Pulled Pork Sandwiches #CookoutWeek

We made the ultimate pulled pork sandwiches this weekend.  They were good for so many reasons. First the recipe for the pulled pork is for a crock pot.  You basically do two steps and you get a pot full of pulled pork.  

When making the pulled pork we used a new BBQ sauce from True Made Foods.  I think it might be a new favorite.  True Made Foods uses vegetables to make their products taste better and to sweeten them naturally, cutting added sugar in half. Have you ever look seen how much sugar is in BBQ sauce? Even thought there is half the added sugar of leading brands, the BBQ taste is amazing.

Second, the bun is brioche. Love brioche.

Finally the sandwich is layered with cheese and broccoli coleslaw.  This adds some crunch with the pulled pork.

Best. Sandwich. Ever.

*True Made Foods provided me with a sample pack of three sauces, including this BBQ.  All opinions are my own. 

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: plus 15 hours in the slow cook

Keywords: slow-cooker bbq pork

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Ingredients (Makes 8 sandwiches)

For the Pulled Pork:

• 4 lbs pork roast (shoulder or butt)
• 2 large onions
• 1 bottle True Made Foods barbecue sauce
• Extra barbecue sauce, for serving

For the Sandwiches:

• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 brioche hamburger buns
• 1 lb broccoli coleslaw

Instructions

For the Pulled Pork:

Put in the roast and cover with water. Cover and cook on LOW for about 10 hours overnight.

Remove the meat and discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any remaining fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat will have melted away.

Put sliced onion into the clean slow cooker bowl. Return the shredded meat to the bowl and stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for another 3 to 4 hours on LOW.

Assemble the sandwich:

Lightly toast brioche buns.

Place a slice of cheddar cheese on the bottom of the bun. Top with a large pile of the BBQ pulled pork. Add broccoli slaw and cover with top of bun. Serve immediately.

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Crock Pot Boston Baked Beans #secretrecipeclub

Oh my goodness snow! I am writing this post early, early on Saturday morning. There is nothing like a jolt to the system than to wake up to an unexpected 12 inches of snow coming later in the day.  A few lessons here....don't wake up at 4:30am and immediately check your phone at the weather forecast.  Count your blessings that you are only getting 12 inches.  

I am not the biggest fan of snow.  I like it on Christmas eve and Christmas day and that is all.   I am thankful the storm is falling on the weekend and my family is all together.  We have food. We have a fire.  But I still don't like snow. 

With the forecast as it is I immediately started freaking out about losing power. Knowing this is a pretty likely scenario I wanted to finish off this post so it would be all ready for Monday as this is the Group D posting day for January in the Secret Recipe Club.  This month for the Secret Recipe Club I had Karen from Lavendar and Lovage.

Karen has an absolutely fabulous blog. Her pictures are beautiful. Her recipes are sophisticated yet totally accessible. Not to mention her posting some super comforting ones lately which were so tempting on cold days. Chicken and Pearl Barley stew anyone?  

Karen also spends lots of time in France.  I am missing my days in France more and more. I am secretly plotting a way to be able to pick up and spend some time there once Miss O gets a bit older. But we aren't here to talk about France.

I chose her Crock Pot Boston Baked Beans recipe, because we have been talking about Baked beans for such a long time. We stayed home for Christmas this year but one of the things we would have enjoyed had we gone home for the holidays is Mr. J's Mimi's baked beans. They are so good and always a treat. It is one of those recipes you want to make sure you get your hands on. I know she makes hers in the crock pot so when I spotted Karen's recipe I wanted to give it a try.

After a few quick conversions and a trip to the store for the beans this recipe came together super easily. It takes a bit of planning just to soak the beans the night before. However I whipped everything together in the morning before work.  And like magic we came home to a yummy smelling house and dinner was pretty much done. We had ours with Kielbasa. 

Brown on brown is never great to photograph so don't let the pictures fool you. This is a really great recipe. Not quite Mimi's but close and that is saying a lot. 

