not your momma's pork and beans

i haven't made my menu for november yet. shame on me. i promise to work on that this weekend.

related, i have a bunch of food leftover from my plans for october. because, you know, life happens. so we eat leftovers one day. or we forget to add a veggie to the spaghetti. yeah. so i have enough food for the first week in november and won't have to go grocery shopping until NEXT weekend! yay!

but, as i'm making things, i'm kind of out of plans. and i still need to account for my late nights at class, and that i'm trying to prepare something for husband. AND that it's totally crock pot season and i haven't used mine enough yet.

so i foraged through my cupboards and freezer, and came up with my own pork and beans. i was extremely nervous, but it turned out so good.

here's what you do:

cut up a large onion. put it in the crock. add other things. whatever you want. i added kidney beans and corn and a bit of leftover black beans. this would have been delish with some rotel though, now that i think of it. add it all to the crock.

top with pork chops. i used bone-in, and next time i'd use boneless (because they were so tender that they fell apart. awesome).

then i topped with homemade cream of celery soup. i would use cream of mushroom, but i didn't have it. some worcestershire sauce, some seasonings (basil, garlic, salt, pepper in mine), and that's it. cook on low for 8 hours.

it was so good. i love when i just throw things together and they turn out delicious.

meatball stroganoff. crockpot style.

this is a perfect dish to make if youre feeding a lot of people, or if you want a hardy meal. this stuff is addicting, and probably not very healthy. but, it is wonderful. AND im gonna swallow my pride here and post the quick and simple recipe using........

FROZEN MEATBALLS

yep, i said it. and i've done it. and i assure you, i will do it again.



it tastes as lucious as it looks. scouts honor.



recipe:

1 bag FROZEN MEATBALLS (i use the turkey meatballs)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can beef broth

1/4 cup dijon mustard

worchestire sauce to taste

chopped garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp dry dill OR a sprig or 2 of fresh dill over top

YOU can add fresh chopped 'shrooms if you want. i do not. that's disgusting.

method: mix the above ingredients together in your crocky. cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

**note: if youre using the frozen meatballs, youre not really "cooking" anything, just warming it up and meshing together all the flavors. a varied cooktime here is ok.**

before serving:

mix together the following:

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp flour

1/4 cup water

after mixing this together, mix it into the crockpot to thicken sauce

boil egg noodles in water, add to crockpot when done, let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

enjoy!!

PS: this makes a lot of food. prepare yourself for leftovers. fo' sho.

a few recipes to be found on this month's menu....

i have decided to post *three* of the recipes from my menu as a starting point. these happen to be three of our favorite dishes as well. enjoy:)

FRENCH DIP (crock pot style)
this recipe is uber tasty, and is even uber tastier the next day. it freezes very well and is still quite tasty thawed- i stick it back in  the crock pot to warm and add a can of beef broth.

4 lb rump roast, chuck roast or sirloin roast. ( i used sirloin)
1 can beef broth or consomme (i used consomme)
1 can french onion soup
...1 12oz can/bottle of beer (the darker the better- nothing lite)
Worchestshire sauce to taste*
Minced Garlic to taste*
Garlic powder*
Onion powder*
Sliced white onion (add 1/2 hour before serving. i sauteed quickly before adding, but not all the way)*
*optional- but i used them this time, and it was tastier!

Method:

Trim excess fat off roast, put in crock pot.
Rub with onion/garlic powder
Pour Worchestshire sauce over
Spoon minced garlic over
Add Beef Consomme/Broth
Add French Onion Soup
Add beer
Add Onions (later- see below)

Cook on LOW for 7 hours.

1/2 hour before serving, slice meat on diagonal then add back to cook in broth for 30 more minutes (this is where i added the onions- next time i will do yellow and red pepper too!)

Butter then broil french bread rolls (or whatever rolls you want) until toasted. I turned off broiler then moved pan to lower rack adding Provalone to melt from the heat in the oven for a few minutes.

Remove meat/onions from broth, use left over broth in bowls for dipping!




GREEK PIZZA ON LAVASH
lavash is a thin bread i use for the crust- so you get more topping, less bread. it crisps up nicely too. this pizza is still quite tasty the next day for luch, although the bread doesnt doesnt have the same integrity as it does fresh out of the oven.




before oven



buy lavash at whole foods (bakery section)- i picked the pizza lavash- is a bit heartier. other kinds would work too i think..would be crispier, but integrity may be compromised with so many/such heavy ingredients.

preheat oven to 450 degrees


prep is the most time consuming:

kalamata olives- sliced
tomato- sliced..but only use meaty part- no slimy seeds
lemon zest- mince about 1 tsp or so of the peel
fresh basil- chopped

*chicken- i grilled 3 breasts in a lemon pepper seasoning and sliced.

*red onion- sliced. sautee in a tablespoon or 2 of extra virgin olive oil and as much minced fresh garlic as youd like, some salt, some pepper..until tender. put contents of pan into a bowl.

