers in the gravy the next day, and made sandwiches with provolone cheese. Even better than the first day! And more is in the freezer for a sandwich another day.

White Chicken Chili

This recipe comes from my cousin-in-law, Cydney. As a bonus, it is gluten- free. I made one adjustment to the recipe since we were making it for friends and one of them doesn't eat beans. So below is the recipe just as Cydney shared it with me. Below that I will add my very teeny adjustment.

white chicken chili
3 cups cooked and diced chicken breast
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained (i've also used black, which was DE-licious, but kinda takes away from the "white chili" name. i guess you could call it "black and white chili", but that doesn't sound as appetizing)
2 cans chicken broth
1 can (7 oz) chopped green chilis **(I used two 4 oz cans because I couldn't find 7 oz cans)
1 cup frozen corn *optional
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt or regular salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half & half
shredded cheese for topping

cook the chicken, set it aside and let it cool, then cube it. in the same pan, cook the onion until tender, then add 1 can of broth mixed with the corn starch to make a "gravy". in the crockpot goes the chicken, gravy, other can of broth, beans, chili, and seasonings. cook this on low for 3-5 hours. just before serving add the corn, sour cream, and half&half and make sure it's heated through before serving. yum! top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips, if you so desire.

** As a substitute for the beans, I cooked white rice according to package directions (it was 1 3/4 C. water, salt, butter, and 1 cup rice, supposed to = approx. 3 C. cooked rice) and added it to the crock pot when I added the sour cream and half & half. It turned out really well. I may play around with some beans and some rice in future variations, but suffice it t say, we did not miss the beans! This was super yummy, super easy chili. I anticipate it will be a staple at our house, just like Cyd says it is at hers.

Crock pot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

I'm not making this tonight because we have dinner with our community group (yay!), but it's one of my recent favorites, and SUPER EASY! I had NEVER made a lasagna until this, and I will probably never make one anywhere but in a crockpot now.

This recipe is from the blog A Year of Slow Cooking, and there are a bunch of other great looking crockpot recipes over there.

--uncooked traditional lasagna noodles
--4 already cooked chicken breast halves
--jar of prepared pasta sauce
--1 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
--3 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
--tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz)
--2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar blend)
--1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles
--1/4 cup of water (add at very end)

The Directions.

use at least a 5qt crock pot, or cut back on the amount of ingredients. ( I don't have one this big, so I decrease everything just a tad.)

In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce, and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce.

Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crock pot. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get a proper fit.

Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles. Add a layer of chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle on a handful of shredded cheese.

Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.

Add the bleu cheese crumbles, if desired. Put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta sauce jar and shake. Pour the liquid over the top of the entire lasagna.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take off the lid of the crock. Let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into it, or it will fall apart.

Enjoy this one! It's not too spicy, though my kids didn't want to try it (but then, they don't generally like pasta type dishes).

Slow-cooker White Chicken Chili

We're eating dinner at my Grandma's tonight, so I won't have tonight's dinner recipe to post. Instead, I'm going back a little while and posting another good crock pot recipe that I've shared with some folks on Facebook in the past.

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 large green pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 med onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 lbs bone-in split chicken breasts, skin removed (I just used 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts)
2 can (14.5 oz)cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 C. chicken broth
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Place peppers, onion, garlic, 1 Tbsp cumin and 1 tsp coriander in the skillet; cover. Cook, stirring for 6 minutes.
2. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker; add chicken, beans, and broth. Cover; cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours.
3. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon. Check liquid for bones. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp each cumin and coriander, lime juice, and salt.
4. Shred the chicken; stir into slow cooker. Serve with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

It could have used a little more spice, so you can include the jalapeno ribs and seeds, and stir in 1/4 tsp hot sauce at the end if you like.

This recipe is from Family Circle, 2009

Slow-cooker Carne Guisada

This was delicious! The boys ate it, too, and it wasn't very spicy. I made homemade flour tortillas and served it with cheese and sour cream. Think I'll eat the leftovers over rice, though.

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast or bottom round, cut into 1-inch pieces

salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium white onion, diced medium

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced medium

1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced small

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. dried oregano

6 Tbsp. all- purpose flour

1 3/4 C. low- sodium chicken broth

1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp. oil over high. In two batches, cook beef until browned on all sides. Transfer to a 5-6 quart slow cooker.

2. In same skillet, cook 2 tsp oil, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes, then transfer mixture to slow cooker, along with tomatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high6 hours.

Recipe from Everyday Food, Nov. 2010