Pork Tinga Tacos

Once upon a time, I made crockpot meals.  I'd put things in at noon, do kid driving/practices and end up with a tasty dinner when we all made it home.  These days, that is just a fairy tale-at least when I need make ahead meals most.  I've had challenges getting things in the crock pot before school (partly because I am too exhausted the night before) and 7 am to 4 pm is too long to leave most anything in the crockpot (at least my crockpot who's low temp works more like a high temp).

This summer though, I've made an amazing discovery.  Getting a meat dish in the crock pot in the mornings before we go to swim meets means when we return, our house is fragrant and I have supper ready.  I usually let the meal cool a bit, then put it in the fridge until supper time (reheating it right before eating).  Perfection.

It's been the summer of the taco.  We're eating tacos about once a week, mostly because they're easy, I found mixta (a mixture of corn and flour) tortillas we love, and everyone loves tacos.  It's a fix your own meal kinda meal so if I am wanting more veggies, I load more cabbage salad on mine.  The boys can skip the cabbage salad entirely and just have meat and cheese.  

This serves 6 - 8

Pork Tinga Tacos 

adapted from Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless

1 lb potatoes (red or yellow--not Russet baking potatoes), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 -2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and thinly sliced

1 T chipotle canning sauce

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 t died oregano

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick

tortillas (corn, mixta, flour--your preference, but corn is best)

queso fresco, crumbled

avocados, flesh cut into 1/2-inch pieces (avoid pit and skin)

salsa

guacamole (unnecessary if you're using avocados)

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of the slow cooker.  Cover with pork.  In a large bowl (or if you're lazy, just dump everything straight into the slow cooker), combine tomatoes, chipotles and chipotle sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion and 1 1/2 t salt.  Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes.  Cover and slow-cook on low for 6 hours (Know they slow cooker!  The original recipe said cook on high, but I know high for 6 hours would ruin my meat).  Taste and add more salt if necessary.

To serve, put a spoonful of pork and potatoes in the center of a heated tortilla.  Top with queso fresco, avocado chunks, salsa, guacamole or whatever else you desire.

Braised Lamb Shanks

My summer cookbook purge continues.

This recipe is Maundy Thursday/Passover lamb meal.  In our good years, we celebrate a Christian Seder on Maundy Thursday.  The main course is lamb.  My notes in the cookbook?  "Best lamb I've made."  Depending on the year, all my kids will eat this.

Makes 4 - 6 servings

Braised Lamb Shanks
adapted from Williams-Sonoma The New Slow Cooker

4 - 5 lbs lamb shanks, trimmed of fat
3 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
3 bay leaves
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t cumin
1/2 c beef stock, chicken stock, or water
1/4 c dry white wine (optional, if don't use, increase water by 1/4 c)

Optional sweet pepper garnish (I've done this before, but I've also omitted it)
1 yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 T parsley, coarsely chopped
1 c crumbled feta cheese

Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 T of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat  Sear the shanks, in batches of necessary to prevent overcrowding, when the oil is hot, until golden brown on all sides.  Transfer to a plate.

Pour most excess fat from the pan and heat again.  Add the onion, celery, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, and saute until vegetables are soft and golden, about 8 - 10minutes.  Pour the stock and wine into the pan and stir to dislodge any yummy browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Transfer the contents of the pan to a slow cooker, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and place the lamb shanks on top.  Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours (my slow cooker cooks fast on low. I only cook this for 5 hours on low.  Know thy slow cooker and cook accordingly).  The meat should be very tender.

If desired, to finish, heat a skillet over medium heat and warm 1 T olive oil.  Add the bell peppers and salute until just beginning to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

To serve, top with sautéed bell peppers (or if not using bell peppers, just with top with the fresh chopped parsley) and a sprinkle of feta.

Thai Chicken and Noodles

I've been making this recipe for years, but for some reason, it's never made it on to the blog.

As far as slow cooker recipes go, this one is a little more time intensive and hands on than some.  However it is well worth it.  Originally, this is to be served over lettuce.  We like it better over some rice noodles though.

This will serve 6 - 8.

