For Thurs. 4/2: Meatloaf

I doubled this recipe. It made a BIG loaf. I didn't make any changes, other than pre-mixing the topping and sticking it in a bag to go on top when it's done. Jeff will pre-slice before serving (into 12 pieces.) I am sending some garlic mashed potatoes (instant) to go with.

For Tue. 3/31: Salsa, Chicken, and Black Bean Soup

Since they all loved the chicken tortilla soup so much but I am far too lazy to make that again, I thought I'd do something similar but, you know, easier. They're happy, I'm happy that way, right?

So I found this recipe over on A Year of Crockpotting (which is a really awesome blog, btw) and adapted to my needs.

I mostly just doubled it, but I did use canned beans (it's getting toward the end of tax season, I'm getting too lazy for dry!) I also subbed cans of corn for frozen (no room in my freezer!) and I only used half the chicken broth called for (if you doubled it) because after doubling everything else, there was only room for about 4 cups. (I think they will like a thicker soup anyway, and since I'm using canned beans they don't need as much liquid.) I don't intend to thicken it, oh, and after cooking (8 hrs. on Low) the sour cream, instead of being stirred in (because it sits on warm afterward, it would separate or curdle) will just be served on the side for people to put in. I used La Victoria salsa because it's my fave, I feel it has the most flavor. But the store only had Medium so I added a dash of chipotle to up the heat juuust a smidge. I loved that the chicken was the only cutting I had to do! (I used frozen boneless, skinless thighs-- half of a 4 lb. package, no measuring necessary. ;) )

On the side, I sent the sour cream, some shredded Mexican blend cheese (made with 2% milk) and some organic tortilla chips (same price as regular, may as well go organic!) They can crumble them in or eat on the side, as they wish. :)

I wasn't sure how to categorize this but it seems more Tex-Mex than Mexican to me so that's what I'm going with.

For Mon. 3/30: Easy Cheesy Ravioli Casserole

I used this recipe, almost as written...

I skipped the wine, doubled the tomato sauce. (After the last wine fiasco, well, wasn't messing with it again!) I didn't cook up onions and garlic. I wasn't feeling well. Instead I just mixed dried onions in with the sauce mixture. I did use Italian seasoning.

I made my layers like this:

sauce (a bit less than 1/3)
ravioli
mozarella (a bit more than 1/3)
sauce (a bit more than 1/3)
ravioli
mozzarella(a bit more than 1/3)
sauce (the rest)
mozzarella (the rest)
parmesan (fresh grated, not canned; about 1/4 cup)

It will cook 6 or so hours on Low and be served with garlic bread.

For Fri. 3/27: Crock Pot Spaghetti!

I started with this recipe. I doubled, of course. I made as written except:

-used half hot Italian sausage and half ground turkey for the meat
-used V8 instead of plain tomato juice for the liquid
-omitted the garlic powder, used fresh garlic
-omitted mushrooms
-used whole wheat spaghetti (and a whole 12 oz., not just 8. That just doesn't seem like enough!)

The spaghetti I broke up and put in a bag; Jeff's only job is, after cooking on Low for 8 hours, to stir, add spaghetti, stir again, and cook for 1 hour on High.

Garlic bread to go with. They love that garlic bread.

For Thur. 3/26: Black Beans and Rice with Cumin

I started with this recipe, doubled. I made the following alterations (to the doubled recipe):

I quick-soaked the beans (boiled with some water-- and baking soda, our water is hard-- and as soon as they were boiled, put the lid on and let it sit for an hour with the heat off.)

I used 1 1/2 cups of dried onions (I'm sick and didn't feel like chopping onions after I did a whole head of garlic.)

Instead of fresh jalapenos, I used a can of green chiles (drained) and a few Tbsp. of ground chipotle (which is smoked dried jalepenos.) I was going to use one can of green chiles and one of jalapenos, but Emma lost the can of jalapenos. Good job, Ems. ;) So I improvised; I figure the slight smoky flavor might make this a little more like Moros y Christianes, the classic Cuban dish, which I am fond of. I decided that was not a bad thing.

Toward that end (and also because it would not all fit) I reduced the water to 6 cups. I want it more like beans and rice and less like beans and rice soup.

Oh, and I omitted the pepper, because I'm sick and lazy tonight.

It will cook for 6 hours on Low (the beans were already pretty soft, I think I may have overdone the quick soak...) and then go to High for 15 minutes after Jeff removes the bay leaves and stirs in the instant brown rice (which Uncle Bens makes, if you were wondering-- and one box is a perfect size for this recipe, well, two if you double it, because one box is 2 cups.)

