Spicy Touchdown Chili

Last year I had two high school kids come to the door selling magazines. I subscribed to Taste of Home and, of course, I’m now obsessed. So many great recipes are shared from people all over the country…I love it! That being said, this spicy touchdown chili is now my favorite chili. I made a couple of changes, as noted below, and the chili was not very spicy. Next time I’ll probably add a couple more jalapenos and a little more chili powder just to spice it up.

Prep: 25 minutes (mainly just browning meat)

Cook: 4-5 hours on low

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork (original recipe calls for bulk pork sausage)
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (10 ounces each) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with onions, undrained
• 1 can (12 ounces) beer
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1.5 Tbsp chili powder (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno (original recipe calls for pickled jalapeno slices)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink (drain if not using lean ground beef). Transfer to a 6-qt slow cooker. Next brown the pork in the same skillet the beef was in. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours.

Yield: 12 servings

Slow Cooker Sweet Pork

Oh my goodness my friends…it has been way too long since I last posted a recipe! I am finally getting settled into my new apartment and town and also GOT A JOB! Yay! So it’s been a little hectic around here, but the good news is I haven’t stopped cooking and now have many recipes to post on here!

This recipe was AA-MMM-AAAZZ-ING. My husband and I loved every bit of this meal and the leftovers. Each time we had the leftovers we were raving again about how delicious it was. Oh and it’s super easy so I hope you try it! This recipe is originally called Cafe Rio Pork however I have never eaten at a Cafe Rio so that means very little. It reminds me very much of a sweet pork I love from a restaurant back home…hence the name change.

Prep: 3 minutes

Cook: 5 hours on high or 7 hours on low

Ingredients:

• Homemade style soft flour tortillas (I promise this actually makes a difference. I bought a brand titled Mi Mama’s Soft Flour Tortillas and they were amazing!)
• 2-3 lbs pork (I used chops but I think any cut would work)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups salsa
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Season the pork with salt and pepper and place them in the slow cooker. Add brown sugar and salsa and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 5. Remove pork and trim fat if needed. Shred the pork (I usually use two forks and shred it very carefully so I don’t scratch my slow cooker). After shredding cook for about a half an hour longer so the pork can soak up more of the juices. Serve with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and whatever else you like on your tacos!

Yields: a lot….at least 6 full tacos

Happy Eating 🙂

Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I am truly obsessed with my slow cooker right now so I will be posting many slow cooker recipes in the next few weeks. I love the fact that I can throw together a meal early in the day, I love the way it makes the house smell, and I’ve read on several blogs how a slow cooker doesn’t heat up your house (and considering it’s over 100 here with extreme humidity right now I’m a big fan). I hope you try some of these recipes and get a little glimpse of why my slow cooker is my new favorite obsession 🙂

I made this Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin last week (from this site http://joelens.blogspot.com/2012/02/12-more-crockpot-recipes-for-stress.html) and my husband and I both really liked it. I did have a problem with the sauce…there wasn’t enough and thickening it didn’t work for us…so I have adapted the recipe to my liking. The pork was very tender and the sauce was sweet and so flavorful.

Prep: 10- 15 minutes

Cook: on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3.5 to 4.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
• salt and pepper
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard or country-style
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or Maple Sugar Seasoning

Directions:

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork in the slow cooker. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme and maple syrup for the sauce (feel free to add a little extra of everything if you prefer more sauce to pour over the pork when serving); pour over the pork in slow cooker. Turn pork to coat thoroughly. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork to a plate and serve sliced with the juices poured over the top. (The original recipe called for pouring the juices in a saucepan and thickening them by adding cornstarch and cold water…it was way too thick- plus I just prefer a sauce over a glaze- and there wasn’t very much sauce to simmer and reduce so I will eliminate this step the next time I make it).

Yields: 4 servings

We ate this with a side of bread and roasted asparagus with balsamic browned butter!

Happy Eating 🙂