It was not a great day for grilling. I’ve always said that grilling is a passion not a season. But 50 MPH winds and blowing rain can make me rethink that philosophy. I was still jonesin’ for a chili dog so I brought out the slow cooker and satisfied my need for a good dog on a bad weather day. The dogs end up tender and they even absorb some of the great chili flavors. Topped with cheese, onion and jalapeno they hit the spot.
Ready For The Big Game
Slow cooker chili dogs are a really great way to feed a crowd with no fuss whatsoever. You can easily double or triple this recipe if your slow cooker is big enough, ideal for that big game party! This would be perfect for the Super Bowl. Everyone will be happy. Well, except for the losing team that is!
Slow cooker chili dogs are a really great way to feed a crowd with no fuss whatsoever. You can easily double or triple this recipe if your slow cooker is big enough, ideal for that big game party!
We spent a week in a condo on fabulous Tybee Island, Georgia not long ago. I wanted to maximize our time on the beach, which meant that I wanted meals that I could prepare with minimal effort and time. Slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs was the perfect choice. And it was mighty tasty too. Yummy meatballs in a flavorful sauce, with the pasta already mixed in. It really doesn’t get any easier.
Add Some Kick If You Want
I always like a little kick in my pasta dishes, whether they’re from the slow cooker or not, so I added a bit of red pepper flakes. You can leave them out if you like. I don’t go crazy with it. But I just want that little ‘something’ that wakes things up a bit.
You can make this dish as cheap or as expensive as you want. No-name meatballs and store-brand sauce are fine. Or use the ‘good stuff’. Totally up to you. Use what you like or what works for you.
Don’t Ask About My Cheese
Ok, I was on an island trip. And I admit it, I packed quick. And cheap. And that meant I grabbed a can of that Parmesan cheese. Oh you know the one. Some folks poo-poo them. But I will argue they more than have a place. And one of those places is on vacation, on an island, wanting to maximum my time on the beach. Not maximize my time grating a big block of Parmesan cheese I had to make sure I kept cold in my cooler on the 6 hour drive. And you know what? The dish came out great.
You can use fresh or ‘that can’. I sure as heck ain’t gonna tell you otherwise!
I’m usually a crispy, grilled or fried chicken wing kind-of-guy. But I am open to other ideas, and I can’t pass up a tasty wing no matter what. So I went into the idea of cooking wings in my slow cooker with an open mind and empty stomach. What resulted were very tasty, very tender wings covered in a fantastic homemade Buffalo wing sauce. Slow cooker chicken wings made a believer out of me.
Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!
Sorta Like Pre-Cooking…
Cooking the wings in Buffalo sauce in the slow cooker before transferring them to the oven ensured that each and every bite was packed with that great traditional wing flavor. These wings aren’t just covered in sauce, there’s sauce all the way through. That time in the slow cooker renders out some of the chicken fat. And replaces it with flavor. This is a good thing.
Go Buffalo
The sauce is what makes these slow cooker chicken wings great. It’s the perfect traditional Buffalo wing sauce. I make a big batch and keep it on hand. I like to fill a squirt bottle with wing sauce and squirt it on macaroni and cheese. Yep, try it. It’s good.
You can get a bit of a char and crisp on these wings if you put them under the broiler for a bit just before serving. Keep an eye on them, though. You don’t want to burn them. You can only do this if you put the wings on foil or directly on your baking pan. Do not put wings on parchment paper under a broiler. Ever. Parchment paper isn’t meant for that kind of heat.
You can also finish the wings off on a super-hot grill. Charcoal or gas. Just place them over direct heat for a few minutes per side to get a nice char on them. And add a bit of smoky flavor. Perfect!
Cooking the wings in Buffalo sauce in the slow cooker before transferring them to the oven ensured that each and every bite was packed with that great traditional wing flavor.Â
Slow cooker Tennessee-style potatoes have quickly become one of my favorite side dishes to make. You start with your pretty-much-standard mashed potatoes. Well, except you boil the potatoes in a flavor mix of chicken bouillon and garlic-infused water. Then you transfer them to the slow cooker where they get even creamier and even smoother. Perfect for a cold day here in Indiana. Perfect for a potluck or family get-together. The potatoes may seem like the usual. But, cooking them in the flavored water really makes for a different, richer flavor.
Don’t Throw Out The Water!
Be sure you don’t throw out the water used to boil the potatoes when they are done. Reserve a cup or so in case the slow cooker Tennessee-style potatoes get a bit thick while cooking. If that happens don’t add a lot of the water. Just add a bit, stir, and see if they’re creamy enough. If not, add a bit more.
