I must admit that I don't watch very much football. I grew up in a 49er household, and that's pretty much the only football I'll watch, and even then I kind of daze in and out unless it's a rather exciting game. I did watch last week's game, and followed along until the bitter end.

when we lost.

That said, I'm a sucker for parties, and for hearty comfort food. We aren't hosting a super bowl party this year because 1) it snuck up on me, and 2) I'm not even sure exactly who is playing. Those East Coast teams all look/sound the same to me.

(~~ ducking~~)

BUT! You should TOTALLY have a party. And make these sandwiches. Because they rock.

3 to 4 pound beef rump roast

1 onion, sliced in rings

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon anise

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes (undrained)

1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (Redbridge, by Anheuser Busch is gluten free)

8 hoagie rolls (I use gluten free bread)

8 slices of mozzarella cheese

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the meat into your cooker (frozen is okay). Top with sliced onion, and all the dried herbs and spices. It will seem like there are way too many herbs—try not to worry. Add the entire can of tomatoes and bottle of beer. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat shreds easily with two large forks. Shred the meat completely, and stir well.

Serve on toasted rolls with melted mozzarella cheese.

The french bread shown here is gluten free--it's from the Against The Grain Gourmet, and comes frozen. I can only find it at one of our fancyish family-owned grocery stores, but there are distribution phone numbers on their website.

All I did was thaw the bread, slice it down the middle, then bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the bread felt toasty, and the cheese was melty, I took it out.

Having a party? This is a fantastic pot-luck meal, or game day feast. The resulting meat is fall-apart tender and nicely seasoned. The cayenne provides a bit of a kick, but not enough to bother sensitive palates. If you’d like more heat, sliced pickled jalapeño peppers works great as an additional sandwich topping. I sent the leftover meat home with my friend Sharyl, and she reported back that her three kids LOVED their sandwiches the next day.

peperoncini sandwiches
bbq beef and bean

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph

HELLO THERE! I'm sorry for shouting. I just wanted to prove that I was still here, alive and kicking. I sort of took an extended vacation for the holidays. I was planning on one week, and then all of a sudden it was m u c h  longer.

but I'm back! and it's 2012, and that means I've been writing on the Internet for 4 years, which in cyberspace time is an ETERNITY (there I go again with the yelling).

I'm a slow cooking dinosaur.

Was your New Year's Resolution to cook more? Save money? Eat lighter/healthier fare? 

mine too.

I wanted to make a vegetarian dinner that we would all enjoy, and thought about making Honey Lentils, since it's always such a hit, but desperately needed to use up the sweet potatoes and spinach from the produce drawer. The end result was PHENOMENAL (shouting warranted, this time).

enjoy!

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, diced finely

2 medium (or 4 tiny) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced (not pictured)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground corriander

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup honey

1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach, washed (even if the bag says washed, rinse it off again)

2 tablespoons cream cheese (optional)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain and rinse both cans of beans, and dump them into your crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, and sweet potato. Add dry spices, and stir in honey and lemon juice-- you want the beans and veggies in the pot to be coated with them. Rinse off your spinach, and add it to the pot. You'll need to squish it all in, but I promise it'll fit. Plop a dollop of cream cheese on top. Cover, and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3. Stir well before serving over a bed of white or brown basmati rice.

The spinach on top may stick to the edges of the pot and get a bit crispy. This is okay-- just peel them off and stir them in. The bit of cream cheese mixes with the lemon and honey to create a fabulous sauce. If you'd like to keep the dish dairy free, just omit the cream cheese; it's not necessary and won't be missed unless you do a side-by-side comparison, which would be kind of a weird thing to do if you're avoiding dairy.

I get it that I can't rave about every dish each time I write and have it be believable. BUT I LOVED THIS. Dishes like this make me happy that I've learned how to cook with the slow cooker. I never ever ever would have attempted such a dinner 4 years ago; the ingredient list would have sounded funky.

ps: the kids ate salami and cheese.

restaurant-quality tomato soup 
Totally Together & More Make it Fast giveaway at Lee Woodruff's blog

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph

 Oh they're just so pretty! I've got a meatball recipe for you today that will  become a new family favorite. I'm not going to lie -- you're going to have to dirty up your hands a bit, but you won't have to wash a frying pan.

Those beautiful meatballs pictured up above? They held their form and browned beautifully all on their own in the crockpot --- no pre-browning required.

score!

1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

1.5 pounds lean ground beef

4 slices smoked bacon, diced (raw; don't cook it)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Panko-style breadcrumbs (I used Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Bread Crumbs)

2 eggs (the eggs pictured are duck eggs! thanks, Grandpa John!)

2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

additional ingredients:

1 cup flour (I used rice flour)

2 cups chicken broth (can use beef)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Spray the inside of your cooker with cooking spray, or rub it down with a bit of olive oil (don't go crazy, just a little glisten) and set aside. In a good-sized mixing bowl, combine the chopped parsley, ground beef, and diced bacon. Add in Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and the dried spices. Combine well--- I'd use your hands (remove rings, wash appropriately, and all that good stuff that if I had a legal team they'd tell me to include).

After the meat is mixed, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Pour 1 cup of flour (I used rice flour) into a shallow dish (pie pan works great).

Roll meat into golfball-sized balls and then lightly dust each meat ball with flour before placing  onto the lined cookie sheet. When all the meat is gone, put the whole cookie sheet into the freezer for 1 hour, or until completely frozen. It's okay to freeze overnight, if you'd like to break this into two days (put in sealed dish/tupperware if freezing for longer).

Once your meatballs are frozen, place them one-by-one (this means don't dump!) into your lightly greased slow cooker. It's okay to stack them. In a  small mixing bowl, whisk together the broth and tomato paste to create a gravy. Pour this evenly over the meatballs. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the meatballs have browned and are fully cooked. I cooked the meatballs pictured above on low for 5 hours, then let them sit on warm for another 3 1/2 hours before dinner was served.

