Chris, Olivia and I are all recovering from miserable colds. Olivia finally went back to school today having missed Tues and Wed. And while I hate her being sick, I’ve loved having her home and making her breakfast in bed. After dropping Liv off at school, I headed to Champaign to run some errands. How sad is it that the highlight of my week is a trip to Sam’s? I took my time and browsed through a couple of magazines. Midwest Living has a great article with 10 Slow Cooker recipes. I thought the following sounded great:
Short Ribs over Cheesy Polenta
Cook: 9 to 10 hours (low) or 4 1/2 to 5 hours (high)
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Ingredients
- 2-1/2 to 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- 2 large onions, cut into thin wedges
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots (2 medium)
- 1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into thin wedges
- 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, crushed
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 recipe Cheesy Polenta
Directions
1. Trim fat from meat. In a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker combine onions, carrots, and fennel. Top with meat.
2. In a small bowl combine undrained tomatoes, wine, tapioca, tomato paste, dried rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour over meat and vegetables.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5 hours.
4. Meanwhile, prepare Cheesy Polenta. Spoon polenta into shallow bowls. Spoon meat and vegetable mixture over polenta. Makes 6 servings.
Cheesy Polenta:In a large saucepan bring 2-1/2 cups water to boiling. Meanwhile, in a bowl stir together 1 cup coarse-ground yellow cornmeal, 1 cup cold water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture returns to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until very thick, stirring frequently and adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a very slow boil. Stir in 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese, blue cheese or shredded Parmesan cheese.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Root Beer Barbecue Sauce
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 8 hours low; 4 hours high
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Ingredients
- 1 2-1/2- to 3- pound boneless pork sirloin roast
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
- 1 cup root beer
- 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 3 cups root beer (two 12-ounce cans or bottles)
- 1 cup bottled chili sauce
- 1/4 tsp. root beer concentrate (optional)
- 6 to 8 dashes hot pepper sauce (optional)
- 8 to 10 hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls, split (and toasted, if you like)
- Lettuce leaves (optional)
- Tomato slices (optional)
Directions
1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut roast to fit into crockery cooker. Sprinkle meat with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Drain. Transfer meat to a 3-1/2-, 4-, or 5-quart slow cooker. Add onions, the 1 cup root beer, and garlic. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the 2 cans or bottles of root beer and bottled chili sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
3. Boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 2 cups. Add root beer concentrate and bottled hot pepper sauce, if you like.
4. Transfer roast to a cutting board or serving platter. With a slotted spoon, remove onions from juices and place on serving platter. Discard juices. Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds. To serve, line buns with lettuce leaves and tomato slices, if you like. Add meat and onions; spoon on sauce. Makes 8 to 10 sandwiches.
Make-Ahead Tip: Transfer pork mixture to covered container and chill up to 24 hours. Or transfer to 1-, 2-, or 4-serving freezer containers; seal, label, and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight before serving. To reheat, transfer to saucepan; cover and heat over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add 2 to 4 tablespoons water to keep mixture from sticking.
Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely shredded
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 10-3/4-oz. can reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup
- 1 6-oz. pkg. long grain and wild rice mix
- 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 5 cups water
- Celery leaves (optional)
Directions
1. In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine cooked chicken, mushrooms, carrots, celery, cream of chicken soup, rice and the contents of the rice seasoning packet. Gradually stir in chicken broth and the water.
2. Cover slow cooker; cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours. Garnish with celery leaves, if you like. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