So yeah, less the soup it started out as, and more like Moros. Not a bad thing, IMO. Now, hopefully it works... So I'm classifying this as "Cuban" though it might not be so much really, because the flavors remind me of Cuban flavors. :) (Though I could throw a bit of cloves in there and make it even more Cuban-tasting, yummy.)

For Tue. 3/24: Beef Stew

Beef stew is a crockpot classic. I don't really use a recipe; I kind of make it the way my dad always did, modified for the crockpot. I split of a little less than 1/3 for our dinner tomorrow. Here's what I used (total, between the 2 crockpots):

-Trim the fat from and cut up a 4 1/3 lb. beef shoulder roast (pot roast meat is a lot cheaper than pre-cut stew meat, and cooks the same, and is often better quality. Look for something marked "pot roast.") You want about 1 1/2 inch chunks.

-In a Ziplock style bag (gallon size), toss about 1/2 cup flour with about 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 Tbsp. pepper (or to taste; can also use seasoned salt.)

-Toss beef chunks in flour. Then brown in a small amount of hot oil, just until the beef is beginning to take on some color. (Reserve the extra flour in the bag!)

-In the crockpot(s), toss 2 onions, diced, 6 large or 10 small potatoes, peeled and diced, about 45 baby carrots, halved, 3 stems celery, sliced, 2 medium-ish turnips, peeled and diced, 4-5 cloves garlic, minced, and about 3 Tbsp. rosemary, crushed between your fingers. (You want your dices pretty large, almost the size of the beef chunks, except the onions a little smaller.)

-Add the browned beef.

-In the bag with the flour, add 2 14 oz. cans beef broth, 2-3 Tbsp. gravy browning (this is important! Don't skip it, it gives a stew that "certain something") and about 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce. Close bag and shake (and mush if necessary) until flour is all mixed in. Pour over stew ingredients. (If you're doing this on the stove you'd add some water, too.)

-Cover and cook low and slow until done-- about 8-10 hours on Low, usually.

I made biscuits to go with. Mmmmm. Stew and biscuits. I'm drooling already.

Chicken, Chickpea, and Apricot Tagine

I used this recipe, doubled. Doubled, it was too much. I pulled a third of it off to a second crockpot for our dinner at home.

I mostly followed the recipe, but skipped the preserved lemon, the carrots (they would have been good but I was tired) and the cilantro for the top (well, what can I say, I'm lazy. And they won't care.) I used a whole bag of frozen chicken breasts. Also I somehow managed to lose the tomato paste, so it didn't make it in. I cooked the onion mixture a bit longer, until it thickened well, to hopefully make up for that. And I threw in a few Tbsp. of ketchup too. Hopefully I didn't ruin it-- I don't think I did. It smells awfully good.

Jeff will cook his for 8 hours on Low. I didn't have room in the fridge so I just threw mine straight in on Warm. Maybe it will be ready in time for lunch tomorrow (we have an 11:15 doctor appointment for Emma so hopefully it will be ready when we get home-- after a stop-off for some pita bread, I forgot to get pita bread. Jeff is picking some up on his way to work for the guys there to eat with it. I decided couscous was too much work for me this weekend. Were I having guests to serve this to, I'd make couscous, though.)

For Fri. 3/20: BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Coleslaw

I started by doubling this recipe for barbeque sauce. Didn't really deviate from it at all (okay, a LITTLE bit extra garlic. Like 2 cloves.) I use Heinz ketchup and chili sauce and Lea & Perrins Worchestershire sauce, of course. I am using, for my meat, 3 large pork butt roasts, fat trimmed, cut off the bone and the big slabs of meat thrown in with the sauce. He'll cook it 6-8 hours on Low, then shred and mix before serving (with buns to put the meat on.) The beauty of this is that you could use really any meat-- skinless chicken or turkey, beef brisket, anything you like. I don't even like barbeque sauce but this stuff smells good (probably because it has no smoke flavor in it, I cannot STAND smoked stuff, especially liquid smoke, blech!)
To go with it I made just a classic cole slaw. Here's the recipe for that:

In a large bowl or other container (I used an 8 quart Tupperware-type thing I got at Smart and Final, which I use mostly for making massive amounts of three-bean salad for parties) mix 4-5 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice with 1/2-2/3 cups Best Foods/Hellman's mayonnaise until smooth. Add sugar to taste (about 2-5 Tbsp.; this will depend on the acidity of the lemon, among other things.) Stir until well mixed. Add 1 1/2-2 Tbsp. grated white or yellow onion (I actually use the zester face of my grater, not the regular grater face) and salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1 1/2 tsp. salt and about 16 turns of my pepper grinder.) Stir well and add 2 bags of coleslaw mix (or equivalent hand-shredded cabbage and carrots.) It will look like a lot but as it mixes down it will shrink. Fold it all together or, if you're using a sealable container, put the lid on and shake it well. Refrigerate at least 6 hours (longer is good), stirring (or shaking) occasionally. Mmmmm. Perfect with hot dogs, burgers, or any other barbeque-type food.