Crock Pot Boston Baked Beans

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours, largely unattended

Keywords: slow-cooker side beans American winter

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Ingredients (serves 8-10)

• 1 bag dried Navy beans
• 2 onions, peeled and very finely diced
• 4 thick strips of bacon
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons molasses (or black treacle)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

Put the beans into a large bowl and cover with water to at least 4" above them, and soak overnight.

Next day, put them into a large saucepan with fresh water and boil them for 10 minutes. Drain them well and spoon them into the crock pot/slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooded spoon.

Put the lid on the crock pot/slow cooker and set the temperature for low and cook for 8 hours until the beans are soft. It is also OK if the beans cook slightly longer.

Serve the beans as side to ribs, beef, bacon, ham or on toast for a hearty snack or light lunch. To be truly New England you could also eat with eggs as breakfast.

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Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

We have gotten pretty creative the last few weeks with our limited kitchen abilities. One of the things I have grown to love is the Crock Pot. Most people associate a Crock Pot with warm hearty meals in the winter. I am here to tell you that the Crock Pot is just as good in the summer. Hello no oven heat.  I made Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches last week.  Now I have some good old buffalo chicken sandwiches. 

This recipe is so easy. You simply put some chicken breast into the slow cooker with buffalo sauce. We used Frank's.  You could the chicken for 4-8 hours depending on your settings. Then you shred the chicken and mix with a bit of butter and ranch seasonings. That's all. We had sandwiches but this would also be great for a pizza topping or nachos. The really are so many possibilities. This recipe feeds a crowd. Mr. J and I had plenty of leftovers which was just what we were going for. 

Our kitchen still needs a lot of finishing details but we are pretty much back up and running. That doesn't mean I am going to give up on our Crock Pot meals though. They are too good and easy to not have at least once a week. 

Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours, plus

Keywords: slow-cooker entree chicken Super Bowl

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Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 12 oz bottle Frank's Buffalo Sauce
• 1 package Hidden Valley Dry Ranch Mix
• ½ stick of butter

Instructions

Put the chicken and the buffalo sauce in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it, using two forks.

Add the shredded chicken back to the crock pot, add the ranch mix and the butter, and stir until the butter is melted and ingredients are well-mixed. Cook for another 15-30 minutes.

Serve on a roll and your choice of cheese. We prefer blue cheese.

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Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteaks

Slow cooker cooking is not just for the wintertime. And with our limited cooking abilities during the kitchen renovation I am fully embracing the slow cooker in the summer. 

We made these Philly Cheese steak sandwiches last week. The prep, cooking and clean up was a breeze. It was one of those throw it all in and leave it recipes.  It was stress free and if I had more of these meals I wouldn't mind not having functioning kitchen for a couple more weeks. Just joking.  No one would ever say that or if they did they would be considered crazy in my book.  Regardless, I can see this recipe in our life even after we have a full kitchen access. 

We each had one heaping sandwich and had enough for another as leftovers. We liked to add the extra juice and let it soak into the rolls. Yum, yum. Probably not the most nutritious meal but it sure was good.

Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteaks

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4-7 hours

Keywords: slow-cooker sandwich steak

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1.5 lbs round steak, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 32 oz low-sodium beef broth
• 4 French rolls
• 12 slices of Provolone

Instructions

Rub the steak slices with pepper and garlic powder. Place in the slow cooker.

Add onion, bell pepper and beef broth. Stir to mix.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours or until meat is tender.

When the meat is done, toast open rolls for several minutes until slightly crusty.

Lay a piece of cheese on both sides of the roll.

Use tongs to remove meat, onions and bell pepper from slow cooker and pile on top of rolls.

Return to the oven to melt cheese. This will only take a few moments. Serve immediately.

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

So...it is snowy this morning. Again. And we are expecting more all weekend. If I wasn't in hibernation mode already with the baby I certainly would be now with the weather. I never want to leave the house. 

All I can think about for food is soup. A soup that is warm, comforting and super filling. This slow cooker chicken and wild rice soup is all of the above. Plus super easy to make. We made this during the last snow storm and I am seriously thinking of round two this weekend. 

