Not Your Mother's Meatballs -- slow cooker recipe

 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!

The Ingredients.

makes 24 golfball-sized meatballs

 

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

The Directions.

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!

The Verdict.

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!

more meatballs in the crockpot:

apple, cheddar, and turkey meatballs

meatballs in peanut chile sauce

Albondigas (meatball) Soup

turkey meatballs with cranberry barbecue sauce

two little smokie appetizer recipes (but you can use meatballs!)

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Slow Cooker Brandy Spiced Peaches Recipe

You've been good. Really good. I can tell.

Rummage through your pantry cabinets and dig out a few cans of neglected peach slices and bottle of brandy. This is a good one!

The Ingredients.

serves 8

slightly blurry photo. I blame the brandy.

2 (15-ounce) cans peach slices

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

1/4 cup brandy

whipped cream (optional garnish--I like the stuff in a can, but you can of course make your own)

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Combine all the ingredients except for the brandy and whipped cream. Don't drain the peaches---pour the entire cans in. Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove from heat, and stir in the brandy. Pour all of this into a sealed plastic container and refrigerate for 48 hours (it's worth the wait, I promise!), then remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Dish into serving bowls and dollop with whipped cream.

The Verdict.

This is my mom's friend, Carol's dessert recipe. Carol shared that she used to make it with peach halves but there was too much "slipping and sliding" with the halves, so she switched to slices. I LOVED the flavor---rich, and sophisticated. The brandy is in there, and you can taste it. This is definitely not a dessert for children---eat it all yourself!

The Cuisinart slow cooker giveaway is over, and the winners have been notified. If you haven't heard from me, you didn't win. I'm sorry. I do have more fun things I'm working on, though!

Happy 12th day of Crocktober!

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Roasted Garlic Spoonbread Slow Cooker Recipe

Hello, there! I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We sure did----we laid kind of low and played in the backyard and went to the park. The weather finally cooperated long enough for me to get some vegetables into the ground, and my fingers are crossed that I actually remember to water them this year.

Adam barbecued on Saturday (because it would be un-American to not barbecue during Memorial Day weekend!), and I played around with a spoonbread recipe I was given and made a really savory and delicious side dish in the crockpot.

There's a LOT Of garlic in here---enough to ward off a pack of vampires.

The Ingredients.
serves 4-6

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used the stuff in the can)
1 head garlic, cloves peeled but intact (about 15 cloves)

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker (1.5 quarts is fine, just cook a bit longer---I used one of the sections of the crockpot trio).
In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, sugar, pepper, milk, melted butter, and eggs until you've got a nice batter. No need to use a mixer---just whisk it together until there aren't any big lumps. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves. Pour the batter into a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 3. Your spoonbread is finished when the center is set and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

We had ours alongside salmon patties (frozen, from Costco--no filler, totally gluten free, yay!) Adam barbecued. It'd pair nicely with roasted chicken or pork chops, too.

The Verdict.

The garlic roasts inside the cornbread, creating a moist and savory side dish. The girls picked the garlic out (they were huge cloves, and a bit much for them), but ate all the cornbread. I liked the tiny hint of spice from the cayenne. I sprinkled paprika on for the picture. In retrospect, I should have used smoked paprika---it would have added a nice hint of smokiness.

super good.

On a side note:

I wrote an article on Village of Moms about Slow Cooker freezer meals and TV Dinners.

also, the $125 Visa Gift Card is still up for grabs over on my review blog. I'd love to get some more comments/entries. The more entries, the more likely bigger and better stuff comes my way to share with you!

and, I'm thinking of doing a summer book club, if you're interested. At first I thought I could swing a book a month (3 books), but I think that's too much. Maybe 2--and discuss on twitter in mid-July and then the end of August? I'm not sure---just thinking/typing out loud...
if you have any ideas for good books, I'd love to hear them!

only 8 more days of school!!

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We've got a new baby!

Our newest little one arrived safe and sound on the 6th. We're all home, and doing quite well.