Thai Chicken and Noodles
adapted from Williams-Sonoma The New Slow Cooker

1 (3 1/2-lb) chicken cut into 11 pieces (2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 4 breast portions plus 2 wings and backbone.  Save the wings and backbone for chicken stock)
2 T olive oil
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into thick (1/4") slices
1/2 lg yellow onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c dry white wine
1/4 c fish sauce
1/2 c chicken stock or water

2 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 t red wine vinegar
1 t peeled and minced ginger
salt

4 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
2 T fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
8 oz rice noodles
lime wedges

Season chicken all over with salt and pepper.  In a large pan over medium high heat, warm 2 T olive oil.  Add the chicken, in batches to prevent overcrowding, to the pan and sear until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.  Set aside and sear remaining chicken.

Pour off most of the fat in the pan, leaving 1 - 2 T.  Return the pan to medium-high heat.  Add the lemongrass and onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is golden.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Pour in wine, fish sauce, and chicken stock and stir to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom.    Season with a bit of salt and pepper and transfer mixture to a large (6 qt) slow cooker.  Stack the chicken on top.  Cover and cook on low setting for 3 - 5 hours (mine is done usually around 3 1/2 - 4 hrs, but my slow cooker is not as slow as some), or until chicken is very tender.

When chicken is finished cooking,  bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the rice noodles and cook until al dente.  Drain and place in serving dish.

While the water comes to a boil, transfer cooked, tender chicken to a plate and let cool slightly.  Pull off skin and remove meat from the bones.  (At this point, I discard the skin.  I transfer the bones, plus the neck and wings, and juices left in the slow cooker to a large pot.  I cover with water and let simmer on the stove for several hours for a nice flavorful chicken stock).  Shred the chicken with 2 forks or your fingers.  Place chicken in a serving bowl.

Combine olive oil, soy sauce, juice of 1 lime, red wine vinegar, and minced garlic.  Shake vigorously in a jar, blend in a mini food processor, or use an immersion blender to combine vinaigrette.  Pour half of vinaigrette over chicken along with green onions, if using, and cilantro.  Toss well.  Taste and add more vinaigrette if desired (I almost always desire more).  Serve chicken over cooked rice noodles.  Accompany with lime wedges.

(Crock)Pot Roast

It's finally getting colder here for days at a time.  The soup and roast recipes are coming out, for nothing says warmth like the smell of meat roasting at home.

This recipe started out as an oven recipe.  I however, needed a crockpot recipe, so I adapted it.  I must admit, I overcooked it the first time, but the flavor was wonderful.  Next time, I'll be sure to time it to take it out when it's done and not leave it on warm for two or three hours than it should be.

(Crock)Pot Roast
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 (2 lb) chuck roast
2 T olive oil
2 onions, cut in half
6 - 8 carrots, cut into 2 inch slices
1 c red wine or beef stock
2 - 3 c beef stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 lb potatoes, cut into chunks

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the onion halves and brown them on both sides.  Put onions in the slow cooker.  Brown carrots in oil and transfer to the slow cooker.  If the pan looks dry, add a little more olive oil.  Sprinkle the roast generously with salt and pepper.  Brown the roast in the pot, turning until it is nicely browned on all sides.  Transfer to slow cooker.  Pour wine or 1 c beef stock into pot.  Stir, scraping the bottom with a spoon to release all the tasty browned bits.  Pour into slow cooker.

Add the potatoes and sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the slow cooker.  Pour in beef stock (start with 2 c, if meat looks dry during cooking, add the third cup).  Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 - 10 hours.

To serve, meat from slow cooker.  Allow to rest for a bit (10 minutes will do) and then slice.  Serve on a platter with carrots and potatoes.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Every time I make this, I scour this blog looking for where I posted this recipe. I never find it. I guess I've never posted this before.

This is quickly becoming my go to slow cooker recipe. I make it when I have a late afternoon airport run and am not at home to make supper. I make it when we have a play date/supper date and I don't want to spend time making supper. I make it when I need an after swim practice meal. Yep. It's one of those go to meals.