Slow cooker Tennessee-style potatoes have quickly become one of my favorite side dishes to make. You start with your pretty-much-standard mashed potatoes, except you boil the potatoes in a flavor mix of chicken bouillon and garlic-infused water.Â
Slow cooker black eyed peas are a wonderful thing. I grew up surrounded by them, it seemed. Canned black eyed peas in the cupboard. Dried black eyed peas in the pantry. Black eyed peas in the garden. They made an appearance at almost every dinner, and my dad still has them very, very often. And by very often I mean every single day. He has never burned out on them, and I can understand why.
A Great Side Dish. And A Great Main Dish.
This is my favorite way to prepare black eyed peas. For a little smokiness I add a smoked pork shank. And for a little spiciness I add a little jalapeno. To make it a main dish I add chopped smoked ham. For a side dish, I’d leave out the ham. Probably.
I avoid cooking dried beans in water if possible. I prefer chicken broth. It adds so much more flavor to the beans. I seem to always have gallons of chicken broth on hand. I save my vegetable and chicken trimmings, freezing them, and once I have enough I make a huge pot of broth. Slow cooker black eyed peas cooked in broth is a magical thing.
This is my favorite way to prepare black eyed peas. For a little smokiness I add a smoked pork shank. And for a little spiciness I add a little jalapeno.Â
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Note: If you wish to add smoked ham, do so 6 hours into cooking.
Remove ham hock and let cool slightly.
Cut meat from the bone, chop, and return to the slow cooker.
Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Notes
You don’t want to overcook the peas. Since slow cooker temperatures can vary, check them after 6 hours and every 30 minutes after to test for doneness.
A few years back I made a copycat of Arby’s Beef-n-Cheddar sandwich, one of my all-time favorite fast-food handhelds, and by a country mile. A commercial came on the tv a few days ago for Arby’s roast beef sandwiches, and I instantly started jonesin’ for one. As much as I loved my copycat Arby’s Beef-n-Cheddar, I wanted to take a copycat recipe of the original roast beef sandwich to a new level. The level of true copycat-ness. Sandwich greatness. And here it is. Tender, tasty thin-sliced beef. Tangy Arby’s sauce. Onion buns. And of course, seasoned curly fries. It’s impossible to make enough of it because no matter what, I’m going to make it all disappear.
Ok, So I Kinda Made A Change
I actually used Sriracha ketchup for making the Arby’s sauce, and left out adding any additional hot sauce. It had some kick, and wasn’t 100% a copycat recipe of the original Arby’s roast beef sandwich, but it was fantastic. In fact, I’d recommend that Arby’s make a Sriracha version of their sauce for their restaurants. It’d be a big hit, trust me.
Of course, you can use just good ole regular hot sauce. And really you should to stay true to the original. I couldn’t help myself.
Double The Sauce, Double The Fun
If you’re like me and you’re kind of addicted to Arby’s sauce, I’d double the amount below. If it’s not running down your forearm when you take a big bite of this copycat Arby’s roast beef sandwich, you’re not doing it right!
Double The Roast Beef, Too!
The recipe below makes 8 sandwiches. From 24 ounces of roast beef. So that’s 3 ounces per sandwich. That’s respectable. That’ll fill you up…. But if you’re like me you have a self-control issue around these sandwiches so…. add a bit more if you want!
Tender, tasty thin-sliced beef. Tangy Arby’s sauce. Onion buns. And of course, seasoned curly fries. It’s impossible to make enough of it because no matter what, I’m going to make it disappear.
I would’ve liked to have made this slow cooker tomato sauce using tomatoes from our garden. For some reason, our tomatoes just didn’t produce this year. Usually I have to worry about the raccoons stealing them but not this time. They just didn’t come out. So, Plan B, I picked up a big batch of ripe tomatoes at the grocery store. The end result came out very, very flavorful. Quite honestly, I had my sights set on using this sauce to make pizza sauce, but it’s so good by itself you could easily serve it as-is as tomato soup.
Use Ripe Tomatoes Only
I used Roma tomatoes because I like how they taste. You can substitute any good tomato, just make sure they’re good and ripe. Do not use those hard-as-cardboard tomatoes you often find at your grocery store. If you’re lucky enough to be near a farmer’s market, it’s well worth the trip. When tomatoes are at peak you’ll want to make several batches of this slow cooker tomato sauce and freeze it for later.
I would’ve liked to have made this slow cooker tomato sauce using tomatoes from our garden. For some reason, our tomatoes just didn’t produce this year.
