That's what she said.

I've been in the mood for some hot Italian sausage for some reason. I can't believe that 3 years ago, I didn't even LIKE sausage. (Get your minds out of the gutter, people! Ha!)

"Hot Italian Sausage Chili Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb hot Italian sausage, browned and drained
~1 (16 oz) ok pkg frozen "The ultimate southwest blend"veggies
~1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, halved
~1/2 t salt
~1 t chili powder

Add all ingredients to crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

4 servings.

 This was yummy. Nice flavor and slightly spicy. My other half thought it was too tomatoey. My anti-tomatoes little helper would probably agree. He ate the beans and corn and that was only after I separated them from the evil sausage, peppers, onions, and juices.

I'm 3!

Yup. Still here. In fact, I'm a little late to the party, but Sunday was my 3rd year blog-iversary. Can you believe it? I most certainly can't. 

I crocked this today. I have a lot of carrots and potatoes in the house, so I whipped together another beef stew type of thing. Because. Why not?

"Peppery Beef Stew" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs boneless top loin roast

~3 russet potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces

~3 carrots, chopped

~1 celery stalk, chopped

~8oz fresh sliced mushrooms

~1 c beef stock

~1 t salt

~1 t pepper

~1 t curry powder 

Add all ingredients to crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Cut beef into pieces and serve.

4 servings.

Mmm. This turned out WAY better than I thought it was going to. It was nice and flavorful and a bit peppery. Mmm. Go me. 

Again, again!

I crocked a beef stew today. I had the ingredients and wasn't feeling particularly creative.

"Beef Stew #2514" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb stew beef
~16 oz baby carrots
~3 celery stalks, chopped
~4 russet potatoes, skinned and chopped
~1 c beef stock
~1 t dried parsley
~1 t salt
~1/2 t pepper

Add all ingredients to crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

4 servings.

It was beef stew. Pretty standard and nothing special. Although...it's a beef stew that my little helper actually ate! (Minus the beef part, of course.) Progress!

New and different.

New year. New crocks!

I crocked this today. I just kind of threw random stuff in the crock pot and hit go. Because, you know, that's what crock pots are for. Right? Right.

"Turkey Chili Stew" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs ground turkey, browned and drained

~1 c frozen corn

~ 1 sweet potato, skinned and chopped into bite-sized pieces

~2 c chicken broth

~1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

~1 (15 oz) can Northern Beans

~1 t salt

~1 t chili powder

~1 t ground cumin

~1/2 t smoked paprika

~1/4 t pepper

Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix well.

Cover and cook on hight for 4 hours.

6 servings.

This was really good! Not quite a chili, but not really a stew, either. I'm going to pat myself on the back for this one. Maybe I should crock more often. (Or at least find the time to blog about it.) 

Not that kind of fall.

I will simply say that if you think you don't know anyone affected by the government shutting down, you'd be wrong.

"The Sky Is Falling Sweet and Sour Teriyaki Pork and Veggies" (6 quart pot)

~1 b pork stew meat
~3 carrots, chopped
~1 sweet potato, chopped (From the CSA.)
~1 apple, cored and chopped (From the CSA. It was another one of those reddish greenish ones.)
~1 c low sodium sweet and sour sauce
~1 c low sodium teriyaki sauce

Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

4 servings.

Yum! *pats self on back* Even my little helper devoured the carrots.

It's a good thing.

Fall is here! Hooray! So...I crocked something fall-ish with stuff we had in the house and some clearanced turkey I grabbed from the disaster that is the local remodeling Safeway. (Why are they changing a good thing?)


"Tiz The Season Turkey Stew"(6 quart pot)

~1 lb turkey cutlets
~2 sweet potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces (From the CSA.)
~1 apple, chopped into bite sized pieces (From the CSA. I don't remember what kind it was. I know it was reddish and greenish.)
~1/2 onion, chopped
~1 c dried cranberries
~1/2 c cranberry juice cocktail
~1 t poultry seasoning
~1/2 t allspice

Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

4 servings.