A 4lb bone-in, boston butt will serve 6 - 8. If possible, make the onions, the day before you want to eat.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

adapted from Merrill at Food52

3 - 4 t cumin seeds (2 t ground)

1 - 2 t coriander seeds (1 t ground)

3 - 6 t chili powder (I like New Mexican because it has good flavor but isn't spicy)

1 t dried oregano

4 lbs bone-in, bost butt, very large pieces of fat trimmed

salt

olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped (optional)

1 serrano or jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, with their juices

1 c water or chicken stock (fill the tomato can half up with water and use that)

2 large limes

corn tortillas

2 - 4 avocados, peeled and cut into thin slices

cilantro

sour cream

salsa

Pickled Onions

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

1 T kosher salt

2 T sugar

1/4 medium beet, peeled

handful cilantro

a lot of cider vinegar

water

For the onions: Put the onion in a microwaveable container. Add the salt, sugar, beet, and cilantro. Cover everything with 1 part water to 2 parts vinegar (in other words, 1 c water to 2 c vinegar). Microwave 1 minute, stir, and microwave another minute. Cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight (or until serving).

For the pork: Put the cumin and coriander in a small pan and set over medium heat. Toast the spices a minute or two, shaking the pan occasionally, until they're fragrant. Grind the spices using a spice grinder and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season all sides of the pork with salt. Put in skillet and brown on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker. Drain a little of the fat off and saute the onions and peppers, if using, until soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Stir in the spice mixture and cook another minute. Transfer the onion and spices to the slow cooker. With the skillet still over the heat, pour the water into the skillet, stirring to loosen all the browned bits and spices on the bottom of the pan. Pour into the slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes and the juice of the a lime.

Cook in a slow cooker over low heat for 6 - 8 hours. Before serving, remove meat from pot. Discard bone and large chunks of fat. Shred the pork using two forks and adjust seasonings (salt and chili powder) as needed. Serve on top of a tortilla with an avocado slice, some pickled onions, a sprig of cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream or salsa if desired. Squeeze a lime wedge over top.

Malaysian Beef Curry

The hunt for slow cooker recipes continues! I liked this better than anyone else in our family. I loved it, so, here's the recipe! It's a nice switch from normal slow cooker recipe flavors. Curtis said he would like this better if it had more spice. However, spice is a no go in our family, with M and her sensitive palate. The boys ate this fine.

I used stew meat instead of chuck roast. The stew meat worked fine.

This makes 6 generous servings.

Malaysian Beef Curry

from Bon Appetit

Spice Paste

4 - 8 large dried New Mexico chiles

2 - 4 lemongrass talks

1/2 c onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 t coriander

1 1 /2 t cumin

1/2 t ginger

3 T fish sauce

1 T brown sugar

Stew

3 lb boneless chuck roast or stew meat, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2" cubes

1 (13.5-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

zest from 1 lime

2 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 T tamarind paste

chopped fresh cilantro

cooked rice

To make the spice paste: Cover the chiles with very hot water and soak until soft, about 45 minutes. Drain, stem, seed, and chop chiles. Cut off the bottom 4" from the lemongrass stalks. Chop and transfer to food processor (reserve tops of stalks for the stew). Add onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger, 1 t black pepper and process until finely ground. Add 1/2 c water, chiles, fish sauce, and sugar. Process to paste.

To make the stew: Smash reserved lemongrass stalks with a rolling pan (fun job!). Bend in half and bundle with kitchen twine. Mix beef and spice paste in slow cooker. Stir in lemongrass bundles, coconut milk, lime zest, star anise, cinnamon, and tamarind. Press meat down completely to submerge. Cook stew on low heat until meat is very tender, 4 1/2 - 5 hours. Spoon excess far from surface of stew before serving. Remove lemongrass bundles, stir anise, and cinnamon stick.

Transfer to stew to bowl. Serve over top steamed rice and sprinkled with cilantro.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

As my children get older, our schedule gets fuller. We are still trying to keep the extras minimal--soccer in the fall, swimming in the spring/early summer. With spring here (yep, we live in Texas, spring comes early!), swim lessons have started in preparation for swim team in May. We generally get home from swim lessons around 5:20 and we eat at 6:00--no small task for me. Even if I had a 30 minute meal to make, having 30 minutes in that time frame which didn't involve care for the boys (they're the younger two), is a stretch.

Thus, I am becoming re-acquainted with my slow cooker again. We also have taken a CSA break this month to get the cabbage and turnips that have multiplied in my fridge cleaned out.

I am also in the process of cleaning last years quarter cow out of the freezer--mostly stew meat and round cutlets left. I am dreaming of a new quarter in April/May, so I need to get rid of the old one first. Stew meat lends itself perfectly to slow-cooker. Round cutlets lends itself perfectly to absolutely nothing, I've found. That doesn't prevent me from trying to use my cutlets.

The goal: To consume round cutlets in the most pleasing, make ahead way possible.

The plan: Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

Analysis: Awesome slow cooker meal which doesn't taste like a bland slow-cooker meal. Round cutlets don't lend themselves well to ropa vieja either, but with the overall taste of the dish, the round cutlets can be ignored, if not entirely forgiven.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

adapted slightly from Food and Wine

1 2-lb flank steak, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 4 pieces

28 oz diced tomatoes, with juice

2 medium (1 large) bell pepper, thinly sliced--a variety of colors is nice if possible

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t cumin

1 bay leaf

1/2 c green olives

2 T capers, drained

3 T cilantro, coarsely chopped

Season the flank steak with salt and pepper. Set aside. In the slow cooker, combine tomatoes and juice, pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and bay leaf. Add the steak and cover. Cook on high for 5 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes (to seal the juices). While the meat rests, stir in the olives, capers, and cilantro. Use shred meat, using 2 forks is the easiest way. Return the meat to the sauce. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Serve over rice and sprinkle with additional cilantro, if desired.

Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi

As you know by now (if you've been reading for a couple months), I am fascinated by Asian food this winter. Bahn Mi is my new favorite sandwich (so inexpensive at one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurant---seriously, McDonald's priced but so much tastier!!). I stumbled across this recipe on the blogosphere and decided it would make the perfect for serving my family the evening they got to Texas for Thanksgiving (which is my excuse for no pictures--being busy with my family and the craziness of having to feed and house 11 people for 3 days).

This wasn't quite the bahn mi (which is just a Vietnamese sandwich---meat with a cabbage slaw served on french bread/baguette) I had in mind, but it was pretty good. The original recipe had links to make your own char siu sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce) and nuoc mam cham (fish sauce), but I opted to buy both of those ingredients. Char siu sauce can be found at Asian markets. The nuoc mam, I picked up at a Vietnamese restaurant a couple of hours before super. Nuoc Mam is perishable, the char siu sauce, not so much if it isn't opened. The owners of the Vietnamese restaurant looked at me as if I were crazy, but obliged me anyway.

The hardest part about the recipe is procuring the ingredients. Once that is done, the slow cooker does most of the work for you.

This recipe will serve 4 - 6 people.
Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi
from the Ravenous Couple

Pulled Pork
3 lb pork shoulder (bone in)
kosher salt
black pepper
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" rings
1 (8.5-oz) jar char siu sauce

Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c red cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 c mint, coarsely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil (thai basil is preferable), coarsely chopped
1/4 c nuoc mam cham

For the sandwiches:
baguettes
cilantro
additional nuoc mam cham

For the pulled pork: Put the sliced onions in slow cooler. Lightly rub pork with small amount of salt and pepper and put in slow cooker on top of onion bed. Brush on a generous layer of char siu sauce, turning pork to coat all sides evenly. Turn the slow cooker on low and leave on overnight (8 - 12 hours) or on high for 4 - 5 hours.

For the slaw: An hour before serving, combine cabbages, cilantro, mint, and basil and toss well. Season with nuoc mam cham to taste (we love nuoc mam cham so we used 1/4 cup). Stir and allow slow to marinate at least 30 minutes before serving (and up to a day before serving).

To assemble the sandwiches: Remove cooked pork from the crockpot. The pork should easily fall apart with gentle pressure. Put pork in a large bowl and pull apart with fork or tongs, discarding fat and bones. Add additional char siu sauce--1 T at a time until pulled pork is well coated (don't overdo it, you can always add more char siu sauce to the sandwiches).

Place pork in a baguette and top with slaw. Garnish with cilantro and drizzle extra nuoc mam cham over top if desired.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

Mmm...butternut squash in a slow cooker with chicken and chick peas. Moroccan food made easy.

We enjoyed this and I was pleased to find a way to use butternut squash in a slow cooker. It was a nice stew and was great over couscous. The olives over top are optional--we put them on top the first time around, but not for the leftovers. M was a little hesitant about the squash, which was just fine with Little I who had all of his plus all of M's squash. M stuck to the chicken.

This is a great dump and cook slow cooker meal--which are my favorite kind. No sauting anything before hand--the only work is peeling and cutting the butternut squash into chunks.

This serves 6.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine
adapted from Delish.com

1 (1 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" - 1 1/2" chunks
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped or 1 c canned diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 c chicken broth
1/3 c raisins
2 t coriander
2 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
3 lbs (bone-in) chicken thighs, skins removed
10 oz couscous
1/2 c green olives, pitted (optional)

In a 6-qt slow cooker, combine squash, tomatoes, onion, garlic, beans, broth, and raisins. In a separate, small bowl, combine coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Rub spice mixture all over chicken thighs. Place thighs on top of vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

About 10 minutes before serving, prepare couscous according to pkg directions. To serve, fluff couscous with fork. Stir olives into chicken mixture. Serve chicken mixture over couscous.

Chicken Gumbo

I want to like okra, I really do. I love how sliced okra looks--so pretty if you can ignore the slime dripping from each slice. All summer we've left our okra in the trade box or snuck it into friends' refrigerators. I decided a week or two again that it was time to use okra at least once this summer. Instead of going for the classic tomato/okra/hamburger skillet meal, I went for the other okra classic, gumbo.

See it turns out, that gumbo actually means okra. Countless gumbo recipes abound---some New Orleans' style others more African in style. I went for the New Orleans Style and found a recipe that could be made in a crockpot as well. Despite my original intentions, I didn't end up making this in a crockpot, but am including those directions because I just might make this recipe again sometime.

We all ate it. I wouldn't say anyone of us loved the entire dish. Curtis and I tolerated the okra. We tried to deny its existence in the meal. (Curtis informed me it would be much better without the okra. I told him in which case, it wouldn't be gumbo). M ate the chicken and shrimp out of it. J ate some of it. Little I picked at his, eating some of it, but it was hard to discern exactly what. I had it three days afterwards as leftovers and the okra started to grow on me. I'll make this again and we'll probably tolerate the okra again. Maybe, eventually, we just might like this dish--all parts of it.

This serves 6 - 8 if served over rice.

Chicken Gumbo
adapted from WholeFoodsMarket.com

4 T canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into 1" pieces
salt
pepper
4 T unbleached flour
1 c onion, diced
1 c green pepper, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
2 c fresh okra, sliced
2 c chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 lb cooked chicken sausage, sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 lb large shrimp, peeled (you could use significantly less--I used more for M's sake)

Brown the chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add remaining 3 T oil to skillet and heat until hot. Add floor and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown 3 - 4 minutes. It should be about the color of peanut butter. Add the onion, green pepper, celery, and okra.

For a slow cooker: Cook onion, etc for 2 minutes or until the vegetables start to wilt. Add the chicken broth and stir until smooth and incorporated. Transfer mixture very carefully (to not burn yourself) into slow cooker. Add the okra, bay leaves, tomatoes, and browned chicken along with any juices left in bowl. Cover and cook on low for 7 - 8 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, add the sausage and turn cooker to high. Add the shrimp 5 minutes before serving. Serve over cooked rice with plenty of Tabasco.

For stove top: Carefully stir in chicken broth to onion mixture. Return chicken and any juices to the pan. Add chicken sausage, bay leaves, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook another 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked. Serve over rice with plenty of Tabasco.