Labor and delivery was easy, although it felt as if I had been in labor for weeks and weeks. I think she may have been taking the term "slow cooking" a bit too seriously. :-)

I've promised Adam not to share personal details with the Internet, so that's pretty much all the information I'm going to let out----thank you for your understanding, love, and support.

back on Monday with a new recipe!

(I think.)

xoxo steph

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Entertaining With Your Slow Cooker

Do not read this as "Entertaining Your slow Cooker." Even though I anthropomorphize probably more than I should, I do draw the line somewhere. :-)

We're fast approaching the season for entertaining. The Holidays bring about many reasons for getting together, and many different ways to utilize your slow cookers so you can get out of the kitchen and enjoy your guests.

This past weekend I fired up the Crock-Pot Trio, and brought it to a friend's house for a Halloween Party. I put in three different dips/appetizers:

Sundried Tomato Dip
Brie with Apricot Topping (this gets a lot of mileage. It's a favorite with my friends)
Sausage, Cream Cheese, and Rotel Dip (aka "mommy crack")

The Trio works well, but the cord is terribly short and each of the 3 (2-quart) inserts has a spoon slot, which means you have to put down a layer of foil while cooking/heating so your food doesn't dry out. This isn't much of a problem, but it is something to be aware of while using.

We aren't hosting any big parties this year, but in the past have really utilized my collection of slow cookers to prepare and serve hot appetizers, beverages, side dishes, and a variety of main courses. I love it that I can put the food on early in the day, then tend to the other chores around the house while dinner cooks itself.


I also appreciate the opportunity to mingle with guests as they arrive instead of fiddling in the kitchen.

The slow cooker is also an excellent way to bring a dish to a friend or neighbor's house who is hosting the main event. Oven and stove top space can be hard to come by, but there's always
an extra outlet available--even if it means plugging the cooker into an outlet in the garage.

What are your favorite ways to use your slow cooker for entertaining? If you have any great recipes that work well to serve large groups, or any slow cooker entertaining stories, please leave them in the comment section. We could all use some new ideas for parties this time of year!



related:

Slow Cooker Holiday Food
A Slow Cooker Party

Also!

I have a post up at BlogHer.com where I ask YOU about your children's play habits.

and, Books Inc, Burlingame, CA will be hosting a book signing/launch party for Make it Fast, Cook it Slow this Friday evening, November 6, at 6:30 pm. I'm going to be giving away a brand new Crock-Pot eLume--it's gorgeous. If you are in the area, I'd love to meet you!

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Little Dipper Pizza Fondue Recipe

Day 365, take two.

I was annoyed with the white bean soup with fennel and spinach I made for dinner, but had all the stuff in the house to make a pizza fondue.

So I did.

I used the Little Dipper because I puffy heart LOVE it, but you could use an oven-safe dish inside a regular crockpot to create a smaller cooking vessel. Or you could increase the quantities.

The Ingredients.

--1 cup pasta sauce (my sauce had chunked mushrooms, it was perfect)
--1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
--10 pieces pepperoni, diced
--1 cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of mozzarella, cheddar, and swiss)

The Directions.

Count out 10 pieces of pepperoni. Then eat the rest of the package.
Put the pasta sauce into your Little Dipper, and plug it in. Add the Italian seasoning and diced pepperoni. Shove in the cup of shredded cheese. I promise it will fit. Cover and leave plugged in (there are no heat settings on a Little Dipper) for 45 min or so.

Stir well and serve with tortilla chips, bread sticks, or crustini.

I made some crustini with the Food for Life brown rice bread. I cut the pieces in slices, then brushed olive oil on each side. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 min, flipping once half-way through.

The Verdict.

This was great. We spread out a blanket in front of the TV and had a carpet picnic with the pizza fondue and watched Redbox dvds. How come I didn't know about redbox earlier?

good stuff.

Having a fondue party?
you really should.

fancy cheese fondue
chocolate fondue
peanut butter fondue
marshmallow fluff fondue
pumpkin pie dip
cream cheese, sausage, and Rotel dip (AKA mommy crack)

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Little Dipper Cranberry Orange Dip

Day 362.

Raise your hand if you got a Little Dipper for the Holidays.