One of my favorite things to do in the summer (around July 4th here in Indiana) is to buy a lot of sweet corn and put it up for the winter. I do mean a lot of sweet corn. For the two of us that often means 100-150 ears at once. It’s a good day’s work, but well worth it later in the year, especially when I can use it to make great-tasting dishes like this slow cooker chili cheese corn. I really enjoy cooking corn in the slow cooker. The corn keeps its light crunch, and all of the sweetness. Add a bit of roasted green chiles and cream cheese and you have a truly fantastic side dish. Sorta like creamed corn but fresher-tasting.
Adjusting The Spiciness
For a little more kick, use diced roasted jalapenos instead when you make this slow cooker chili cheese corn. Or for less kick, roast a poblano pepper (or even a green bell pepper) under your broiler until blackened. Then, remove the burnt skin. Cut it open and remove any seeds then chop into small pieces.
For no kick, use a green or red bell pepper. You’ll still at least get some color and pepper flavor. No matter what you use, it’ll add a nice contrast to the sweetness and creaminess of the corn.
I garnished my corn dish with a little chopped parsley. I keep it on hand pretty much all of the time. I’m not a fancy fru-fru chef-kind-of-guy, but I do like what a little green can do to pretty much any dish. So it’s often parsley that I’ll use. But sometimes I’ll grab green onion instead. This dish is also great with green onion. That extra crunch and onion ‘heat’ offset a bit of the sweetness.
 I really enjoy cooking corn in the slow cooker. The corn keeps it’s light crunch, and all of the sweetness. Add a bit of roasted green chiles and cream cheese and you have a truly fantastic side dish.
It was a cold and crappy day in Indiana. I didn’t really feel like cooking much, so I threw all of the ingredients for pot pie into the slow cooker and let it go for 6 hours. Into pie pans, topped with dough, and a few minutes later… bingo! Slow cooker pot pie! Yummy and creamy and with just a little bit of that crunchy crust that I think is pretty much required by law. The chicken is tender and tasty. The vegetables are cooked perfectly, still having a bit of that ‘bite’ you want.
Nothing Fancy. Just Goodness.
There’s nothing fancy about this dish. It takes minimal time to throw together, and it makes a nice big batch. That’s the idea here. We aren’t making a fru-fru baked dish. But we’re not skimping on flavor, either.
This is great on a cold day. And it’s perfectly good on a warm day too.
It was a cold and crappy day. I didn’t really feel like cooking much, so I threw all of the ingredients for pot pie into the slow cooker and let it go for 6 hours. Into pie pans, topped with dough, and a few minutes later… bingo!Â
It was a cold day. The kind of day that screams stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. These slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls hit the spot and then some. They’re pretty easy to assemble. They really couldn’t get any easier to cook. And best of all, they are the perfect cold-day food. Ground pork and beef get mixed together with rice and a few tasty spices to make a tender, flavor-packed stuffing. The rolls are bathed in a wonderful tomato sauce that reminds you of tomato soup (for a reason, since it contains tomato soup). You can’t eat just one, that’s for sure! You’ll want to load up your slow cooker and get to cookin’!
You Can Make Them Spicy, Too
The next time I make slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls I might add a bit of heat to spice things up a bit. A little hot sauce maybe? I’m not quite sure. They’re mighty good as they are. I am sure I’d double the amount of sauce, though. The sauce is mighty darned good. And when there’s sauce, there should be soppin’! So make some garlic bread or Texas toast and get ready for some soppin’ good deliciousness!
See Ya Next Week
The cooked cabbage rolls freeze really well. With the sauce even. Just put them in an air-tight container with some of the sauce over the tops and freeze for later. When you’re ready to serve them up, set them out in the fridge a good 24 hours ahead of time. Then heat them in an over at 350 F for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is good and bubbly hot. If you have lots of extra sauce (and doubling it really is a good idea), freeze that separately if you want and just reheat it in a saucepan on the stove.
Remove the core from the cabbage but keep the leaves intact.
Carefully lower the cabbage into the water. Boil for 2 minutes then remove and let cool slightly before gently removing any softened leaves that will come off without tearing, Return the head to the water and continue boiling/removing leaves until you have 12 nice large leaves.
Chop any remaining cabbage and use it to line the bottom of your slow cooker.
Place the remaining cabbage roll ingredients into a large bowl and combine well.
Working in batches, lay out a cabbage leaf and spoon 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into the middle. Roll the leaf up like a burrito, folding the sides in to seal it as you go. Place into your slow cooker, seam-side down.
Place cooker on low. Add the sauce (see below), cover, and cook for 8 hours.
Let cool 15 minutes before serving with sauce spoon over the tops.