Turkish Lamb and Vegetable Stew

I stay pretty busy. Six days of the week, I do countless loads of laundry, feed our family, pick kids up at schools, keep our house semi-clean, do errands, and the list goes on and on. I am sure your list seems endless sometimes too. Whose doesn't? Needless to say, I am trying to carve out one day a week where I stop a little and take a nap/read/write (just for me--not for any blog), putting aside my mile long to do list for the day. One way I accomplish this without racking up huge eating out bills is to get out the slow cooker. I turn it on the morning, wash all the dishes and then am done for the day in the kitchen. The challenge is finding slow cooker recipes I like that don't turn into a "open up a can" fest. I want recipes that match our summer season and use some of the produce have around.

I found this recipe and was excited. It used eggplant and zucchini (not your normal slow cooker ingredients) in addition to potatoes. All three things I got in my CSA box and had languishing in my crisper (well, not the potatoes).

We all enjoyed it. My only complaint was the amount of work that went into it. I prefer my slow cooker recipes to need not a lot of prep work, but this one took a little longer with browning the lamb and sauteing onions. It also was a shorter cook time than some. However, we had no problem polishing off the leftovers throughout the week, not that we had a large amount of leftovers. It was a hit with all of us. This would be good served with rice or another grain like couscous. If you don't like the gamey lamb flavor, either substitute another stew meat or roast or trim the fat off of the lamb very well.

This makes 6 - 8 servings.

Turkish Lamb and Vegetable Stew
from Eating Well Magazine

1 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1 1/4" pieces (or other stew meat/roast)
1 1/4 t salt
black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 lg onions, thinly slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried oregano
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 lg potato (or 3 -4 small ones, in my case), sliced 3/8" thick
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1 - 2" pieces (frozen green beans work fine)
1 sm eggplant, sliced 3/8" thick
1 med zucchini or summer squash, sliced 3/8" thick
6 bay leaves
3 T fresh parsley, chopped

Season lamb with 1/4 t salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1/2 T olive oil in lg skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the lamb and brown, 2 - 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Set aside and repeat with remaining lamb, adding another 1/2 T olive oil to skillet. Add to slow cooker (and all accumulated juices). Add remaining 1/2 T oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and cook until softened, 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and oregano and cook for an additional minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, mashing with a potato masher or fork. Remove from heat.

Spoon half of tomato mixture over lamb. Arrange potatoes over top, followed by green beans, eggplant, and zucchini, seasoning each layer with a little salt and pepper. Spread remaining tomato mixture over top of vegetables. Top with bay leaves. Cover and cook on high about 4 hours or until lamb and vegetables are very tender. Discard bay leaves and serve hot, garnished with parsley.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Since I finally bought a slow cooker after being without for many, many years, I am trying to use it more frequently. I've discovered starting a recipe first thing in the morning, leaving it alone for 8 - 10 hours, and then having a meal ready at suppertime is a pretty good deal. Plus, I am able to avoid heating up my house as much or I don't need to be at the mercy of Curtis and the Egg (I know I could learn how to barbeque, but why?). Thus, I am ever on the search for new recipes that aren't just soups or stews.

With the heat wave that's stifling the East Coast (By the way, we just hit 100 degrees in my part of Texas. We've had rainy days on occasion. Such a nice respite from last summers 70+ days of 100 degrees weather), slow cooker recipes are more prevalent on good food blogs.

This was fabulous. The prep work was minimal--I get annoyed with slow cooker recipes that has a lot of upfront work. If I want to do a lot of prep work, I'll not bother with getting out the slow cooker! We made these into tacos and quesadillas. I saved the juice from the crockpot, cooled it and skimmed the fat off the top. It made a great sauce for pouring over the pork when I reheated it for may other meals.

This recipe will feed a small army (12 - 16 people). Either plan on feeding a lot, eating it all week, or freezing some to save for later.

