Crockpot Meatballs

Ingredients:
Meatballs
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 minced onion
dash garlic salt
2 1/2 tsp Worchester Sauce
1/3 cup carnation milk
2 eggs
1 tsp liquid smoke
12 halves or 24 square soda crackers, crushed
salt and pepper


Sauce
2 cups chili sauce
2 cups catsup 
1 tsp tobasco 
1 1/2 teaspoon Worchester
1 tsp liquid smoke
dash garlic salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper





Instructions:
1.  Put sauce ingredients into crockpot, stir, and cook on high while preparing the meatballs.


2.  Mix meatball ingredients and form small balls on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until brown.  Pour off excess grease.


3.  Put meatballs into sauce.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  Serve and enjoy!

Calamari Fra Diavolo

Ingredients:


1/4 c. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove crushed garlic
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 c. dry white wine
1 3/4 lb. cleaned squid

NOTE: you need a slow cooker for this recipe

Instructions:


1.  Put oil in a pan and cook onion until softened.  Add garlic and stir a few minutes longer.

2.  Transfer to slow cooker and add tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper, and oregano.

3.  Pour wine in the pan and bring to a boil by turning heat on high.  Reduce by one third (meaning make 1/3 of the wine evaporate).  Add to the crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2-2 hours.

4.  Cut calamari into pieces, about 1/4 thick by 1 1/2 inches long.  When cutting, tilt the knife at an angle so you are not cutting straight down.  Add calamari and continue to cook on low for at least 45 more minutes.

5.  Serve over pasta or with crispy bread.

Adapted from:  Not your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

Green Chili

Ingredients

2 lbs. pork tenderloin (lean lower calorie option) or pork butt or shoulder (better tasting option), cubed
1 cup chopped onion
14 oz. Swanson chicken broth
10 oz can or bottle of green salsa
2 1/2 cups diced green chiles

3 tsp garlic (minced or mashed)
2 ½ Tbsp chicken bouillon (they come in cubes)
1 tsp celery salt
1 Tbsp flour
2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp cumin
3 Tbsp diced jalapeno pepper
1 Tbsp dried cilantro (Pendries powder or 3 Tbsp fresh finely chopped) 

Green tabasco (optional)

NOTE: We do this in our slow cooker on low, but you can also do it in a big pot if you don't have a slow cooker

Instructions:

1.  Brown pork and drain.

2.  Add the onion and the chicken brother.  Simmer (or cook on low) for 1 hour and stir occasionally.  

3.  Add the garlic, green salsa, chicken buillon, celery salt, flour, oregano, cumin, jalapenos, and cilantro.  Simmer (or cook on low) another hour, stirring occasionally.

4.  Add green chiles and tobasco if you want any.  This recipe is really spicy to begin with, so beware.  Simmer (or cook on low) for another hour or more and then serve.

Adapted from: Gambler's Green Chili by Lauren Ray

Pork Ribs Flavored with Chiles and Beer

Ingredients:


1 12 oz. bottle of beer of your choosing (we use Negro Modelo)
1/8 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard (the powdered kind you find in the spice aisle)
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 c. bbq sauce of your choosing (we use Rufus Teague Touch O Heat)
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. yellow mustard (we buy the cheap stuff)
1/2 orange, cut into 1/4 inch rounds (we take the rind off first)
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 pickled jalapenos, cut into 1/4 inch thick rings (you can get these in a can or a jar)
1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and chopped (these are at King Soopers in Denver)
3 lbs. pork ribs (you want about 1/2 a rack per person, or a full rack if its a big guy who eats a lot)
Sea salt and ground black pepper

NOTE: you need a slow cooker for this recipe

Instructions:


1.  Mix beer, brown sugar, dry mustard and garlic powder in a bowl.

2.  Add bbq sauce, vinegar, yellow mustard and honey and stir until smooth.

3.  Put the orangle, onion, jalapenos and chipotle ppers at the bottom of the slow cooker.

4.  Season the ribs with salt and pepper and put them in the slow cooker.

5.  Pour the sauce on top.  If your ribs do not fit on one layer, then alternate layers (first the ribs, then pour some sauce, then more ribs, then sauce, etc).

6.  Cover and cook on low for 9 hours or more.

7.  Take the ribs out and serve on platter.  You may want to skim the fat off the top of the sauce if you are going to serve it separately, but that hasn't been necessary for us.

Adapted from: Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook