Meatball Stew

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love my crockpot. I would love to get one of those new programmable ones with the multiple temperature settings and all the bells and whistles, but really it's probably not necessary. The food I cook in my old one comes out just as tasty and our home smells just as wonderful!

This is a soup that really makes the house smell great and other than peeling a few potatoes and cutting up some vegetables, it is super easy. Did you know that often the trick to successful crockpotting is the layering? I always put the meat on top and the most dense vegetable (like potatoes) on the bottom. That way the meat doesn't get overcooked and also flavors the vegetables beneath.

Another secret is preparing your meat in advance--making sure it's either seared first (to keep the meat from getting tough or stringy) or precooked for a short time (to lock in the flavor). That's why this meatball stew is so great. I generally prepare my meatballs in advance and freeze them. The trick is to cook them for 7-10 minutes before freezing. That way they're ready to toss into whatever you're preparing. I've shared several of my meatball recipes in past postings so take your pick, but the ones I like the best for this meatball stew are the Swedish Meatballs. Their depth of flavor with the combination of pork and beef is just the ticket.

Meatball Stew

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 cup carrots sliced into ½ inch chunks

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, sliced

15-20 frozen fully cooked meatballs (I prefer Swedish Meatballs)

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup

1 (10.5 ounce) can beef gravy

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare the vegetables and layer in the order given in a 5-qt. slow cooker placing the meatballs on top. Combine the liquid ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over meatball mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Super Chili

Chili is about the most versatile soup on the planet. You can spice it up if you want it hot or keep the temperature low. With beans, meat, and peppers or without them. Thickened or not. Sky's the limit!

We've posted another chili recipe (Easy Stovetop Chili) which is very good, but this special batch was for the boys on Super Bowl Sunday and it was a hit. Matter of fact, they requested it for next year! Plus it wasn't a budget buster so all around it was a win.

If you have a big crowd, make a lot of it and keep it warm in the crockpot.

Super Chili

1/2 pound of bacon, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2-1 pound ground chuck

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 bottle beer (your choice; we used Guinness)

2 cans (or one large can) tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans black or red beans

2 tablespoons chili powder

salt and pepper

Cooks the bacon in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Once cooked, discard some of the bacon fat, reserving a little for cooking the onion and garlic. Saute onion, garlic, and red bell pepper then add ground chuck and cook thoroughly until no longer pink.

Pour in bottle of beer, scraping brown bits and incorporating into mix. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 5-10 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans, and chili powder. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 40 minutes. If you double the recipe, you'll need to simmer longer.  Transfer to crock pot to keep warm if serving large crowd.

Serve with Irish Soda Bread.

Sausage Stew

My weekly meal plans can sometimes take a u-turn if I find something unexpected on sale at the store. But then I stock up and life happens and whatever it was that I bought still sits in the fridge 3 or 4 days later. So before it reaches "the point of no return," I have to come up with a plan to use the bargain I found, along with whatever else has accumulated in the fridge during the past week.

This week it was ground pork. My intent was to whip up a couple meatloaves for freezing, but I never got around to it--life, kids, and holiday exhaustion got the better of me. The solution? Search Grandma's archives for something different that used ground pork and...behold!...I found something that not only used up the pork, but also some accumulated vegetables--celery, carrots, potatoes, and onions, and--bonus--some tomato soup leftovers! It was a trifecta of budgetary compliance! I was also able to convert it to a crock pot meal. 

The verdict? Surprisingly delicious and hearty and it was satisfying to know that nothing went to waste in the fridge this week. Grandma would have been proud.

Ground Pork Stew

1 lb lean ground pork

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cups potatoes, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

10 oz can of tomato soup

1 tsp dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet or Dutch Oven. Brown pork, onion and celery then add potatoes, carrots, peas and corn. Stir to combine and add tomato soup, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours. (In a crockpot, I cooked it on low for 6 hours.)

Pronto Beef Stew

If you're looking for a flavorful (and fast) full meal deal for your family look no further than Grandma's Pronto Beef Stew. It's a hearty show stopper that your family will love. 

Word has it that heating it up for lunch the next day is even better (although I wouldn't know, because ALL the leftovers were gone and I was unable to check this out for myself)! But I'll take my better half's word for it. He is always game for something delicious for a lunch-time refueling the following day and this stew is just the ticket.

The recipe method calls for processing the diced tomatoes, but if you like your tomatoes a little chunkier, then by all means eliminate this step. It's all personal preference and this stew is so versatile, you can add or subtract darn near anything as your taste desires!