The Little Dipper is so much fun----here are all of the dips and things I've made this year: Little Dipper recipes. Except the chicken and brown rice casserole. I have no idea how that showed up in there. Weird.

Jen T. sent me this recipe, and the kids and I had it for lunch the other day. When it's cooked, it looks like a big pile of fluffy snow.

The Ingredients.

--8 oz cream cheese
--2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
--2 T apple juice
--1/2 tsp orange zest
--1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

The Directions.

Plug in your Little Dipper to get it started warming up. Shove the block of cream cheese down into it. You may need to squish it in with a spoon. I promise it will fit. Shred the swiss, and add it. Grate the orange and add the zest. Add the apple juice. Cover and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour. When the cream and swiss cheese have fully melted, stir in the dried cranberries.

Serve with your favorite crackers or apple slices. We're really liking the new nut and rice crackers Blue Diamond puts out.

The Verdict.

Delicious. The original recipe called for 1 tsp of orange zest, but we're not big fans of orange zest, so I only added 1/2 tsp. It was still plenty zesty for us, and I probably could have omitted it all together for us. But then I would have needed to change the name.

The swiss and cream cheese melted together beautifully and were a delicious combination.

Thank you, Jen!

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CrockPot Cherries Jubilee

Day 349.

I am still having photo uploading issues. I'm working on it, and fingers are crossed that in a few hours everything will be good to go.

I wasn't planning on making Cherries Jubilee yesterday, but the kids and I were watching a Paula Deen episode and she made some. Adam was already at the grocery store (buying duck! ack!) so we called him and had him bring home some canned cherries. It's a good thing, too, because the ducks were so frozen they bounced on the kitchen counter.

The Ingredients.

2 T butter, melted
1 T cornstarch
2 (15-ounce) cans pitted black cherries in heavy syrup, but NOT pie filling
2 T white sugar
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
vanilla ice cream

The Directions.

I used a 1 quart crockpot. Melt butter in the microwave, and whisk in cornstarch until it's completely dissolved. Drain cans of cherries, and add to crockpot. Pour in cornstarch mixture. Add sugar and lemon zest. No need to stir. If you're going to add the brandy, do so now.

Cook on high for 2 hours, and serve hot over vanilla ice cream. Paula lit her cherries jubilee on fire to burn off the alcohol. I tried to do that, but it didn't work, and I ended up getting cherry juice all over my long wand-lighter thingy and now it doesn't ignite. I wouldn't put the brandy in if you are going to serve to small children.

The Verdict.

This was a fun dessert. I made two batches, one with and one without the brandy. The brandy one tastes like it has brandy in it, and I liked the plain one better. I wish the fire part would have worked, that would have been cool.

I'm off to skin a duck.

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The CrockPot as an Air Freshener/ Odor Neutralizer

Day 333.

Happy Black Friday! I hope each of you had as wonderful of a Thanksgiving as I did. It was also terribly easy---we had 6 crockpot dishes and a turkey-in-the-oven. Lots of food, and a super-easy clean-up.

But.

At about 10pm last night, the house was cleared, and I noticed a funk. It wasn't bad, but it was a slightly sour smell of old mulled wine, and dirty dishes. Instead of actually cleaning the dishes and emptying the wine crockpot, I eliminated the odor.

With the Little Dipper!

The Ingredients.

--water
--baking soda (for the little dipper, I used 3 T)
--crockpot

The Directions.

Pour water into the crockpot you are going to use. Add baking soda. Mix. Plug it in and turn to low (the Little Dipper and some of the small ones don't have settings, they just plug in). Keep the lid off.

Let the baking soda do the job of soaking up unpleasant odors.

If you would prefer to use the crockpot as an air freshener, fill with water, and add:

--drops of essential oil
--potpourri scent
--2 teaspoons of vanilla or other desired extract
--ground cinnamon, and cloves
--a cinnamon stick
--slices of lemon

The Verdict.

I was quite pleased with how the baking soda really did absorb the kitchen odors. I took the mini crock into another room later and smelled the water----it smelled strongly of mulled wine.
woah.

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