Slow Cooker Carnitas
from the Kitchn

1 ( 6 - 8 lb) bone-in pork butt, also called pork shoulder or boston butt (or if you can, buy meat labeled carnitas)
2 T coarse salt
1 T cumin
1 T black pepper
1 T dried oregano
2 t cinnamon
1 t cayenne or chili powder, or to taste
8 cloves garlic, smashed
4 chipotle peppers, canned or dried (optional)
1 c tomato juice
1 c orange juice

Trim excess fat off meat and discard fat. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours. Meat will fall off the bone and shred very easily. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from juices and place in large bowl. Remove bone from meat and shred using a couple of forks or a pastry blender (it really works well!).

Refrigerate juices. Once fat has congealed, skim the fat off the juices. Save the juices to top meat with when reheating.

For tacos, serve on your choice of tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, chopped red onion, lime wedges, and roasted chiles (if you have an overabundance of chiles like I do).

Crockpot Coq au Vin

Bastille Day was on July 14th. I know all you Francophiles were aware of that, but for the rest of you, Bastille Day (France's Independence Day) has come and gone. You missed a perfectly good excuse to make French food.

I didn't miss Bastille Day. It almost snuck up on me, being so close to the return from our 3000 mile road trip, but I managed to celebrate it properly. Life's seemed a little crazy upon our turn thanks, in part to the addition of a puppy to our life, so I looked for a French recipe I could handle. I left Julia Child in the cabinet and turned to the internet instead.

There I found this: Coq au Vin. In a crockpot no less!! I decided that was my recipe for Bastille Day, along with the Fried Chile Peppers (which are supposedly a French recipe).

It turned out quite well and I will make it again. My kids weren't the best eaters that night, so I don't feel like I had a fair representation of their thoughts of it. They ate it but it didn't cause J to tell me "It's delicious!" or M to respond with "This has good flavor, Mommy." I served it over couscous (mostly because I realized very last minute that I had no starch for our meal).

Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
from the Knoxville (TN) Examiner (Newspaper)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 T butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c (or less) water or chicken broth

6 T white wine

1 T flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 c tomatoes, diced

1 T fresh thyme (or 1 t. dried)

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and sear on each side until lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside. Add garlic and onions to pan and cook until just softened. Add white wine to onions and garlic and stir to release chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. In the slow cooker, whisk together water (or broth), flour, salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir onion and garlic mixture (with all the pan juices). Add tomatoes, thyme, and mushrooms and mix well. Lay the chicken breast (and any accumulated juices in dish) on top of the mixture. Cook on low for 3 -4 hours or high for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through. To reduce the sauce before serving, remove the lid 20 minutes before serving.

Lamb Rogan Josh

Since discovering a new Indian restaurant that I love, I've been wanting to try to make Indian food at home again. Years ago, I made bland chicken curries I didn't love and was a little hesitant to try a random recipe. But I did. It was wonderful!

I supposed you could also use beef stew meat to make this. We loved the lamb. This made 4 - 6 servings. I served it over rice and with some wonderful aloo paratha (a naan--which is a flatbread--stuffed with potatoes and peas) from that Indian restaurant I loved. It was a wonderful meal. I will definitely make it again and again and again.

Lamb Rogan Josh
adapted from Food and Wine

1/4 c olive oil
2 lbs lamb or beef stew meat, cut into 1" pieces
kosher salt
2 onions, thinly sliced (about 3 c)
2 T fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T plus 1 t curry powder
1 t turmeric
1/2 t cayenne pepper (optional---the curry powder provided enough spice for us so I omitted)
2 bay leaves
1 14-oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 c plain whole milk yogurt
2 c water (1/2 - 1 c water if using a slow cooker)
1 t garam masala
cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron casserole dish (Dutch oven does just fine). Season the stew meat with salt and cook over high heat in batches, stirring occasionally until the meat is browned, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Add the onions to the pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne (if using), and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, yogurt, and water and bring to a boil. Season with salt. Return the lamb and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cover an simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender about 2 hours (you may want to check it around a hour and half). Stir in the garam masala and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.

Slow Cooker variation: Follow the recipe as follows until you get to returning the meat to the pot. Instead, dump the boiling tomato/yogurt mixture into the slow cooker with the meat. Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Add a little more water if the meat looks dry.