I know the guys are going to ADORE this one...

For Thurs. 3/19: Coq Au Vin (um, without the vin...)

Well, I had everything set to make this recipe, doubled (using 12 thighs instead of breasts, because I got thighs on sale for $0.59/lb. the other week and they've been waiting in my freezer for a nice crockpot recipe) and using full-grown portabellos, halved before slicing (because they were 1/3 cheaper than the baby ones per lb.-- I bought them by the lb., the babies were only available in packages; btw, 4 medium-to-large portabellos are about a pound) and I was all ready to go. I even got a nice white wine, on clearance because something had spilled on the label for half off.

Now the thing you have to understand about this story is that we are non-drinkers. We got 2 "kitchen tools" sets when we were married that had corkscrews in them; we gave one to the thrift store and the other has been bouncing around our house unused and continually snatched away from the toddlers who always seem to find and play with it, for fear they will poke someone's eye out... Anyway, I saw it last month but when we went to look for it it was not there. Nor was it anywhere else we could find it. At this point it was 2 in the morning so it was not like I could call my dad to bring over his corkscrew and open the bottle for us (and then probably take the rest of the unused wine away with him.) So, we were in a jam.

Well, I ended up substituting. I used the substitution someone else said they had done with it-- 2 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar with apple juice to make 1 cup. Everything else went smoothly and hopefully after 6 hours on Low, with some rice on the side, no one will know the difference... It smells very good, I'm sure it will taste fine. And I guess the unused bottle of wine will go to my mom, who has been wonderfully helpful this tax season, taking us to Emma's doctor appointments, keeping the kids while she was in the hospital, and coming over when Bridget was too cranky for words and I was overwhelmed (and bringing dinner.)

Note: the recipe has mushrooms. It was just too good to pass up. I'm sending leftover roast chicken for the guy who doesn't eat mushrooms.

Mon. 3/16: Lentil-Veggie Soup

I used this recipe. Doubled, of course. The only change was that I put the pepper in at the beginning.

It looks to be very hearty. It will cook probably several hours on Low and then finish up on High. I have some kind of interesting bread I found at the bakery called schwartz brot. It's a sourdough made with part rye and part wheat flour. Looks good. Smells good too!

Lasagna rematch: TURKEY lasagna!

Well, the guys liked the last lasagna I made so much I figured I'd do it again.

But, this time, in addition to using whole wheat noodles, I got a good deal on ground turkey ($1/lb.) So, omitting the mushrooms (since there's an allergy, apparently) I had room for my 2 1/2 lbs. of cheap ground turkey. I browned it up with some garlic (like 8 cloves) and the Italian seasoning.

Of course I used low-fat cheese, and I also used some spaghetti sauce with spinach in it (not like I'm trying to sneak nutrition into them or anything... *looks innocent*) In fact if you had the mind to I bet you could sub, or add, frozen spinach, squeezed dry, for the mushroom layer, or mix it in with your ricotta. That could be very yummy.

I already know that this turned out perfect at 5 hours on Low so we'll do that. I baked up 2 loaves of garlic bread to go with. Now to see if anyone notices the turkey and spinach...

For Thurs. 3/12: Aloo Rajma (Potato-Bean Curry)

I used this recipe (doubled) with the following changes:

-My onions were really strong, I used half as much. But then, I added like 8 cloves of minced garlic, so...

-I used half curry powder and half garam masala, upped the ginger, added coriander (did you know coriander seed is the same plant as cilantro? But they taste way different), and added a bit of turmeric (because I like a really nice strong turmeric color and flavor in a yellow curry.)

-I used half red and half white new potatoes and garbonzo beans.

-I used store-brand tomatoes with chiles, not Rotel. Because I'm cheap that way. ;) I almost used tomatoes with jalepenos instead of tomatoes with green chiles but I thought that might be too much for a few of them to handle.

It will cook on Low for about 8-9 hours. I made some steamed rice to serve it over and I'm sending some yogurt to cool it off for those who are wusses in the heat department. ;) (I know at least one person will put hot sauce on it. And really, I didn't put NEAR as much heat in as I would if I were cooking just for me. But, you know, some people just can't take spicy the way I can.)