Fall is delicious.

The new normal.

Our potatoes were growing eyes and our carrots were growing hair, so I did what any "normal" crocker would do. I shoved them into a pot and hit go. Our friend was in town from Germany (for about 30 seconds) and stopped by to see our new house and drink kale. Really.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Chicken Stew Number 471" (6 quart pot)

~3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
~1 c carrots, chopped
~5 medium golden potatoes, quartered
~1 T Argyle Street Asian Blend spice (It's THIS.)
~1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
~2 c chicken broth

Add all ingredients to crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

6 servings.

This was pretty good. It didn't wow our socks off, but it was okay. I tried to make it intentionally bland for my little helper's wonky tummy. Unfortunately, he wouldn't touch it. Maybe he was just too excited to see "Uncle Drew" and laugh at his juice diet...

...or maybe that last part was me. (Hi Drew!)

Workwoman's comp.

Today was something else. I'm half surprised I didn't burn down the house. Somehow, in the middle of tending to 5 wasp stings (4 for me and 1 for my little helper) AND a broken toe (mine), I managed to put together this crock. I deserve a medal. Or a vacation. Or both. I think I'd be okay with both.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Turkey Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb ground turkey
~1 onion, chopped
~1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
~4 yellow squash, chopped (From the CSA.)
~2 white potatoes (From the CSA.)
~2 handfuls of string beans, chopped (From the CSA.)
~12 oz hot salsa (Safeway brand.)
~1/2 t salt
~1/4 t pepper
~2 c beef broth

Brown turkey and onion together. Drain.
Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix well.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

4 servings.

This was pretty good. It was spicier than I thought it'd be. The jalapeño I used was on the larger side of things and I used a hot salsa, so I shouldn't have been THAT surprised. Can a girl blame her swollen wrists, back, and toes for her brain malfunctioning?  Please?

This is my shocked face.

I decided to use what we have in the house before sitting down and making the next shopping list. Yesterday was going to be pork based, but our dishwasher broke and ruined everything. (I'll spare you the icky details. You're welcome.) So...today was chicken day. Chicken and a bunch of other stuff.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Chicken Stew" (6 quart pot)

~3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
~1 c carrots, chopped
~3 medium white potatoes, chopped (From the CSA.)
~1 zucchini, chopped (From the CSA.)
~1 green bell pepper, chopped (From the CSA.)
~1 envelope onion soup mix

Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix well.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

4 servings.

This was okay. It's not going to win any awards, but it was still pretty good. It gets MAJOR bonus points because my little helper actually ate it!

"Well, first you've got to change the title"

This comes from E-book number 2. I browsed the recipes and about half of them are the EXACT same recipes as E-book number 1, but they all have different names. It's hysterical. Word for word, except for the recipe names.

"Sweet Potato and Baby Carrots Beef Stew" (6 quart pot)

~3 lbs beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
~8 small new potatoes, halved
~1/2 lb baby carrots, cut in half (I had a bunch of "adult" carrots, so I used them instead. Does that mean I need to change the name of the recipe?)
~16 prunes
~1 1/2 t salt
~1/2 t pepper
~1/4 t ground cinnamon
~1 c beef broth
~2 garlic cloves, minced
~3 t honey
~4 T lemon juice

Put the beef, sweet potatoes, new potatoes, carrots, and prunes in a bowl and mix well.
Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, broth, garlic, 1 t honey, and 2 T lemon juice and stir to blend well.
Transfer mixture to crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
About 5 minutes before servings, stir in remaining 2 T lemon juice and 2 t honey.
Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes.

8 servings.

This was different. A good different! My other half thinks I made my chunks too big (but I was never good with math...and he KNOWS that because we met in high school!), but other than that, we dug it. I think regular beef cubes would work well if you don't feel like "upgrading" to a brisket. It made a ton, so that's pretty awesome, too. Hooray for more leftovers my little helper won't help us eat! Grr. Argh.