*fresh spinach- 8-10 cups: wash, de-stem, strain. after onions, add another tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and more minced garlic to same pan; add a bit more salt/pepper.. sautee spinich leaves until just wilted but still bright green(about 1-2 min). remove and place in strainer to cool. mush all moisture out with your hands.. when drained/cool(ish) toss and coarsely chop spinach with the lemon zest. i mixed spinach and the sliced chicken in a bowl.

*garlic oil- i warmed some olive oil and freshly minced garlic in the same pan and poured in a small bowl to use to brush on crust.

place sheets of lavash on lightly greased/oiled cookie sheet, prebake for 2-3 minutes. brush garlic oil on crust, spread onion over crust, then chicken/spinach, sprinkle olives. Top with feta, mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. I like to put coarsly ground black pepper on top.

bake for 8 minutes (or until edges are golden brown) top with a bit of shredded parmesan.

 
 

after oven. yummo!

(CP)PORK AND SAUERKRAUT (over mashed potatoes)
this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE meal. ever. ever ever ever. like, ever. if you have or are an anti sauerkrauter (shame on you), my grandma taught me a couple of tricks to take the edge off of the kraut for the babies. i personally eat the stuff straight out of the jar. with my fingers. what, you didn't know Little was german?! psssht. das ist niche gud. stay tuned, i can count to 10 in four languages.

you'll need:

1 or 2 large jars of sauerkraut (i will let you guess how many i use)
boneless pork roast 2-4 lbs (i use 3.5lbs or so)
3-4 green apples
brown sugar
applesauce!!!! (SO important)

method: (no exact measurments here- to taste, i suppose)

set the roast in the pot

sprinkle some brown sugar over the roast

pour half of the sauerkraut in the crockpot, over the meat

sprinkle brown sugar over kraut (as generously or as little as you like)

slice apples

arrange half of the slices around the perimeter of food

pour the rest of the sauerkraut over, repeat last 2 steps.

cover and cook on high 4-6 hours, low 10 hours. (i do high for 6 hours, then let sit on low til im ready to eat)




you can see the apples and brown sugar over the final kraut layer- i have a kraut baby here, so i used WAY more than i usually would have.

warning: the aroma of this dish causes uncontrollable drooling and stomach growling. for some its because the aroma is to die for. for others its because the aroma makes them nauseous (wuss). please don't judge the best meal of your life by it's smell. (there is NO bias here at all. none.)


the pork should fall apart easily if it is done thoroughly. i dish this wonderfulness over mashed potatoes (homemade russets for me) and combine with applesauce (SO important).

youre welcome in advance for making your life complete. and, if i didn't- you clearly did something wrong. :)

chow!

p-p-p-pot roast.

i wouldn't normally relate my pot roast, or any meal for that matter to bob marley (or ub40. ...know where i am heading with this?) but after the ever so important better hurry up and taste this before someone else has to eat it taste test, i couldn't get the darn song out of my head.


red red wi-yi-yiiiiiiiiinne stay close to meee-he...

(insert island accent)

red red wine you give me whole heap of zing
whole heap of zing mek me do me own thing..

why? because this morning i added 1/2 c of what was left in a bottle of (menage a trois -try it, i PROMISE you'll love it. ten bucks.) red wine to my roast. THAT, my friends, turned out to be a great 6:00am decision. probably one of my finest to date.  the roast took on such a full flavor; and just enough of a hint of the sweetness and roundness came through in the broth and vegetables. i also added a can of french onion soup. i will use this instead of lipton onion soup mix from now on as it isn't as weird and salty.


this was a great, easy and cheap recipe to slowly integrate crocky into the mix for fall and winter meals.


and i share:


2-4 lbs chuck roast (i chose closer to 4 and decided to pull an erin and freeze the leftovers)
10 potatoes (i like yukon golds for this- quartered)
carrots, sliced. (or, cheat like me and buy sale baby carrots. score!)
4 ish stalks celery, sliced
1 or 2 medium onions sliced


chopped garlic
worsh sauce
beef broth (1 can or so)
french onion soup (1 can)
1/2 c red wine


and for seasonings, i use the miracle blend 
pepper


if you're like me, 6am doesn't come easy. so, i prepped my veggies last night.

this morning, while my tea kettle did it's thing, i seasoned the meat, tossed it in the crock pot. stuffed the veggies on, over and around the meat. i added the garlic and the liquids and sprinkled a bit more seasoning over the top. i set crocky to low for 10 hours and let her go.


thanks to last night's prep, it was all done before my water was boiled.


i have to say, i was delighted with how it turned out. had i felt more zealous, i would have made some gravy. or yorkshire pudding. but, i didn't. the kardashians putting neuticles in their dog was WAY more interesting.


until next time....


oh, and next time is *lobster tails*.