For Tue. 3/10: Pasta E Fagioli

I used this recipe (a recipe I didn't have to double! Wow!)

I added 2 cloves of garlic.

I subbed a dash of cayenne for the Tabasco.

As suggested by reviewers, I cooked the pasta (Bertolli Piccolini Mini Farfalle) separately and Jeff will add it in at the end.
I somehow managed to leave the store without buying the beef broth. And, I am somehow out of beef boullion (which I ALWAYS keep on hand, I don't know what happened, really.) So I flavored some water with 2 or 3 Tbsp. of Worchestershire sauce, to add color and meatiness. I doubt they'll notice. (I also decreased the water by about 2 ounces because I'm not putting the pasta in dry to soak up some of the liquid. The pot still ended up full to the VERY top. This is a HUGE recipe, folks.)

They'll eat that with some rolls we got. (And they'll like it. Or else. ;) No, just kidding, but I'm sure they'll like it.)

My first impression is that I could have done with half the beef. But we will see when it is cooked.

For Mon. 3/9: Spanish Chicken With Olives

It actually has rice and beans in it, too. :)

I doubled this recipe. (Except I used 10 pieces of chicken.)

Notes:

-Like a reviewer, I used regular rice and doubled the water.

-I also subbed minced garlic and fresh pepper for the garlic powder and garlic pepper seasoning.

-I used a jar of pre-sliced green olives instead of "roughly chopping" them. Because I'm lazy that way. 1 jar is about 1 1/4 cups which is close enough to 1 1/3 for me. I put half in the bottom and sprinkled half over the top.

-I used frozen chicken breast halves and just put them in frozen. I figure it will be defrosted by the time it goes in.

-I sprinkled dried parsley on the top instead of garnishing at the end.

-I used 1 yellow and 1 green bell pepper because that is what my mom had and I forgot to get it at the store.

-I borrowed saffron (the really good stuff) from my dad. I'm not up for buying a bottle of really expensive stuff I never use just for one recipe. ;) If you don't have a dad who's a gourmet cook you can borrow some from and aren't up for buying it, you can use 1/4 tsp. turmeric instead. It will change the flavor somewhat, but it will give the right color, and the flavor difference won't be THAT noticeable.

It will cook for 6 hours on Low and hopefully not sit too long after that.

Friday 3/6: Meatball Subs

Ah, the meatball sub. I'm not sure whether to list it as Italian (it purports to be) or American (it actually is.) I guess I'll do both.

I doubled this recipe. Omitted the parmesan, like I said, I'm out. Used dried minced onions. Added breadcrumbs until the texture was right. Seasoned up the sauce with extra Italian seasoning (again, cheap brand.) Didn't brown them, just threw them in to cook for 8 or 9 hours. To be served with buns (not hot dog, good sub buns) and shredded mozzarella cheese (and a slotted spoon, for the meatballs, and a ladle, for the sauce.)

I anticipate that much as I am not a fan of meatball subs, the guys will adore it.

Tomorrow I am also having Jeff pass around a list of what they've had so far so they can vote for up to 4 favorites to be repeated.

Thurs. 3/5: Spinach-Stuffed Pasta Shells

I doubled this recipe.

I added 4 cloves garlic and fudged the parmesan because, um, I forgot to buy it, so I dumped in what we had and a bit extra mozzarella, and hoped no one noticed. ;)

I added some dried onion and Italian seasoning to the spaghetti sauce because I bought the cans of store-brand and, well, not so flavorful. ;)

I poured in 1 26 ounce can of sauce, layered shells, poured in a bit more than half of a second can, layered shells, poured the rest of that can and another half, layered shells, and then the rest over the top. It seemed like the right amount to me. I did have cheese mixture left over when no more shells would fit in the crockpot, but all my shells left were broken anyway, so I just dumped them. It wasn't THAT much left over.

I boiled the shells "al dente" and then drained in a colander, rinsed, and put straight back into the pot, but this time filled with COLD water. That's a trick my dad taught me. It keeps the pasta from getting sticky while you're filling it. A great technique for any kind of stuffed pasta (shells, manicotti, etc.)

Jeff cooked it 4 hours on Low then let it sit another 2 or so on Warm. I sent 2 loaves of pre-sliced garlic bread with him. Hopefully they enjoy it but not so much that none comes back for me to taste. ;)

Bonus Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas with Soup Bones

Soup bones were on clearance and black-eye peas take a lot of the same ingredients as pea soup so I decided to put some in our crockpot for our lunch or dinner tomorrow (no room in the fridge so it will just cook overnight.)