Lost in translation.

This is "chapter 7" of the e-book. This one needed a proof reader, too.*

"Cuban Pork Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
~1 lb sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
~1 green bell pepper, chopped
~1 red bell pepper, chopped
~1 (14 1/2) oz can diced tomatoes
~1 (4 oz) can diced chilies
~2 garlic cloves, minced
~1 red onion, chopped
~1/4 c oj
~3 green onions, chopped
~1 t salt
~1/4 t ground cumin
~1/4 t pepper
~2 T lime juice
~2 T fresh cilantro
~1 t dried parsley (Because I didn't have 1 T of fresh.)

*The recipe says "Place pork, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, chilies, green onions, peppers, 'yellow onion salt' (Whatever that means!) , oj, and pepper in crock pot." Seriously.
Instead, I would say something like place the first 13 ingredients in the crock pot and stir to mix.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Add parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice into the mixture.
Cover (again) and cook 10 additional minutes.

8 servings.

This was REALLY good. Nice flavors and "different". We were quite happy with it. My little helper's tummy was still wonky, so I didn't offer him any.

New kids on the block.

I'm cleaning out our kitchen. Still. Because unlike the rest of our new neighborhood, we don't hire strangers to come cut our grass or clean our house.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Beef Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1 lb stir fry beef strips
~1 large red potato, cut into bite-sized pieces (From the CSA.)
~1 small white potato, cut into bite-sized pieces (From the CSA.)
~1 bunch of radishes, cut into bite-sized pieces (From the CSA.)
~1 spring onion, chopped (From the CSA.)
~2 c fresh mushrooms, cut in half (From the CSA.)
~2 c frozen crinkle cut carrots
~1 (12 oz) bottle of beer (I have no idea what this was. It was a homebrew, it wasn't labeled, and my other half has no clue. Let's call it...lager/ale-ish)
~1 t beef bouillon
~1/2 t curry powder
~1/2 t turmeric
~1/2 t salt
~1/4 t pepper

Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix well.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

4 servings.

It's a beef stew. Nothing special. My other half thought that it could use "something". I'm just glad that our kitchen is THAT much cleaner!

Don't worry. Be happy.

I've been working since Friday, so I've been slacking in the crocking department. I'm still here! Don't worry! 

So...I crocked the recipe on the last card last week and then lost the card. When I find it, I will post it.

Since the game is now technically over, I can crock whatever I want. Today, I did a clean out the kitchen chicken stew thing. We've signed up for another season of CSA and have had 6 or so weeks of it so far, so we have more than a little veggies in the house at the moment.

"Clean Out The Kitchen Chicken Stew" (6 quart pot.)

~4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

~3 small carrots, chopped (From the CSA.)

~1 parsnip, chopped (From the CSA.)

~3 radishes, chopped (From the CSA.)

~3 garlic cloves, chopped (From the CSA.)

~3 small white potatoes, chopped (From the CSA.)

~2 celery ribs, chopped (From when we ordered wings last week.)

~1/2 t salt

~1/4 t pepper

~1/2 t fresh rosemary (Thanks, Laura!)

~1/2 t dried thyme

~1 (14 oz) can veggie broth (It was hiding in our pantry. I have NO idea how long it has been there.)

4 servings.

This was pretty good. It gets bonus points because my little (picky as hell recently) helper actually ate a nice chunk of it. I was a little lot worried about the radishes because they're not my favorite thing in the world, but they ended up tasting like the potatoes, so it made me super happy.

Big whoop.

Sarah picked number 13. (Thanks Sarah!) Number 13 was...

