Just Perfect Sloppy Joes

Love slow cookers on work days. I assembled everything the night before and put it in the fridge. In the morning all I had to do was put it in the slow cooker, turn it on low and head out the door. I came home from work to a hot and ready meal. Perfect. This recipe is also great to freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later in the month.

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Farmhouse Favorites.
Ingredients
3 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
28 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 cup catsup
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 sandwich buns, split
Directions
Combine all ingredients except buns in a slow cooker. cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 3 to 4 hours. Serve in sandwich buns. Serves 8.

Honey-Barbecued Pork

OMG!
This recipe is Abby approved. I am stunned. I think it would have been an even bigger hit if I served it on mini buns. Who can resist sliders? Can’t get you finicky eater to eat. Just make their food cute and tiny and they’ll gobble it up.
If you haven’t done it yet make sure you enter the giveaway for this cookbook. –>Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway<--

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches.
Ingredients
2-3 lb pork roast
2 onions, chopped
1 (12 oz) bottle barbecue sauce
1/4 cup honey
6-8 sandwich rolls, split
Directions
Place pork in a slow cooker. Add onions, barbecue sauce and honey. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. Use 2 forks to shred roast; mix well. Serve on rolls. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Slow Cooker Beef Roast

This is one of those days when I wonder why I even bother. Christopher was activated for state emergency. Dumb old winter weather. So that meant a 3 pound roast for the kiddos and I. If you're hungry stop by our house, there are tons of leftovers. Ugh. My kids just don't eat much at all. Is that a girl thing?
My snow day was no different than every other day except I added shoveling to my list of chores. I hate shoveling. Every deployment I tell myself when he gets back I won't shovel or take out the trash. I look forward to not doing these things and yet here I am. He just doesn't seem to be here when the trash needs to go out or when the snow is done falling. It's such perfect timing that it's become a joke between us. I really need to get better at my timing.

Recipe from a friend or two.
Download Recipe
Ingredients
3 lb beef roast
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 oz) packet dried onion soup mix
1/2 cup beef broth
Directions
Mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and beef broth. Place roast in a slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over roast. Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Italian Beef Hoagies

Cold weather + slow cooker = warm and cozy home.
Sometimes I wonder where my brain is. I had a doctors appointment scheduled for late in the day. Apparently it slipped my mind that I have children who come home after school. What was I thinking? I hate not being there when they get home. I decided to make a slow cooker meal for dinner so I didn't have to rush around once I returned home. Then schedule change, Christopher wouldn't be home for dinner. *grrr* I hate that. The girls and I ate dinner and there is so much left over. Thank goodness this was so yummy, I don't think anyone will mind having it tomorrow night.

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets.
Ingredients
3 to 4 lb beef chuck roast
2 .6 oz pkgs zesty Italian salad dressing mix
2 C water
24 oz jar pepperoncinis, drained and liquid reserved
15-18 hoagie rolls, toasted and split
Garnish: shredded provolone cheese
Directions
Slice roast across the grain into 4 pieces and trim any fat. Place in bottom of a slow cooker. Mix together dressing mix and water; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until tender; use forks to shred beef in slow cooker. Slice pepperoncinis into rings and add to slow cooker along with reserved liquid from jar. Cover and cook for a few more minutes, until heated through. Serve beef on toasted rolls, topped with cheese. Serves 15 to 18.

Slow Cooker San Francisco Chops

Oh dear sweet Monday why are you such a challenge?
Monday mornings are always a rush around here, you would think I didn't know it was coming. There are certain things I tend to procrastinate on. Such as the grocery list or our weekly schedule to make sure I can be everywhere that everyone needs me to be. Add in the fact that it's a week before a major cooking holiday and I leave the house without finishing my first cup of coffee. Yikes! Thank goodness for slow cookers. I grabbed this recipe from my friend Paula @ "Queen of my Castle". I figured if her finicky eater loved it then so would mine.
In the midst of my crazy day my wonderful husband surprised me with an early birthday gift. He is so awful when it comes to keeping presents under wraps. Not that I mind. It's been months since my ugly black wireless mouse died and I have been forced to use the old wired one. Well no more! I have a pink addiction and my man loves feeding it. He rocks my socks!

Dinner was a success! Well except for the rice. What was I thinking? I should have made noodles for Miss Finicky Pants. I think I could have licked the slow cooker clean, the sauce was that amazing.

Recipe from Jane Deere.
Ingredients
4 pork chops (1-inch thick)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine or chicken broth
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water
Hot Cooked Rice, for serving
Green onions, sliced, for garnish (optional)
Directions
In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in oil; transfer to a slow cooker. Add garlic to drippings; cook and stir until aromatic or golden. Stir in soy sauce, wine, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.
Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove chops - they will probably be falling apart by this time! Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker. Return chops to slow cooker. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.

Slow Cooker Pheasant with Mushrooms

*I had to edit this post to remove some lots of angry profanity*
Last week Christopher asked if I would mind if he went hunting with some of his Cadets. I didn't mind at all BUT had one request "DO NOT bring home anything that you shoot". It was a simple request that I made him promise me.

He didn't listen. I am shredding his hunting license and revoking any privileges he has within our home. He is so past grounded that being grounded would be a holiday. He did clean a majority of the bird in the field. *ick* Once home he washed it and gave it a finally cleaning. *gross* I tried to be more mature about this and found a recipe to make while telling myself it will taste like chicken. Which is a statement I will never understand because if it taste like chicken then why the hell can't we just buy chicken!

I was dreading prepping the pheasant so when I got it out of the fridge and saw all the little feather pieces on it I lost it. I was so ill-rationally mad at my husband for making me have to do this I was about to cry. A hunter's wife I am not. Long story short I could even begin to think about eating this for dinner much less feeding it to our kiddos. I quickly whipped up tomorrow night's Cheesy Chicken Corn Chowder for us and feed Christopher the pheasant.

Recipe from All Recipes.
Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 pheasants, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced into rings
1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
Directions
Place the flour, salt, and pepper into a resealable plastic bag; shake to mix. Place the pheasant pieces into the flour mixture, and shake until evenly coated. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Shake any excess flour off of the pheasant pieces, and place them in the hot oil. Cook until the pheasant is brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Place the pheasant into a slow cooker, reserving the oil in the skillet. Cook the onion in the remaining oil until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and continue cooking and stirring until the mushrooms have softened and the garlic has mellowed, about 5 minutes more. Pour the wine into the skillet and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then pour in the chicken broth and return to a boil. Pour the mushroom mixture into the slow cooker, and sprinkle with sliced black olives.
Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or Low for 7 hours.