Here's what I did:

Put about 3 lbs. beef soup bones or pork or ham or other meaty bones in the crockpot.

Add 16 ounces dried black-eyed peas, rinsed.

Add 2 carrots, sliced (or equivalent baby carrots), 1/2 medium onion, diced, 2 stalks celery, sliced, 2 cloves garlic, minced, and black pepper to taste (I prefer to add salt at the end.) If desired, add chili or chipotle powder to taste. If desired, add 1 can diced tomatoes. (I didn't add either this time.)

Pour over about 1 1/2 quarts water, or more if needed (judge it by eye, remember you won't lose as much in the crockpot as on the stove.) Cook on Low until done, adding water and stirring as needed. Season with salt, remove bones, and stir before serving. Serve with rice or cornbread. Mmm.

Tue. 3/3: Split Pea Soup

I looove split pea soup. Hopefully the guys will too.

I doubled this recipe. I had like 3 but this looked the most like my on-the-stove recipe, plus I'll admit I was swayed by the "don't stir" directions. ;)

Notes:

-I Don't Do whole carrots. I'm lazy like that but I ABHOR peeling. For your future reference, 5 baby carrots are equivalent to 1 whole medium carrot. I usually mince them for pea soup but for this recipe I followed directions and sliced. They'll fall apart anyway, it's the crockpot.

-I bought pre-diced ham. It was the same price per pound as ham steak. Did I mention I'm lazy? If you got other ham on sale it would be cheaper but no ham was on sale so I bought pre-diced. I only used 1 lb. and I think that was about 1/2 the amount the (doubled) recipe would have called for but it looked like plenty to me.

-I ran out of seasoned salt. Regular salt it is.

-I couldn't find my pepper grinder. I love how things disappear around here. I used pre-ground instead and since it was really old (hardly ever use it) doubled the amount.

-Obviously I didn't use hot water, what's the point? I did use filtered, we have hard water around here. 3 qts wouldn't all fit in the crockpot with the other stuff. I used 2 1/2 quarts 'cause that's what fit.

Jeff will cook for 5 hours on High (then Warm for 2 or 3 hours) or 9 hours or so on Low, then remove the bay leaves, stir, and serve with sourdough break-off rolls we picked up at the bakery. Mmmm.

Mon. 3/2: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

This recipe was my springboard...

I started by pretty much tripling it. I used half half breasts, actually, because I had a package of 5 huge half breasts that I cut in half.

Of course we have a mushroom allergy so I switched the soup out to 98% fat free cream of celery. I omitted the mushrooms and put in 3 cans (well, minus what I ate-- I can't resist those suckers) of sliced water chestnuts for crunch. And it looked kinda bland so I threw in about a Tbsp. of soy sauce for color and flavor, and about a tsp. of Worchestershire sauce. I tossed them around a little bit when I dumped them in so each piece would have some sauce around it, hopefully. I'm tired (after 4 hours in the emergency room) so I wasn't really loading them neatly in each surrounded by sauce.

Oh, and I couldn't find my toothpicks, which have disappeared to some mysterious place, so I used bamboo skewers, cut in thirds.

It will cook about 8 hours on high (and hopefully not overcook.) And I made white rice to serve it over. And I hope everyone will get their skewers out before they eat them. ;)

Friday 2/27: Sloppy Joes

Oh, my, the guys are excited about this one. (I skipped the chicken, you may note. A client provided dinner Wed. so the employer provided dinner Thurs. instead.)

I used this recipe, doubled. (Yes, it says it serves 10, but this is Sloppy Joes we're talking about, and a bunch of guys mostly in their 20s. They love this stuff. I planned for 2 to 3 each. I sent 24 hamburger buns. Yeah. I don't know that there will be leftovers.)

I mostly followed the recipe but like another reviewer the mustard just seemed really strong. Also the texture was a bit too much meat, not enough sauce, and just not tomato-ey enough. (Okay, that's not a word but I used it anyway. Whatcha gonna do about it? :p ) So I added in (to the double recipe) about 10 ounces of canned tomato sauce. At that point it looked just right.

I hope there's a taste left for me, I've been jealously thinking of their dinner all day. ;) The recipe says this freezes well so it may be something I'll have to make ahead some time and freeze in individual or 2-4 person portions. (It's also a great meat-stretcher, in the tradition of Sloppy Joes. 2 dozen servings from 2.5 lbs. of meat? Not bad at all!)