"Southwest Turkey Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1 1/2 lbs turkey chops, cubed (The card said tenderloins, but Safeway was out, so I improvised.)
~2 t canola oil
~1 (15 oz) can turkey chili with beans, undrained
~1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
~1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
~1 green bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
~3/4 c chopped onion
~3/4 c salsa (I used Newman's hot.)
~3 garlic cloves, minced
~1 1/2 t chili powder
~1/2 t salt
~1/2 t ground cumin
~cilantro (The card said fresh, but I used dried.)

In a skillet, brown turkey in oil; transfer to crock pot.
Stir in chili, tomatoes, peppers, onion, salsa, garlic, chili powder, salt, and cumin.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until turkey is no longer pink.
Garnish with cilantro.

6 servings.

Nice flavor. Nice spice. My other half thinks that I (once again) didn't chop the veggies small enough and my little helper wouldn't try ANY of it. Other than that, it was yummy.

Totally twisted.

He probably doesn't remember, but my other half picked number 3. (Thanks G!) Number 3 was...

"Vegetable Beef Stew" (6 quart pot)

~3/4 lb beef stew meat (The smallest package I could find was 1lb.)
~2 t canola oil
~1 (14 1/2 oz) can beef broth
~1 (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
~1 1/2 c cubed, peeled butternut squash
~1 c frozen corn, thawed
~6 dried apricot halves, quartered
~1/2 c chopped carrot (I used some frozen crinkle cut we had in the freezer.)
~1 t dried oregano
~1/4 t salt
~1/4 t pepper
~2 T cornstarch
~1/4 c cold water
~parsley (The card said fresh, but I used dried.)

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat in oil until no longer pink; drain.
Transfer to crock pot.
Add broth, tomatoes, squash, corn, apricots, carrot, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Cover and cook on low fior 6 hours or until veggies and meat are tender.
Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into stew.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes or until gravy is thickened.
Stir in parsley.

4 servings.

This is not your boring old beef stew. At all. It's different. And it's a yummy different. You should try it. My only problem with it is that there wasn't MORE of it. Ha!

Our "We don't do Valentine's Day Valentine's Day dinner" III.

Sara picked number 2. (Thanks Sara!) The second card is...

"Southwestern Beef Stew" (6 quart pot)

~2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
~1 (16 oz) jar picante sauce (I used hot.)
~2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
~4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
~1 onion, chopped
~1 t chili powder
~1/4 t salt
~1/4 t ground cumin
~1 T cornstarch
~1/4 c cold water

In a large skillet, brown beef on all sides; drain.
Transfer to crock pot.
Stir in picante sauce, potatoes, carrots, onion, chili powder, salt, and cumin.
Cover and cook on low for 9 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew.
Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until gravy if thickened.

7 servings. (Or...4.)

REALLY spicy. And delicious. This will put some spice into your (love) life.

AND because this silly holiday is a good excuse to crock dessert, that's exactly what I did. I crocked the only crockable dessert in the book of recipe cards.

"Slow-Cooked Bread Pudding" (6 quart pot)

~4 whole wheat bagels, split and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
~1 tart apple, peeled and chopped. (I used a red delicious because it was on sale.)
~1/2 c dried cranberries
~1/4 c golden raisins
~2 c milk
~1 c egg substitute (I used 4 eggs instead...because we had them.)
~1/2 c sugar
~2 T butter, melted
~1 t ground cinnamon
~1 t vanilla extract

Coat crock pot with PAM.
Combine bagels, apple, cranberries and raisins in crock pot.
In a large bowl, whisk milk, egg, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Pour mixture over bagel mixture and stir to combine.
Gently press bagels down into milk mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until knife inserted  near the center comes out clean.

8 servings. (In what universe?)

Mmm...

Happy Thursday!

Late for dinner.

Sara picked number 49. (Thanks Sara!) Number 49 was...