Pronto Beef Stew

1½  to 2 pounds beef stew meat

¼ cup flour

1 tsp Johnny's seasoning

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans beef broth

1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (Italian style, if available), processed about 10 pulses in food processor

1 tsp salt

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

½ tsp pepper

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 cup unooked ditalini pasta

Shredded parmesan/romano mix cheese

1. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven or large skillet. Meanwhile put flour and seasoning in container or large plastic bag and dredge stew meat, covering completely. Sear meat in oil until browned on all sides then remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.

2. Melt butter in pan and saute onion and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add beef broth and scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Add in chickpeas, tomatoes, salt, oregano, basil, and pepper. Bring to a boil and return meat to broth mixture. Cover and cook for two hours. 

3. After two hours, stir in mixed vegetables and pasta. Cover and cook one additional hour until beef and pasta are tender.  Stir before serving, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and serve with bread and a tossed green salad.

NOTE: This can be modified for a crockpot. Follow #1 and #2 above; then place everything in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Then follow #3.

Slow-Cooked Chicken

This recipe reminds me of summer.  Probably because it was customarily prepared by Grandma when we had relatives visiting during the summer. Our family had a lot of birthdays in July and August (Grandma's was on July 15) and Grandma knew we enjoyed this dish, so she would make it in the crockpot (although you can prepare it in a couple hours on the stovetop in a Dutch Oven, if you prefer).  So why would Grandma want to cook to celebrate her own birthday you ask? Because that's how she "rolled" (as my kids say). To translate, I think that means: That's how she "operated." Her entire focus was on everybody else and it was part of her nature to do something special even if it meant a little work on her part. 

Another amazing thing about Grandma is she never suffered a "martyr complex" or anything like that. It simply wasn't there. All you ever sensed in her kitchen was joy in preparing something, anything for her family. She was such a great lady.

This recipe is so versatile because when it's all done, the chicken is very moist and tender for shredding, but you can keep the breast whole if you prefer. Grandma sometimes would put a whole piece on a hamburger bun with a slice of pineapple and Swiss cheese. Oh my. Shred it if you like though. It's amazingly good that way too and you can add as much or as little of the sauce as you like. 

Why only have this only at certain times of the year? You can have it year round. I give you permission! *wink*

Slow-Cooked Chicken

3 Tbsp butter
4 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
½ chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
½ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
1½ Tbsp brown sugar

Heat butter in Dutch Oven or skillet. Brown chicken on both sides.

While chicken is browning, mix together BBQ sauce, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper flakes (if using), and brown sugar. 

After chicken is browned, remove and set aside, add additional butter if necessary and sauté onions for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continuing to sauté for an additional 2 minutes.  Pour in liquid mixture and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.   

 Put chicken back in and cook on low for about 1-2 hours. (You could use a crockpot for this and cook on low for 6 hours.)  When done, remove the chicken and shred by pulling apart the meat with two forks.  Add some of the juice left in the pot until well coated.  Serve piled on toasted onions buns. Serves 4-6.

Chili Cheese Dip

Grandma's love for the crockpot went way beyond the ubiquitous chicken with mushroom soup thrown on top. She came up with all kinds of creative uses for it. (Did I tell you we melted wax in it and made candles once? Maybe I shouldn't. We did clean it all up before the next meal.)

With football season in its full glory right now, this is a great recipe to use as an excuse to pull out the old "crockeroony" and have a hit on your hands with the boys in the man cave.

This was a fairly recent recipe (last 30 years) that I actually gave my Grandma from a cookbook the company I worked for put together. The lady responsible for this yummy concoction was my very first boss, Susie, and she was an amazing single mom who was a pro in the kitchen. Grandma liked that and indulged me by making this delicious dip. She enjoyed it too and even though she wasn't a big "snacker," she dipped her crudites in it with the rest of us.

The recipe below that you can take with you is modified so you can recreate it successfully. The old style crockpots were 2-1/2 quarts, so this is noted. 

Susie's Chili Cheese Dip

1 onion, finely chopped

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

1 can no-bean chili

1 pound Velveeta cheese

chili powder

garlic powder

Tabasco sauce

Finely chop onion and pepper and saute in a tablespoon of butter. Add chili. When heated through, drop chunks of Velveeta in and stir occasionally until melted. The seasonings are at your own discretion (suggested amount is about 4 tsp chili powder and 3/4 tsp garlic powder for a single recipe, but please add one teaspoon at a time and taste). A triple recipe nearly fills a 2-1/2 quart crockpot.