You just need to put a little work in chopping the veggies. Lucky for me Mr. J loves this part of the prep work. All I really did is throw all of the ingredients into the slow cooker.  How can every dinner be this easy to put together?

A bowl of this is perfect for a cold winter day. It also makes plenty. I was feasting on this for lunch all week long.  And best yet, it went great with my favorite saltine crackers. 

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7-8 hours

Keywords: slow-cooker soup/stew chicken rice

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup flour
• 2 cups whole milk

Instructions

Rinse the wild rice. Place the uncooked wild rice, raw chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and poultry seasoning in a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. The chicken should be cooked through and the rice should be soft. There will be extra liquid in the slow cooker; do not drain.

Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and allow to cool slightly. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.

When rice and chicken are done cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and let the mixture bubble for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the whole milk until a thick, creamy mixture forms. Add this to the rice and chicken in the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Add any extra water or milk to adjust the consistency as you like it. Season with additional salt and pepper.

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Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

Beef barbacoa is Mexican BBQ at its finest. The slow cooked beef in a spicy Adobo sauce can be used for tacos, burritos, nachos and as a pizza topping.

Today's recipe is super simple to put together and is super versatile in terms of what meals it can be used in to make dinner.  This week has been really hectic and stressful. Our house decided to have some major catastrophes over the holiday weekend. Thus everyday this week has been trying to figure things out and get repairs done. We are making progress but have a major hurtle still with our well water. Fingers crossed that this isn't going to cost us major $$$$. 

So back to the super easy recipe. First off it is a slow cooker recipe and well that should tell you a lot.  In the most basic steps you put the meat in the slow cooker, mix the sauce ingredients in a blend for about a minute, pour the sauce over the beef, turn on the slow cooker and wait for dinner to be done.  That's all.

I had to get the chilies in adobo sauce as an extra ingredient but everything else we had already in the pantry. 

The best part about this recipe is that it could be used for about a million different dishes. OK so maybe that is a bit of a exaggeration but it can certainly be used for a lot.  We had nachos the first night.  Pizza the next night.  And I used some for a burrito bowl for lunch. 

This recipe is a keeper for us for those busy weeks as well as those not so busy weeks just because it is that good.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6-8 hours

Keywords: slow-cooker entree Mexican

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3-4 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• 3-4 lb. beef chuck roast

Instructions

Trim any excess fat off the roast and place it in a slow cooker with the beef stock.

In a blender, combine vinegar, onion, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, cloves, allspice and desired number of chilies and puree until smooth. Pour the sauce over the meat.

Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or high heat for 6 hours.

Shred the meat in the juices and serve warm.

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Crock Pot Pad Thai Chicken

Sweet and spicy peanut butter chicken from the Crockpot for an easy homemade pad Thai dish. 

This week has been crazy busy hopping from place to place and then having days packed full of meetings and activities. I had a great plan last weekend for how to get all my posts in. I pretty much failed that plan starting Monday evening. Blah!.  


Anyway, this post was suppose to be for Friday but now it is Saturday!! And even though I love Crockpot meals for the work week, they can be super convenient on the weekends too, especially when you are like me with a new house that needs a little sprucing up. It is a pretty good thing after a long day of house work to know that dinner is all set and waiting.

Chicken Pad Thai is one of my favorite take out meals. This Crockpot recipe makes for a peanut butter shredded chicken that is perfect for noodles. Not quite the take out version but oh so close and oh so easy. It is just the right about of sweet and spicy but of course you can adjust the spices and honey to quantities that are more to your preferences.

Crock Pot Pad Thai Chicken

by Emily Morris, slightly adapted from Family Fresh Meals

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Keywords: slow-cooker

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 large chicken breasts, about 1 Lb
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
• Serve with rice or noodles of your choice

Instructions

In a 8 quart Crockpot, place peppers, onions, garlic, and jalapeno at the bottom of the bowl.

Place the two chicken breasts on top of the veggies.

