Santa Fe Soup

This recipe comes curtesy of a dear friend of my mama's. Mom emailed me the recipe years ago, along with a story about how she took a double* of this recipe to a tailgate at the Army-Navy game and it was gobbled up in record time! Of course, the Army-Navy game was being played in Pennsylvania in December, and has a tradition of being bitterly cold, so it's no wonder the tailgaters wanted something warm and hearty. Included in Mom's story was the tale of how she wrapped her empty soup pot (a Calphalon one, no less) in a plastic bag so it wouldn't roll in the car and make a mess on the way home. My little brother, trying to be helpful, dumped the trash before they left the stadium. Well, you can guess what happened. Mom didn't discover her missing pot until they were back home in Virginia and it was far too late! Anyway, make this soup for a tailgate or gamewatch...or, if you're like me, you'll make it when it's 3 degrees outside with a windchill of -8!

2 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained 

1 can black beans, undrained 

1 can pinto beans, undrained 

1 can kidney beans, undrained 

1 can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, undrained 

1 can zucchini in tomato sauce, undrained 

2 packages ranch dressing mix (1 spicy and 1 regular) 

2 packages taco seasoning mix 

2 cups water 

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 

diced avocado 

shredded cheddar cheese 

sour cream 

crunchy tortilla strips

Brown the meat. Drain well, unless using lean meat. Add onions and garlic. Continue to cook until onion is soft and translucent and garlic is fragrant.  Add canned goods, seasonings, and water. Mix well and simmer until time to serve.

Just before serving, stir in cilantro (save some for garnish, if you'd like).

Top with avocado, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

This recipe serves a crowd, particularly if you double it*!!  Feel free to let 'er go all day long in a Crock Pot set to medium.

***To double this recipe, simply add an extra can of corn, diced tomatoes, and zucchini!!***

Eastern Carolina Pork Barbecue

I once read that barbecue in the South is like wine in Europe; there's a different variety for every region.  And it's so true.  Midwestern BBQ is tomato-based and Carolina BBQ is vinegar-based.  And don't get me started on those confused souls (bless their hearts) who call a grill a barbecue or who invite you to a barbecue when what they mean is a cookout.  Barbecue is pulled pork, folks!  Anyway, Summer's comin', so I thought we'd fix up the best barbecue my husband's ever tasted (I can't make that claim, because I have family roots in both Midwestern and Carolina 'cue and can't decide which I like best!).  Y'all enjoy...and come back every Monday this month for all the fixin's to make this a fine meal to kick off Summer!

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 4-5 pound pork roast (shoulder or Boston butt)

Combine the two types of vinegar, brown sugar, Tabasco, salt, and pepper flakes in a large bowl.  Stir until the sugar dissolves.  Trim the excess fat from the pork, if any.  Place the roast in a slow cooker and pour the sauce over the meat.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours, turning the pork every 1-2 hours.

Remove one cup of the sauce from the slow cooker and place in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Place the pork in the bowl and reserve remaining sauce in slow cooker.  Using the paddle attachment on the lowest speed, shred the pork.  If you don't have a stand mixer, you can put the sauce and meat in a roasting dish and shred with two forks and get an upper body workout in at the same time.  It's up to you!  Pour another cup of the sauce from the slow cooker in with the shredded meat and stir to really moisten the meat.

Pour the remaining sauce from the slow cooker into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Skim the fat off the sauce as it rises to the top.  Serve the pork on buns with the extra sauce on the side.

Serves 8-10.

Recipe adapted from My Mama Made That, by the Junior League of Hampton Roads.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

I found this recipe months ago and just had to try it!  I do love Chinese food, but I hate that sickening feeling I have every time I order take out.  I was so excited when I found this recipe on Everyday Sisters...  My crock pot broke on New Year's Eve (actually, just the knob broke, but when I researched the price of a replacement knob it was more economical to just buy a new machine), I had some left-over orange juice concentrate from some Christmas cookies I'd made, and I'd just bought a bag of frozen Szechuan-style green beans that I wanted to try.  The timing couldn't be more perfect.  So, on an otherwise crazy day, I whipped up this chicken, some brown rice, and popped the beans in the microwave.  Easy, yet healthy, dinner...and super flavorful!  My husband gave this one two thumbs up!

4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into chunks

1/3 cup flour

olive oil

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons brown sugar

In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, ketchup and water, set aside.

Pour the flour in a small bowl. Cover the chicken breast chunks in flour and shake off the excess.  Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered chicken.  The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked since it's going in the crock pot.

After the chicken is done browning, put the pieces into the crock pot. Then cover the chicken with the sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3.

Serve over rice.

Irish Stew

Ever since a family vacation to Ireland in the eighth grade, I've been on a the hunt for a wonderful Irish Stew recipe!  I finally found one a year or so ago (though, for the life of me, I have no idea where I found this gem) and decided that this year I'd trade in our normal Shepherd's Pie for Irish Stew on St Patrick's Day.  After all, I can't stand corned beef and cabbage, and it's not really Irish anyway!  This almost didn't happen this year since I had a hard time finding lamb, but I finally did, and this was perfect for a rainy day of watching basketball and drinking Irish beer...oh, and did I mention the gorgeous colors of the Irish flag in this dish make it even more perfect for celebrating my Irish heritage?!?!  Just remember...  "When Irish eyes are smiling, it usually means they're up to something!"

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 3/4 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 

3 large leeks, white part only, halved, washed and thinly sliced 

14 ounces chicken stock 

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 

1/4 cup packed parsley leaves, chopped 

Combine lamb, potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, broth, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 8 hours. Stir in parsley before serving.

Pairs wonderfully with green beans (my husband mixed them into the stew), crusty bread and shard Irish cheddar, and Irish beer (Harp is my favorite, please and thank you!).

Slow Berry Cobbler

When I moved into my first apartment, a mere four-and-a-half years ago, my uncle sent me a crock pot as a house-warming gift. Until last week, it had gone unused. I had no idea what to make in a crock pot, despite all the raves of "Oh! I just threw it in the slow cooker for a few hours!" I've always cooked soups and sauces on the stovetop and I've never cooked a roast, so I didn't know what I could possibly use a slow cooker for! Then, much to my excitement, Paula Dean did a show on "slow cooker suppers" and I just had to try this recipe... Hubs and I loved it! Bon Appetit!

Filling:

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen strawberries

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen blueberries

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen raspberries

1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar, depending on your level of preferred sweetness

1/2 cup baking mix (like Bisquick)

Topping:

2 1/4 cups baking mix

1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the frozen fruit, sugar and 1/2 cup baking mix. Transfer the fruit to the slow cooker. 

In another large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter and milk with a wooden spoon. With your hands, drop bits of dough on top of the fruit in the slow cooker. 

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough and place the lid on the slow cooker. Turn the power onto high and slow cook for 3 to 4 hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.