Serve alongside pasta or rice, or all on their own. These are filling!

You will love these. I couldn't stop taste-testing these throughout the afternoon and kept texting Adam to come home quick because dinner was going to rock.

and it did. I shared the leftovers with my dad who is somewhat of a meatball connoisseur and he *really* liked them. I learned about the flour-and-freezing trick from Pinterest--- it worked great, and is such a fantastic technique to keep the meat together. I already knew meatballs didn't need to be browned in the slow cooker beforehand but dredging them in flour first gives a bit more of a "crusty" texture and thickens the tomato gravy beautifully.

The internet is so much fun!

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph

This is not an ordinary chili recipe. I received an email from Jennifer D., at the beginning of October. 

Her email read: I'm not a chili fan after having endured my mom's "chili" (really ground beef, a can of kidney beans, a can of stewed tomatoes), but I love this recipe.  Like would eat it every day kind of love.  It's a lot of ingredients, but it's well worth it.  And gluten-free.

I made Jennifer's chili over the weekend and while I balanced the cans and spice bottles for the "before" photo, Adam walked into the kitchen. I believe his exact words were, "this better be a damn good chili."

It was.  

Adam, the baby, and I each had THIRDS. Thank you, Jennifer!!

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut in 1-inch chunks)

1 onion, diced

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can corn (drained and rinsed)

1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (whole can)

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari Wheat Free are gluten free)

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (this has heat, if you are sensitive, start with 1 tsp. 3tsp = 1tblsp)

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon white pepper (this has heat, if you are sensitive omit completely or go slow)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 cups chicken broth

add salt to taste at the table, if needed

Use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your cooker; frozen is okay, but cut it into chunks. Add the diced onion, canned beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, and grated sweet potato. Now add the mustard, honey, and dried spices. Carefully stir well to distribute spices the best you can. Pour in the chicken broth.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until chicken easily shreds with two large forks. Although you could cook this on high in 4 hours, the flavors will meld best when cooked low and slow. Stir very well and serve in a large bowl with your favorite chili toppings. We like shredded cheese and sour cream.

 

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph

I stopped eating tuna fish about 11 years ago, when I first became pregnant. I took my baby-prep research seriously, and followed all the "rules" the "experts" told me I should and shouldn't do. 

After my first was born, I remember quizzing the pediatrician, "I can eat tuna again, right?"

I will never, ever forget her non-answer: "I don't think anyone should ever eat tuna. It's just not worth the risk since we don't know enough about it." 

She was talking about mercury poisoning. Until a few days ago, I didn't know much about mercury except that it was bad. I didn't know it actually came from burning coal, and the coal emissions get in the clouds, which then get into the water supply through rain and snow. Every state in the country has issued a fish advisory of some type because of unsafe mercury contamination. 

If you really think about it, everything has a high level of mercury because it's in our water supply; all fruits and vegetables are watered with it, and all of the animals we eat have consumed it. 

Mercury is linked to Alzheimer's disease, cancer, premature birth, brain damage, premature death, and birth defects. 

I can't fix this. 

All I can do, and all you can do, is become educated. Be aware. I've been asked to share the Moms Clean Air Force website with you. Please consider joining, take the time to read the literature and pass it along; change happens from the bottom up. 

I've also been asked to share this youtube video for further information.

Hug your kids tight.

thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

in other news, I've got book giveaways over on the review page for you. I've got my friend, Crystal Paine's (the Money Saving Mom) new book, Hallie Klecker's new cookbook, The Triumph Grocery Guide, two DVDs that Elana Amsterdam sent, and 5 copies of Totally Together. Last minute gift ideas? No problem, I've got you covered!

also, our buddies at DinnerTool wanted to share that they are feverishly working on adding new recipes. They are eager to share their Chili Cook Off recipes with you, and would like to give you a head's up that in February they will be hosting a slow cooker recipe contest. 

Gluten Free Home for the Holidays is happening right! now! at Gluten Free Easily. Tune in each day for the whole month of December for a new recipe and new giveaway. The grand prize is a Vitamix!

Ham! I've got ham! Every day this week I've gotten an email about ham in the crockpot. Yup, it works, and it is WONDERFUL. Here are our favorites:

have a wonderful day.

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph

Hey, what are you doing on the computer on Thanksgiving day anyway.....?

hmm.

it's okay. I won't tell.

Are you wondering what to do with your leftover turkey meat and the bones? Look no more--I've got you covered!

Here are three completely different but absolutely wonderful soups. I can't decide which one I'm going to do this year, but I'm leaning towards the stew because it's good cold-weather food and it's supposed to rain the next few days.

enjoy your family! and don't pick fights with the crazy uncles...

{PS: click on the words under the pictures--- for some reason Blogger isn't letting me add a URL to the photos today. grrr.}

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph

Be thankful for your crockpots this year. 

It sounds peculiar, and maybe even a bit stupid, but if you stop to really think about it, your crockpots are providing a gift. The gift of time.

thanks to this simple machine you have more time in your day to do the things you really want to do: garden, read, play, tickle, sleep, write, create, and spend time with your family.

life is good.

and just in case...

have a wonderful Holiday! We're hosting again this year, and I'm looking forward to having all of our family in one place instead of making the rounds. As an added bonus, my birthday falls on Thanksgiving--pumpkin pie as birthday cake! yum. 

I'm hosting a  new giveaway this week: a Deny Designs Bling Box, an approximate $150 value. Click on over for your chance to win!

gobble ~ gobble ~ gobble

My new slow cooker book, More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow is now available! Visit my store page for recommended slow cookers and other fun stuff. Thank you! --steph