In a bowl mix together the peanut butter, lemon juice, chicken broth, soy sauce and honey. Pour over the chicken breasts.

Cook on low for 4 hours. When the 4 hours is almost complete, remove chicken and shred with two forks. Place shredded chicken back into Crockpot for the remaining time.

Serve over rice or noodles and top with crushed peanuts.

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slow cooker balsamic beef

Slow cooked beef with subtle flavors make a perfect low key weeknight meal.

I am still trying to figure out the best place in the new house for photos.  The kitchen table as you can see is not it.  Darkness is also setting in earlier and earlier. That means week night photos are no longer a possibility. Arg to winter's approach! 

This meal was a life saver for me and Mr. J.  It takes all of 5 minutes to put together and into the slow cooker it goes.  We came home to a perfectly roasted and tender piece of beef. Add some potatoes and Brussels sprouts and we had a complete meal. 

The flavors are subtle so it would be great for all taste preferences.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Roast Beef

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours on low, 6-8 on high

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 3-4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
• 1 cup beef broth
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions

Place roast beef into the insert of your slow cooker.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast beef and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low)

Once roast beef has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish.

Slice or break apart lightly with two fork. Top with juice from crock pot to taste.

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Pulled Pork Nachos

OMG! TGIF!  I am so happy Friday is here. The days this week have been short and long all at the same time. Lots to catch up from after being gone for vacation. It was only four days but man did things seem to pile up. 

When we were gone I REALLY wanted nachos. Mr. J was extremely happy about this because he REALLY wanted to go to the ESPN Club on the Boardwalk at Disney. Not my favorite place with so many other fun options at Epcot next door but the hinting of nachos had me caving to his request.

But when we got there the menu had changed from our last visit. Their appetizer nachos were now topped with pulled pork. I wasn't opposed to the idea but the nachos I had in mine were plain old beef topped cheesy goodness. No BBQ sauce in mind.

I ended up with a sandwich (I should have gone for the nachos.) but the idea of pulled pork nachos stayed with me. It didn't take long to decided that we had to try them out.

I made pulled pork from the Slow Cooker overnight with a super easy recipe.  Dinner was easy to whip up come 5pm. Yes, we really eat at five.  

We lightly piled tortilla chips with black beans, red onion, spinach, tomatoes and cheese.  Then we baked them on the lowest rack of the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. When the cheese is all melty remove from the oven and top with pulled pork. Not the typical nachos but oh so good.

Happy Friday!

Slow Cooker Curry Chicken Wings

I think the question is still out there as to whether or not Spring has arrived. We had two days of 70 degree weather this week and it felt more like summer.

Today it is barely going to make 50s. At least we are not getting ice and snow like some parts of the country. Regardless of the weather, I am still using my crock pot and plan to straight through the summer months.

Mr. J makes some mean buffalo chicken wings. They are super hot and spicy. And we don't fry them, simply baked in the oven.

Because Mr. J is such an expert in the wing department I haven't made them. Ever. Not even in a crock pot. This week changed all that when I found a recipe for curried chicken wings.

I simplified the recipe quite a bit using ingredients we already had in the pantry.

The results were an easy Indian style chicken wings dinner. I thought the chicken was just a tad bid dry but the sauce certainly made up for it. Cannot wait to try it again with chicken thighs. If we do wings again I would probably reduce the cooking time to about 3 hours.

Slow Cooker Curry Chicken Wings

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Keywords: slow-cooker appetizer entree chicken curry Indian

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2lb chicken wings
• 1C coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp red curry paste
• 1/4C onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried ginger
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Broil chicken on a cookie sheet lined with foil, 5 minutes on each side.

Mix all other ingredients with a whisk in a medium bowl.

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour sauce over the top of all the chicken pieces. Set slow cooker on low for 4 hours.

Remove the wings to a separate plate or bowl and set aside. Pour sauce in a sauce pan and boil for about 10 minutes on high to thicken. Watch closely and stir off and on.

Pour sauce over chicken wings and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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