"Tuscan Pork Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1.5 lbs boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
~2 T olive oil
~2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
~2 c chicken broth
~2 c stir fry vegetable blend, thawed
~1/2 c dry red wine (I used Gnarly Head's Old Vine Zinfindel.)
~1/4 c orange marmalade
~2 garlic cloves, minced (From the CSA. I'm still waiting for the day to come when I incorrectly assume we still have some left.)
~1 t dried oregano
~1/2 t fennel seed
~1/2 t pepper
~1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
~2 T cornstarch
~2 T cold water
~hot cooked fettuccine

In a large skillet, brown pork in oil until no longer pink; drain and transfer to crock pot.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, vegetable blend, wine, marmalade, garlic, oregano, fennel seed, pepper, and pepper flakes; pour over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or until meat is tender.
Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into stew.
Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until gravy is thickened.
Serve with fettuccine.

8 servings.  (Or 4 if you're like us.)

I didn't cook the fettuccine long enough. (Yes, I managed to screw up pasta.) AND I forgot to do the cornstarch thing until we were starving, so let it cook for only 15 minutes. OTHER than that, this was pretty darn good. It was full of flavor and just ever so slightly spicy, so you wussies ant-spicy people will probably like this, too.

Tastefully simple.

Lori picked number 23. (Thanks Lori!) Number 23 was...

"Simple Chicken Stew" (6 quart pot)

~1 (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
~1 c water
~2 bone-in, skinned chicken thighs (The card says 1/2 boneless skinless breasts, but I didn't realize we were out, so I improvised.)
~1 large potato, peeled and cut into 2/4-inch cubes
~2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
~10 oz fresh sliced mushrooms (The card says 1/2 c. I tossed the whole package in there.)
~1/4 c chopped onion
~1 t chicken bouillon
~1/4 t poultry seasoning

Combine all ingredients in crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or until chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.
Since I used bone-in chicken, I removed it after it was cooked, shredded it, trashed the bones, and then put the shredded chicken back in the crock pot.

2 servings.

Mmm...this was nice and full of flavor. Very chicken noodle soup minus the noodle-y.

Souper bowl.

Joanna picked number 38. (Thanks, Joanna!) Number 38 in book of cards was...

"Sausage Pasta Stew (6 quart pot)

~1 lb turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
~4 c water
~1 (26 oz) jar meatless spaghetti sauce (I used Green Valley's garden vegetable.)
~1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
~1 yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
~2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
~1 green bell pepper, diced
~1/3 c chopped onion
~1 1/2 uncooked spiral pasta
~1 c frozen peas
~1 t sugar
~1/2 t salt
~1/4 t pepper

Cook sausage over medium high heat until no longer pink.
Drain and place in crock pot.
Add water, spaghetti sauce, kidney beans, squash, carrots, bell pepper, and onion and mix well.
Cover and cook on low for 9 hours.
Add pasta, peas, sugar, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.

8 servings.

This was really good. Full of flavor. Full of veggies. Lots of leftovers. Perfect for the day/week after most of the country ate themselves silly while watching the Ravens and 49ers duke it out...in the dark.

Picky picky.

Katie picked number 20. (Thanks Katie!)

"Slow Cooker Chicken Stew" (6 quart pot)

~2 1/4 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
~1 onion, chopped
~2 medium carrots, sliced
~3/4 c apple juice
~1 garlic clove, minced (From the CSA.)
~1 t salt
~1/2 t ground cinnamon
~1/2 t cinnamon
~1 c dried apricots (I was supposed to chop them, apparently. I JUST noticed that. Oops.)
~couscous, cooked

Place chicken, onion, and carrots in crock pot.
In a small boel, combine apple juice, garlic, salt, cinnamon, and pepper.
Pour mixture over veggies.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove chicken from crock pot and shred meat with forks.
Skim fat from cooking juices.
Stir in apricots.
Return shredded chicken to crock pot.
Heat through.
Serve with couscous.

6 servings.

I couldn't help but laugh at the ingredient list. Cinnamon? Really? AND to call this plain old chicken stew is kind of bizarre to me, but what do I know? This was really good and luckily for us, not particularly cinnamon-y. My little helper dug the couscous and that's pretty much it.