Crockpot Cheese Tortellini

Lately, I've been eager for crockpot recipes that don't turn into soup/stew.  This fit the bill and it was delicious!!

Thanks, Pinterest :)

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 cans of italian style diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups or chicken broth
1 block of cream cheese
1 lb. of roll sausage*

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot, chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

Credit: Little Fellows 

*If you want to omit the sausage, it's still worth making!!

Stuffing Stuffed Peppers

This was a crowd-pleaser at a recent dinner party with friends.  So much so that I didn't have a chance to get a photo :)  This would also make a great meal for the day after Thanksgiving to use up that extra stuffing!!

Ingredients:
6 large red bell peppers
4 c stuffing *
2 c gravy
Shredded gruyere cheese
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper


1.  Preheat oven to 375.
2.  Cut the top off each pepper, remove stem, seeds and ribs from inside.
3.  Drizzle olive oil in each pepper and season with salt and pepper.
4.  In a large bowl, toss together the stuffing and gravy.  Spoon mixture into peppers until full.
5.  Place peppers in a greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes.
6.  Remove dish from the oven and top each pepper with cheese.
7.  Turn the oven to broil and put peppers back in for 2-3 minutes.



* I used this version with ground Italian sausage added in.  You could use any stuffing recipe you like and consider adding in leftover turkey instead of the sausage.

Beef and Pork Meatballs

I needed something I could prep ahead for our Easter luncheon and these fit the bill.  They were delicious and made a huge batch with lots of yummy leftovers!

Ingredients:
-1lb ground beef
-1lb ground pork sausage
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 eggs
-1 c grated romano  cheese
-1 1/2 Tbs parsley
-salt and pepper to taste
-2 c bread crumbs
-1 1/2 c lukewarm water


1.  Combine beef and pork in a large bowl.  Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
2.  Mix in bread crumbs, then slowly add water.  Shape into meatballs.
3.  Place meatballs on a parchement paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (the bigger your meatballs, the longer they take to cook through).
4.  Serve with tangy bbq scauce.

Crock Pot Ribs

Barbeque ribs are a favorite and a rarity around here, so when some pork ribs were included in the CSA that I picked up last week, I knew Valentine's day would be the perfect occasion for this treat! While grilled BBQ Spare Ribs usually can't be beat, this crock pot recipe produces a delicious replica and is SO much easier to do. Thanks, Michelle for the recipe!!

Crock Pot Ribs

Ingredients:
-2-3 pounds pork baby back ribs
-1/4 c bbq sauce
-1/4 c brown sugar
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp chili powder
-1tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/4 tsp sugar

1. Trim excess fat from ribs.
2. Combine dry ingredients and rub over the surface of the ribs.
3. Place ribs in crock pot standing on their edge with the meaty side out. Cook for about 8 hours on low.
4. Remove ribs from crock pot and brush with bbq sauce.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

This is what I call "fancy spaghetti". I've made it on a few special occasions and it's definitely a favorite of my hubby. When we sat down to eat he asked, "Did you take a picture of this?" which translates into "This one better be posted on the blog to ensure it gets made again (and again and again!)." I didn't take a picture, but here is the recipe for good measure!

Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:
-olive oil
-1/4 lb ground pancetta, diced
-1 lb ground beef
-1 lb ground pork
-1 onion, diced
-1 carrot, diced small
-2 celery stalks, diced small
-several garlic cloves, minced
-salt and pepper
-oregano
-1/4 c tomato paste
-2 c red wine
-3 c beef stock
-pinch red pepper flakes*
-1/2 c heavy cream or whole milk
-1 lb thick, flat spaghetti noodles
-1 1/2 c Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded

1. In a large pot, heat oil then add pancettta and cook until browned. Remove from pan and reserve.
2. Add beef to the pot and brown well. Once brown, add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic then cook for 4-5 minutes (until veggies are soft).
3. Add salt, pepper, oregano, reserved pancetta, and tomato paste. Cook 3-4 minutes to caramelize.
4. Add in wine and scrape the sides and bottom of your pot to get up all the good stuff (often called deglazing). Cook until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the beef stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce tickens, about 1 1/2-2 hours. Stir occasionally during this time.
6. While the sauce is simmering, cook noodles according to package directions.
7. After sauce thickens, add cream and simmer for 2 more minutes. Then, remove from heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
8. Serve pasta and sauce, topped with lots of cheese!

*might want to save these for sprinkling on the finished product if you have little mouths that will be sensitive to spice!!

BBQ Spare Ribs

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you guest blogger and my hubby, Nicholas Buse:

When I make ribs, I tend to take the same approach as I do when making beer: do the minimum amount of work need to make something delicious! Do I appreciate a good Belgian Triple? (YES) Do I want to take 4-5 months to make my own? (nope)

We have a grilling cookbook, How to Grill by Steven Raichlen, that usually requires lots of fancy ingredients that we don't have. Tonight was no exception, so the deviations are noted below.

BBQ Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

Marinade
6 cups - apple cider
1 - lemon juiced
(or just 2 cans of sparkling lemon water, basically just need sugar and acid...)

Java Rub
6 tbsp - ground coffee
2 tbsp - coarse salt
2 tbsp - brown sugar
2 tsp - garlic power
2 tsp - ground cumin
2 tsp - cocoa power
(left out coriander, onion powder, and others)

Barbecue Sauce (Trader Joe's All Natural)

1. Prep the ribs (remove the membrane from the back of the rack)
2. Put in a non-reactive container with marinade (1-2 hours)
3. Coat front and back with rub and let set for another 1-2 hours
4. Grill on low heat for 2-3 hours. Spray with apple cider every 1/2 hour or so. (used apple juice box)
5. About 20 minutes from the end, coat with barbecue sauce.

Proof that they were still good: watching Sam suck the marrow out of the ribs after cleaning off the meat!

Enjoy!